From the “how did this ever go live on the internet?” file: A pair of boots listed on Groupon using blatantly racist language has sparked backlash against the e-commerce site.
Two pairs of boots, listed by a third-party seller, Xularo, were listed on the site as recently as March 19 before being pulled down. The cheaper “Suede Moccasin Boots” were priced at $52.99, while the “Fur Lining Winter Boots” went for $89 — with both offering a color option described as “n—-r brown.” Both pages have since been taken down by Groupon.
“We are appalled that this language was displayed on our site,” Groupon said in a statement to TheWrap. “This product description was provided by a third-party seller via our self-service platform. Regardless, this is completely unacceptable and violates our policies–to say nothing of our values. When made aware of the issue, we immediately removed the deal–as well as the third-party seller–from our marketplace. Language like this has no place on Groupon, and we’re further strengthening our self-service controls to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Several products from Xularo, including a leather wallet and turtleneck sweater, are still featured on Groupon, but appear to have been disabled from being purchased.
The hashtag #ShutdownGroupon has been used by several Twitter users this week, looking to boycott the site for allowing the slur to be posted.
You know the real problem? This should have NEVER happened in the first place. #ShutdownGroupon https://t.co/Q2duLwwBYO
— Joe Madison (@MadisonSiriusXM) March 29, 2018
Shares of the company have dipped about 5.5 percent in the last week on Wall Street, hitting $4.34 as markets closed on Thursday.