A Walmart online ad from a third-party seller used a racial slur, leaving the retail giant to apologize for the incident and raising questions about how it happened.
The slur occurred on an ad that featured a wig cap, in which the n-word was described in the color of the product, stating that it was "n***** brown." The ad became the target of social media on Sunday, CNN Money noted.
The New York Post noted that Walmart issued an apology Monday.
"We are very sorry and appalled that this third party seller listed their item with this description on our online marketplace, spokeswoman Danit Marquardt wrote in a statement, though the retailer did not identify the third-party seller, according to the Post. "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."
The New York Post said Walmart removed the n-word from the ad, stating that the item would no longer be available.
"While we aim to provide accurate product information, it is provided by manufacturers, suppliers and others, and has not been verified by us," a disclaimer below the product read, according to the tabloid.
The HuffPost first identified the third-party company as Jagazi Naturals, the black-owned company based out of the United Kingdom. Ragan Dickens, Walmart’s national media relations director, later told the website that Jagazi Naturals was not the seller.
Jagazi responded to the controversy on its website, saying, "We woke up this morning to the news that someone has used our name JAGAZI to list an item. Please beware that we are reporting this to as many people as we can and trying to get all the listings pulled down. The real JAGAZI is a 100% black company for black people. People have often used our brand name to try and 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!"