Retailers Pull Confederate Flags, Apparel From Shelves After Deadly Charleston Shooting
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Several retailers have announced they will no longer carry merchandise featuring the Confederate flag following a shooting at a historically black church that killed nine people in Charleston, South Carolina.
Sacramento Flag Works' Jim Zellars has a daily ritual of presenting a vast diversity of flags and believes, form the American Flag, to the LGBT pride flag.
But one controversial symbol won't be seen out front—the Confederate flag. It's been in his inventory for decades, but it's not a hot seller.
"I don't sell a lot of those flags because I think we're in California. If anything it's kids buying bumper stickers and stuff," he said.
Because of the violence in South Carolina, Zellars is now pulling the flags and symbols from the shelves.
He's joining major stores like Walmart who are doing the same thing. A spokesperson for the giant retailer says the company never wants to offend anyone with its products.
Zellars fulfills orders for flags representing almost every nation, sports team or cause.
But Sacramento Flag Works isn't tossing out all of its Confederate flags. Zellars says the store is still offering it under special circumstances to Hollywood producers.
"It's always for a prop thing," he said. "That's why we keep flags from different countries for props for plays and movie sets."
