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Kentucky Walmart accused of racism after TikToker’s video shows security tags only on darker shades of makeup

The user @alynicoletta shared the video of the store on Sunday, February 28, which has been viewed by more than 900,000 as of Monday, March 1

A TikTok user has alleged in her video that a Walmart store in Kentucky is practicing racism after finding security tags on only darker shades of makeup. The user @alynicoletta shared the video of the store on Sunday, February 28, which has been viewed by more than 900,000 as of Monday, March 1. A person named Fifty Shades of Whey shared the same TikTok video on Twitter also, which has gone viral.

In the video, the woman can be heard saying, “I'm at my local Walmart and I'm just looking at the makeup section and I noticed this. I'm looking at the concealers and they're all normal, but once you get to the darker shades they have security tags all over them but they don't for the lighter colors." She then shows the shelf carrying darker shades of makeup. All the products were attached to bright yellow security tags, but the lighter shades had no tags. The TikToker then asks, “Walmart, tell me that you're racist without actually saying that you're racist?"

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Several people on Twitter expressed their views after watching the social media video. One person tweeted, “I'll believe this when I see the statistics on stolen cosmetic products from that Walmart, until then I will staunchly believe that there is racism behind this decision.” The second person wrote, “What would the South be without it's beloved racism? It's basically their entire identity and has been for close to 300 years. To the people who live there that don't identify, get out as soon as you can. Nothing flourishes there.”

“I moved back to change things (SF, CA -> AR). Racism is in the Bay Area as well. The South is more open about it. In the open or behind close doors we all need to work together to change things for the Black community. Not everyone has the privilege to move,” a third user said. Another one added: “I’ve gone to 5+ Walmarts where they lock up all the Black hair care & makeup. Then you have to WAIT like 25-30 minutes to find somebody that has the key in order for you to pick out your item, THEN the worker rushes you and walks you item up behind the register. But It cost $5.”

After the outcry, Walmart released a statement as a spokesperson told Newsweek, “We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind at Walmart. We serve millions of customers weekly, crossing all demographics, and are focused on meeting their needs while providing the best shopping experience at each store. Like other retailers, we have policies and training in place that allow individual stores to add additional security for items such as electronics, automotive products, cosmetics and other personal care products to ensure they are available for sale to our customers. In this case, we are following up with the store to ensure those policies were followed properly."

However, this is not the first time Walmart has been accused of racism. In 2020, it faced a huge backlash. A report in June last year, stated that some products made for people of color were locked inside a case in some stores, while similar products for White people were hanging free. "If I want Suave or Tresemme or Pantene, it's out. The multi-cultural hair care is all locked behind the glass. That's so ridiculous. The message is clear: We don't trust you... And it's for what? Shampoo? There are bigger things that are happening in the world than people wanting to wash and cleanse their hair,” Lauren Epps, a Black woman who shopped at a store, told KCNC at the time. However, after the flak, the company said it won’t lock "multicultural" hair products.