Responsible retail

THE COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot of shopping habits and employee guidelines as businesses shift to continue serving customers. And the nation’s largest private employer has shown. time and time again, it’s in the game of responsible retail.

Walmart has mandated masks for shoppers, installed barriers like sneeze guards, and added sick pay for its employees working during the pandemic. It seems like every week we see another headline about Bentonville’s Walmart making changes to take care of workers.

This week is no different, with the retail giant announcing more bonus pay for its employees, along with something it’s probably wanted for years now, a guaranteed holiday store closure. The press said:

“Walmart Inc.’s hourly employees will get extra cash with their paychecks on Aug. 20 for working through the covid-19 pandemic. The bonuses will total about $428 million, bringing Walmart’s total expenditure on the incentives this year to $1.1 billion. The Bentonville-based retailer also said it will close its stores and Sam’s Club locations on Thanksgiving Day, which this year falls on Nov. 26.”

Thanksgiving is probably one of the most hated days to be scheduled to work, especially for retail employees. Instead of gathering around the table to celebrate a national holiday with family and friends, employees are called in to prepare for Black Friday.

Every year it seemed like stores open earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving, adding more sales and encouraging customers to give up family time to spend money. But Walmart workers this year don’t have to worry about that. It’s already been a hard enough 2020 for them, keeping the country running with groceries and important supplies.

The added pandemic stress has just made their jobs harder. At least figuring out Thanksgiving schedules is one less thing they’ll have to worry about.

Walmart continues to raise the bar. Now the only question remaining is if its competitors will follow suit.