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Walmart Canada provides $100-million bonus program for employees

Program involves giving workers a $2-per-hour raise throughout April
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Walmart has 47 stores in B.C. | Shutterstock

What happened: The world's largest bricks-and-mortar retailer, Walmart's Canadian division is providing an extra $100 million to workers this month as part of a bonus program.

What it matters: It shows what large companies are doing to support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Walmart Canada today launched a new program that will give all workers who have been with the company at least one year, and have worked at least 500 hours, a $2-per-hour raise throughout the month of April. All active full-time workers are also getting a $200 bonus for March, while all part-time workers will get a $100 bonus. Employees are also getting an extra 10% off purchases on two days in April. 

The company is affectionately calling the temporary raise a "thank you premium."

"At Walmart, it’s the people who make the difference and in these uncertain times, we are seeing this now more than ever," Walmart Canada said in a statement to Business in Vancouver. "Walmart Canada associates truly show their commitment to their community by rising to the challenge in these unprecedented times. Each member of the team is going above and beyond to ensure shelves are stocked, checkout is fast and customers have access to all their family needs during these critical times."

The expected $100-million cost of the program is nationwide. Walmart Canada expects that British Columbian employees at 47 stores will pocket about $12,122,990.

In addition to its stores and its regular e-commerce service, Walmart Canada launched a same-day, grocery-delivery service in Metro Vancouver mid-2018 that included perishable items and was done in partnership with a subsidiary of Vancouver’s Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery (SPUD), Food-X Urban Delivery Inc.

Food-X had started leasing a 74,000- square-foot warehouse in Burnaby that Walmart agreed to primarily occupy with its own products for at least until mid-2023, Daryl Porter, Walmart Canada’s vice-president of e-commerce, logistics and operations, told BIV at the time

The partnership, Porter said, would enable Walmart Canada to deliver throughout Metro Vancouver.

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@GlenKorstrom