These Businesses are Banning Confederate Flag Merchandise

Some have taken a stand against selling the flag's image after the tragic racially-motivated shootings in Charleston, while others remain silent.

In a surprising move, Walmart is one of the first businesses to remove Confederate flag merchandise after the massacre of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C. last week.

The world's largest retailer is removing products with the flag, such as t-shirts and belt buckles, from its store shelves and website, according to CNN.

"We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer. We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the confederate flag from our assortment -- whether in our stores or on our web site," said Walmart spokesman Brian Nick. "We have a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell. Still, at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly -- this is one of those instances."

Sears and Kmart, which are owned by Sears Holdings, also announced that they will not allow third parties to sell Confederate flag-related merchandise on their online store.

Many are calling for the removal of the flag after Dyland Roof, 21 murdered nine black worshipers in a church. Roof, who posted pictures on himself with the Confederate flag, had racial motivations for the horrific massacre.

Politicians in South Carolina, and many concerned members of the public, have called for the flag to be removed from the grounds of the Statehouse.

Major online retailers such as Amazon have stayed silent on the issue, although Ebay just announced today that it will be pulling the items from its website. The two internet giants have plenty of confederate flag merchandise for sale from car decals to earrings.

[UPDATE: Amazon has announced that they are pulling Confederate flag items from its online marketplace.]