Amazon joins big retailers pulling Confederate flag merchandise

NEW YORK (AP/CNN) – Amazon joined other major retailers Tuesday in halting sales of the Confederate flag after the shooting deaths of nine black church members in South Carolina.

The online retailer operates a major distribution center in Lexington.

E-Bay says the flag is a contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism, and it has long banned items that promote or glorify hate.

Sears Holding Corp. says it is removing Confederate flag merchandise from its website, and a spokesman says that no Confederate flag merchandise is sold inside Sears or Kmart stores.

On Monday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would remove all items from its store shelves and website that feature the flag after the shooting suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, appeared in photos holding the flag.

However, the companies that make Confederate flags and confederate-themed products, as well as smaller operators that sell them, expect sales to surge, at least temporarily.