Wal-Mart apologizes for racial slur

New York City A store announcement at Walmart’s store in Washington Township, N.J., ordering black people to leave brought apologies Wednesday from leaders of the company, the Associated Press reported.

A male voice came over the public-address system Sunday evening at the store and announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now."

Shoppers in the store at the time said a manager quickly got on the public-address system and apologized for the remark. And while it was unclear whether a rogue patron or an employee was responsible for the comment, many customers expressed their anger to store management.

Officials with Wal-Mart Stores, based in Bentonville, Ark., said that the announcement was "unacceptable" and that they're trying to determine who made it and how it happened.

"We are just as appalled by this incident as our customers," the company said in a statement. "Whoever did this is just wrong and acted in an inappropriate manner. Clearly, this is completely unacceptable to us and to our customers."