Wal-Mart Announces Bonuses for Hourly Workers - New York Times 





March 23, 2007
Wal-Mart Announces Bonuses for Hourly Workers 
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wal-Mart Stores made its annual bonuses for store employees public for the first 
time in two decades yesterday, saying that about 80 percent of hourly workers 
would split more than half a billion dollars.
Based on the figures released, the average payment would be $651 a worker, 
though Wal-Mart said the individual amounts varied. It declined to provide a 
range or the specific level of payments, citing competition with other 
employers.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Sarah Clark, declined to confirm the figures.
The company said it had awarded more than $529.8 million in bonuses to 813,759 
Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club hourly workers in the United States. It employs more 
than 1.34 million people in this country; just over a million are hourly workers 
who would qualify for bonuses.
The bonus is tied to the performance of individual stores. Employees receives it 
if the store where they work meets sales and profit goals for the year. 
Michael Bergdahl, a turnaround specialist and former executive at Wal-Mart 
headquarters who has written about the company in “The 10 Rules of Sam Walton,” 
said that he thought the company had made the figures public in response to 
critics who say it exploits its work force.
“There is so much negative media about Wal-Mart,” Mr. Bergdahl continued. “This 
is just an example of how they really treat their people well, and they’re 
putting it out there to let the facts speak for themselves.” 
The annual bonuses will now be distributed quarterly, the company said in a 
press release, “to reward performance on a more frequent basis.”



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