Walmart has taken swift action to remove a T-shirt from its stores after a customer spotted an unintentional offensive word hidden within the design.
The incident came to light through a tweet that has since gone viral with over 2.5 million views.
The T-shirt featured a pro-recycling slogan with the letters “RE” in uppercase, followed by the four lowercase suffixes “cycle,” “use,” “new,” and “think.”
However, upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the first letters of each word inadvertently spelled the offensive word “c**t.”
The T-shirt was part of the Walmart-owned George fashion brand and was reportedly only available in Canadian outlets, where it was being sold for $5.
However, Walmart swiftly removed the shirt from its shelves once the issue was brought to their attention.
A spokesperson for Walmart stated, “This was not intentional, and the T-shirt has been removed.”
Despite its removal from Walmart stores, the T-shirt is reportedly still available for purchase on Amazon and other online platforms with prices ranging around $20.
The incident sparked various reactions on social media, with many finding humor in the situation.
One viewer joked, “Finally. The perfect shirt,” while another expressed interest in owning the shirt, saying, “Laughed out loud when I spotted the hidden word. Now I want that tee shirt too. ;)”
Some social media users speculated that the offensive word was deliberately hidden in the design as a subliminal joke.
One user wondered, “What’s the over/under that whoever designed that shirt knew exactly what they were doing?”
This is not the first time that Walmart has faced controversy over offensive clothing items.
In 2017, the retail giant removed a T-shirt from its website that urged violence against journalists, following a request from a news association amid concerns about the current political and ideological environment.
Walmart’s swift action in removing the offensive T-shirt from its stores demonstrates its commitment to addressing customer concerns and upholding its values as a responsible retailer.
The incident serves as a reminder to retailers to thoroughly review and vet all products, including clothing, for potential offensive content before they hit store shelves.
