Tesco forced to apologise after store puts security tags on makeup for darker skin – but not lighter tones
TESCO has been forced to apologise after one of its stores put security tags on makeup for black skin but not lighter skin tones.
Mum-of-three Natalie Westgate complained to Tesco after visiting her local store with her daughter in Osterley, West London, and seeing all its Garnier BB creme products for “deep” skin tones, suiting black skin, had been put in security boxes.
But the same product selling at the same price for “light” skin remained on the shelf without any tags.
Natalie said it was “absolutely disgusting and not to mention racist".
She told the supermarket: “I understand you have to security box items but do you think it is ok to only have the dark range security boxed and not the entire range.
"Please ask your race and ethnicity network and Black Voices Advisory Group what they think to security only boxing the dark range then get back to me.”
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Tesco initially asked Natalie to send a direct message on Twitter to resolve her concerns and then said that it was “never our intention to offend anyone through the security tagging ... our stores may sometimes use security tags on items which have recently been subject to theft and the decision to do so changes from store to store”.
“We would like to reassure you that the steps we take across our stores to box or tag certain items are for loss prevention reasons only and our colleagues will be happy to help customer who wish to buy these products.”
Natalie told The Sun “I’m just disgusted, it’s ok to try to say they are inclusive but only security boxing items for a certain demographic is just plain racist.”
A Tesco spokesman today told The Sun: “We are deeply sorry that this has happened.
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"This was a case of human error in the store and these products should not have been security tagged.
"It’s really important to us that Tesco is a place where everyone feels welcome, and the tags have now been removed.”
It is understood staff at the Osterley store have been reminded about appropriate use of security tags.
The supermarket blunder comes one year after a very similar incident in America, when a Walmart store only put security tags on darker shades of makeup.
A TikTok user accused the store of racism and captured their shock in a video shared on social media as they walked around the supermarket in
Earlier this year, photos of supermarket products with extra security began to surface in the UK as shops suffered from the rising cost of living.
At the start of July, blocks of cheese were snapped being protected from cash-strapped customers as shops ramped up their security.
The move comes after stores reported a spike in first-time shoplifters stealing “daily essential and low-value items”.
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Cheddar was tagged at an Aldi in Wolverhampton, while lamb chops were placed in secure plastic boxes at a nearby Co-op.
Tesco attached anti-theft devices on baby milk and joints of lamb in Streatham, South London.
