As retailers ban Confederate flag, sales surge

FILE - In this July 9, 2011 file photo, a man wears a confederate flag bandana on his head at the 15th annual Redneck Games in East Dublin, Ga. Calling it a "contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism," eBay on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 said that it will ban the sale of Confederate flags and similarly themed merchandise. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File) FILE - In this July 9, 2011 file photo, a man wears a confederate flag bandana on his head at the 15th annual Redneck Games in East Dublin, Ga. Calling it a "contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism," eBay on Tuesday, June 23, 2015 said that it will ban the sale of Confederate flags and similarly themed merchandise. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

By Associated Press June 23, 2015 4 min read

Pulling the stars and bars

Big retailers said they would start to pull Confederate flags, and merchandise bearing the flag, from their store shelves and websites this week. The announcements come as debate over the flag’s symbolism was reignited following last week’s shooting deaths of nine black church members in South Carolina. These retailers have announced bans of the flag and related items: – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. – Amazon.com Inc. – Sears Holdings Corp. – EBay Inc. – Etsy Inc. -Target Corp. – Spencer Gifts

Even as national retailers pull Confederate flags from shelves and websites after the shooting deaths of nine black church members in South Carolina, manufacturers that produce the divisive symbol say that sales are now surging.

“I don’t sell the Confederate flag for any specific group, I just sell the flag,” said Kerry McCoy, owner and president of Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com. “This is America. Everybody has a right to be represented whether you are a history buff or a nut.”

McCoy said her company expects to sell about 50 of the flags over the next week. That’s about half of what they typically sell in a year.