A store defends a “racist” pricing error when the price of the black doll is cheaper than that of the white doll

A store was forced to defend itself after a pricing error that appeared to show black dolls at a lower price than white dolls.

A photo of the dolls side by side in the Shoprite shopping center in Maun, Botswana, appeared to show the white doll selling for ZAR149.95 (£7) and the black doll selling for ZAR99.95 (£4.74).

One outraged buyer tweeted the photo at the company, writing: “Please explain why a black doll is cheaper than a white doll? Are black people cheap?

However, the store insisted the price was simply a “mistake”, with the ticket for a teddy bear mistakenly placed under the black doll on the shelf.

Outrage: a tweeter demanded answers from Shoprite (Twitter)

They said in a statement: “It is regrettable that the incorrect display of the price of a toy in a store in Botswana has sparked a racial storm on social media in South Africa, implying that a black doll is inferior to a white doll.

“The fact is that at Shoprite Maun in Botswana, the 99.95 price card for a teddy bear was moved under the black Cutie Baby doll displayed next to it.

“Its price is 149.95, exactly the same as its white counterpart.”

Error: the price was actually for a teddy bear (CEN)

The company also went after those who tried to turn the award into a racial issue.

They added: “Shoprite immediately recognized the display error and corrected it.

“The mistake was recognized by many on social media, but others took the opportunity to make it a racial issue and spread the sentiment, linking the price tag to racism.”