TURNERSVILLE, NJ (WPIX) – People shopping in a South Jersey Wal-Mart over the weekend were shocked to hear an announcement that apparently ordered “all black people” to leave the Turnersville store.
The racist message — delivered over the store’s public-address system shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday — was made by a male who calmly announced, “Attention Wal-Mart customers. All black people leave the store now.”
Witnesses say both customers and store employees were stunned by the highly offensive announcement. As a result, Washington Township police, along with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, are investigating the incident as a possible bias crime. In addition, Wal-Mart officials said they are reviewing security tapes in order to track down the person responsible for the remarks. Customers shopping in the store at the time say managers immediately issued an apology following the announcement.
In a statement to PIX News, Wal-Mart corporate spokeswoman Ashley Hardie, said the incident was “unacceptable.” “We’re as appalled by this as anyone. Whoever did this is wrong and acted in an inappropriate manner,” she said. “We are currently reviewing our systems to prevent this from happening in the future.”
In other Wal-Mart news- Wal-Mart fires long term employee with inoperable brain tumor for medical marijuana use.
To add insult to injury, Walmart is now challenging Casias’ eligibility for unemployment. Simply outrageous. This is the thanks he gets for showing up to work and doing his job for the last five years, despite being stricken with a life-threatening illness. “I gave them everything,” Casias told a local news outlet.
I’m sure this is about insurance premiums, duh.
I would have laughed and ignored it===and supported anyone who was offended.
I don’t see where the photo is a fail. Now if the black baby had “Baby Dead” then I’d get it. By “Alive” I assume it pisses every 30 minutes?
Bobbo, look at the prices, the black one is cheaper.
I don’t like the fact that the police are being involved in this, “bias crime” is as hogwash as “hate crime”, a crime is a crime, speech is speech. The dipshit should be fired at the discretion of the employer, but not charged.
Anyone who knows how to work the PA system can easily grab a phone and make the announcement from anywhere in the store.
I used to work at KMart when I was a teenager, and shit like this happened all the time.
#2–Ren==thanks, I did miss that. Pricing does seem to follow the assumed supply and demand curve though. Why should dolls be priced the same if they sell differently?
I also assumed it was not an employee but rather an interloper who made the announcement. Employee==final written warning if every thing else is ok. Interloper==trespass charge with fine, community service, probation.
#2 Ren – I agree.
#3 Lights – Yes, and it was hilarious. I wonder what will happen if it was just a random teenager? Will they lock him up in juvee? I’m sure he’ll really hate black people by the time they let him out. The state really knows how to fix a problem eh? In reality, the store should be able to sue for damages caused by negative public relations caused by the teen (if that’s the case). This way, the store is compensated for its loss, as opposed to having to pay taxes to keep the teen detained, costing the company more money.
#5 bobbo – Should the fine money go to the store or to the state? Community service would be ok if it was done in the name of Walmart as pay back to Walmart to help their image that was damaged by this stunt.
The price for the black doll should be $15.98 according to the compromise the north reached with the south in 1787…
#6–Bmore==fines always go to the State–as they should. Prevent false charges based on expectation of reward. The community service could be bent towards Walmart===or away from them at their desire.
the Missouri Compromise?===good one!!
Whatever the reason, every black child that sees this or similar pricing situations is touched by the message that a black child is not worth as much as a white one, simple as that.
No one raised the possibility that this announcement was made by a black customer who got access to the PA phone. It is easy to do: just find an unattended phone and press 70 or whatever their phone system uses.
There are not enough racist events anymore to help the race peddlers, so black people have to stage their own racism so they can keep their victim status. Below are some examples.
Minority student caught hanging noose: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/student-apologizes-for-ucsd-noose-says-no-racist-intent.html
Black firefighter Admits placing Noose: http://newsroomamerica.com/usa/story.php?id=401789
If he would have said “all white people leave the store” would it be a bias crime? What if they guy that said it was black? “hate” crimes are BS…and this is not even a crime. I would laugh my ass off if I heard “all white people leave the store.”
Another story smearing a company for one idiots actions. yawn.
I would think this would be a more important story…
It’s Starting: Regional Walgreens says ‘No to Medicaid’…
[What about the second part of the post, any comments? -ed.]
#10. Me too.
roflmao….!
“Ashley Hardie, said the incident was “unacceptable.” “We’re as appalled by this as anyone. Whoever did this is wrong and acted in an inappropriate manner,” she said. “
in the 70’s this would have been hilarious high schoolish prank.. the announcer would have been smacked on the head by one of blacks in the store followed with some classsic “dumb mfk’ing cracker” comment and it would be done with..
now we get all this thin-skinned “unacceptable and inappropriate” BS..with the possibility of the announcer actually doing JAIL time for mere WORDS..
ABSURD.
-as for the medical MJ…same thing. -but it’s a non-issue an ok for someone to work who is scribed enough morphine or methadone to kill a horse, -or get 5 addicts high for the night…
ABSURD.
(i agree with the OP..gotta be an insurance scam) -i wonder if Mr. O will use this as another *cough* goood reason for his health care scam to be signed..
we live in THE MOST ABSURD times..i eagerly await the pole flip in hopes that it washes most this BS clean out of the human collective consciousness..
-s
re: the African American dolls
Most people won’t complain paying a little less. You can always demand to get charged $2 extra bucks at the cash register.
Or you could always see it in converse: why are caucasians being charged more for the same item?
The thing about “racism” and other identity complexes is that if you are sensitive to everything and it is mostly yourself causing to see problems that often are imaginary.
The dolls cost less: that’s racist!
If the dolls cost MORE? Yep, racism.
Arabs getting better in-flight security? Racism. Better police protection in high crime neighborhoods? Racism. Worse police protection in high crime neighborhoods? Racism.
“Racism” today exists out there somewhere, but it is kind of like reliving a Vietnam where the idea is largely in people’s heads. The best way to fight racism is to stop thinking about it and brush it off.
It is 3/4 a perception problem and 1/4 reality. Sure it exists and to some extent it will for a long time, but the real harm is what one does to him or herself dwelling on some real and many imaginary wrongs that are not an accurate reflection of the world at large.
McCullough / -ed
In short, the guy violated company policy. The tumor and the legalized nature of the marijuana are irrelevant IMO.
We can have compassion for the guy and his circumstances but he broke the rules and got the punishment.
I had a crazy need to purchase Earache My Eye last night, which leads me to compare this with a Sargeant Stedenko bit. Can’t locate the youtube, sorry.
That store is right down the road from me. Could’ve been worse- if the guy said “All people with no teeth and visible ass cracks please leave the store” Walmart would have a total PR fiasco on their hands.
investigating the incident as a possible bias crime
possible bias crime
bias crime
THE FUCK?
#7 bobbo – Yeah, that can happen anyway. It’s called a law suit, people file them every day with the expectation of an award. Only problem is, you’ve got to prove the charge first, right? Still not a justification to pay a fine to the state. The state isn’t the victim here, the company is. If the company can prove who victimized them, they should receive the fine. And pray tell, what keeps the state from making false charges based on expectation of reward?
#9 Ben – I’m black and I agree, many blacks do view themselves as victims, just as (liberal) whites view them that way. And the state treats them that way. It’s the power the state has to enforce this view that keeps that view so predominant. Even if the perpetrator is black, he caused harm to Walmart’s reputation and should have to pay them back for their loss.
#18 DaveM – I agree with you 100%, it is completely up to company policy. I’d go further and say the government has no right to restrict drug use or gun possession and shouldn’t even be part of the conversation.
Walmart has not an ethical or moral bone in their body.
They are driven by a simple formula:
Find out what people want.
Find out how much they are willing to pay for it.
Then sell sell sell.
And put the screws to your suppliers for ever lower prices without regard to their profits, passing most of the savings on to customers but keeping enough for Walmart to stay rich.
So… If black dolls are cheaper, it’s either because Walmart gets them cheaper, or the price needs to be lower to sell them as determined by Walmart’s not-even-close, no-kidding, best-in-industry sales monitoring and pricing system.
No racism, but cold equations.
I googled baby alive on Amazon and found this page. If I was Latino, I’d be really pissed.
http://amazon.com/Baby-Alive-Learns-Potty-Assortment/dp/B00160LGSI/ref=cl_tr_dp
The number one result was Baby Alive doll, Caucasian for $150.
http://amazon.com/Hasbro-Baby-Alive-Doll-Caucasian/dp/B000HT17XS
#8
What flavor is the Kool-aid are you drinking?
So because some customer or jerk employee did something offensive, blacks are boycotting the store?
How childishly moronic. Are they really of the opinion that WalMart somehow condoned this announcemen, even after the manager apologized within minutes? Or that they should have kept the intercoms under lock and key because some jackass might grab one and say something stupid? Really? Or are they looking for a payout?
And the jackass seems to have won, because blacks are obeying his order!
@#10 & #12: You’d laugh your ass off if the same were said to white people? Yeah, that’s what white people always say in response to stuff like this happening; you make up a hypothetical situation where the same happens to you and claim you wouldn’t care, but you’re never actually in that position so how do you know? And sorry, but I can’t imagine a black kid doing this.
Oh, and I’m not black.
This shows that it’s all about money and profits to chains like Malmart. They only want to hire employees that’ll cost them the least. So they’re will to disregard bad attitudes and wreckless behavior. Apologizing for the remark? They should be apologizing for their hiring policy. “Sorry folks, we mainly employ low-lifes, cause it saves us a bundle.”
And it’s not just Malmart. Lately, when I visit Target. I have to think about getting screwed by the “kid” at the checkout. Because apparently a lot of them don’t know how to count money. But their mistakes always seem to net them a small profit. So are they really short-changing on purpose? And just pretending to be stupid about it? This has happened to me twice, already. And with different cashiers. Generally the girls are more honest. But what’s Target thinking, hiring these idiots?
“possible bias crime”
Our society is f^&cked.