Walmart blasted after an online ad includes racial slur

By the time Walmart edited, then removed the racial slur-filled ad from its website, it was too late - the internet was already enraged.

On Monday, someone noticed an ad by a seller claiming to be Jagazi Naturals, a U.K.-based company that makes hair products tailored for black people. The ad was for a wig cap, which secures hair in place under a hairpiece and anchors the accessory in place.

The size was listed as medium. The color: “n— brown.”

The ad — complete with the familiar Walmart colors and typography — raced around the Web, a racial flub that was a setback for a company that’s aggressively trying to expand online sales.

Walmart and Jagazi Naturals both apologized and shifted the blame onto an unknown third-party seller.

“We are very sorry and appalled that this third party seller listed their item with this description on our online marketplace,” the Bentonville, Ark.-based company said in a statement on Facebook. “It is a clear violation of our policy and has been removed and we are investigating the seller to determine how this could have happened.”

Jagazi said someone had hijacked their name and that neither the wig cap nor the ad was from them.

“The real JAGAZI is a 100% black company for black people,” the company said in a statement at the top of its website. “People have often used our brand name to try to sell their products. Please be aware. Very sorry for all the distress this has caused. We are feeling the pain here as well. Most shocking!”

But those statements didn’t stop the combination of head-scratching and outrage directed at the companies. Many wondered how a multibillion-dollar company could be so careless.