Wayfair under fire for supplying beds to US detention centers
Homeware brand Wayfair has come under attack from customers, clients and its own staff after it was reported it had sold furniture to BCFS, a government contractor that manages migrant camps on the border of the US and Mexico.
Wayfair said it would fulfil any orders made lawfully
Numerous reports have uncovered mistreatment of babies and children at migrant detention centers, as well as forced separation of families. Wayfair allegedly fulfilled a $200,000 BCFS order of bedroom furniture to be sent to Carrizo Springs, Texas – the location of a new detention center built for housing migrant children specifically.
Employees at the company, which also operates an advertising network, are organizing a walkout in protest of the company’s dealings tomorrow (26 June) outside its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts HQ.
A Twitter account named @wayfairwalkout stated 547 workers signed a letter imploring the company's leadership to cease current and future business with BCFS and other contractors operating on the Southern border.
They also asked senior executives to establish a code of ethics for B2B sales that “empowers Wayfair and its employees to act in accordance with our core values”, and donate the $86,000 in profit they made from the sale to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Raices).
However, according to an internal memo published on Twitter, Wayfair refused the demands under the proviso of “respecting diversity of thought within our organization and across our customer base” and fulfilling all orders that are lawful in the interest of stakeholders, investors, customers and employees.
Wayfair currently employs more than 13,000 people. It serves more than 39 million monthly visitors across all its brands, according to its pitch deck, and has recently ramped up its marketing spend.
Wayfair did not immediately respond to The Drum’s request for comment.