Amazon users 'horrified' by bag's pic revealing baby with tape over mouth, Angry Internet calls it 'sick joke'
Amazon shoppers on Tuesday, April 14, were left horrified after they reportedly noticed a "disturbing" image inside a Dallas Cowboys sports bag and complained to the retailer for hosting "a photo of a child with tape over its mouth." Multiple users flooded Amazon with complaints after they noted a picture that showed a sports bag with its zip partially open to show the customer the product's inner lining, however, instead of the lining there was a face with an eye looking out of the bag.
Several customers suggested that the child's mouth in the picture appeared to have tape over it. Reports state that the photo has since been deleted and "discontinued" by The Northwest Company, which was selling the product. The sellers, in their explanation, said that it was not the "image of a child" but a photo from a "magazine cover" which was added to "to give the illusion of the bag with contents inside it."
One of the horrified customers, Laura Harper, from Kingston Upon Hull in East Yorkshire, reportedly complained to Amazon and shared screenshots of the disturbing image on social media. Harper posted the listing on Amazon's Facebook page, writing: "Are you s****** me?" She added that she had been made aware of the images by other social media users and went to Amazon to check for herself. "I clicked on the link and that's when I found the photos," she told the Daily Mail. "I screenshotted and posted them to the Amazon Facebook page, wanting an explanation and within ten minutes, the photo in question had been removed and the product was listed as 'unavailable'. I was disgusted. There are a few conspiracy theories but I think it must be a very sick joke." Harper was referring to the Wayfair child trafficking conspiracy theory, where some social media users have accused Wayfair, and later Amazon, of child trafficking.
The theory started after people noticed that Wayfair and Amazon, were charging exorbitant prices for items like storage cabinets and throw pillows, and although all of the items appeared identical they allegedly had different names written on the item descriptions. Some social media users believe that the furniture and home-goods company is selling "missing children" through their high-priced cabinets and throw pillows costing nearly $10,000 to $12,000 and $9,000. One aspect of the theory claims that the product stock keeping unit numbers (SKUs) can be used to find pictures of young girls on a Russian search engine.
Another horrified Amazon shopper, a 33-year-old mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said that she had a similar experience when she was searching for a school bag for her son. "I was horrified by it. I took screenshots straight away and got in touch with Amazon through live chat," she said. "Whilst I was on live chat to customer service I searched for the item again and it had been removed. I sent the screenshots to Amazon who assured me it would be investigated, but had no idea how it got on there or why it was on there."
Northwest, in its explanation, released a statement on the issue: "After an internal review of the images acquired from Concept One by Northwest, we determined to discontinue use of this particular image. Northwest is in the process of removing the image from all depictions of the Leadoff Sling Backpack, and we sincerely apologize for any offense this particular image caused our customers and anyone who viewed it. Northwest is a family-owned and managed company. We strongly and unequivocally condemn human trafficking in any form. Northwest is a proud supporter of Amnesty International, the Polaris Project, and many other organizations dedicated to eradicating human rights abuses."