Big retailers price black, white Barbies differently

cnbc.com ^ | Dec. 9, 2014 | Katie Little

[PROCON]

Why are black Barbies priced differently than white Barbies?

It's a tough question and one that some of America's biggest retailers are having to answer amid the biggest shopping time of the year.

For example, Tuesday afternoon Wal-Mart's website listed an African-American ice skater Barbie for $11.87 while the Caucasian version costs just $9.88.

The retailing giant said the pricing discrepancy was an unintended error.

"They should always be the same price, across all ethnicities," a Wal-Mart spokesman said Tuesday evening. "This is just a pricing error. We corrected it immediately."

[PROCON]

BIG RETAIL RACISM!

I demand an immediate Congressional Hearing...</sarc>

[PROCON]

Meanwhile, over at privately held Toys 'R' Us, the same African-American Barbie skating doll was on sale for $10.99—less than the $14.99 price of the white Barbie.

Reperations?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m leaving now to loot Macy’s in SOLIDARITY with White Barbie!

*FIST*

[Boogieman]

“It’s a tough question...”

No, it’s a profoundly easy question. Answer: supply and demand. Next question.

[molson209]

I didn’t know African-Americans could skate ?

[JRandomFreeper]

My youngest grand-daughter is ethnically half asian, so she's going to get whichever one is cheapest.

At 3, she won't really care.

All I care about is green.

/johnny

[InterceptPoint]

Supply, demand, quantity discount, markups, quantity in stock ...

Price is a function of a lot of factors. PC is not one of them. Except, apparently, at Walmart.

[bobby.223]

I could see the black Ken doll being priced a bit ‘larger’.........

[PROCON]

I didn’t know African-Americans could skate ?

[LostInBayport]

Street Pimp Ken costs more because of the costly ho-slap mechanism in his arm. It is not because he’s black.

[fhayek]

Well, they would need some extra plastic...

[dfwgator]

Don’t tell me, black ones cost 3/5ths the price of white ones.

[PROCON]

ROTFLMAO, you owe me a new laptop...

[bobby.223]

Yep! Exactly what I was thinking of there!!!

[Will88]

Likely that fewer of the black dolls are produced and sold, thus the production cost would be higher. So, the producer might have priced the black dolls a little higher, and standard markups on all dolls resulted in a higher retail price. Until the race card was played.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Think of the outcry if the black barbie was cheaper.

[Bob]

Yeah, and he comes complete with a ‘Vette that he jacked from some other white Barbie.

[TexasFreeper2009]

I honestly thought the pricing would be reversed. I would expect the demand for “black barbies” to be pretty low and thus the laws of supply and demand would dictate a higher price on the more desired barbie.

[fhayek]

This thread is going to degenerate into anarchy, isn’t it?

[Scrambler Bob]

You have to check their teeth before purchasing.