Another day, another sponsorship lost for Paula Deen. This time the embattled celebrity cook and butter enthusiast has been dropped by Walmart, as the world’s leading retailer will no longer sell Deen’s cookware and food. This decision comes hot on the heels that her restaurants – which are doing better than ever, according to her brother – were being booted from their Caesars Entertainment locations in five states, while she’d been previously dropped by Smithfield sausages and, of course, the Food Network.
While the Caesars move was “mutual”, according to the New York Times, the Walmart decision was rather abrupt and to the point.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Walmart said, “We are ending our relationship with Paula Deen Enterprises and we will not place new orders beyond those already committed.” There are currently 215 Paula Deen-branded items on the company’s Web site, from aprons and salad dressings to reading glasses, china and a new line of “finishing butters.”
Deen still has products available at Target and Sears, and that must be a point of celebration for both companies today, because if Walmart’s Facebook page is any indication of future business trends, they are about to get a ton of new business.
Here’s the thing – I don’t believe a single one of these people. They can say they’ll stop shopping at Walmart, but I bet they won’t. Nobody walks away from those prices.
(H/T to Bobby Big Wheel)
