<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> is the world's largest private employer with about 2.3 million <keyword id="6360043" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="workers">workers</keyword> globally.</li><li>Insider spoke with nine Walmart employees to get a better sense of what it's like to work at the <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> giant.</li><li>Workers shared tips for prospective employees, such as communicating openly with management.</li></ul>Walmart is the world's largest private employer, with about 2.3 million workers globally, including 1.6 million in the US - and it's <a href="https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/business/walmart-hiring-up-to-60-people-for-new-albany-distribution-center/article_a84471c1-4363-5c34-bd73-7426543385c1.html">looking to hire</a> thousands more people this year.Many of Walmart's employees are based in the retailer's stores, working the checkout lines, stocking goods, and packing grocery orders, among other duties. Walmart pays about $15.25 an hour on average, according to the company. But what is it really like to work for Walmart as a store-level employee? And what do workers wish they'd known before joining the retail giant?In interviews with Insider, nine Walmart employees from across the US revealed what they have learned about managing time off and communicating with supervisors, among other work tips.<h2>Openly communicating with managers and other employees makes the job easier</h2>An employee who worked until recently worked in the grocery department of a Walmart store in Georgia said openly communicating with other employees helped her schedule work shifts around her responsibilities as a mother. She said Walmart managers allowed her to use lunch breaks to pick up her daughter from school. She also said if her daughter needed something during her shift, she could get coworkers whom she had befriended to cover for her."I'm going to shout out my coworkers, I was able to get through a lot of days from my coworkers' help," she told Insider. "You have to be a team in order to get something done."Insider confirmed the employment status of this employee, as well as others cited in this story. Several workers interviewed asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution.One department manager who has worked at Walmart for about 15 years told Insider that they advise employees to "always keep in mind the core values of self respect and respect for others" in order to get through stressful times at work. Walmart said gathering feedback from employees is a cornerstone of its culture."Sam Walton believed front-line associates are our best idea generators and one of his rules for building a business was to listen to everyone in the company," a spokesperson said in a statement sent to Insider. "Today, associates' feedback - both anonymous and direct - continues to create a culture of trust, transparency, and engagement."Got a tip? If you're a Walmart associate, contact these reporters at <a href="mailto:aakhtar@insider.com">aakhtar@insider.com</a> and <a href="mailto:acain@insider.com">acain@insider.com</a>. We can keep sources confidential.<h2>Use your attendance points wisely </h2>One employee in Oklahoma said he tells new hires to beware of accruing attendance points, which mark absences from work. Workers get one point for missing a shift without managerial approval, two points for missing a shift without advance notice, and two points for missing work during holidays like Christmas Eve or around Thanksgiving, the employee said. A total of five points can result in termination, though in some cases managers have discretion to remove points, the worker said. Each point remains on employees' records for six months. "I personally hate this point system," the employee said. "I get the reasoning behind it but I believe that having a little more than five points might make it a little better."A former part-time Walmart cashier named Gypsy Noonan - who is also a member of the labor advocacy group United for Respect - told Insider of her own experience with the points system. She said that she was once "pointed" for taking off when her young son was sick."I helped them out and worked for them on one of my days off," she told Insider. "But they wouldn't balance the point out. I thought that was really unfair, seeing as I really had been a model employee for them."A Walmart spokesperson said that the company's attendance system services to ensure that "associates in the right place at the right time." "Walmart associates receive their schedules at least two weeks in advance and key retail event dates are updated quarterly," a spokesperson said. "Like any business, we have an attendance policy that clearly outlines expectations for regular and punctual attendance, as well as steps to follow when an associate must miss work. We understand that there are times when unexpected circumstances arise."The spokesperson said that Walmart workers receive regular paid-time-off, which workers can request in advance, as well as protected paid-time-off, which can be used at times "when they are unexpectedly unable to make it to work."<h2>Your department could have a major impact on your work experience</h2>The department you work in - whether it be grocery, customer service, or electronics - impacts the quality of your job, said one Walmart worker in California.He said the electronics department - where he works - is more of a "chill job," while other departments have to handle more customer complaints and do extra work to keep up with demand.Another worker who helped in the electronics department in another Walmart location in California echoed that sentiment. He said he would recommend that new hires try to land in a department that's not in the front end - where cashiers and greeters are - due to the higher likelihood of clashing with customers. A Wisconsin-based cashier said one challenge of working in the front end is managing checkouts. "We never seem to have enough staff to do checkouts," the cashier said. "People complain about there not being enough cashiers, but I can't do anything about it.""The good <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> about Walmart is there is all different types of jobs in our stores, our clubs, our distribution and fulfillment centers meaning there are many, many opportunities to find the job that is right for you," a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.<h2>Beware of the impact the job can have on your mental health.</h2>One front-end employee in Texas said she wished she had a better idea of the stress that the job could entail before she joined Walmart. She said customers have become more "hateful" and rude since the pandemic began, and she recalled an instance where a shopper yelled at her for asking her to move out of the entrance. "It's rare that you encounter nice people," she added.The employee, who works nights, said she feels her store is understaffed, and she typically continues working past the time that her shift ends to put returned items back on shelves and clean.The associate also said she gets paid around $11 an hour, less than other associates in other departments who get paid a few dollars more. Walmart confirmed that the minimum hourly pay for certain roles in some locations remains around $11."It's a good job to get you through a period where you need some sort of employment, but I don't think it's anywhere anyone should stay for any length of time," she said.Other workers said that taking a proactive approach can mitigate conflicts with shoppers.A Walmart worker in Virginia told Insider that they have found that many customers "are good people and, if you give them a bit of help, most are very nice.""Retail is a people business and our first priority is to serve customers," a Walmart spokesperson said. "Anyone can have a bad day, but overall retail is a very exciting industry to be in right now, there is so much change, new technology, new ways to serve customers and that change will continue which brings a ton of opportunity to launch and grow a career. And no one offers more opportunity than Walmart - we promote 500 US associates every day."

Walmart workers reveal the one thing they wish they knew before starting their jobs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Home Depot is spending $1 billion to increase wages for hourly workers, the company said Tuesday.</li><li>Walmart similarly announced last month that it would raise its minimum wage to $14 per hour.</li></ul>Walmart and Home Depot are ramping up spending in the battle for retail workers.Home Depot announced Tuesday it <a href="https://ir.homedepot.com/~/media/Files/H/HomeDepot-IR/press-release/q4-2022-earning-release.pdf">will spend $1 billion to increase wages</a> for hourly workers, bringing the company's starting wage to at least $15 an hour nationwide. The company also said it would pay commensurate raises to current employees.The news follows a similar move by Walmart, which announced last month it would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-increase-minimum-wage-for-employees-to-14-an-hour-2023-1">increase its minimum wage from to $14 per hour, up from $12,</a> starting in March. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said that the average US associate would earn $17.50 hourly as a result of the wage floor hike.Both Walmart and Home Depot said they hoped the raises would boost employee retention and recruitment.The investments show how tight the labor market remains for retail workers, even amid <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/a-recession-is-61-likely-for-2023-economists-warn-2023-1">warnings of a potential recession</a> and a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-big-tech-companies-laying-off-spoiled-workers-perks-2023-2">rush of layoff announcements among companies</a> in tech, media, and other industries.Retail workers are <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage-the-most-impacted-industries">quitting at faster rates than the national average</a>, and retail had the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm">second most job openings of any industry</a> as of December 2022."This $1 billion investment puts us favorably in the marketplace so we can recruit, retain, and attract the best leaders because they are the future for the company," said AnnMarie Campbell, Home Depot's executive vice president of US stores and international operations. Campbell said nearly 90% of Home Depot's leaders started on the sales floor and rose through the ranks.Walmart CEO Doug McMillan — who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-ceo-doug-mcmillon-bio-career-life-salary-first-job-2021-6">began his Walmart career unloading trucks</a> — said during his company's earnings call Tuesday: "We're constantly adjusting to put the right combination of wages, benefits, and education in place so that our people can build lifelong careers and achieve their full potential. You can start your career assembling bicycles and end up leading all of our US stores."Home Depot's decision to include raises for current workers could help it fend off the criticism that new hires might earn the same or more than an existing employee — a payroll phenomenon known as "compression."That's one of the concerns raised among the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-to-boost-minimum-wage-end-month-but-not-enough-2023-2">mixed reactions from Walmart employees,</a> some of whom have told Insider they feel like the raises do not reward those who have stayed at the company for years. Others have said $14 isn't enough to cover living expenses."The cost of living is higher than this, and it still makes it near impossible to live alone with the ($14 per hour) pay," a Walmart employee from Kentucky previously told Insider.With these steps, Walmart and Home Depot are the latest employers to join the list of retail companies practicing what economists call "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retailers-labor-hoarding-layoffs-economic-downturn-explained-2023-2">labor hoarding</a>," or hanging onto workers in spite of a potential downturn."Given how difficult it has been for companies to expand payrolls, there is a reluctance to let them go," KPMG senior economist Kenneth Kim previously told Insider.

Walmart and Home Depot are spending heaps of cash on pay raises because they can't afford to lose workers

<keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and its payment app <keyword id="6357886" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="phonepe">PhonePe</keyword> continue to experience "strong growth" in the first quarter of 2021-22 in the Indian market, US retail giant <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> said on Tuesday. Walmart International, - which includes the company's operations in markets like India, China, Japan, Africa, Canada, the UK, Mexico, Canada and Chile - had posted an 8.3 per cent decline to USD 27.3 billion. This was "negatively affected by government-mandated restrictions in certain markets," said Walmart in its post earning statement. However, in Q1 Walmart International "retained market growth of 5.1 per cent. This was led by strength in Flipkart and Canada" and <keyword id="436047" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ecommerce">eCommerce</keyword>, which contributed 16 per cent of the total net sales of the division. "In India, for the first quarter, Flipkart and PhonePe continue to experience strong growth," said Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillan in first-quarter earnings result call. At Flipkart monthly active users and consumers are key metrics and were performing well, he said. Last month, Walmart-owned Flipkart had announced to acquire 100 per cent of Cleartrip's shareholding of the online travel technology company. This further enhances its investments to strengthen its digital commerce offerings for customers, he said. "Our recent announcement of our intent to acquire clear trip, a leading online travel company underscores our commitment to transform the customers experience through digital commerce," said McMillan. It had also entered into a commercial partnership with the <keyword id="6367820" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="adani-group">Adani Group</keyword> to strengthen logistics and data centre. "We need to continue to add new capabilities including such areas as logistics and data storage. The recently announced partnership with Adani group would help us to do just that," McMillan said. The Bentonville-based company saw its total revenue rising 2.7 per cent to USD 138.3 billion in the fourth quarter. Walmart's net sales in the US, which is its biggest market, was up 5 per cent to USD 93.2 billion in the reported quarter from USD 88.7 billion in the year-ago period. "This was a strong quarter. Every segment performed well, and we're encouraged by traffic and grocery market share trends. Our optimism is higher than it was at the beginning of the year," said Doug McMillan. Walmart Inc owns a majority share in Flipkart. It had invested USD 16 billion in 2018 in the Bengaluru-based e-commerce platform. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/xiaomi-oppo-vivo-and-poco-extend-warranties-by-up-to-two-months-due-to-covid-19-lockdowns-and-restrictions/articleshow/82763113.cms">Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Poco extend warranties by up to two months due to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/android-12-beta-how-to-download-and-install-it-on-pixel-oneplus-xiaomi-realme-phones-among-others/articleshow/82760990.cms">Android 12 beta – how to download and install it on Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Realme phones among others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-green-energy-to-acquire-sb-energy-india/articleshow/82759578.cms">Adani Green Energy to acquire SB Energy India, boosting its renewable energy capacity by 4.9GW</a>

Flipkart and digital payment app PhonePe continue to experience 'strong growth' in first quarter of 2021-22, says retail giant Walmart

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Women of color made up 26.8% of all US hourly employees in 2020, <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> said in a new report.</li><li>Meanwhile, 74.5% of executives and 52.3% of hourly workers at Walmart are white. </li><li>"We're investing in change," Ben Hasan, global chief of <keyword id="61889" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Diversity">diversity</keyword> and inclusion, said in a <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2021/04/26/building-an-inclusive-walmart-and-accelerating-racial-equity">release</a>. </li></ul>Women of color are doing much of Walmart's hourly work, yet are responsible for few executive-level decisions.Women of color - or workers who identify as Black, Asian, Latina, or Native -made up 26.8% of all US hourly employees, according to a new <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/media-library/document/2020-culture-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-report/_proxyDocument?id=00000178-fc22-db6f-adfe-fca721920000">report</a>. People of color make up roughly half (47.3%) of all hourly workers. Though they represent about one in four hourly workers, women of color make up just 8.4% of people at the "officer" level, or people with president or vice president in their titles. Women of all races make up 32.8% of officers at Walmart's US operations.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-chief-medical-officer-dr-thomas-van-gilder-is-leaving-2021-3">A top Walmart healthcare exec is leaving the retail giant</a>Black and Latino people account for 39% of hourly workers at Walmart, but 14% of US executives. The majority of <keyword id="1461563" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Walmart-employees">Walmart employees</keyword> are white, making up 74.5% of executives and 52.3% of hourly workers. "Representation matters, education is the foundation of progress, and we're investing in change," Ben Hasan, Walmart's senior vice president and global chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2021/04/26/building-an-inclusive-walmart-and-accelerating-racial-equity">release</a>. Hasan said women representation in upper management stayed roughly the same between 2019 and 2020, but Walmart increased management promotions for women by 4.4%.CEO Doug McMillan said, "We remain focused on building teams that are diverse and inclusive, and on fostering an environment where people have the opportunity for continued growth and development."Walmart, the country's largest employer, had 1.5 million total workers in the United States last year.Got a tip? If you're a Walmart worker, you can contact Insider reporter Allana Akhtar by email (aakhtar@businessinsider.com), phone (646-376-6058), or encrypted messaging app Signal (248-760-0208). We can keep sources anonymous.

Women of color make up 1 in 4 hourly workers at Walmart, but less than a tenth of executives

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Very few national <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> chains have instituted mask requirements in stores as <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> cases skyrocket in the US. </li><li><keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword>'s CEO told Bloomberg on Monday that masks are currently required in about 3,700 of the chains 11,00+ stores where local officials have instituted those rules. </li><li>As for the rest, "it's obviously something that's on our minds," CEO Doug McMillan said. </li></ul>Walmart shoppers are required to wear masks in states that have mandated them, but the largest US retail chain has so far held off on a blanket face-covering rule.Asked on Bloomberg TV by David Rubenstein if he would be required to wear a mask in a store today, CEO Doug McMillon said "you would be in about 3,700 locations where either the governor or someone else has mandated it."But for the other roughly 8,000 stores, "we don't currently, as we're doing this interview, mandate that," he said, adding that "it's obviously something that's on our minds."<iframe src="https://www.bloomberg.com/multimedia/api/embed/iframe?id=a3da003d-4ad6-4a9a-bd1f-f462537bd2d0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Earlier in July, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-announces-mask-requirement-for-customers-in-locations-2020-7">Starbucks</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-continues-to-deal-with-anti-mask-customers-2020-7">Costco</a>, and Apple led the charge, with all three national retailers among the first to require all customers wear masks or other face coverings in their stores.But despite <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/face-masks-effective-in-protecting-against-coronavirus-2020-6">the clear scientific evidence that the masks can help slow the spread of the virus</a> (and keep employees safe), the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/costco-continues-to-deal-with-anti-mask-customers-2020-7">pushback from a small-yet-vocal group of anti-mask customers</a> has been aggressive.Luckily, McMillon says, Walmart has succeeded in keeping case counts as low as possible among employees thanks to increased cleaning schedules, masks, plexiglass shields, floor markings, and more."We have had cases as you would expect with any hotspot," he told Bloomberg."So far, on a per capita basis," he continued, "both on case count and fatalities, we are well below the numbers that we were seeing at state, county, or national levels."<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2020-07-13/leadership-live-with-david-rubenstein-doug-mcmillon-walmart-ceo-video">Watch the full interview on Bloomberg here&gt;&gt;</a>

Walmart's CEO won't commit to requiring masks in all stores — but says it's 'on our minds'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6534156" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Democrats">Democrats</keyword> are seeking to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour as part of a $1.9 trillion <keyword id="45304" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Stimulus">stimulus</keyword> package. </li><li><keyword id="42111" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wall-Street">Wall Street</keyword> sees the proposed hike in minimum <keyword id="6355283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pay">pay</keyword> from $7.25 an hour facing an uphill battle in the Senate. </li><li>Vaccinations and further fiscal stimulus are stoking prospects for double-digit earnings growth for S&amp;P 500 companies. </li></ul>Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour is a proposal being floated as part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package that's headed for a vote next week in Washington. Meanwhile, the spotlight on American pay conditions landed on <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> after the retail behemoth this week said it will raise wages for some of its workers.But Wall Street by and large appears unconcerned about the proposed federal wage increase. Here are a few reasons why that's the case:Walmart can afford its pay pushWalmart said its pay raises for some workers will go into effect in March. It will, however, keep the starting rate at $11 an hour. The initiative is set to bring the pay for 425,000 associates to between $13 and $19 an hour.The pay raises are aimed at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-pay-minimum-wage-ceo-why-not-15-per-hour-2021-2">creating a "ladder" system</a> to help employees move up in the company, Chief Executive Doug McMillon told investors Thursday. Also, the investment is aimed at supporting a new structure that puts an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-sees-remarkable-shift-in-shopper-behavior-as-sales-surge-2020-8?utm_source=yahoo.com&amp;utm_medium=referralrral">emphasis on digital sales</a>, an area that's strengthened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic."Walmart is not doing this out of altruism. They are doing it because they think it's good business," said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial Network, in a telephone interview Thursday."When you look at Walmart's cost structure, they are a low-margin business by design. They are a high-staffed business by design and they can still afford to do this. Is this going to have an effect on Apple? I don't think so." <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wmt-stock">Walmart's stock</a> dropped 6.5% on Thursday <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/walmart-q4-earnings-stock-price-profit-guidance-ecommerce-raises-wmt-2021-2-1030097421">after warning</a> it expects slower revenue growth through the next fiscal year and for its profit to decline slightly. "We acknowledge the company's tempered guidance for FYE 2022, with some COVID-19 impact," wrote Charlie O'Shea, vice-president at Moody's, in a media statement. "[H]owever it is our continued view that the investments Walmart continues to make will, like the past cycle, generate increasing traction on all fronts, and are therefore prudent and sensible."The minimum wage proposal is unlikely to pass   Democrats are pushing for the federal minimum wage to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-push-for-15-federal-minimum-wage-but-economists-are-mixed">increased to $15 by 2025</a>. The minimum rate has been $7.25 since 2009. President Joe Biden this week reiterated his support for the wage-hike proposal. "It's about doing it gradually," and stair-stepping increases, he <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/17/politics/15-dollar-minimum-wage-biden/index.html">said at a CNN Town Hall</a>.But Biden also has cast doubt on the proposal's chances of success within the larger stimulus package. "I put it in, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-trump-intelligence-briefings/">but I don't think it's going to survive</a>," he told CBS News earlier this month.The proposal needs the support of 60 Senators, and it appears unlikely that 10 <keyword id="66537" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Republicans">Republicans</keyword> will join 50 Democrats to pass the measure."Forcing a $15 minimum wage into a coronavirus relief <keyword id="19032" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bill">bill</keyword> would do nothing but shutter the millions of small businesses already on life support and would force those that survive to lay-off employees," said Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/534543-bidens-minimum-wage-push-faces-uphill-battle-with-gop">according to The Hill</a>. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56975">in an analysis</a> of the Democrats' Raise the Wage Act found that the pay increase could lead to 1.4 million lost jobs, while lifting 900,000 people out of poverty.Vaccines, cash to consumers, and earnings growth are at handWhile Washington is still wrangling over pay for American workers, some big players in Corporate America have been moving forward.For a handful of companies, "higher minimum wage could negatively impact earnings but we have seen a trend over the last several years where a number of companies were already stepping up to raise their starting wages," Paul Hickey, co-founder of Bespoke Investment Group, told Insider.Amazon, Best Buy, Costco and Target have increased their starting pay to $15 an hour. Amazon exec Jay Carney earlier this year wrote a letter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-vp-jay-carney-letter-support-raise-minimum-wage-2021-1">in support of the proposed minimum wage increase to $15</a>."In general...you're seeing companies within economic data and survey data finding qualified labor at current prices. It could be a trend down the road where we see increased labor-cost pressures," said Hickey.Whether or not the wage-hike proposal wins Congressional approval, companies facing labor-cost headwinds "are either going to have to increase wages or find other ways, through technology, to use less labor," he said. Meanwhile, the topic of the federal minimum wage proposal has barely come up during recent earnings calls.John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, ran a search for the term "minimum wage" in the earnings-call transcripts of all the S&amp;P 500 companies that have conducted calls from December 15 through Wednesday.Only 10 companies have cited or used the term "minimum wage" on their calls over that period, Butters wrote in emailed comments. Rather, what has Wall Street's attention is the likelihood of continued economic recovery from the devastating coronavirus crisis."By comparison, 333 S&amp;P 500 companies have cited or used the term 'covid' over this same period," Butters wrote.More than 57 million Americans <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations">have received COVID-19 vaccinations</a> and with millions more in line, bolstering the view that more businesses will be able to reopen and stay open.Washington may send out $1,400 checks to millions of households if the new stimulus package is passed. This week, retail sales in January showed a jump of 5.3%, outstripping expectations of 1%. Many analysts noted the spending surge followed the December approval of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-signs-coronavirus-relief-bill-after-calls-stimulus-checks-2020-12">$900 billion aid package</a> that included $600 direct payments and expanded unemployment benefits.<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/economic-outlook-coronavirus-economy-stimulus-aid-savings-rate-pandemic-bofa-2021-2-1030099001">Economic recovery prospects</a> have helped push <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-today-global-stocks-trading-record-highs-vaccine-stimulus-2021-2-1030085719">stocks to record highs </a>and drive up corporate earnings expectations. The percentage of S&amp;P 500 companies that have issued positive first-quarter earnings guidance is 64%, running above the five-year average of 33%, according to weekly analysis from Butters at FactSet. Analysts are also anticipating double-digit earnings growth for all four quarters of 2021.If Wall Street is concerned about the minimum-wage proposal, "it's pretty well-hidden by other factors," said McMillan at Commonwealth.

3 reasons why Wall Street isn't worried about a $15 minimum wage hike, according to 3 experts

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a8d803f391d9471008b45d0-2000/rtx2yefd.jpg" alt="Walmart" data-mce-source="Reuters/Mike Blake" data-mce-caption="A worker prepares the check-out area at a newly built Walmart Super Center prior to its opening in Compton, California." />Reuters/Mike BlakeA worker prepares the check-out area at a newly built Walmart Super Center prior to its opening in Compton, California.</div></div></div><ul><li>Shares of Walmart lost 10% Tuesday after posting disappointing online sales growth.</li><li>E-commerce growth slowed to half what it had been the previous quarter.</li><li>The results triggered a slew of downgrades from Wall Street analysts. </li></ul><hr /> <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wmt-stock">Walmart</a> saw its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-inventory-problems-slow-online-sales-growth-2018-2">worst day on Wall Street in more than 30 years</a> Tuesday after reporting earnings that fell short of expectations and spooked investors.Shares<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/walmart-stock-price-earnings-revenue-online-sales-slow-2018-2-1016440941"> lost more than 10% in trading</a>, resulting in a $31.6 billion decline in market cap, after e-commerce sales growth slowed to 23% - down from 50% in the previous quarter."The majority of this slowdown was expected as we fully lapped the Jet acquisition as well as creating a healthier long-term foundation for holiday," CEO Doug McMillan <a href="http://bit.ly/2EQDwxY">said in a press release</a>. "A smaller portion of the slowdown was unexpected, as we experienced some operational challenges that negatively impacted growth."The results triggered a number of downgrades across Wall Street, as analysts grappled with the slowdown and lowered guidance for 2018."It is difficult to ignore the magnitude of the slowdown in e-commerce," RBC analyst Scot Ciccarelli said in a note. "Management expects the growth rate to ramp back up to the 40%+ range after 1Q, but we suspect this target will be met with more skepticism following 4Q17 results than when it was first laid out to investors several months ago."Walmart has been beefing up efforts to compete with Amazon - which entered the grocery game with its $13.7 billion buyout of Whole Foods last year - through steep discounts on its <a href="http://jet.com">Jet.com</a> platform, curbside pickup, and a partnership with Google to compete with Amazon's Alexa-powered devices.Company executives downplayed the e-commerce slowdown, pointing instead to unplanned expenditures."During the quarter, we had additional EPS headwind related to some smaller unplanned items and expenses we incurred as we pulled forward initiatives in order to take advantage of a higher tax deduction," CFO Brett Biggs said through a spokespersonWalmart still has some bulls on its side, though. "There were some opportunities to better manage the business in Q4, but management is still making good long-term decisions about its asset base, capital allocation, price investment and building capabilities that allow it to offer more options to customers, reduce friction and build a bigger e-commerce business - this has not changed," Jefferies analyst Daniel Binder said in a note to clients Tuesday."It sounds like this end of the investment cycle is more about maintaining momentum and advancing its lead rather than playing catch-up,"Binder's $119 price target is well above the Wall Street consensus of $106 for the stock - and 21% above the stock's closing price Tuesday.Shares of Walmart are up 33% in the past year. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/suki-kim-north-korea-sent-hundreds-cheerleaders-olympics-2018-2">Why North Korea sent hundreds of cheerleaders to the Olympics</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/w0yPdCPr-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

It's 'difficult to ignore the magnitude' of Walmart's e-commerce slowdown

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/51e453e6eab8ea4c1c00000b-1200-900/metta-world-peace-lakers.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="metta world peace lakers" width="480" />Doug Pensinger/Getty Images</div></div><keyword id="688732" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Metta-World-Peace">Metta World Peace</keyword> has agreed to a <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--knicks-reach-deal-to-sign-metta-world-peace-191304955.html">two-year, $3.2 million contract with the New York Knicks</a>, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
MWP was released by the Lakers last week. After none of the teams with salary cap room claimed him off waivers, he was able to sign with New York as a free agent.
Over the last few years the Knicks have assembled a team of misfits and castoffs from around the league.
The colorful characters:
JR Smith: He was playing in China before the Knicks picked him up. He <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/3/10/2860993/j-r-smith-fine-tweet-photo-new-york-knicks">was once fined $25,000</a> for tweeting a photo of a semi-nude naked woman in his bed.
Raymond Felton: He came into the 2011-12 season overweight and <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/17795774/report-raymond-felton-jamal-crawford-lead-mutiny-against-blazers-coach">reportedly organized a "mutiny"</a> against Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan. He was traded to the Knicks last summer.
Andrea Bargnani: He was booed out of Toronto and <a href="http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/02/25/booing-of-raptors-andrea-bargnani-looks-bad-in-every-way/">said at one point last season</a>, "I think I'll never be able to shoot the ball again until the end of my career. Unfortunately, that's what I feel right now."
Metta World Peace: Changed his name to Metta World Peace. He also claimed that <a href="http://www.hoopsvibe.com/features/48863-ron-artests-table-leg-murder-account-verified">he saw a player stabbed with a broken leg</a> of a table in New York City once.
They also have some interesting guys in Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert, and (if he re-signs) Kenyon Martin.
The Knicks will be nothing if not entertaining next year. 
But they also have a chance to be pretty good again. They brought everyone back besides Jason Kidd, who struggled mightily down the stretch last year. MWP gives the Knicks some much needed defense, and can guard the type of wing scorers that give Carmelo Anthony trouble.
They need a lot of things to break right, but it's plausible that they could be a Eastern Conference Finals contender again.

You Searched For "Doug McMillan" and got 8 results

Walmart workers reveal the one thing they wish they knew before starting their jobs

Allana Akhtar,Áine Cain

Walmart and Home Depot are spending heaps of cash on pay raises because they can't afford to lose workers

Ben Tobin,Dominick Reuter

Flipkart and digital payment app PhonePe continue to experience 'strong growth' in first quarter of 2021-22, says retail giant Walmart

PTI

Women of color make up 1 in 4 hourly workers at Walmart, but less than a tenth of executives

Allana Akhtar

Walmart's CEO won't commit to requiring masks in all stores — but says it's 'on our minds'

Graham Rapier

3 reasons why Wall Street isn't worried about a $15 minimum wage hike, according to 3 experts

Carla Mozée

It's 'difficult to ignore the magnitude' of Walmart's e-commerce slowdown

Graham Rapier

The Knicks Sign Metta World Peace, Have The Most Colorful Team In The NBA

Tony Manfred