Walmart has issued an apology after selling a Christmas sweater that apparently referenced cocaine, CNN reports.
What it looked like: The blue sweater included an image of Santa Claus, who sits behind a blue table with his arms wide open.
- Three white lines sit on the table, though. This is believed to be a reference to cocaine.
- The sweater includes the phrase, “Let it snow.”
The product description read: “We all know how snow works. It’s white, powdery and the best snow comes straight from South America. That’s bad news for jolly old St. Nick, who lives far away in the North Pole.”
Apology: Walmart issued an apology to Global News, a Canadian news organization:
“These sweaters, sold by a third-party seller on Walmart.ca, do not represent Walmart’s values and have no place on our website,” Walmart said the statement. “We have removed these products from our marketplace. We apologize for any unintended offense this may have caused.”
Details: The sweater is no longer available on Walmart’s website.
Bigger picture: Third-party sellers can make their products available on the Walmart Marketplace at their disposal. Walmart has previously faced controversies over third-party products.
Other major companies face this issue, too. Amazon took down Christmas ornaments that included the Auschwitz concentration camp, as reported by the Deseret News.