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Was Walmart bonus announcement timed to cover up mass layoffs?

Was Walmart bonus announcement timed to cover up mass layoffs?
The closures happened quietly in the background (Picture: AP)

Anyone who punched ‘Walmart’ into Google on Thursday morning was met with a string of news stories about how the world’s largest private employer is raising its starting salary to $11 and handing out $1,000 bonuses to staff.

However, behind the glowing headlines something less palatable was going on.

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Staff at a number of Walmart-owned Sam’s Club stores were turning up to work to find out they’d lost their job.

A handful of stores closed on Thursday, and Walmart plans to shut 63 in total, reports Business Insider.

A spokesperson for Sam’s Club posted on Twitter: ‘After a thorough review of our existing portfolio, we’ve decided to close a series of clubs and better align our locations with our strategy.

Was Walmart bonus announcement timed to cover up mass layoffs?
Walmart is peddling the news about $1,000 bonuses (Picture: AP)

‘Closing clubs is never easy and we’re committed to working with impacted members and associates through this transition.’

Ten of the stores earmarked for closure will be turned into ecommerce distributions centers where laid-off employees will be given the opportunity to reapply for jobs.

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It comes after Walmart peddled its good news about hourly wages increasing for US workers.

The company said the moves that will affect more than a million employees are tied to recently enacted tax legislation that will save it money.

‘Tax reform gives us the opportunity to be more competitive globally and to accelerate plans for the US,’ CEO Doug McMillon said Thursday.

Was Walmart bonus announcement timed to cover up mass layoffs?
The news looks like it was timed perfectly to cover up job losses (Picture: Getty)

President Donald Trump cheered the announcement with a tweet, saying: ‘Great news, as a result of our TAX CUTS & JOBS ACT!’

However, anyone who’s taken a closure look at the $1,000 bonus-sell will know it’s not a deal as sweet as it sounds.

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Walmart staff who have worked with the company for 20 years are the only ones eligible for the full $1,000.

The firm said the total value of bonuses will be around $400 million. It employees roughly 2.1 million people. This means the average bonus is around $190.

List of Sam's Club stores earmarked for closure

  • 8801 Old Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK 99515
  • 1074 N Muldoon Rd, Anchorage, AK 99504
  • 48 College Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99701
  • 3900 Grants Mill Rd, Irondale, AL 35210
  • 2425 E Florence Blvd, Casa Grande, AZ 85194
  • 5757 E State Route 69, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
  • 1375 S Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85286
  • 15255 N Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
  • 3360 El Camino Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821
  • 17835 Gale Ave, City of Industry, CA 91748
  • 12540 Beach Blvd, Stanton, CA 90680
  • 69 Pavilions Dr, Manchester, CT 06042
  • 2 Boston Post Rd, Orange, CT 06477
  • 355 FL-436, Fern Park, FL 32730
  • 5135 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33611
  • 2994 Turner Hill Rd, Lithonia, GA 30038
  • 501 N Randall Rd, Batavia, IL 60510
  • 21430 S Cicero Ave, Matteson, IL 60443
  • 6600 44th Ave, Moline, IL 61265
  • 808 S Illinois Rte 59, Naperville, IL 60540
  • 900 S Barrington Rd, Streamwood, IL 60107
  • 1055 McHenry Rd, Wheeling, IL 60090
  • 460 S Weber Rd, Romeoville, IL 60446
  • 3015 W 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268
  • 10859 E Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46229
  • 4024 Elkhart Rd #1, Goshen, IN 46526
  • 9598 Cortana Pl, Baton Rouge, LA 70815
  • 9750 Reisterstown Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117
  • 1 Tobias Boland Way, Worcester, MA 01607
  • 340 E. Edgewood Boulevard, Lansing, MI 48911
  • 32625 Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
  • 3745 Louisiana Ave S, St Louis Park, MN 55426
  • 2800 27th Ave S, Moorhead, MN 56560
  • 11 Batchelder Rd, Seabrook, NH 03874
  • 81 International Dr S, Budd Lake, NJ 07828
  • 1900 E Linden Ave, Linden, NJ 07036
  • 301 Nassau Park Boulevard, Princeton, NJ 08540
  • 2649 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13224
  • 720 Fairmount Ave, Jamestown, NY 14701
  • 700 Elmridge Center Dr, Rochester, NY 14626
  • 1600 Marketplace Dr, Rochester, NY 14623
  • 5085 Dawn Dr, Lumberton, NC 28360
  • 1101 Shiloh Glenn Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560
  • 4825 Marburg Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45209
  • 9570 Fields Ertel Rd, Loveland, OH 45140
  • 1145 Carr 2, Bo Florida Afuera, Barceloneta, 00617, Puerto Rico
  • Carr 830, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, 00957
  • Carr 3 Km 82 Bo Junquitos, Humacao, 00741, Puerto Rico
  • 1805 Getwell Rd, Memphis, TN 38111
  • 1615 S Loop W, Houston, TX 77054
  • 13331 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77077
  • 22296 Market Place Dr, New Caney, TX 77357
  • 12919 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78216
  • 741 E Little Creek Rd, Norfolk, VA 23518
  • 4571 S Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23231
  • 901 S Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057
  • 1101 Outlet Collection Way, Auburn, WA 98001
  • 7050 Watts Rd, Madison, WI 53719
  • 1540 S 108th St, West Allis, WI 53214
  • 13550 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133

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