Black Barbie Sold for Less Than White Barbie at Walmart Store Options

[katnapper]

Black Barbie Sold for Less Than White Barbie at Walmart Store

Walmart Says Lower Sales of Ballerina Theresa Barbie Prompted the Price Cut


By ALICE GOMSTYN
March 9, 2010
ABC NEWS Business Unit

Excerpt

Walmart is raising eyebrows after cutting the price of a black Barbie doll to nearly half of that of the doll's white counterpart at one store and possibly others.

A photo first posted to the humor Web site FunnyJunk.com and later to the Latino Web site Guanabee.com shows packages of Mattel's Ballerina Barbie and Ballerina Theresa dolls hanging side by side at an unidentified store. The Theresa dolls, which feature brown skin and dark hair, are marked as being on sale at $3.00. The Barbies to the right of the Theresa dolls, meanwhile, retain their original price of $5.93. The dolls look identical aside from their color.

Snip

A Walmart spokeswoman, who could not verify the exact store shown in the photo, said that the price change on the Theresa doll was part of the chain's efforts to clear shelf space for its new spring inventory

"To prepare for (s)pring inventory, a number of items are marked for clearance, " spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien said in an e-mail. "... Both are great dolls. The red price sticker indicates that this particular doll was on clearance when the photo was taken, and though both dolls were priced the same to start, one was marked down due to its lower sales to hopefully increase purchase from customers."

"Pricing like items differently is a part of inventory management in retailing," O'Brien said.

But critics say Walmart should have been more sensitive in its pricing choice.

"The implication of the lowering of the price is that's devaluing the black doll," said Thelma Dye, the executive director of the Northside Center for Child Development, a Harlem, N.Y. organization founded by pioneering psychologists and segregation researchers Kenneth B. Clark and Marnie Phipps Clark.

"While it's clear that's not what was intended, sometimes these things have collateral damage," Dye said.

Snip

Last year, Wade posted a blog entry on another case where a black doll was apparently priced less than its white counterpart at an unidentified store. Wade said that when white dolls outsell black dolls, it's usually because black parents are more likely than white parents to buy their children dolls of a different race.

"Most white parents wouldn't think to buy a black doll for their child, even if they believe in equality and all those things," she said.

link

[pict]

"The implication of the lowering of the price is that's devaluing the black doll," said Thelma Dye, the executive director of the Northside Center for Child Development, a Harlem, N.Y. organization founded by pioneering psychologists and segregation researchers Kenneth B. Clark and Marnie Phipps Clark.

Bold mine: No it isn't, it is purely a business decision.

This post has been edited by pict: Mar 9 2010, 04:05 PM

[Mr. Naron]

This is what happens when race baiting is a person's entire occupation. They have to get creative and drum up some business.

Here are some clips of the sociological studies...

White Dolls and Black Dolls

It's the same study done by the Clarks back in the 40s and 50s. It's almost word for word what happened in the study used as evidence of psychological damage in the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Here's a community college study done on actual Barbies...

The Barbie Experiment

The question isn't whether Wal Mart should be more sensitive about pricing--that's just absurd in every way. The question is why the damage persists if segregation is not longer legal. The damage was never linked causally to de jure segregation and may have much more to do with de facto segregation, a fact of life that may have more to do with the people complaining about Wal Mart than it does with the policies of any business.

[Slang]

Ha, this is funny! Wal-Mart cannot win here. They probably bought equal amount black doll versus white doll, in order to avoid controversy, even though the black population in only around 12%. Now, they are stuck with excess inventory and are getting crap for discounting the black doll to move said inventory.

The solution? De-value them all! Discount that white devil bitch! (IMG:http://www.rightnation.us/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[De Oppresso Libe...]

Its just a "Progressive" pricing system...

[random_stuff]

And yet no one complains when "seasonal" goes on sale the day after...

[Mr. Naron]

Ha, this is funny! Wal-Mart cannot win here. They probably bought equal amount black doll versus white doll, in order to avoid controversy, even though the black population in only around 12%. Now, they are stuck with excess inventory and are getting crap for discounting the black doll to move said inventory.

The solution? De-value them all! Discount that white devil bitch! (IMG:http://www.rightnation.us/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

And couldn't the fact that blacks are suffering a higher level of unemployment be part of the problem. Thelma Dye would certainly cite that fact if we were talking about the need to extend unemployment benefits or some such issue. But, no, in this case, that fact is completely absent.

[cirej2000]

So it just goes to show you, don't live your entire life based on the principles of "Passenger 57"! Its tenets should be adhered to IN MODERATION!

This post has been edited by cirej2000: Mar 9 2010, 04:24 PM

[DodgerKing]

Bold mine: No it isn't, it is purely a business decision.

Exactly. Any item of inventory in which a retailer is having difficulty selling or reducing, they will often cut prices, put them on sale, or offer promotions in order to help them reduce their inventory and sell that product. Just because one item happens to be a doll of a different color does not make this item any different than what I mentioned.

[cirej2000]

And couldn't the fact that blacks are suffering a higher level of unemployment be part of the problem. Thelma Dye would certainly cite that fact if we were talking about the need to extend unemployment benefits or some such issue. But, no, in this case, that fact is completely absent.

You mean because people aren't hiring Black Barbies, either?

[slag]

So put the black doll back at retail and lower the price of the white doll so it's more affordable for the "white" kids.
Yeah, that wouldn't piss anyone off.

[MTP Reggie]

What was Redneck Barbie's sale price?

[DodgerKing]

This is what happens when race baiting is a person's entire occupation. They have to get creative and drum up some business.

Here are some clips of the sociological studies...

White Dolls and Black Dolls

It's the same study done by the Clarks back in the 40s and 50s. It's almost word for word what happened in the study used as evidence of psychological damage in the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Here's a community college study done on actual Barbies...

The Barbie Experiment

The question isn't whether Wal Mart should be more sensitive about pricing--that's just absurd in every way. The question is why the damage persists if segregation is not longer legal. The damage was never linked causally to de jure segregation and may have much more to do with de facto segregation, a fact of life that may have more to do with the people complaining about Wal Mart than it does with the policies of any business.

Damn Smart Filter blocks youtube. I'll have to wait until I get home to watch it.

[katnapper]

What I want to know is why blacks buy their kids white dolls instead of black dolls. I always thought that they resented not being able to buy black dolls, at least that is what I was told by lefties.

[Mr. Naron]

You mean because people aren't hiring Black Barbies, either?

We don't have comprehensive Barbie civil rights in this country. It's capitalism's fault.

[Slang]

You mean because people aren't hiring Black Barbies, either?

That and they do not have a college degree. Plus they have three babies with three baby daddies, a police record, and their car broke down. (IMG:http://www.rightnation.us/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[katnapper]

That and they do not have a college degree. Plus they have three babies with three baby daddies, a police record, and their car broke down. (IMG:http://www.rightnation.us/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

And all three baby daddies have a police record too.

[Slang]

And all three baby daddies have a police record too.

Heck, two are still in jail. (IMG:http://www.rightnation.us/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[SoonerJohn]

Some people will always find something to be offended by.

[katnapper]

Heck, two are still in jail. (IMG:http://www.rightnation.us/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Only two???