Target is being accused of racism after one of its stores put the darker shades of makeup in a security box, while the lighter shades were left unprotected.
Eli Levi, 21, from New York City, was shopping in the popular department store chain when he noticed that darker tones of the Versed Luminizing Glow Drops were being kept inside a sealed plastic bin to prevent stealing, while the lighter ones sat on the shelf with no protection.
He took a video of it and uploaded it to TikTok, slamming the store and calling it ‘racism at its finest.’
The video quickly went viral, gaining more than 500,000 views in a matter of days, and it left many people on the internet outraged.
‘Target, please explain to me why the lighter shades are perfectly out while the darker shades are packaged and security sealed, ‘ he said in the clip.
Target is being accused of racism after one of its stores put darker shades of makeup in a security box, while the lighter shades were left unprotected
Eli Levi, 21, from New York City, was shopping in the popular department store chain when he noticed the security measures and uploaded a video to TikTok, calling it ‘racism at its finest’
He pointed out that the darker tones of the Versed Luminizing Glow Drops were kept inside a sealed plastic bin (left), while the lighter ones sat on the shelf with no protection (right)
‘That is racism at its finest in the beauty section at Target.’
The product comes in two different shades: sheer golden (which is the one that sat freely on the shelf) and sheer bronzed (which is the one that was locked up), and the latter is a visibly darker shade.
However, on its website, the brand insists that the glow drops are actually designed for all skin tones.
Target spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo admitted that the anti-theft packaging ‘does not follow’ the company’s ‘guidelines’ in a statement to DailyMail.com, and said it was ‘working quickly to correct the issue.’
‘We want to create an inclusive and welcoming experience for everyone who shops at Target,’ he told us.
‘This use of anti-theft packaging does not follow the guidelines we provide to our stores and we’re working quickly to correct the issue.’
‘Choose between Sheer Bronzed and Sheer Golden (or don’t – both shades work well on almost all skin tones and can be mixed together),’ the brand’s description of the products read.
Many people were horrified with Target’s actions and took to the comment section to share their dismay, tagging the company and asking for a response.
‘@Target do better,’ wrote one disgruntled TikToker.
‘Yup, they’ve been getting away with this for years. #Shopsmall,’ added another.
Someone else said: ‘Very mad at Target for this though, for real.’
‘What the Hell is Target doing?’ asked a different person.
‘@Target explain yourself!’ read another comment. A sixth agreed: ‘The way I gasped. @Target you have some explaining to do bruh.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to a Target spokesperson for comment.
However, others defended the store, claiming that its actions had nothing to do with race, since shops tend to lock up the items that are stolen the most, regardless of what they are.
Many people were horrified with Target’s actions and took to the comment section to share their dismay, tagging the company and asking for a response
However, others defended the store, claiming that its actions had nothing to do with race, since stores tend to lock up the items that are stolen the most, regardless of what they are
‘As someone who’s been the person locking these boxes, they lock up products that are stolen the most,’ wrote one user.
‘Not racism,’ said another. ‘It’s loss prevention.’
‘I am not saying this isn’t racism, but I’m pretty sure they only secure things that are most often stolen,’ added someone else.
A fourth comment read: ‘My guess is that the security boxes are assigned to items by SKU from a loss prevention log, but I still think it’s a really bad look.’
‘Don’t stores lock up the products that are stolen the most regardless of what it is?’ asked a different user.
‘Likely not to do with the shade, but the item most stolen. Dark shades cover more than one race or ethnicity. You assumed race, why?’ read another comment.
A different person agreed, ‘It has nothing to do with race and everything to do with actual numeric logistics.’
It turns out, this isn’t the first time this has happened. In 2019, Target came under fire for a similar situation, after someone tweeted a photo showing only the darkest shades of Elf Cosmetics foundations marked with anti-theft stickers at one of the store’s locations.
A year later, another woman shared a video of the sunscreen aisle at her local Target to show how the ‘Black girl sunscreen’ was hidden behind a pillar despite there being ample space on the shelves.
Back in June 2020, Walmart also received backlash after a man named Jesús A. Rodríguez shared photos of hair products that are sold predominantly to black customers locked in cases.
In 2019, Target came under fire for a similar situation, after someone tweeted a photo showing only the darkest shades of Elf Cosmetics foundations marked with anti-theft stickers
Out of sight: Another woman shared a video of the sunscreen aisle at her local Target to show how the ‘Black girl sunscreen’ was hidden behind a pillar
Back in June 2020, Walmart also received backlash after a man named Jesús A. Rodríguez shared photos of hair products that are sold predominantly to black customers locked in cases
Making a change: The scrutiny prompted Walmart to announce that it would stop the practice
They were stored behind glass that needed to be unlocked by a store employee, while other generic shampoos and conditioners were left out in the open on the shelves.
‘It’s more than just the police,’ he captioned the post, which has now been retweeted nearly 200,000 times.
The scrutiny prompted Walmart to announce that it would stop the practice.
They tweeted at the time, ‘Jesús, we’re sensitive to the issue and understand your concerns.
‘We have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products in locked cases.
‘This practice was recently in about a dozen of our 4,700 stores nationwide.’
‘As a retailer serving millions of customers every day from diverse backgrounds, Walmart does not tolerate discrimination of any kind,’ Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart spokesman, told the New York Times in an email.
He said that certain items were locked up at a limited number of Walmart locations to ‘deter shoplifters from some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products,’ noting that other retailers have similar practices.