Wal-Mart's hourly employees receive bonuses

Evil Walmart...

From the Houston Chronicle:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has awarded bonuses totaling more than a half-billion dollars to more than half the giant retailer's hourly employees in the U.S., the company said today.

Wal-Mart, which refers to its employees as "associates," said in a news release announcing the bonuses that it was designating today as Associate Celebration Day. It also announced new programs intended to recognize service and performance.

The company said it has awarded more than $529.8 million in bonuses to a total of 813,759 Wal-Mart store and Sam's Club hourly workers in the U.S.

The company employs about 1.3 million people in the U.S.

The release did not specify how the bonuses were allocated.

The company has previously provided extra money to workers once a year through a program that provided what it calls "My$hare" bonuses, allocated on the basis of store performance. Those bonuses will now be distributed quarterly, the release said, "to reward performance on a more frequent basis."

Among the new programs outlined in the announcement are what the company called "Servant Leadership" bonuses, recognizing employees of 20 years or more with an extra week of pay. More than 13,400 employees have been with the company 20 years or longer, the company said.

Also announced as a new program was the "Customer Champion" award, providing cash bonuses to employees "who go above and beyond in providing excellent customer service." That program will be launched during the summer, the company said.

Yeah, Johnny "beef Cake" Edwards who would want to work at Walmart?

I hate that they do business with China, but that is the government's fault, not Walmart's. Our government gave china favored nation status, not Walmart. Walmart is one of those jobs, in my neck of the woods, uneducated people compete for. They pay well, they have good working conditions, they provide prescription plans and health plans if you are willing to contribute and BONUSES!

Walmart also saves the average American family about 2000.00/yr. Walmart is a great example of how capitalism works.