Black beauty products kept locked up at some Walmart stores, raising complaints

Abstraction: Walmart locking African-American beauty products draws racial discrimination complaints and lawsuits

Key points:

• Multiple Walmart stores (New York, Virginia, California) placed Black hair and beauty products in locked glass cases labeled "Multicultural Hair Care," requiring employee assistance to access; non-Black products were freely accessible
• Walmart initially defended the practice as "data-driven" loss prevention despite products ranging from $0.97 to $25.92 — far cheaper than typically locked electronics
• California customer Essie Grundy filed a 2018 racial discrimination lawsuit (Riverside County Superior Court, represented by Gloria Allred) seeking $4,000 in damages and a policy change; federal trial was scheduled for Feb 25, 2020
• Riverhead, NY store reversed the policy as of Feb 1, 2019 after community pressure, NAACP chapter complaints, and social media attention
• Pattern of complaints documented across at least 2016–2019 in multiple states, indicating a systemic corporate policy rather than isolated store decisions
• Walmart stated it "does not tolerate discrimination of any kind" while continuing to defend the lawsuit

Connections: Walmart · Naacp · Racial Discrimination · Bias

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/walmart-s-practice-locking-black-beauty-products-some-stores-raises-n967206