Walmart facing racial discrimination lawsuit over locking black hair care products in glass case

Walmart is being sued for racial discrimination after the retailer was accused of locking black hair-care products in a glass case, while other merchandise was easily accessible.

NBC 4 in Los Angeles reported that Essie Grundy claims she faced discrimination while shopping at a Walmart in California. She said that hair and skin products designed for African Americans were placed in a secured box that only store employees could open.

According to Gundy, after she asked an associate to open the case, she was not allowed to touch the products until she had purchased them. Further in order to purchase them, an employee was required to accompany her to a register.

Gundy said the treatment made her feel like a criminal. She added, she only wanted to buy a 48-cent comb.

''It was something I had to stand up for,'' she explained during a recent press conference. ''I would like the glass to go down, and for things to go back to the way it was, where it's not segregated and everything is where everyone can get what they need.''

Gundy is represented by famous lawyer Gloria Allred.  Allred added that a Walmart employee admitted that other customers had complained about the locked cases; however, the employee said the decision to segregate black hair-care products was an order from corporate.

Grundy was shopping for a comb in her local store when she found it was locked in a cabinet: "That's when I noticed that all of the African American products were locked up under lock and key," Grundy told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

Meanwhile, according to others who defend Walmart, the company only locks up products that are frequently stolen.

A store manager told  Business Insider that the products are kept under lock and key due to "high theft issues" and it is not a racist practice by the company.