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Friday, September 03, 2010

Does Walmart Segregate Its Books By Race?

Say you're shopping at Walmart and decide you want to pick up Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope or maybe you're an Indianapolis Colts fan and want to hear what Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy has to say in his book The Mentor Leader. But you can't find either book in the Biography section... Oh, maybe you should look in those unmarked shelves that make up the "black" section of Walmart's book selection.

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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well....being female, I don't find it odd that I might have to search in the "ladies" section of Walmart's book selection for the latest PMS/menopause how-to guides (you know, how to put out a burning building by throwing your bloated self on it at certain times of the month). Perhaps it's just marketing isn't it?

Anonymous said...

i dont see the big deal. blacks GENERALLY are only interested in black movies, black books, black friends, etc...same goes for whites. however, white movies (depending on the genre) sometimes pull a variety of audiences whereas the black movies tend to generally pull black audiences. we shouldnt be ashamed to admit this.
apparently "birds of a feather" quote refers to everything BUT race.

Anonymous said...

Magazines in all stores are shelved in this manner. Sure makes for easier finding. I do not think it is done for segregation reasons.

My thought is would be a good for non-bookstores to shelve their books in the same fashion. A store that sells books as a convenience to customers does not carry as large of volume as a Book Store, such as Barnes and Noble.

But of course it is Walmart so we automatically have to bring out the race card.

Anonymous said...

This type of magnified race baiting is unfortunate. If I can find the book I'm happy.

Anonymous said...

So, exactly what department would be appropriate? Maybe the Muslim section would be better. Maybe the worlds greatest liers section. I can think of a few more but then I would be called a racist.

Anonymous said...

Try finding a Rush Limbauge, Glen Beck, or Bill O'Riely book in a book store. They often keep them in back room, off the shelf compleatly. Anything wrong with that situation?

Anonymous said...

Why are articles like this done?

If you want "Biography" or books by topical classification, go to a library.

This is private sector Marketing 101.

When you buy a book or movie or toy from Amazon, scroll down and you will see, "People who bought this also were interested in ___, ___ and ___."

They track tastes and interests. That helps them sell stuff. Duh.

Anonymous said...

Here's a book selection the writer of the article should read "White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites together destroyed the promise of the civil rights era".

So sick of hearing equal, equal, equal, but when things do not go the way a minority desires then the race card is pulled out. If a black woman marries a black man that is fine but if a white woman marries a white man she must be a racist! What the heck why can't people love who they want for what ever their reasoning is! Why do standards have to be lowered for certain jobs to accommodate certain races, after all education is equal now right? Freaking work for what you want and strive to achieve it not to find a way to lower the standards you must meet!

So sick of cry baby whiners looking for something, anything to gripe and sue over!

Anonymous said...

Whites like things that blacks don't and vice versa. Black comedians will almost always be funnier than whites to me. Black women will always be prettier (too me). Businesses are smart to cater to these differences. We should be recognizing them and know that the differences do not make us superior/inferior to each other.

lmclain said...

That article is race baiting BIG TIME. Its perfectly fine to generalize interests in order to market merchandise....does the womens make-up section look segregated in Wal-Mart? You betcha, and for a reason....stop trying to incite black/white division by screaming "RACISM!!" at every turn....it demeans the term.

Anonymous said...

1:44 Good point, equal but different.

Anonymous said...

huh 11:15, anytime these guys come with a new book, it's right up front with everything else and just as easy to find in the politics section.