Walmart representatives are apologizing for a cake decorated with an Islamic State flag, claiming the employee who made the cake “did not know the flag and its meaning.”
After Walmart announced its decision to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise, Chuck Netzhammer decided to push the retail giant's limits. The incident began when Netzhammer asked individuals at the his local Slidell, Louisiana store to decorate a cake with a Confederate flag and the words, “Heritage, Not Hate.”
In a video detailing the incident, Netzhammer shows a rejection letter from Walmart's bakery:
The next day, however, Netzhammer claims he went back to his local Walmart store and was able to purchase a cake with a flag representing ISIS:
Netzhammer's video provides the receipt for the cake along with a photo of the image he requested:
“Can you please explain why you are alienating Southern Americans with this trash that you allow to be sold in your store, while at the same point Confederate flag memorabilia is not allowed?” he asks in the video.
In a statement on the incident, Walmart spokesperson John Forrest Ales told USA Today,
“Our talented bakery associates take pride in what they create for our customers. It’s unfortunate one customer thought to take advantage of an associate who did not know the flag and its meaning.”
He admitted, “This cake should not have been made, and we apologize for the mistake.”
The Walmart spokesperson did not comment on the store's refusal to complete Netzhammer's initial request for the "Heritage, Not Hate" cake.
Netzhammer’s full video can be viewed below: