For those not in the know, Tesco is the largest supermarket chain in all of Great Britain. With nearly 3,500 stores nation-wide, that’s not bad for a country roughly the size of North and South Carolina combined.
Tesco also happens to have the largest market share of all the other supermarket chains in all of Britain. As they say in the corporate world, that ain’t bad.
Nonetheless, I’m sure being number one is a constant battle. Without a doubt, pissing off any given demographic is a sure way to get kicked-off the top of the heap. Especially if targeting any given demographic is groundless.
With all that said, Tesco is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Turns out that a woman in London is accusing the supermarket giant of racism.
Why? Because Tesco is burglar-proofing makeup for those with darker skin, but not the same for those with lighter skin.
Here’s my painfully simple question… what if Tesco has a perfectly reasonable reason for theft-proofing darker colored makeup?
Ohh… I dunno. Like maybe there’s a spike in theft of darker toned makeup?
As reported by Ariel Zilber of the New York Post (emphasis mine);
A British supermarket chain is under fire for locking up a makeup product for dark-skinned shoppers while the same line for lighter-skinned women was left without any security measures.
Natalie Westgate, a local mother of three, wandered into a Tesco location in West London last week and noticed the disparate security while browsing a shelf lined with Garnier SkinActive BB Cream products.
Westgate posted a photo showing the products that are traditionally marketed to minorities being encased in what appeared to be theft-proof containers.
Westgate tweeted: “@tesco can you please explain this? Do white people not steal then? Absolutely disgusting and not to mention racist!!!!”
Her tweet went viral and sparked widespread outrage.
Westgate then posted a reply from Tesco which read: “Thank you for taking the time for getting in touch.”
“I understand your [concern] and please let me reassure you that it is never our intention to offend anyone through the security tagging of our products.”
“Our stores may sometimes use security tags on items which have recently been subject to theft and the decision to do so changes from store to store.”
The supermarket chain added: “As a multicultural employer we are proud to service our local communities and play a part in those communities.”
@tesco can you please explain this? Do white people not steal then? Absolutely disgusting and not to mention racist!!!! pic.twitter.com/u9K1wnQz5e
— Nut-Nut (@nataliewestgate) August 2, 2022