Very interesting about Wal Mart.....

[gimmethesimplelife]

Just curious, what do you'all think of Wal Mart raising it's lowest wage to $9/hr. by April and to $10/hr. next year? Not only that but they are letting employees have more control of their schedule - something I have deeply resented and considered absolutely unforgivable about Wal Mart is their scheduling by algorithm so that it was impossible to work another job around Wal Mart and very difficult to go to school while working for Wal Mart. Beyond their exploitive wage practices, they lost me on insisting that employees have no control over their schedule.

But now it looks like I may have to change some of my stance against Wal Mart - at least over wages and over lack of any input into scheduling. What your take on the changes at Wal Mart? Rob

[Packy]

Next time I see "Liz" at WalMart(she hasn't been there, lately, when I was on my late-night shopping expeditions), I will axe her what her wage is. The times I was in before those last two instances, potential suitors were courting her, and I did not havew a chance to speak to her. But, next time I will.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well it will have zero effect locally as the California minimum wage is already $9 an hour and will be $10 next year. So wow they are paying the legal state minimum wage, give them a medal for not breaking the law (maybe one of those blue ribbons). But I guess it's helpful where minimum wages are lower. Having more control over the schedule is good.

[bae]

I don't ever shop there.

[Songbird]

Not only that but they are letting employees have more control of their schedule - something I have deeply resented and considered absolutely unforgivable about Wal Mart is their scheduling by algorithm so that it was impossible to work another job around Wal Mart and very difficult to go to school while working for Wal Mart. Beyond their exploitive wage practices, they lost me on insisting that employees have no control over their schedule.


My youngest DD had no problem with Walmart working her schedule around her full time day job and school. When she was hired on there she told them the hours she was available to work part time for them, which was weekends and three nights a week only. Walmart accommodated her schedule with no problems for the two years she worked there.... Are you sure they schedule employees by algorithm? I've never heard of that and my DD hasn't either.

I don't shop there either for many reasons, but my DD enjoyed working there. She said it was a pleasant working environment for a part time job except for a few rude customers...

[Miss Cellane]

Macy's raised its $8/hour lowest pay to $9/hour this January. The explanation was that minimum wage was rising, so the pay increase was to meet that. They did this, as far as I know, across the country, not just in states where the minimum wage was going up.

I think it is a combination of a) the economy is improving a bit, and employees are harder to find, especially when there are other jobs that pay more than $8/hour and b) fear of unions.

I really don't think it is out of the benevolence of corporate hearts. The CEO of Macy's has publicly stated that minimum wage should not be raised. There's a business reason, related to profits, that this happened.

As for scheduling--many, many retailers are using scheduling software these days. With most, an employee can block out certain days/times--but you can change that only a few times a year, at set "open" times. Which usually do not coincide with academic semesters. And you have to be hired into a position that allows that. Full-time "sales associates" have to be available whenever the store is open. Part-timers can usually request things like evenings and weekends only, but then they have to be available pretty much every evening and all weekend. You can request not to be scheduled on specific days, but if it happens to be a big sale day, you'll get denied. If you get scheduled for a day you simply cannot work, you have to find someone to cover your shift or you get dinged attendance points.

[gimmethesimplelife]

My youngest DD had no problem with Walmart working her schedule around her full time day job and school. When she was hired on there she told them the hours she was available to work part time for them, which was weekends and three nights a week only. Walmart accommodated her schedule with no problems for the two years she worked there.... Are you sure they schedule employees by algorithm? I've never heard of that and my DD hasn't either.

I don't shop there either for many reasons, but my DD enjoyed working there. She said it was a pleasant working environment for a part time job except for a few rude customers...I admit I have never worked there but I have known a few people there and they have confirmed this - algorithm computer based scheduling, based on when the algorithm believes there will be more customers in the store. Maybe this is not done at every store, or is left to the discretion of management, I don't know, but it seems to me that at a large employer like Wal Mart, policies would be uniform through the system. So I don't know. I'm glad your daughter didn't have to deal with the algorithm though. Since I learned about this, I have absolutely refused to shop there though - I might be a little kinder to Wal Mart now. Having some basic human rights over corporate profit means a lot to me. Rob

[Tradd]

I'm sure Walmart realized they would lose employees, maybe, without the increase. It costs more to train a new employee than retain a current one.

I do shop at Walmart. It makes a significant difference in both my grocery/household AND shooting budgets. Ammo at Walmart is the cheapest around.

[Gardenarian]

I'm skeptical. I think they are raising pay as a way to prevent an increase in the national minimum wage, which should be at least $12 per hour.

I'm glad they are giving employees some say in their schedules.

I have never shopped at Walmart, but they are a big employer and what they do will influence other employers. I know a lot of people who feel good about shopping at Costco because they give their employees a fair deal.

[CathyA]

I do shop at Walmart often........otherwise I would have to drive so much further, using gasoline. I like the employees at our store. I try to spread my buying around in our little town.......Kroger, Walgreen, TSC, etc.
I'm not sure I see much difference in the practices of all the other big companies out there.
I think they have made some good changes in the past 10 years. I suppose the best thing would be for us to need A LOT less stuff to start with.

[Packy]

Well, this is not about employment, but in my years of shopping there, two things have become apparent, that are in alignment with Murphy's Law. Number one: Don't make a trip to WalMart for a specific item. Chances are, they will be out of stock. A co-worker, a boy almost 40 years old, was ranting on his F'book about going to Wally World on a cold, stormy winter night, to get some fresh fruit(oranges) for his new, (3rd) wife's sick kids, and finding the shelves bare. I made a comment about it, and though I didn't even say what a fool he was, he blocked me. No great loss. Number Two: As soon as you find a product you like, and start buying it regularly, Wal-town will probably stop handling it. So, keep those in mind. I do try to spread my business around, buy particular items that are the best value, and on sale. That way, nobody makes very much money off of littlebittymee. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.

[libby]

Well, this is not about employment, but in my years of shopping there, two things have become apparent, that are in alignment with Murphy's Law. Number one: Don't make a trip to WalMart for a specific item. Chances are, they will be out of stock. A co-worker, a boy almost 40 years old, was ranting on his F'book about going to Wally World on a cold, stormy winter night, to get some fresh fruit(oranges) for his new, (3rd) wife's sick kids, and finding the shelves bare. I made a comment about it, and though I didn't even say what a fool he was, he blocked me. No great loss. Number Two: As soon as you find a product you like, and start buying it regularly, Wal-town will probably stop handling it. So, keep those in mind. I do try to spread my business around, buy particular items that are the best value, and on sale. That way, nobody makes very much money off of littlebittymee. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.

Someone blocked you on Facebook?!?! Whoa hard to believe that!!

[Packy]

Someone blocked you on Facebook?!?! Whoa hard to believe that!!Whoa--Thank you, thank you very much, Libber. Yes, it is hard to believe, but so far, I've had maybe 50-60 people block me or defriend littlebittymee, and prolly 100 or more F-bookers ignore my friend requests. I guess you could say that I am notorious. Hope that helps you some, Dude. Thankk Mee.