Wal-Mart announced nearly half-billion-dollar spending on bonuses for its workers, including Sam’s club, managers, and temporary associates.   Full-time and part-time employees will get $300 and $150, respectively.

The world most dominant retailer also said that they would be close on Thanksgiving.  John Furner, the President and CEO of Wal-Mart U.S. said that “Our associates have been working at an incredible pace, they’ve solved problems, and they’ve set an amazing example for others,”

As a result of Wal-Mart’s closure on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, as we know it, might end as an American tradition.  Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Club locations will operate regular hours on Wednesday, November 25

Wal-Mart’s Pandemic Bonuses

Wal-Mart has given its employees about $1.1 billion in special bonuses so far this year. Associates who are working for the company as of July 31 will be eligible for the Walmart special bonus.

The company said that employees should expect the payout on August 20.

Wal-Mart Pandemic Windfall

Wal-Mart is amongst the few companies that have been richly rewarded this global pandemic.  The company reported revenue of $134.62 billion in the second quarter.  It is on pace to have the fiscal year 2020 revenue of $524 billion. So, the Walmart special bonus is 0.01% of revenue.

Frontline Workers

Retail workers are on the front lines of the pandemic.  The grocery industry alone employs more than 3 million people.

Each working day, they have to deal with customers who think it’s their god-given right not to wear masks and get them sick.

Walmart started requiring customers to wear masks at their stores just a couple of days ago.

Specialty bonuses are tremendous, and Walmart and other retail stores need to be commending to give them to their employees. However, those more than 3 million grocery jobs are often low-paying positions with little to no benefits.

Retail workers are putting their lives on the lines each time they clock-in; the industry needs to give them permanent rewards for taking that grave risk.