Walmart draws flak for poorly placed sign displayed above gun rack

Walmart draws flak for poorly placed sign displayed above gun rack

Retailers everywhere tend to go big on back-to-school campaigns so as to attract tweens and teens who are shopping for new school supplies.

What's universally accepted is that these supplies should typically include stationeries and other useful tools that kids need in class.

It seems like Walmart didn't get the memo.

The mammoth supermarket chain found itself in hot water when someone spotted a poorly placed back-to-school campaign sign above a gun rack at one of its stores in the US.

Twitter user @ismailkidd posted the photo on social media and it soon spread like wildfire online.

[embed]https://twitter.com/ismailkidd/status/895364184392704000?[/embed]

Naturally, netizens were quick to cry foul and demanded answers from Walmart.

[embed]https://twitter.com/TheSubwayWall/status/895385985109737472[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/kathleensiwikgo/status/895382276799959040[/embed]

The picture was especially provocative because of the country's history of mass shootings in schools.

One commented: "Who thinks of an ad with guns and being a school hero?"

Walmart has since issued an apology, calling the display "truly awful".

The company has also been actively replying users on Twitter to express their regret.

 Photo: Twitter

In one of their interactions to a Twitter user, a representative said: "Yes, this is terrible, Jordan. This sign had no business there and was taken down as soon as we were alerted. We are very sorry."

A Walmart spokesman, Charles Crowson, told CNNMoney on Wednesday (Aug 9) that the company is "not happy" about the incident and are investigating where the photo was taken.

He added that they were "still trying to find the sign and gun display". It had earlier been reported that the company had already identified the location and removed the sign, but the spokesperson confirmed this was an error.

Walmart's back-to-school campaign was launched in mid-July.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4IwOujzRiM[/embed]

The company is no stranger to controversies.

Just last month, Walmart was faced with backlash after a third-party listing on its website featured a racial slur.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg

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