Walmart apologizes for back-to-school “hero” sign above gun display
The retail giant faced online outrage after an image made the rounds on social media sites showing a recent marketing campaign message in a controversial location.
On Wednesday, a photo lingered on the front page of Reddit, later making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook. The image showed a glass gun case at Walmart, which was nothing new: Walmart is a longtime gun retailer.
What concerned many, however, was the sign above the guns. It read, “Own the school year like a hero.”
The message juxtaposed with the image of guns harkened thoughts of the school violence that has plagued the nation, and it upset many who saw it:
Oh @Walmart 🤦🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/SLdROB4KYF
— Ismail Kidd Noorzai (@ismailkidd) August 9, 2017
The sign’s slogan is part of a back-to-school campaign which involves superhero marketing messages, and has nothing to do with guns:
Still, that did little to quell the outrage online that eventually prompted Walmart to issue an apology.
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