[whatshotandwhatsnot]

If the items were moving they wouldn’t be slashing the price. This has absolutely nothing to do with racism, but is being made into yet another issue.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

It isn’t Wal-Mart that’s “de-valuing” the black dolls—it’s the consumer who doesn’t buy them at the same rate as the white dolls.

[PeteB570]

Ahhh, my first guess would be that they are not selling as fast as the other ones so Wal-mart cut the price to move the product.

[C210N]

Northside Center for Child Development should check out E-bay. Bidders for all kinds of products must be forcing non-PC pricing and bidding.

The "Northside Center for Child Development" is more like the "NorthBroadside Center for attack on free trade and commerce"

[hal ogen]

Sell them at any price..give them away free...I don’t want one.

[TSgt]

Where is the Asian Barbie? Native American Barbie? Indian Barbie? Transsexual Barbie?

Just saying...

[KoRn]

/mark

[Fresh Wind]

What do they charge for the Transsexual Barbies?

[LibLieSlayer]

Put a big butt... baby bump and a wookie head on it and sell it as a “michelle my bell” doll.

LLS

[who knows what evil?]

Maybe they should check the produce section to see if this store is selling watermelons at a deep discount...give me a break.

[Blue Collar Christian]

Why do I have to pay twice as much to by my white daughter a white Barbie?

[Haiku Guy]

Does anybody really think anybody at WalMart actully knew the color of the doll’s skin when they lowered the price of this particular item? A certain SKU was not moving, so they cut the price to clear them out. The process is, for all intents and purposes, automatic.

One doll is not selling as well as the other. This is not really surprising. There are always imbalances like this in the retail market. In the larger scheme of things, the manufacturer will surely correct this problem by producing fewer of the lower-selling model.

[apillar]

I live in rural WV, my county was 99.8% white as of the last census. There is only about 5 black families in the entire county of 22,000. Yet, the local Wal-Mart always puts out a large collection of black Santa Claus and Nativity Scenes which always remain unsold and are still sitting in the clearance bin a month after Christmas for 75% off. I imagine this barbie deal is similar. I think when it comes to things like this, people want dolls that “look like them”. If you went to a 90% black area, you would probably find just the opposite, the black dolls at full price and the white dolls on clearance.

[cavador]

Either color,they still look like trailer trash!

[RightOnline]

More whiny black racists with WAY too much time on their hands.

Next.........

[ChrisInAR]

Would those who are upset prefer that Wal Mart sell them @ the 3/5 ratio that the Constitution used when counting for the Census before slavery was prohibited by the 13rh Amendment?

Maybe raising the price to that amount would stop their whining.

[bert]

The black Ken skier doll doesn’t sell well either

[rbg81]

Its called supply and demand.

[DemforBush]

“Other experts agree. Walmart should have decided that “it’s really important that we as a company don’t send a message that we value blackness less than whiteness,” said Lisa Wade, an assistant sociology professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles.”

So, by that logic, increasing the price of the doll above the white doll would honor ‘blackness’?

Good grief. There are plenty of real problems in this world - genuine incidents of racism included - to worry about without some pinheaded ‘expert’ trying to start controversy where none exists.

[G Larry]

Raise the price to $10 because they’re special and rare.

Then listen to the complaint that will nullify the original charges.