Walmart Workers Vanish Overnight and Employees Sound the Alarm
Multiple staffers have taken to social media to share that coworkers have disappeared from schedules overnight—sometimes in double-digit numbers, the Daily Mail reported.
One Reddit user claimed their location lost 10 employees with work visas. Another reported 40 departures at a 400-person store, forcing older workers and managers to stretch themselves thin just to keep shelves stocked.
'Most of our older floor associates are constantly asking for help,' one employee wrote. 'It's not really ideal.'
The staffing drop comes as Walmart, the largest private employer in the U.S., moves to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that abruptly ended a temporary work program. The program had shielded over half a million migrants from deportation and granted legal work authorization until the court reversed course in late May.
Retail law experts say the ruling left companies like Walmart in a bind. While the government hasn't provided clear lists of impacted workers, federal filings have stated that companies are responsible for removing unauthorized employees, even if their status was revoked suddenly.
"Employers like Walmart have no choice but to stop employing workers who lack US work authorization," immigration attorney Loren Locke told Daily Mail. "But it is tricky to comply when they have a large number of current employees whose work permits are getting cancelled prematurely."
Walmart has reportedly told managers in Florida and Texas to review HR files and reverify work eligibility for employees tied to the now-defunct program.But identifying those workers isn't simple. The program falls under the same visa classification as others still in effect, making it difficult to isolate affected staff.
The company has not publicly commented, but lawyers warn that this situation exposes the need for smarter employee tracking and support systems. 'We're not talking about people trying to bend the rules. These are employees who've done everything right,' said Los Angeles trial attorney Jamie E. Wright.
No, these employees who followed every rule are finding themselves out of a job.
As customers walk into understaffed stores and employees work overtime to cover the gaps, many are wondering what Walmart's next move will be and whether it will come fast enough.Walmart Workers Vanish Overnight and Employees Sound the Alarm first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 1, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
31 minutes ago
- CNET
These Fast Food Restaurants Hiked Their Prices the Most Last Year
The days of "fast food" being "cheap food" are long gone, and prices seem to always be increasing. We can blame that phenomenon on rising inflation, and while a trip to a McDonald's drive-thru is still cheaper than settling in for a meal at your favorite steakhouse, it's far from inexpensive. In fact, prices soared in 2024 as some of the most well-known fast food chains hiked prices to make our favorite treats more costly than ever. Not all fast food is created equal, and one restaurant has increased its prices more than others. In fact, it doubled its menu item prices in the last decade. According to a survey conducted by Lending Tree, which surveyed 2,000 Americans, 78% of participants say they now view fast food as a luxury rather than a way to get a quick and cheap bite to eat while on the go. The question is, will those fast food prices continue to rise into 2025? Here's everything to know about fast food inflation, including which chains hiked their prices up the most last year and what may be on the horizon. Fast food price increases undefined Fast Food Chain Item McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal Four-piece McNugget Happy Meal Popeye's 4-piece Chicken Dinner Popeye's Popcorn Shrimp Combo Taco Bell's Beefy 5-Layer Burrito Taco Bell's Gordita Crunch Price increase between 2014 and 2024 122% increase 67% increase 97% increase 94% increase 132% increase 100% increase Source: FinanceBuzz What fast food chains have increased their prices the most in the past decade? In the last decade, McDonald's has increased its prices by a whopping 100% in the US, making it the most increased fast food chain in the country, according to information gathered by FinanceBuzz. But their menu prices aren't only increasing in the states. According to Spine Genie, McDonald's has increased their prices in Canada by nearly 140%. In the US, a quarter pounder with cheese meal cost $5.39 in 2014 and in 2024, it cost $12, FinanceBuzz reports. The second and third restaurants with the most inflated prices were Popeyes and Taco Bell in the US and Panera and Wendy's in Canada. At Popeyes in 2014, you could snag the four-piece chicken dinner for $7. By 2024, that price rose 97% and now costs $13.79. Taco Bell is one chain restaurant that inflated their prices the most in the past decade. Taco Bell These results slightly differ from 2022 when Wendy's and Chick-fil-a had the highest inflation rate and Burger King's chicken fries were the number one inflated menu item across all chains. According to LendingTree's new survey, 46% of participants said they now believe that prices at their local fast food restaurants are now in line with sit-down restaurants. Even more surprising is that 22% of those participants believe fast food was actually now higher priced in comparison. What causes fast food inflation? Inflation at fast food restaurants is a "multilayered phenomenon," Valerie Kilders, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, told CNET. Kilders cited increased minimum wages for low-wage workers and the "increase of general food prices" as two large factors contributing to rising fast food prices. "Post pandemic, we saw that lowest wage workers, which include those that are typically working in fast food restaurants, saw the fastest growth in wages," Kilders explained, further adding that from January 2024 to January 2025 "cattle prices increased 20.6% and wholesale beef [increased] around 15%. Eggs are even up 183%, so we're seeing these big increases in just those two categories." "The increased prices for the operators are passed on to the consumers," she added. As egg prices continue to soar, economists point to bird flu as a contributor to the sky-high prices of eggs that we're seeing at grocery stores and on restaurant menus. This week, major US tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect under the Trump administration, and with them could come even more price hikes at the grocery store and beyond. Although President Donald Trump has stated that the country that imports the goods will pay the implemented tariffs, or the tax on the items, economists have disagreed. According to the Tax Foundation, when the US imposes tariffs, US businesses pay the tariff tax to the US government. Similarly to fast food chains, when the company does not pay the increased prices they are facing, those prices get passed on to the consumer. The 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada began on March 4, and a previous 10% tariff on China has now doubled to 20%, according to the Associated Press. According to the US Department of Agriculture, in 2023, 72.5% of US agricultural imports came from Mexico. This included 25% of beverages, including beer and tequila, 14% of fruit, 13% of vegetables, 6% of avocados and more. USDA And 63.8% of the US's agricultural imports came from Canada, including 19% of animal products and 12% of fruit and vegetables. USDA According to EconoFact, the Trump administration's 2018 tariffs, which were then kept in place by the Biden administration, did not lower prices for Americans. Will prices continue to rise at fast food restaurants? "The short answer is, it's too soon to tell," Kilders said. However, she does say that it's not just fast food chains increasing their prices. It's happening everywhere. "If we look just generally at the increase [in the Consumer Price Index] for food away from home, that increase was about 3.4% over the last year, and there's not much of a difference between both full-service restaurants and limited-service restaurants," Kilder explained. Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images While it may seem that McDonald's is hiking its prices more than the Olive Garden or Chili's, that's not necessarily the case. Rather, when a notoriously cheap fast food restaurant raises prices, it's always going to be more apparent to the consumer. As far as the future outlook on food prices, there are various factors that have to be taken into account. "How are labor costs going to develop? Are we going to see additional increases in food input prices? Are we going to see any kind of interventions on the policy level that might influence all those factors that play a big role in how demand is going to develop," Kilders said, "and then, consequently, how supply and prices are going to develop." According to the USDA's food price outlook, cited by Kilders, it is believed that consumption of food at home will increase around 3.3% over the next year, meaning that moreAmericans will opt to skip the drive through or sit-down restaurants and cook at home in an effort to save a few bucks Ways to save in 2025
Wall Street Journal
35 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Natural Gas Futures Lose More Ground
1527 ET – U.S. natural gas futures recover some early losses but still settle lower as the market awaits clearer signs of more hot weather and LNG export growth. 'The market has been forced to discount a normal or possibly mild summer that would allow storage to build at a strong, steady pace,' Ritterbusch says in a note. This week's data are likely to show a slight decline in the inventory surplus, although 'guidance beyond this week suggests a return to some larger than normal injections.' Production is holding near record levels, and LNG exports 'are not yet showing the effects of the long-awaited increased capacities,' the firm adds. Nymex natural gas settles down 1.2% at $3.415/mmBtu. ( 1000 ET – U.S. natural gas futures continue to lose ground with production picking up while storage levels remain in surplus after a solid spring injection season. Prices have been a 'no win trade' for bulls with inventories more than 6% above the five-year average and strong wind and solar generation filling the void to meet power demand from heat in the Midwest and the East, Dennis Kissler of BOK Financial says in a note. Still, heavy fund shorts put on in recent sessions leave 'a lot of upside room for short-covering that could be triggered if we see the current heat wave stay in place,' he adds. Nymex natural gas down is down 3.4% at $3.337/mmBtu. (
Wall Street Journal
35 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Natural Gas Futures Rise on Demand Expectations
1528 ET – U.S. natural gas futures end the day and the week higher. Prospects of strong summer demand outweigh this week's large storage build and decline in LNG exports due to maintenance at several terminals. 'To the bullish side is a hotter than normal pattern still forecast for the second half of June and with expectations July will be much hotter than normal as well,' says in a note. 'There's also the expectation the balance will tighten in the coming quarters, aided by additional LNG capacity coming online,' the forecaster adds. Nymex natural gas settles up 2.9% at $3.784/mmBtu, and is up 9.8% from a week ago. ( 0922 ET – U.S. natural gas futures are on track for solid weekly gains with traders looking to summer heat and LNG to lift demand. This week's advance is 'despite mild weather, a bearish EIA report, extended LNG maintenance and higher production readings,' Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics notes. The long-term market narrative is bullish, although increasing near-term storage surpluses may dampen upside potential in the fall, he says. Nymex natural gas is up 0.8% at $3.707/mmBtu. (
