T.J. Maxx Pulls 'Hang Loose' Noose T-shirt

An outraged customer took to Twitter to complain about an offensive T-shirt on the racks at a Florida retailer Monday, a move that got the shirt removed from stores.

The customer, who was shopping at a Kissamee, Fla. T.J. Maxx store, noticed a T-shirt with the words "Hang Loose" and an image of a noose printed on it. She soon tweeted, "It is absolutely sickening that @tjmaxx thinks it's OK to sell a shirt like this."

It is absolutely sickening that @tjmaxx thinks it's okay to sell a shirt like this. pic.twitter.com/woCRDuEqpe

— psycho girlfriend (@PsychoGF_) March 17, 2015

That tweet, which was retweeted more than 500 times, started a series of heated tweets—directed toward T.J. Maxx and the shirt's manufacturer Tavik—from critics who said the shirt made references to both suicide and lynching.

One user noted, "What is wrong with you creating that Hang Loose shirt with a noose? Highly offensive and completely racist."

@tavik What is wrong with you creating that Hang Loose shirt with a noose? Highly offensive and completely racist.

— Embee (@SugarcubeDog) March 17, 2015

Another said, "Even without the obvious racial overtones, how is a noose with the caption "hang loose" OK, @tavik? What were you going for there?"

Even without the obvious racial overtones, how is a noose w/ the caption "hang loose" okay, @tavik? What were you going for there?

— April (@ReignOfApril) March 17, 2015

T.J. Maxx responded to the initial tweet within an hour, directing the customer to contact customer service, which was already closed for the day. The customer questioned how customer service could assist—to which T.J. Maxx responded, "We would like to make certain this is addressed," and requested to store location.

T.J. Maxx apologized and said it began the process of removing the shirts after receiving the tweet.