Why are black Barbies priced differently than white Barbies?
It’s a tough question and one that some of America’s biggest retailers are having to answer amid the biggest shopping time of the year.
Target.com had the white Barbie Fashion Design Maker doll on sale for $23.49, but the same exact African American doll was listed online for $49.99.
Wal-Mart’s website had listed an African-American ice skater Barbie for $11.87 while the Caucasian version costs just $9.88.
Both retailers said the pricing discrepancy was an unintended error. Both adjusted the prices.
A Wal-Mart Spokesman said Tuesday, “They should always be the same price, across all ethnicities. This is just a pricing error. We corrected it immediately.”
