Walmart
Department store · Kingstowne
5885 Kingstowne Blvd, Alexandria, VA 22315
Highlights
Groceries, apparel, home goods, photo services, furniture repair
Groceries, apparel, home goods, photo services, furniture repair
"A national retail chain that agreed to carry the viral dressing in thousands of its stores after a larger condiment producer moved production into an FDA‑approved facility, enabling broad, brick‑and‑mortar distribution of the previously small‑batch product." - Amy McCarthy
"A big-box chain noted for making the star’s merchandise ubiquitous, offering affordable, widely available items such as bath towels, hand sanitizer, and her trademark bows, and helping translate the celebrity’s brand into mainstream retail presence." - Amy McCarthy
"A national retail chain drew widespread criticism after rolling out a Juneteenth-themed product line — including plates, napkins, drink koozies emblazoned with “It’s the freedom for me,” and a red-velvet-and-cream-cheese ice cream touted to "share and celebrate African American culture" — that shoppers widely mocked on social media. The company apologized, said it would review the assortment and remove items as appropriate, and framed the holiday as a celebration of freedom. Observers highlighted the irony of using the Pan-African black-red-green color scheme (symbolizing blood shed, Black people, and Africa’s fertility) to market merchandise while the retailer faces longstanding criticisms over labor and racial equity: allegations of discrimination and customer profiling, concentration of Black workers in lower-paying hourly roles, a disparity between 28% Black new hires versus 13% of promotions to management, historically low wages (minimum raised to $12/hour in 2021), reduced paid time off for COVID-positive employees, limited paid maternity leave for part-timers, and restructuring that created heavier workloads — all set against the company’s massive pandemic-era revenues. Critics described the episode as an instance of performative corporate activism that adopted slogans and colors without addressing systemic workforce and equity issues." - Madeleine Davies
"Some stores run by a major retailer reportedly continue to serve customers who refuse to wear masks despite store policies, opting to avoid potentially violent confrontations between customers and employees." - Jenny G. Zhang
"The retailer is requiring all shoppers to wear face coverings beginning next week; of the more than 5,000 combined Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, roughly 65 percent sit in jurisdictions that already mandate masks, meaning employees at the remaining 35 percent — nearly 2,000 stores — will have to enforce the policy where law does not, a situation that has led to confrontations and close-range encounters that increase risk to workers." - Elazar Sontag
