The problem, as Jerrison and others identify in the Twitter thread, is that less reliable vendors started to elbow their way into online marketplaces’ search results by filling their listings with a word salad of keywords related to what customers might be searching for.
“The fact that will sell you a gay weed flag or a pup pride flag is hilarious, except that it’s an indicator that they’re not vetting products at all,” Jerrison tweeted. Either way, the problem isn’t the items themselves - rather, they’re the perfect illustration of how Walmart and other online retailers have decided to prioritize an unfathomable quantity of products rather than any discernable aspect of quality, sex blogger Cliff Jerrison pointed out on Twitter. Heck, maybe you’re looking for a not-so-discreet “personal massager,” or a notebook adorned with weed-themed Hannukah art, or a book that would make Tucker Carlson furious. Or maybe that pup play fetish flag is exactly what you were looking for. Perhaps that’s not what you expected to see at Walmart, a retailer that has long courted a conservative customer base. Next time you peruse Walmart’s online shop, you may find yourself browsing through some eyebrow-raising offerings, including flags to show your undying support for marijuana or the fetish of your choice.