Consumerist: iconography

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 29

Ben Popken — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 09:24:53 EDT

29 weeks after Walmart agreed to remove shirts bearing Nazi iconography from its shelves, and 17 weeks after getting a letter from Congress demanding the shirts removal, they're still there. Adam writes:

So I'm at Wal Mart in Commerce City, CO looking for a gift for a friend and start rummaging through the T Shirt section not looking for anything in particular, just killing some time. Suddenly I notice this familiar looking skull peeking out at me. "Surely it can't be..." I think to myself. Oh, it is.... I grab it and pull it out; there it is in all its glory. It's like finding a piece of history. Nazi Wal Mart history.

We keep posting these to show you how some businesses manipulate the by-the-books media. A fracas erupts, the company send out a public statement apologizing and pledging to change their ways, the press publishes it, everyone feels goods, and we turn to a clip of Scrappy the Jet-skiing squirrel. Guess what, the company doesn't always do what they said they were gonna do. — BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 28

Ben Popken — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:19:47 EDT

258weeks after Walmart agreed to remove shirts bearing Nazi iconography from its shelves, and 16 weeks after getting a letter from Congress demanding the shirts removal, they're still there. Al writes:

So I took my wife over to the Wal*mart store in Chelmsford, MA for some cheap, low-quality Chinese goods, and as we were walking out I spotted the now infamous 3rd division Totenkopf logo high atop the men's clothing department's shelves. I walked over to the wall, and it appears that while they actually took the shirts off the shelves, the logo itself is still being proudly displayed among the other non-nazi designs. Talk about missing the point!

— BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 27

Ben Popken — Tue, 22 May 2007 22:59:39 EDT

27 weeks after Walmart agreed to remove shirts bearing Nazi iconography from its shelves, and 15 weeks after getting a letter from Congress demanding the shirts removal, they're still there. Don found some in Sterling, Washington:

I was down in Washington doing the tourist thing, this past weekend, May 18-21...
We were staying in the Fairfield Inn by Marriott off Old Ox blvd, and Pacific ave off Highway 28 just north of Dulles Airport.

Just north of our hotel was a walmart, in the Dulles Towne Center, checking through the clearance racks in the men's department, I found three of the Nazi T-shirts 2 XXL, and 1 XXXL all priced at $5.50. I grabbed the triple XL and went to the cash, At the cash of course the prohibit sale came up and the cashier would not sell me the shirt.

No one seemed too concerned about this shirt.

They are still out there.

Since Wal-Mart seems to have trouble finding these shirts, here's a map of where Don's was. — BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 25

Ben Popken — Wed, 09 May 2007 11:45:18 EDT

22 weeks after Walmart agreed to remove shirts bearing Nazi iconography from its shelves, and 13 weeks after getting a letter from Congress demanding the shirts removal, they're still there. S.G.W. found some in Indianapolis, took a video, and writes:

I went to walmart to buy some shirts for work then looked at the t-shirts. Where I found the Nazi shirt. I tried to buy it, but the register do not sell. The lady wouldn't sell it. Then I came home, emailed Ben and then went back to take a pic. It wasn't very hard. Except they only had yesterdays newspaper. I then decided to switch the peel on tag and proceeded to purchase it with no problems. Also my Bulldog Chilly is Protesting and will not be shopping at Walmart.

Hey, here's an idea for another fun scavenger hunt. Try to find and send in pics of of recalled pet food still sitting on the shelves. Now that we've honed our finding skills, let's apply 'em to something that could actually save a life!

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

— BEN POPKEN

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 22

Ben Popken — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:47:19 EDT

22 weeks after Walmart agreed to remove shirts bearing Nazi iconography from its shelves, and 10 weeks after getting a letter from Congress demanding the shirts removal, they're still there.

Amanda's sister found a whole bunch in Ohio:

I had nearly forgotten about the whole thing when I received a call from my sister, Ali, in Bowling Green, Ohio. Apparently, they have a whole stack of the shirts! She described them very accurately on the phone, so I instructed her to buy a couple, and take lots of pictures.
She initially had some difficulty, but after flirting with the checkout guy, managed to purchase one.

Attached is a picture she took in the store, and a couple of pics of the shirt after she got it home. ...

Anyway, boo walmart, yay consumerist!

The most advanced supply-chain management system in the world is easily felled by a little dose of feminine charm. Happy Birthday, Hitler.

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

— BEN POPKEN

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 15

Ben Popken — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:12:12 EST

15 weeks after Walmart agreed to remove Nazi tshirts from its shelves, they're still there.

We called 20 of the 25 stores where readers photographed the Nazi shirts. Five of the stores still had the shirts.

Those Walmarts are in Marrieta GA, Naperville, IL, Durham, NC, Ledgewood, NJ, and Cordova, TN.

Despite a letter from Congress and Walmart's firm vow to resolve the issue, the retailer evidently continues to have difficulty communicating policy from upper management to store managers to floor personnel.

Walmart PR people, here's what you do.

1) Get a big list out with every single Walmart's phone number.
2) Call up and ask for the Men's department. Identify the shirt and ask if you can get it in a large.
3) If the shirt is still there, speak to the manager and tell him to remove the shirt.
4) Wait a week.
5) Repeat steps 1-4 as many times as necessary.

It's easy. You could have some interns do it, really. Give it a shot. — BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.
(Photo: daberkman)

Walmart Nazi Shirts In Chicago Tribune, Thanks To Our Readers

Ben Popken — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:01:55 EST

Walmart's Nazi Tshirts are in the Chicago Tribune, and drawing the ire of members of Congress, thanks to the dogged flow sightings and pictures by Consumerist readers published on this site.

In a letter to Wal-Mart Chief Executive H. Lee Scott Jr., Schakowsky (D-Ill.) asked company officials to tell Congress what steps they are taking to remove the remaining shirts that display the Nazi Totenkopf—the "death head" emblem worn by soldiers in Adolf Hitler's personal guard—from store shelves. Twenty-one other lawmakers from both parties also signed the letter.
"Everyone agreed that these shirts have to go, including Wal-Mart; it's just that they didn't do anything about it," Schakowsky said. "Either at the time they really weren't serious, or their capacity to do that is limited, which makes one wonder about recalls of potentially dangerous products."

...Despite the corporate order, it appears the shirts were never removed from at least three dozen of Wal-Mart's 3,300 U.S. stores, according to Consumerist.com, which has been tracking discoveries of the shirts....

...Yet as recently as Thursday, bloggers at Consumerist.com were fielding reports from readers who said they had successfully purchased the shirts from Wal-Marts.

"The average blue-vest employee just isn't aware of it," said Consumerist.com editor Ben Popken, who explained that when bar codes failed, readers..."

... easily persuaded employees to scan similarly priced items, or did so themselves at self-checkout counters.
Popken says he also blames unconscientious fashion designers, who likely saw the emblem of death as just another in-vogue skull-and-crossbones design, with the added bonus of being a copyright-free image. "The skull-and-crossbones is popular," he said, "but designers need to be aware of the history of the iconography that they're appropriating ad hoc."

Consumerist readers, for the win. A great example of the power of blogs to make a difference. With our low overhead, we're able to stick with a story and follow it through to the bitter end, even after the AP and CNN wrote it off as a done deal. We collected reports from readers across the country, slowly compiling evidence of Walmart's unwillingness and/or inability to properly conduct a product recall. A hill source tells us that Walmart Watch, who reads The Consumerist, were the ones that tipped off Schakowsky's office.

Presumably after the issue reached a peak (we think mention of the issue in our recent article in the New York Times probably was the catalyst), they were able to point to our mountain of evidence and get Schakowsky, and the members of Congress who joined her, involved.

Way to go peoples. Looking forward to seeing how we can apply what we learned from this campaign to the next one. — BEN POPKEN

Wal-Mart under fire again for T-shirts with Nazi logo [Chicago Tribune]

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Backstory.

Wal-Mart Responds To Congress About Nazi Tshirts Still On Its Shelves

Ben Popken — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:08:33 EST

Walmart responded to a letter from Congress exhorting the retailer to remove tshirts bearing Nazi insignia, apologizing for letting some shirts fall through the cracks, as evidenced in a statement forwarded to us by a hill source.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was not aware of the origins of the image when we stocked the t-shirt in question.
Respect for the individual is a core value of our company and we would never have placed this t-shirt on our shelves had we known the origin and significance of this emblem.

We immediately began pulling all t-shirts from the store shelves 11 weeks ago and have reached 99.5% compliance. Our records show that some 1100 shirts remain in the system, although we have issued a register restriction so the shirts cannot be purchased.

When we heard yesterday that some stores still had some of the shirts in inventory, we reissued the return-to-vendor directive. Our fashion merchandising team will reiterate the issue in their weekly video to stores.

If the records showed that the shirts were still in the system, then why were they allowed to remain on the shelves? Certainly not out of "respect for the individual." — BEN POPKEN

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Backstory.

Breaking! Congress To Walmart: Stop Selling Nazi T-shirts

Ben Popken — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:48:55 EST

Members of Congress started a letter writing campaign today, urging Walmart to stop selling t-shirts bearing Nazi iconography.

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky was today joined by a bi-partisan group of Members of Congress in sending a letter to Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott expressing concern over reports that t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia remain on the shelves of some of its retail outlet locations. In November, Wal-Mart committed to removing the product from its shelves, but reports this week suggested that the retailer had yet to meet that commitment."

Inside, the letter Rep. Schakowsky circulated to other members of the House and the letter to Walmart CEO Lee Scott...

The following members of Congress signed the letter: Corrine Brown (D-FL), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Diane Watson (D-CA), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Charles A. Wilson, Jr. (D-OH), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Steve Israel (D-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI) and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL).

Urge Wal-Mart to Remove Nazi Insignias from its Shelves
T-Shirts on a Wal-Mart Shelf Nazi SS 3rd Division Totenkopf Symbol

Dear Colleague:

Please join me in sending the attached letter to Wal-Mart President and CEO, H. Lee Scott, Jr., urging him to inform Congress about what steps he is currently taking and will take to ensure that T-shirts with this Nazi insignia are not sold in his stores.

An Associated Press report on November 13, 2006, indicated that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. had agreed to immediately remove T-shirts that display the insignia of Nazi Germany's 3rd SS Division Totenkopf from its shelves. A Wal-Mart spokesman acknowledged last year, "We would never have placed this T-shirt on our shelves had we known the origin and significance of this emblem." Unfortunately, reports suggest that the product remains on Wal-Mart shelves.

To add your name to this letter please contact [redacted]@mail.house.gov in my office.

Sincerely,

Jan Schakowsky
February 08, 2007

Mr. H. Lee Scott, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

702 S.W. 8th Street
Bentonville, AR 72716

Dear Mr. Scott:

We were pleased to learn from an Associated Press report on November 13, 2006, that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. had agreed to immediately remove T-shirts from its shelves that display the insignia of Nazi Germany's 3rd SS Division Totenkopf. As your spokesman David Tovar acknowledged last year, "We would never have placed this T-shirt on our shelves had we known the origin and significance of this emblem."

Unfortunately, reports this week suggest that the product remains on your retailer's shelves. We are gravely dismayed about Wal-Mart's inaction on its pledge to remove this product from its stores, and we ask that you take immediate steps to comply with last November's commitment to remove this offensive merchandise from your shelves.

The Holocaust was the most horrific human atrocity the world saw during the last century and perhaps in the history of the planet. However, genocide and hate remain amongst us today. It is critical that we remember the Nazis' crimes and take action to prevent future atrocities.

Therefore, we respectfully request that you inform us about the actions you are taking and will take to ensure that this type of product is not sold in your stores. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing from you within the next 30 days.

Sincerely,

###

— BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 12

Ben Popken — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:15:19 EST

12 weeks after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite initial promises to do so within days.

This week, Hayden has a very interesting confrontation in Valdosta, GA. He tells a customer service manager, Rhonda, that the shirts were recalled due to the Nazi symbol. Rhonda takes them off, but then her manager, Tim, tells Rhonda to put them back on the shelf on as he hasn't received any email about them. Hayden calls corporate to complain, and within minutes Tim receives a letter from the President ordering him to remove the shirts.

...Jonathan takes the totenkuchen with a series of delightful portraits at a Walmart in Marietta, GA.

...and Associate Editor Meghann Marco embarrasses a Walmart store manager in Elgin, IL.

Their stories and pictures, inside...

Rob on 2/04/07 in Hamilton, NJ writes:

When I asked one of the workers about it - she folded up the shirt I had taken down, put it back and the shelf and said "Ok....ok...will look into it....."

Meghann on 2/05/07 in Elgin, IL writes:

meghannmarco: ok so
meghannmarco: The t-shirts were there
meghannmarco: and one of them was marked "RECALL CANT SELL"
meghannmarco: chris tried to buy it
benpopken: interesting
meghannmarco: the manager looked embarassed and wouldn't sell it
meghannmarco: she said "It must be something wrong with the material."
benpopken: certainly is
meghannmarco: And wouldn't make eye contact
meghannmarco: we have some camera phone pics
meghannmarco: Wal-Mart Store #1814 - 1001 North Randall Road - Elgin, IL 60123 - (847) 468-9600
meghannmarco: I can't believe they were actually marked recall

Hayden on 2/05/07 in Valdosta, GA writes:

So I went to WalMart tonight, Walmart #899 in Valdosta, GA.
Guess what I spotted in the men's t-shirt display? You guessed it.

This is how it went down:

I went to Customer Service with one of the lovely shirts in question and asked to speak to a manager. Rhonda, a 'CSM' (Customer Service Manager), approached me and I explained that Wal-Mart Corporate had promised to stop selling these t-shirts because they mistakenly used a Nazi symbol in the design, but somehow they remained on the shelves here. I accompanied her to the t-shirt rack where we collected all the shirts. We returned to Customer Service where we met Tim, one of the store Assistant Managers. I explained the situation and asked him to remove the shirts as promised. He disappeared for a few moments into the back office and then returned. He stated he had no email regarding these shirts and that they had not 'been recalled'. He then directed Rhonda to replace the shirts and asked me to direct any further to the Home Office at 1-800-Wal-Mart.

I immediately called 1-800-Wal-Mart and spoke with a Customer Relations representative (6 minute hold time), I explained the situation and she said she would forward it to upper management for future action and that I could expect a follow-up call in the next couple days. I was not satisfied though. I decided I would try to buy the shirts, knowing full well they would not ring up, and that Rhonda and then Tim would need to be summoned again. But I thought once they saw that they could not be sold, maybe then they would take them off the floor. I felt bad putting the check-out attendant and the people in line behind me in the middle of this, but finally after seeing 'No Sale Allowed', Rhonda called Tim, who relented and pulled the shirts off the shelf. About fifteen minutes later, Tim found me in the store and asked for my name and number. Someone at the Home Office at 1-800-Wal-Mart had contacted him and forwarded him a letter from the President of the company regarding the shirts. He apologized and said the shirts would not be put out again and that he needed my information for any follow-up that might be required.

I have included photos of the t-shirts on the shelf, one with me, and one with the CSM Rhonda putting the shirts back on the shelf after Tim, the Assistant Manager, said that the nazi logo shirts had not been 'recalled' and that he hadn't gotten any sort of message about them. Interestingly when Rhonda put them up, she put the paper display in sideways.

Jonathan on 2/06/07 in Marrieta, GA writes:

A few shots of the shirt found at a Wal-Mart in Marietta, GA. Also, one with a cat, and several of me holding the shirt, displaying the myriad of emotions that only a crazy rollercoaster of a Nazi t-shirt half-assed recall can bring. Enjoy!

Lykan on 2/07/07 in Phoenix, AZ writes:

Yo Ben went to Wal-mart today and while looking thru the shirts found the Nazi shirt. Thought I'd share it with you! This picture was taken 02/07/07. Later.

— BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Calls Nazi Shirts Still On Shelves A "Training Issue"

Ben Popken — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:33:55 EST

An article in the New Mexico News-Sun had a startling quote from a Walmart spokesperson about why Nazi shirts could still be found on Walmart's shelves.

Based on photographic evidence sent in by Consumerist readers over the past twelve weeks, here are some of the Walmarts experiencing training issues:

Phoenix, AZ
Santa Maria, CA
Lancaster, CA
Jacksonville, FL
Rome, GA
Americus, GA
Marietta, GA
Valdosta, GA
Columbus, IA
Elgin, IL
Naperville, IL
Durham, NC
Salem, NH
Hamilton, NJ
Piscataway, NJ
Ledgewood, NJ
Rochester, NY
Farlawn, OH
Cleveland Heights, OH
Shaumburg, PA
Cordova, TN
Lubbock, TX
Houston, TX
Neenah, WI

— BEN POPKEN

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Backstory.

New Mexico Paper Gives Front Page Coverage To Walmart's Nazi Shirts

Ben Popken — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:17:38 EST

The Hobbs News-Sun ran a front page story this week about how t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia could be found on local Walmart shelves, nearly three months after the store promised to pull them.

Please tell me those are not still on the shelves. I haven't received a call about them in a long time,

says Walmart spokesperson Marisa Bluestone in the article.

How can Walmart HQ claim to not know the shirts are still on the shelves? We've been running posts about them for twelve weeks. We know for a fact that Walmart actively monitors this site. Therefore, Walmart is lying.

Full scans of the article, inside...

Click to enlarge.

(Thanks to Rob!)

— BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 11

Ben Popken — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:00:49 EST

11 weeks after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite initial promises to do so within days.

We particularly enjoyed one entry by Thaddeus'. The plopped shirts arranged in triptych grant the scene the air of roguish insouciance we've come to know and love Walmart for. Well played.

As for the rest of you, please, step back from the shirts a bit when you take the pictures. Let's get some WIDE shots. You don't need to press the lens right up against the fabric. Trust us, it will look cooler.

This week's carnival of indifference, inside.

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Rob in Hobbs, NM writes on 1/27/07:

Found myself at Wal-Mart today, a rare enough occurrence, and came face-to-face with the bugger turning a corner!

Thaddeus in Naperville, IL writes on 1/27/07:

I was out at one of our local WalMarts with my brother. Knowing about the shirt, we decided to see if they had any. They did. As with previous individuals, we went to the self checkout. A "See Cashier for Assistance" came up on the screen.
The cashier was able to override the register, ringing it up as TSHIRTTT, and we were able to buy the shirt. They had at least five others.

Just for the record the only reason I bought it was because of all the hoop-la. Normally I have no use for a t-shirt, especially one with something on it, but I just had to buy this one just because I'm not supposed to be able to.

Fred in Jacksonville, FL writes on 1/28/07:

I wasn't planning on purchasing it but I took it to the counter anyway to see if it would ring up. Got the do not sell error, the lady just looked at me and said, "You can't buy it." I told her I was just checking and walked out. I was so surprised to find the shirt I forgot why I went in the store in the first place.

And now Virgin Megastore is getting in on the act. Kevin sent this on January 30th, spotted in Virgin Megastore in San Francisco, CA.

— BEN POPKEN

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 10

Ben Popken — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:08:13 EST

10 weeks after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite initial promises to do so within days.

We're going to limit ourselves to weekly roundups from now on.

We rather enjoy Philip's above. Good direction. More wide angle shots. Let's see this shirt in action.

On a related note, if anyone got a shot of a cat sitting on a Walmart Nazi shirt, Meghann said she'll explode with love.

Five submissions this week, inside...

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

On 12/23/07, Philip in Neenah, WI, writes:

"I've been following this story from the beginning, and every time I visited my local WalMart (store #2986), I made a point to search their men's shirts section. They had never had any in stock, until my visit two days ago (January 21, 2007) when I noticed the shirt display had quite a few of the "skull" shirts. I went back to the store the following day (January 22, 2007) with my camera phone and grabbed a shot. From the picture, you can count 12 shirts on the shelf, and the one display shirt.

Just for fun, I grabbed a shirt and headed to the self-checkout line. Sure enough, the shirt didn't scan, and I was informed that an associate would be with me shortly. I continued my purchases when I was approached by the employee running the self-checkout lines. She asked me if I wanted the shirt. I told her it would not ring up. She did some cashier magic, and we were presented with the "SELL NOT ALLOWED" message. She again asked me if I wanted the shirt. I told her that I would. She asked how much it cost, and then saw the price was on the shirt. She then manually rang up a shirt at the listed price (while I grabbed another photo).
Before anyone in the comments goes crazy, I do NOT fault the cashier on this at all. Rather, I see her behavior a pleasantly surprising example of good customer service: she saw a customer trying to purchase a product that was for some reason (she probably figured it a glitch or error) not supposed to be sold, and did what she could do to allow the customer to buy it.

I am curious, though, why these shirts appeared on the shelf now, when they hadn't been available before. Perhaps a hidden stash in the "back room" had been discovered and blindly put out for display. Perhaps, though, there is more to it that speculation can easily come up with.

Dutifully.
-Phillip"

On 1/22/07, Tim in Cordova, TN writes:

"Spotted this at the Cordova, TN store on 1/21/07 at 4pm, yep its the nazi shirt again! (I know how much you guys love the Wal-mart nazi shirt story)"

On 1/21/07, Naval in Lubbock, TX writes:

"I was browsing my local Walmart in Lubbock, TX and came across the infamous Nazi insignia bearing shirts. There were at least 6 or 7 more. I tried to buy one, but the register said "Sell not allowed." However, the supervisor offered to sell it with their department code at the $9.xx price. I declined because I just wanted to see if they were still allowing the sale of that item. "

On 1/19/07, NIck in Houston, TX writes:

"I went to the Wal-Mart I often go to this afternoon on my way from work. This particular Wal-Mart happens to be in Houston, Texas, in the West Oaks area, store #772. After loading up the cart with the things I had to get, I was walking by the mens clothing section, when I remembered about the Nazi Death Head shirt that Wal-Mart should have removed from their shelves. I thought, surely they will not have any...but what if they did? what if I was actually able to walk of the store with one?? So, I walked over the young mens screen T display and started glancing around. At first it looked grim, then upon looking at the very bottom rack, there they were! In fact, there were about 5 of these supposedly banned T-Shirts. I quickly thought about a previous post I read on The Consumerist about the guy bringing the Nazi shirt and another shirt to the register and coaxing the lady to ring them both up under the same sku. Well, not wanting to spend that kind of extra money on shirts I really didn't need, I looked over at the register area and saw the Self Checkout lanes... I decided to let fate run its course and just see what happens. Without a doubt, I figured when I scanned the shirt, some kind of message would pop up. When I scanned the shirt, a text box window popped up saying a customer service rep would be assisting me shortly. The clerk watching over the checkout lines came to my register in a matter of seconds. The text box went away by pressing "Ok" and she scanned the shirt again. Sure enough, the text box window popped back up. She had no idea what was going on. I said, "That's wierd, there are 4 of those over on the shelf. They are $11.44."

She walked over to her 1980's style, "regular" Wal-Mart cash register and rang it up. Now, it is important for me to clarify that at no point did I see anything indicating a "NO SALE". Instead a price of $7.83 rang up. The clerk joked with me saying, "See, and you were trying to overcharge yourself!" She walked back over to the self checkout register I was originally at and entered manual register mode, that only employees, or maybe hackers, can access. She had to go through a couple of processes, entering the sku, putting in the price, and other basic descriptive categories about the item, then simply typed in "SCREENT" as the product name that would show up on the receipt. Task completed, she walked back to her register, not knowing what she just did, I checked out, paid and walked out of there with a huge smile on my face! Not because I'm endorsing what the shirt stands for or anything, but basically because I saw it as a good goal from the first time I read the post on The Consumerist to try and get one of these shirts if I ever had the oppurtunity.

I have attached a picture of the shirt laid out on my coffee table. I don't have a camera phone, so I couldn't snap any pics at the store...I hope this pic doesn't scream fake, as in I might have already had a shirt...I tried taking a picture of the receipt but the words are unreadable. If you guys absolutely want to see it, I can scan it. Anyways, hope you can post this, it would be my first internet 15 minutes...errr maybe seconds, of fame! Thanks!!"

On 1/15/07, Matthew in Rome, GA writes:

"I had my fianc take this pic of me at Wal-Mart on 1/15/07 @ ~11PM. This is one of the two Wal-Marts here in Rome, GA (Zip: 30165). I hope you get to post this! My Consumerist poster name is: criticman"

You would think these would be easier to get off the shelves than anime porn. They don't even have any tentacles that you need to pry. — BEN POPKEN

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 66

Ben Popken — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 21:28:51 EST

Sixty-six days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite initial promises to do so within days.

Patrick in Santa Maria, CA writes:

"I found the following Nazi shirt at the Santa Maria, CA store today (01/16/07 3PM) and it was most likely the only one as I glanced around and didn't see any others right way.. It was folded up. I didn't want to try buying it even though I know many others had a chance to do so I took a picture with my cell phone. I have been following this story for a while now and I didn't think I would find one. I was surprised that I did! "

The story has taken on a life of its own. Chuga chuga, choo, choo. — BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 62

Ben Popken — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 11:55:40 EST

Sixty-two days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite promises to do so within days.

Jason in Columbus, Indiana writes:

"I stopped in my local Wal-Mart this morning in Columbus, Ind., and happened by the t-shirts to see if the Nazi skulls were still here. There were about 20 shirts still on the shelf. I didn't try to buy one, but thought of you and took a photo instead."

When the guy last week reported that he was able to buy a Totenkopf shirt by making the cashier scan a comparable shirt, we were worried. Were we encouraging what we tried to prevent?

Then we had an image of some guys at a bar, wearing these shirts. Whether they be neo-fascists or hipsters, the value of peoples going around saying, hey, check out my Nazi shirt I got at Walmart could be even greater than simply removing all the shirts. Money can't buy that kind of word of mouth. — BEN POPKEN

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 56

Ben Popken — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 15:40:46 EST

Fifty-six days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite promises to do so within days. Rahnee in Americus Georgia writes:

"I have been following your Nazi T-shirt story ever since it broke close to two months ago. Today while my wife and I were walking off lunch at our local Wal-Mart I decided to have a look at the shirts put on clearance after the holidays. While looking through a rack of shirts I remembered the Nazi T-shirt story on consumerist.com and decided to see for myself if our local store had any of these T's. I was delighted to find one. I have attached a photo that my wife took of shirt and me in Wal-Mart today with the date at the bottom. It was the only one so I planned carefully how I would be able to buy it. I took a similar shirt to the checkout with me knowing the computer would say, "Sale not allowed". After the clerk tried several times to ring the shirt up she finally scanned the similar shirt as a comparable item. The similar shirt was actually on clearance and I was able to get the Nazi T for $5."

Hacking Walmart to buy totenkopf shirts at a discount, signs of a true Consumerist reader. — BEN POPKEN

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Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Prices Rise On eBay

Ben Popken — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:31:40 EST

When the Walmart Nazi thirt story first broke, the shirts appeared on eBay the very next day. Bidding was scarce and we never saw the prices rise above their $10 retail value. Now reader David points out they're selling for up to $31 a pop.

Rising to three times the price tag points to genuine scarcity - Walmart's removing the shirt from the system is working - and genuine interest. Looking at the item history of several of the Totenkopf eBay bidders show they've bought Nazi paraphernalia in the past.

$30 is about the same change a cool designer tshirt sold by Beautiful/Decay will run you. On a related note, Matt points out that even the streetwear scene is getting in on the act, with a company called "Zoltar The Magnicient" releasing a totenkopf hoodie. A party they threw in Milan last year featured a neon totenkopf, an electric chair, and a guillotine.

Though, we're sure it's all meant to be tongue-in-Nazi-chic. — BEN POPKEN

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Backstory.

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 52

Ben Popken — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 17:55:49 EST

Fifty-two days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite promises to do so within days. These pictures were taken on December 31 by reader John. Apparently, Walmart wants to go into the new year putting the right goose step forward.

We particularly enjoy the Walmart cashier's expression. Probably seconds before she told John, "you can't take pictures in Walmart." John writes:

"I just don't get what is so difficult about removing 10-15 t-shirts from every store! They don't have *that* many stores... It just cannot be this difficult. Anyway, point being... Wal-mart is run by a bunch of retarded monkeys who like to fling poo at each other...."

John's letter continues inside...

John continues:

"....And I have some imagery from today, December 31st... A picture of two t-shirts I found in my local Wal-mart, and another of the register saying "Sell not allowed" (you'd think Wal-mart could spell, but no... And sorry if it's a bit blurry. I pulled a surprise shot.) After taking the photo, the lady in the shot told me that I couldn't take pictures in Wal-mart. Funny, didn't see any signs. Funny, there weren't any signs at which she could point to tell me that I was not allowed to take pictures in Wal-mart. Even if there were.... Still, screw Wal-mart, they're in cahoots with the Nazis and Adolf Hitler. (Admit it, you know he's still alive.)

Frankly, I don't really care to reveal the location of this store... At least that way Wal-mart might scramble to get them off the shelves at ALL stores. And for the more rational of those among us... Seriously... Look at the facts. 10-15 shirts in every store. A few thousand stores. A few secretaries that are being paid way too much to not do anything. And finally, the inability to spell correctly on the registers. "Retarded monkeys" is looking like a pretty good explanation of this whole thing...

Have a good one,
jhn"

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Backstory.

— BEN POPKEN

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 48

Ben Popken — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:01:45 EST

Forty-eight days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite promises to do so within days. HJ Choi spotted this one today in Durham, NC.

He writes:

"It was at 6 am this morning (12/27), and I thought I'd pass it along. I thought about asking one of the employees, but I didn't want to bother these night-shift workers who already don't want to be there."

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Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 41

Ben Popken — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 20:13:15 EST

Forty-one days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from all their stores, despite promises to do so within days. Amanda spotted this one today in Farlawn, OH.

She writes:

"Hey consumerist- love your site! I wanted to let you know that today, (wed Dec 20th) I was in Wal-mart in Fairlawn (near Akron) Ohio, and they had the Nazi T-shirt on display!! STILL!! I took one up to the register with me, but the ale was not allowed. They had about 6 or 7 on the rack. Attached is a picture.(from my cameraphone, sorry if bad quality) Keep up the great work! "

Dear Walmart,
Why are you crushing so hard on Nazis?

Yours Truly,
Humanity.

— BEN POPKEN

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Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Day 30

Ben Popken — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:12:22 EST

Thirty days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmart, the retailer has yet to remove them from their stores. Rob spotted this one in Salem, NH, on 12/09/06.

He writes:

"I thought of The Consumerist when I saw this in the Wal-Mart Super Center in Salem, NH. The picture was taken on Saturday 12-9-06. I had not seen the Totenkopf shirt there during the previous flurry of posts on the subject, so they must have put them on the shelves recently."

It's really pathetic that such a powerful retailer can't remove a simple shirt from all its shelves, especially after initially promising to do so in days. What if it poked your eyes out? — BEN POPKEN

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Designer Of Walmart's Nazi Shirt Found. He's Jewish.

Ben Popken — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:34:48 EST

The Miami Herald found the designer of Walmart's Nazi tshirts, a man of Jewish persuasion.

''We would never have done that shirt if we had known,'' said Deutsch, president of Miami-based Orange Clothing Company, a manufacturer of young men's apparel. ``Furthermore, I'm Jewish.'"

The article goes on to say that Deutch's company, Orange Clothing Co, found the skull in a "European trend book."

Just when you thought the story couldn't get any stranger, or longer, whammo.

The only question is, what to do with the returned shirts cramming Deutch's warehouses? Perhaps they can insulate his room, in hell. The hell for hack designers. — BEN POPKEN

Nazi shirt was an accident, Miami designer says [Miami Herald]

Walmart Won't Let You Buy Nazi Shirts, Yay!

Ben Popken — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:05:48 EST

According to commenter Papercutninja, the Nazi shirts may still be on the floor, but you can't buy them.

Papercutninja tried to buy one in Piscataway, NJ, and the register bleeped, "SALE NOT ALLOWED."

Huzzah! Good job Walmart, finally.

Now Walmart just needs to get cracking on throwing the rest of the shirts in the ovens. — BEN POPKEN

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Walmart Nazi Shirt Watch: Day 22

Ben Popken — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 12:33:42 EST

Twenty-two days after t-shirts bearing Nazi insignia were discovered in Walmarts, the retailer has yet to remove them from their stores. Matt spotted this one on Friday in Rochester, NY.

He writes:

"Just in time for your fascist holiday shopping. It has to be close to a month and I found the "Walmart Nazi" shirts in the store this morning-attached is my picture. I am considering sending this to some local news affiliates-another great reason not to shop there!"

— BEN POPKEN

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Walmart Nazi Shirt Watch: Day 19

Ben Popken — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:50:25 EST

19 days after a blogger first discovered Walmart selling shirts with Nazi insignia, the shirts can still be found on the shelves, this time in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. John writes:

"I found myself at walmart in Cleveland Heights Ohio the other day [Sunday, Nov 26] picking up a new office chair... (ended up going to office max anyway... but that's another story) I was kinda surprised to see the totenkopf shirts still on sale there... so I snapped a quick pic with my phone... sorry for the poor quality but the razr isnt anything great for taking photos. Anyway... thought you might like to know that Cleveland walmarts all seem to have ignored any instruction they may have received regarding taking the shirts off the shelves."

— BEN POPKEN

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Walmart Nazi Shirts Still On Sale, Still

Ben Popken — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 12:04:30 EST

18 days after a blogger first discovered Walmart selling shirts with Nazi insignia, the shirts can still be found on the shelves, this time in Ledgewood, NJ.

Casey spotted some on Saturday, Nov 25, and writes:

"i understand you're a bit sick of covering this story, but i went to wal-mart today (ledgewood, nj) and they still have the neo-nazi shirt on display! i mean, this isn't some random small town, it's suburban new jersey. this is getting a little ridiculous, isn't it?"

How long will it take Walmart to take down the shirts? We don't know, how long ago was 1978? That might be an indicator. — BEN POPKEN

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Walmart Nazi Shirts Available Online (Sorta)

Ben Popken — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:38:27 EST

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Walmart removed your favorite Totenkopf shirt before you had a chance to buy it? Don't despair, there's plenty of neo-Nazi apparel sites around the web ready and willing to sell you a reasonable facsimile.

PzG
Militaria-net
Micetrap Distribution, LLC

So not only was the t-shirt extremely tasteless, it was also a ripoff. Man, the Nazis are gonna be so mad when they found out. — BEN POPKEN

Walmart Apologizes For Selling Nazi Tshirts

Ben Popken — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:10:47 EST

Recent updates to this story.
Backstory.

After a blogger found Walmart sold tshirts with Nazi skulls on them, a Walmart PR rep sent us a note.

Good morning. My name is Marshall Manson. I work for Edelman doing online public affairs for Wal-Mart. I noticed your post about the t-shirts that Wal-Mart is selling. I wanted to make sure you saw the company's statement about this and knew that Wal-Mart is now removing the t-shirts from its stores. Obviously, with a company as big as Wal-Mart, that may take a day or two.

The statement is just below. If you would like to discuss anything, feel free to respond to this e-mail.

Statement from Wal-Mart:

We were not aware of the origins of the image until this morning when we learned about it through the blog Bent Corner.

We are deeply sorry that this happened, and we are in the process of pulling all of these t-shirts from our stores.

Respect for the individual is a core value of our company and we would never have placed this t-shirt on our shelves had we known the origin and significance of this emblem.

We are reviewing our product review process in an effort to ensure this never happens again.

Sincerely,

Marshall Manson
Edelman"

Someone needs to go and buy one of these shirts, quick. Just one question, is Mike Krempasky a medium or a large? — BEN POPKEN

Walmart's Nazi Tshirt, Compare and Contrast

Ben Popken — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:04:16 EST

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Backstory.

At left, a t-shirt a blogger says Walmart is selling. At right, the picture for Nazi Nazi 3rd SS Division Totenkopf from Wikipedia.

As you can see, they are nearly identical.

Walmart recently replaced greeting customers with "Merry Christmas!" instead of "Happy Holidays!" After suffering recent image setbacks, is the retailer circling the wagons to appeal to its core constituency? &mdash BEN POPKEN

Walmart Sells Nazi Skull Tshirt

Ben Popken — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:11:58 EST

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Backstory.
UPDATE: Walmart Apologizes, Removes Shirts
UPDATE: Compare & Contrast T-shirt with original insignia

A blogger alleges Walmart is selling tshirts bearing Nazi iconography. The shirt shows a skull which is a perfect reproduction of the same insignia used by the Nazi 3rd SS Division Totenkopf during WWII.

The blogger who caught this image with his camera phone doesn't believe that Walmart is purposefully selling Nazi paraphernalia and didn't check to see who manufactured the shirt. It's uncertain how "1978" fits.

Our bets are on a hack designer Googling for skull pix, or a very subversive designer. Either way, heads will roll. — MEGHANN MARCO

Wal-Mart is selling Nazi SS skull t-shirts [Bentcorner]