Walmart Employee Average Salary
According to Walmart's website, a full-time hourly Walmart employee earns an average of $12.78 per hour in the United States. However, according to the IBISWorld research, an average sales associate actually earns around $8.81 per hour, making less than the Federal Poverty Level for a family of four, annually.
Walmart is the second largest public corporation in the world as per the 2013 Fortune Global 500 list. Not only this, it is also the largest retailer in the world and has employed more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. Under 69 different banners, Walmart has over 11,000 stores in 27 countries. According to their website, they promote around 170,000 people worldwide every year, to jobs with greater responsibilities and a higher pay.
Out of the 2.2 million associates, 1.3 million work in the United States alone - amounting to approximately 1% of the total population in the US. Though the company claims that they provide approximately 300 jobs with "good pay", and other benefits whenever they open a Walmart Supercenter in America, the fact is many Walmart workers are underpaid and therefore, need to utilize state-subsidized benefits.
Average Salary of a Walmart Employee
| Sales Associate - Hourly 358 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $8.84/hr |
| Guest Service Team Member - Cashier - Hourly 245 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $8.48/hr |
| Wal Mart Cashier - Hourly 174 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $8.53/hr |
| Department Manager - Hourly 145 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $11.16/hr |
| Overnight Stocker - Hourly 124 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $9.59/hr |
| Cashier Associate - Hourly 107 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $8.71/hr |
| Associate - Hourly 105 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $9.21/hr |
| Customer Service Manager (CSM) - Hourly 96 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $10.30/hr |
| Electronic Sales Associate - Hourly 78 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $9.20/hr |
| Walmart Cashier - Hourly 61 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $8.71/hr |
| Customer Service Manager - Hourly 61 Walmart Stores Salaries in US | $10.38/hr |
* Note:
- All figures are as of July 2013 and are in US dollars.
- Salaries may vary based on location, years of experience, and/or other factors.
According to a survey conducted at Walmart, around 70 percent of the employees leave their job within the first 12 months - courtesy the inadequate pay and failure of the company to give employee recognition. Walmart has a very strict policy against the formation of unions. In fact, they support the "Open Door Policy" which gives any employee the freedom to walk up and speak to the higher management in case of any concerns. However, some employees were quoted as jokingly saying, "Open your mouth and they'll show you the door policy", depicting that employees who express their concerns were fired.
A recent news published at Forbes quoted a customer service manager of Wal-Mart, Janet Sparks, who highlighted the following fact in a Wal-Mart shareholders conference.
"Walmart CEO Mike Duke made over $20 million last year - more than 1,000 times the average Wal-Mart worker." She said. "With all due respect, I don't think that's right."
Sparks works at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana store, and said that in the last five years, associates working with her have received only two quarterly bonuses. The most recent one being for $26.17. According to The Huffington Post, it would take more than 785 years for a full-time hourly Walmart employee - earning "$12.78" per hour as per the company's website - to earn the CEO's annual salary. If you've noticed, the calculation is based on a higher salary figure ($12.78/hr), not the actual one ($8.81/hr)!
Walmart generated a revenue of $469.162 billion as of 2013. Critics believe that one of the reasons for their high turnover, is an underpaid workforce. However, Walmart denies these allegations.
