A Lowe’s vice president apologized on Tuesday for a comment made in a corporate video about a power drill that he said was perfect for “ Hispanic pros with smaller hands.”
Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores, made the problematic comment in a video broadcast to store managers nationwide on Monday, according to The Washington Post.
McFarland was touting the $99 DeWalt 12-volt cordless drill, which he noted was compact enough to fit anywhere.
He also suggested one possible demographic it might appeal to.
“Some of our Hispanic pros with smaller hands, this is perfect for them,” he said.
Here’s the video of McFarland touting the drill, per the Post.
The video was part of a weekly in-house broadcast where managers discuss corporate priorities.
But some Lowe’s employees were taken aback by McFarland’s tone-deaf comment, according to an unidentified assistant manager interviewed by the paper.
“Everybody in the room was just like, ‘What? Did he just say that?’” the assistant manager told the paper on the condition of anonymity. “Immediately after it happened, everyone was just like ‘Whoa, why would he say that?’”
Although the weekly corporate videos are typically posted on the Lowe’s internal website for the entire week, this one is no longer accessible there.
HuffPost reached out to McFarland for comment, but he did not immediately respond. He did issue a public apology shortly after the Post published its story:
I am sorry for a careless and ignorant comment I made during an associate broadcast yesterday. Our associates shared how my statement was harmful and inappropriate. This is a key reflection moment for me.
Still, some thought more needed to be done than just an apology.