Black Brands Are Being Held Back in Retail, Here’s Why

Next time you shop at a big retailer, think about what you grab off the shelf. Really, pay attention. It matters.

Here’s why I say this. Until I resigned, I was an Omnichannel Merchant at Walmart. Yup, that Walmart. As a merchant, I had a laundry list of duties. My job was to maintain good relationships with vendors, recommend wholesale purchases of new products, ensure that both stores and online shelves were stocked, identify new suppliers, and bring items that should be featured to the internal marketing team. I and every other Walmart merchant (formerly known as category specialists) know intrinsically how big retailers find, vet, and reward their suppliers.

Supplier relationships are essential in big retail. Merchants are taught to be loyal to high-performing suppliers. Merchants do this to avoid taking on slow-moving products that cause sales misses and slowed delivery speeds. With performance goals at the top of every merchant’s mind, it’s no surprise that many suppliers have worked with these big-box retailers for more than 20 and, in some cases, more than 50 years. It makes sense.

Here’s the thing: Many of the suppliers who have had the opportunity to prove their worth did so in a time where it was blatantly easier for less melanated individuals to get their foot in the door and their products on shelves; shelves that allow suppliers to conveniently reach hundreds of thousands of customers across the United States. Although a few Black suppliers have managed to grace the shelves of big retailers, many Black-owned businesses are still struggling to make up ground against their more-established competitors, with many resolved to open ambitious yet cash-strapped stores.

No matter how much we claim to support small, Black-owned businesses, we find ourselves right back at the Walmarts, Targets, and Big Lots of the world, grabbing those items we needed more easily or quickly than we could at a local store. Big retailers have something many small business owners lack: physical presence and convenience.

Walmart can reach 90% of American families within a 10-mile radius. Stores like that have the money to support longer operating hours and things like same-day delivery and in-store pickup. Their inventory is more vast, more diverse, and the prices are usually lower.

Yes, it important to support Black businesses at their brick-and-mortar locations. But what happens when you only support small businesses by shopping at their stores or on their websites? We restrict their reach, their scalability, and their brand awareness.

Last year, many long-standing issues in the Black community were highlighted for the world to see. In response to cries for economic, racial, and social justice, many companies began to align themselves with the Black Lives Matter movement, throwing money at the issue as a token of support. Huge corporations sent funds to small Black-owned businesses. But more valuable and sustainable than money is opportunity.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not telling small business owners not to open their own independent locations while waiting for the largest retail stores to stock their products. However, I am petitioning us—the consumers—to actively support Black-owned businesses when they managed to defy the odds and appear on the shelves of big retailers.

My request is simple. I want us to stop going against the grain. Yes, shop with black-owned businesses—both locally and at big retailers. Pay attention to what you’re picking off the shelf. Familiarize yourself with Black-owned brands. Add their products to your standard shopping list. Give Black-owned brands a chance to be represented in more than just the “ethnic or textured hair” aisle of powerful retailers. In doing so, you play a fundamental role in building a case for more Black-owned suppliers to get their foot in the door and succeed.

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About Urina Harrell

Urina Harrell is a former Merchant for Walmart. She now runs her two businesses Vox Pop Branding and Vox Pop Kids full time. She will soon launch UrinaHarrell.com where she'll share what she's learned as a former merchant and business owner to help aspiring and existing business owners avoid common pitfalls.