A store had to defend itself after an apparent pricing error that resulted in black dolls being offered at a lower price than white ones.
A picture of the dolls side by side at the Shoprite shopping centre in Maun, Botswana, showed the white doll selling for ZAR 149.95 (£7) and the black doll selling for ZAR 99.95 (£4.74).
One outraged shopper tweeted the image to the company, writing: “Please explain why a black doll is cheaper than a white doll? Black people are stingy?”
However, the store insisted that the price was merely a “mistake” because the tag for a teddy bear had been mistakenly placed under the black doll on the shelf.
Outrage: A Twitter user demanded answers from Shoprite (Twitter)
In a statement, it said: “It is unfortunate that the incorrect display of the price of a toy in a shop in Botswana has sparked a racist storm of outrage on South African social media, allegedly suggesting that a black doll is inferior to a white doll.”
“The fact is that at Shoprite Maun in Botswana, the price card showing 99.95 for a teddy bear was moved under the black Cutie Baby doll displayed next to it.
“It costs 149.95, the same as the white counterpart.”
Error: The price was actually for a teddy bear (CEN)
The company also sharply criticized those who made pricing a racist issue.
They added: “Shoprite immediately identified and fixed the display error.
“Many recognized the mistake on social media, but others took the opportunity to turn it into a racist issue and stir up sentiment by associating racism with a price tag.”
