Gratitude and Support for You, Our Associates
March 19, 2020
The messages have been pouring in from our members. In the face of these extraordinary times, you are serving them in ways we would never have imagined just a few short weeks ago.
“I was there on a busy day when the public was beginning to panic and stock up due to coronavirus,” one member from Saginaw, Mich., recently wrote. “Everyone was calm, patient and friendly. I appreciated the entire experience as a lesson in humanity.”
When I read words like that, I am so proud to be on your team. Because of your passion and relentlessness, we are taking care of our members in everyday and heroic ways. We are giving our members a reliable, critical service when they need it most. Your commitment is making a difference. Thank you.
But this effort is not without challenges. You and your families have had to adjust as schools and daycares have closed around the country.
We are so grateful for all your hard work and sacrifices, and today we are announcing several initiatives to reward and support you:
- First, hourly associates who work in stores, clubs, our supply chain, and corporate offices will receive a special bonus on April 2. Full-time associates will receive $300, and part-time associates will receive $150. Every hourly associate employed by the company as of March 1 and still employed as of March 24 will qualify.
- Second, we will prepay a portion of our upcoming Q1 SamShare bonuses, so that you will receive money in late April. We will pay those bonuses as if the company achieved its first quarter plan. At the regularly scheduled time for bonus payout in May, that amount may increase based on your club’s performance. You will receive more details on this tomorrow. We really want to support you with a portion of the bonus early.
- Third, today Walmart and Sam’s Club are announcing plans to hire 150,000 new associates to work in our stores, clubs, and fulfillment centers, to help support you as you deal with the current level of demand. We are working to temporarily reduce our usual two-week application process to onboard associates more quickly. If you know individuals who need work and would make great additions to the Sam’s Club team, please encourage them to apply through https://careers.walmart.com.
This is in addition to our announcement yesterday that we are providing time for field associates in clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers to shop before regular club hours tomorrow morning from 6-8 a.m. We know that you have been busy serving our members, and we want to ensure that you have time to take care of you and your loved ones’ personal shopping needs.
For more information about these announcements and other coronavirus issues including our associate leave policy, please visit www.walmart.com/coronavirus
So, Sam’s Club associates, thank you. Thank you for these last few weeks. Thank you for the weeks to come. Thank you for the things you do that go unnoticed. Thank you.
This pandemic will pass. Things will go back to normal. But we will never forget that our associates were among the heroes who got us through.
Sincerely,
Kath McLay, Chief Executive Officer, Sam's Club
