An Atlanta Kroger store in a predominately Black neighborhood has customers up-in-arms over a new structure that has certain items encased inside the store.
—‘OK’ hand gesture and other racist symbols added to Anti-Defamation League ‘hate’ database—
Customers are calling the encasement “racist” at a Kroger in South Fulton on Old National Road, which appears to be an usual addition that requires customers to enter a closed off area inside the store to access food and other products with one way in and one way out in order to purchase.
Shoppers are outraged saying they are being stereotyped and calling the structure intimidating and overtly racist, CBS 46 News reports.
Customers pointed out the obvious that whiter, more affluent areas in Georgia, don’t have Kroger supermarkets with this kind of encasement in their stores.
Many people blasted the supermarket and likened the closure to a prison-like atmosphere.
Kroger defended the implementation citing their effort to “increase profitability” which is code for they experience lots of theft and loss.
“Thank you for reaching out to us. These changes are being implemented to help improve operational efficiencies, provide better inventory management and increase profitability. We take pride in keeping our shelves fully stocked with the items our customers want and need and we believe these changes, which are part of a pilot project, will help us do so,” a Kroger rep told the outlet.
However, according to the news station, an officer with the city of South Fulton who worked at the store said the Kroger doesn’t have “anymore thefts than other stores in the area.”
—Ex-cop says he keeps KKK memorabilia in his home because ‘I love history’—
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