Retailers are rethinking their merchandising strategies in the wake of protests across the nation against police brutality and racial inequality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Walmart on Wednesday said it would ban the practice, which took place at a dozen of its 4,700 stores and became the focus of a federal discrimination lawsuit filed in 2018 that was dropped a year later. The locations in California, which last month became the first state to ban discrimination based on natural hairstyles, are not the only Walmarts in the country to be accused of racial discrimination. That experience is all too familiar for Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, a black digital marketing and social media leader in the retail and beauty space. In 2018, Essie Grundy sued Walmart for locking up beauty items catering to black women. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart Stop Locking Up Black Beauty, Hair Care Products NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color, joining Walmart in ending a practice at some stores that has drawn the ire of customers. According to the complaint, Grundy went to the Walmart store in Perris, California several times and had to ask a sales clerk to unlock the display case for black hair and body products. Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. “We’re sensitive to this situation and also understand, like other retailers, that some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products are subject to additional security.”. NEW YORK — Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color, joining Walmart in … She says she gets annoyed by long waits for the sales associates to unlock the beauty and personal care products not just at the local grocer Albertsons but at other neighboring stores in View Park in Los Angeles, known as the “Black Beverly Hills." "One poor girl was trying to look up products on her phone because you can’t even pick the products up to read directions, ingredients, et cetera," Saunders told NBC News. Meanwhile, beauty items for non-blacks were not under lock and key, according to the suit. "I’m a teacher, and I want the students in my class to know that this is not normal, it’s not OK, and they do not look like criminals.". "If you're going to lock up hair products, lock up all of the hair products not just those targeting a particular demographic.". Black people have been and continue to be a major source of inspiration for everything, and that includes beauty (of course). It read: “Reducing theft helps us all by keeping prices low. Grundy said she felt “shame and humiliation” as people were staring at her as if she were criminal as she waited for assistance. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest. “It sends a message of being prosecuted as soon as you walk in, disrespected and generalized in a way that is psychological troubling because it is based on the race of your skin or where you live and nothing more," she wrote. Walmart says it will no longer lock up Black beauty products Walmart will end its practice of locking up African American beauty care products in … "I felt as if the second I stepped into that aisle, that it had already been determined I’m a potential thief," Jasmine Saunders said of a California Walmart. But experts say that locking up items catering to black customers, particularly in black neighborhoods, is widespread and retailers need to abolish it. By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color, joining Walmart in ending a practice at some stores that has drawn the ire of customers. Many customers have questioned why personal care products for black people were given heightened security measures. The retail giant has also been the subject of similar complaints on Long Island, New York, and in Virginia. Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color. She said she interpreted that to mean that customers purchasing these items are likely to be thieves. After facing scrutiny for discriminatory practices, Walmart is changing its policy of locking up beauty products marketed toward black people. Allred told NBC News on Monday that Grundy's case is still pending in federal court. A woman in California said she was infuriated and saddened to find black beauty and hair products locked in a glass case at a pair of local Walmart stores. Essie Grundy, who also lives in California, sued Walmart in 2018 with a similar complaint. They also say that stores lock up more items in black neighborhoods compared to white neighborhoods. "I can’t understand how they are getting away with this, and that people are continuing to accept this as normal and acceptable," Saunders said. FILE - This Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, file photo shows a sign at a CVS Pharmacy in Pittsburgh. Allred said that Walmart has previously tried to justify what she describes as a "racial discrimination policy and practice" by stating that “the protective packaging was part of a normal practice to minimize theft of at-risk items.”, "We disagree," Allred said. NEW YORK -- Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color, joining Walmart in ending a practice at some stores that has drawn the ire of customers. Saunders said that she followed the sales associate to the register, but left before buying anything because she just wanted to get out of the store. Meet these 42 Black … “We serve more than 160 million customers weekly, crossing all demographics, and are focused on meeting their needs while providing the best shopping experience at each store,” LeMia Jenkins, a Walmart spokeswoman said. “It is out of step with the times we are living now.”, Walmart said in a statement that like other retailers, the locked cases were put in place to deter shoplifters from some products such electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products. Bracken-Ferguson said she has stopped going to stores where this is still practiced. Grundy is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, who filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court in Riverside County. She says she doesn't see those products locked up in Beverly Hills. IE 11 is not supported. According to the complaint, Grundy went to the Walmart store in Perris, California several times and had to ask a sales clerk to unlock the display case for black hair and body products. "I left my cart just sitting in an aisle.". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Walmart will end its practice of locking up African-American beauty care products in glass cases, the retail giant said on Wednesday after a fresh round of criticism that the policy was a … “If you lock up products for black people and you aren’t doing that for products for white customers, that is discriminatory,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail. NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color, joining Walmart in ending a… "I could not believe the emotional response it elicited, I felt as if the second I stepped into that aisle, that it had already been determined I’m a potential thief, as well as anyone else who looks like me.". products kept in locked cases at Walmart draw claims of discrimination "I Security cameras in use,” according to Saunders. While trying to undo discriminatory polices, they also realize they can't afford to turn off multicultural customers who are big spenders of beauty products. “We are currently ensuring multicultural hair care and beauty products are not stored behind locked cases at any of our stores," Walgreens said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press late Thursday. Jasmine Saunders, 42, said she felt singled out Sunday at a Walmart in Riverside, California, as she and other black women waited for a store employee to unlock beauty supplies marketed to black men and women. "It was embarrassing to feel a part of a group being singled out," she said. Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at Black women and other people of color, joining Walmart in ending a … Following continued social media scrutiny amid Black Lives Matter protests, some major retailers have announced they will no longer lock up Black beauty products. When she asked a store employee why the items are kept under lock and key, Saunders said she was told it’s not “black hair care products that are locked up, only the ones that are stolen the most.”, "It blows my mind that they are getting away with this and people are continuing to comply as if it’s a nonissue," said Saunders. "We believe that if Walmart is concerned about security, it should lock up the shelves of all products.". sued Walmart in 2018 with a similar complaint, became the first state to ban discrimination based on natural hairstyles. During a visit last week to another Walmart in Ontario, California, not far from where she teaches fifth grade, Saunders said beauty supplies targeted at black people were also under lock and key, and this time, there was a sign. Walmart said it does not tolerate discrimination of any kind in its stores and that certain items are kept locked up for security reasons because they are more likely to be stolen. Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color. In 2018, Essie Grundy sued Walmart for locking up beauty items catering to black women. Black beauty and hair products in locked cases inside a Walmart in Ontario, California. Many stores have had a long-standing policy of locking up items that have high theft rates like batteries and razor blades. NEW YORK -- Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color, joining Walmart in ending a practice at some stores that has drawn the ire of customers. By Jacqueline Laurean Yates. Before the policy change, black beauty products were only locked up at some CVS and Walmart locations. CVS noted that it's grown its textured hair and cosmetics area by 35% over the past year, and many of those brands are black-owned businesses. The California locations of the nationwide chain in Riverside and Ontario are the latest to be accused of racial discrimination. California resident Essie Grundy sued Walmart in 2018, accusing the retailer of racial discrimination after multiple visits to a store in Riverside County … She accused the retailer of racial discrimination because on at least three visits to a store in Riverside County, "hair and body products meant for African-Americans" were locked away, her lawsuit states. Janelle Griffith is a national reporter for NBC News focusing on issues of race and policing. But it said, “We’re sensitive to the issue and understand the concerns raised by our customers and members of the community and have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products in locked cases.". Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health have announced that they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of … There seemed to be more restrictions at locations in affluent, mostly white areas with relatively few black people, said Turner and Ferguson. Walmart, Walgreens, and … After making their selections, Saunders said the Walmart employee then walked the items to the front of the store to be held until they were purchased.

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