Essie Grundy is her name, and she is backed by the famous agitation lawyer Gloria Allred who “announced her lawsuit on Friday.” Now, what’s going on here is that in this particular Walmart store, African-American beauty products are stolen. They are shoplifted with a much greater frequency than (ahem) others. So Walmart — as standard, good business practice would be — has decided to make it tougher to shoplift these items. So therefore, Walmart is being sued for discrimination because it’s only African-American hair products that are now harder to steal.
I mean, that’s what it boils down to, and I know I’m gonna catch heat for it, but that’s what this is. “‘I would like the glass to go down, and for things to go back to the way it was, where it’s not segregated and everything is where everyone can get what they need,’ [Essie Grundy] said in a press conference covered by NBC Los Angeles. Grundy, who is African-American, wanted to buy a lotion brand for her children at a location in the city of Perris, she said, but discovered it was set behind glass, as were other beauty products aimed at black women.
“She couldn’t even touch the product until after an employee walked it to the register. Gundy said she returned to the same location later to buy a 48-cent comb, and discovered that that too was set behind glass. Allred said they’re looking for an apology from Walmart, and a court injunction to stop the practice. ‘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,’ a Walmart spokesman said…
“‘Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis using data supporting the need for the heightened measures. While we’ve yet to review a complaint, we take this situation seriously and look forward to addressing it with the court.'” (laughing) So… (interruption) “They take it seriously.” That is the problem. They took it seriously. They’ve taken it too seriously. Walmart should realize that if people want it, they should have it.
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