Thursday, June 01, 2023

Walmart not changing Pride merchandise in spite of Target backlash



Walmart has a message for those pushing boycotts against stores and companies which sell Pride merchandise - they aren't bucking down to any pressure.

Walmart is standing firm on its Pride Month merchandise following Target's decision to pull its collection from some stores after receiving threats. Walmart's chief merchandising officer, Latriece Watkins, told reporters gathered at the company's Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters Wednesday that it hasn't made any changes to this year's product array. "We have merchandise that we sell all year that supports different groups," Watkins said, according to Bloomberg. "In this particular case, we haven't changed anything in our assortment."

 . . .Walmart's "Pride & Joy" collection features both Pride-themed editions of items from popular brands and products created by LGBTQ-founded brands, including Pride t-shirts, gender-inclusive enamel pins, and Pride-themed accessories and home decor. Watkins said Wednesday that Walmart hasn't received any threats over its collection, according to Reuters. "In this particular case, when we think about security ... we have not done anything in particular differently related to security in our stores," Watkins said. 

This is not to pat Walmart on the back because the store chain has a lot of problems when it comes to things like fairness to employees. The point, I think, is to watch the reaction from the boycott crowd. They've been raising hell against Target even to the point of allegedly causing disruption at the stores. However, they have been mostly silent about Walmart. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a totally different view of Walmart shoppers and employees.  Perhaps they think that folks at Walmart won't put up with or be scared by what those at Target were.

If you catch my meaning.

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