Latest news with #WalmartEmployees
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shoppers Brace for Sticker Shock as Walmart Workers Warn of Massive Pricing Surge
If you've noticed your go-to items creeping up in price at Walmart, you're not imagining it. According to multiple employees across the U.S., the retail giant is rolling out an overwhelming wave of price changes, many of them increases, just as inflation-weary shoppers are struggling to keep up. Daily Mail reported that screenshots shared online from Walmart's handheld inventory devices show mass repricing events. Some stores logged more than 15,000 updates in a single location. One worker reported 4,000 changes in the clothing section alone, while another said their department has been seeing 5,000 to 9,000 per week, a 40 to 50 percent spike over normal levels. Not every change is a hike—some are seasonal markdowns or promotions—but the sheer volume has raised concern. Many employees are sounding off on social media, saying they're burned out by the workload and frustrated by the mixed messaging from company leadership. The timing coincides with new tariffs on Chinese imports, which Walmart says are directly impacting costs. With more than 60 percent of its goods imported from China, the company warned during its latest earnings call that price increases were likely to warning didn't sit well, and some have suggested that Walmart and other companies eat the costs of the tariffs instead of passing them on to customers. In response, Walmart softened its tone, emphasizing its commitment to low prices. But workers and analysts say the price increases are already underway. In one example that drew viral attention, a Walmart employee posted a photo of a Hasbro My Real Baby doll, showing a jump from $34.97 to $49.97—a 43 percent increase. With over 4,800 U.S. locations, Walmart's pricing strategy is closely watched by economists and competitors alike. When Walmart shifts, others tend to follow. For now, shoppers might want to check those receipts a little more closely and prepare for a retail landscape that's anything but Brace for Sticker Shock as Walmart Workers Warn of Massive Pricing Surge first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 14, 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Walmart staff warn shoppers over avalanche of price hikes on all your favorite products
Walmart employees say they're being hit with a flood of in-store price updates — and they're sounding the alarm online. Screenshots from workers' handheld inventory devices show thousands of items being repriced across entire stores — in some cases, more than 15,000 in a single location. Another said that at their store, just in the clothing section, there were '4,000 today'. 'Lately my section has been getting 5,000 to 9,000 a week,' another added, saying it was a 40 to 50 percent increase over usual. Not all of the adjustments are price hikes. Some will be markdowns or seasonal promotions. But the sheer volume has workers overwhelmed — and it's raising eyebrows as Walmart deals with inflation-weary shoppers, rising supplier costs, and renewed pressure from President Donald Trump's tariffs. Independent analysts have told that the President's signature policy would make products more expensive. Walmart confirmed as much in its most recent earnings update, revealing it would raise prices in direct response to the new tariffs. The grocery giant — which imports 60 percent of its goods from China —said it would have to pass along the 'unprecedented' costs of Trump's trade war on to consumers. 'Pricing fluctuations are a normal course of business and are influenced by a variety of factors,' Joe Pennington, Walmart's global press office lead, told 'We remain dedicated to managing inventory well and managing costs to maintain everyday low prices. 'Nothing about the current environment changes our focus — in the last quarter we had 6,500 rollbacks which is 1,000 more than the previous quarter.' Last month, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned that prices would rise in response to sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods — a comment that drew backlash from President Donald Trump. 'Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,' Trump threatened on social media. 'Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, "EAT THE TARIFFS," and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I'll be watching, and so will your customers!!!' Walmart has since modestly backtracked on its higher price warnings, repeatedly saying it is trying to 'keep prices low.' But attempts to skirt the tariffs will be challenging. Previously, a Walmart employee posted a picture of a price change on a Hasbro doll - the price increased by over 40 percent Meanwhile, a growing number of staffers are posting on social media, claiming products are getting more expensive. For example, in another thread, an employee posted a picture of a Hasbro My Real Baby doll's price surge, shocking the tag from $34.97 to $49.97 — a nearly 43 percent increase. For industry analysts, Walmart's pricing changes are seen as a bellwether for the rest of the retail economy. The retailer has over 4,800 stores across the US. It was the largest company by revenue in the world in 2024. Because of its sheer size, wherever Walmart's pricing goes, other stores will likely follow. But the retailing giant isn't the only chain under tariff pressure. Several retailers have warned that their prices will also climb with Trump's tariff regimes. Executives from Best Buy and Target have also warned of incoming price increases tied to the new trade policies. And when Amazon said it would label tariffs as a separate line item on some product listings, the White House publicly called the move a 'hostile and political act.' The e-commerce giant quickly scrapped plans to advertise the tariff increases after the call-out.
Entrepreneur
2 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
What's the Highest Paid Hourly Position at Walmart?
If you're creative and have a sweet tooth, the coveted (and lucrative) cake decorator position at Walmart may be for you. Walmart managers can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, with some even taking home mid-six-figure salaries. But there's another high-paying role at Walmart, one that's focused on creativity and art. The retail giant confirmed to USA Today that, besides managers, cake decorators are the highest-paid hourly positions in U.S. Walmart stores. The average pay for a cake decorator at Walmart starts at around $19.25 an hour, according to the outlet. Related: Walmart Is Raising Prices, According to the Company's CEO. Here's When. And recently, a New Jersey Walmart employee, Melissa Fernandez, has been going viral on TikTok for her cupcake bouquets. Fernandez told the AP that she's been at Walmart for 11 years and makes about $24.40 an hour. The average hourly wage for Walmart's "U.S. frontline associates" is "close to $18," according to Walmart. USA Today reports that there are at least 6,000 cake decorators employed by Walmart at press time. According to Walmart's career website, there are more than 50 cake decorator roles open across the country. Walmart had around 1.6 million U.S. employees at the end of fiscal year 2024, though the company announced in May that it was cutting 1,500 corporate employees. Related: Walmart Is Laying Off 1,500 Corporate Employees: 'Reshaping Our Structure'
Fast Company
06-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
People are eating up Walmart's custom cakes. Here's why they're so popular
Inside a Walmart store in New Jersey, a worker puts the finishing touches on a cake with an edible ink Sponge Bob on top. A colleague creates a buttercream rosette border for a different cake, while another co-worker frosts a tier of what will be a triple-deck dessert. It's graduation season, the busiest time of year for the 6,200 employees the nation's largest retailer trained to hand-decorate cakes per customers' orders. The cakes themselves come, pre-made, frozen and in a variety of shapes and sizes, from suppliers, not Walmart's in-store bakeries. But there's no sugar-coating the importance the company places on its custom cake business. Its army of icing artisans are the highest paid hourly workers in a typical U.S. Walmart, excluding managers. Cake decorators earn an average of $19.25 per hour, compared with $18.25 for all non-managerial store workers, a company spokesperson said. Melissa Fernandez, 36, started working in the electronics area and then the wireless services department of the Walmart in North Bergen, New Jersey, before she transferred to the deli area in search of better pay. But Fernandez had her eye on a cake decorating job and after spending two months getting trained by a store colleague, she picked up a piping bag full-time in 2021. 'I love baking at home. I love painting,' Fernandez said. 'I love doing anything artistic, and I just always wanted to be a part of it.' After 11 years with Walmart, she said she now makes about $24.40 an hour. Despite their elite status within Walmart, the retailer's cake decorators have attracted detractors on social media. The company promotes its personalized baked goods on TikTok and encourages the workers behind such creations to do the same. Critics have accused Walmart decorators of stealing ideas and undercutting the work of professional cake artists with their low-priced products. After TikTok videos praising Walmart's $25 heart-shaped cakes with borders that resemble vintage lace cropped up before Valentine's Day this year, a few bakers produced their own videos explaining why their cakes cost so much more and critiquing Walmart's. Debates ensued in the comments sections over whether Walmart represented evils of capitalism or served the needs of the masses. A customized sheet cake that can be sliced to serve 96 people costs $59 at Walmart, about one-third to half the price that a nationwide sample of independent bakeries list online for similarly sized cakes. For $5.20 more, Walmart customers can add strawberry or 'Bavarian creme' fillings, which like the bare cakes, are vendor-supplied. The slice of the celebratory occasion cake market Walmart holds appears vast based on company-supplied figures. One out of four cakes sold in the U.S. comes from Walmart, and its employees will collectively decorate more than 1 million cakes during May and June, according to a company spokesperson. The number of cakes decorated each day at the location where Fernandez works nearly doubles to 50-60 when school graduations come around, compared to 30-35 a day during the rest of the year, said Michael DeMarco, the manager of the store's fresh food department. He credits the decorators' talent and promotional efforts on TikTok. 'We're getting a lot of repeat customers. We're doing a lot more business because of just the viral sensations,' DeMarco said. A TikTok video that showed Fernandez designing a $24 version of a customized bouquet cake — 12 cupcakes that are individually decorated and arranged to look like a bunch of flowers — received nearly a half-million views. The bouquet design was one of the North Bergen store's most popular cakes last month, a company spokesperson said. The dressy heart-shaped cakes, as well as cakes that resemble meals like sushi or a pile of spaghetti and meatballs, are popular too, she said. Fernandez also has created 'burn away' cakes: an iced cake topped with an image printed on paper, which is set ablaze to reveal a different image underneath. 'TikTok helps me stay up to date,' she said. 'A lot of trends that I see on there, within that week or within that month, customers will come asking about it. And we're pretty up to date as well.' Jazzing up a cake by hand requires skill, whether or not someone else did the baking, she said. Funneling buttercream frosting through a bag and various sized piping tips to yield the desired design without misplaced blobs is not the same as drawing or painting, Fernandez explained. 'There's a lot of pressure points that you have to practice in order to get the borders correct and the right thickness or the right texture,' she said. Tiffany Witzke, who has been a Walmart cake decorator since July 2016 and works at a store in Springfield, Missouri, has more than 912,000 followers on TikTok. The job attracts people who 'can be extremely skilled and talented,' Witzke said, adding that customers want increasingly complicated designs. 'When I first started, it was basically just borders and writing,' she said. 'Now, everybody wants more and more and more on their cake.' Liz Berman, owner of The Sleepy Baker, in Natick, Massachusetts, said she's not worried about losing customers to Walmart because of her attention to detail and the premium ingredients she uses. She charges $205 and up for a half-sized sheet cake, the bouquets made up of two dozen miniature cupcakes cost $110. All the cakes are made from scratch, and Berman said she designs everything herself. 'It's just a totally different business model,' she said. 'Everything I do is custom.' For Walmart, the cake decorating business delivers higher profit margins than some other areas, such as groceries and electronics, according to Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana. But it's also resonating with shoppers looking for affordable luxuries. 'We've gone into a period where the consumer is saying, 'This is good enough,'' Cohen said. Customers interviewed at the North Bergen store on a recent weekday seemed to be satisfied. George Arango, 34, picked up two customized cakes, one to celebrate a co-worker's retirement and the other for a colleague getting another job. After researching prices on various store websites, he decided to give Walmart a try. 'The price is fantastic,' he said. 'I'm walking out with two cakes for $40.'
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Walmart's cake decorators stir up some rivalry with their affordable creations
Inside a Walmart store in New Jersey, a worker puts the finishing touches on a cake with an edible ink Sponge Bob on top. A colleague creates a buttercream rosette border for a different cake, while another co-worker frosts a tier of what will be a triple-deck dessert. It's graduation season, the busiest time of year for the 6,200 employees the nation's largest retailer trained to hand-decorate cakes per customers' orders. The cakes themselves come, pre-made, frozen and in a variety of shapes and sizes, from suppliers, not Walmart's in-store bakeries. But there's no sugar-coating the importance the company places on its custom cake business. Its army of icing artisans are the highest paid hourly workers in a typical U.S. Walmart, excluding managers. Cake decorators earn an average of $19.25 per hour, compared with $18.25 for all non-managerial store workers, a company spokesperson said. Melissa Fernandez, 36, started working in the electronics area and then the wireless services department of the Walmart in North Bergen, New Jersey, before she transferred to the deli area in search of better pay. But Fernandez had her eye on a cake decorating job and after spending two months getting trained by a store colleague, she picked up a piping bag full-time in 2021. 'I love baking at home. I love painting,' Fernandez said. 'I love doing anything artistic, and I just always wanted to be a part of it.' After 11 years with Walmart, she said she now makes about $24.40 an hour. Despite their elite status within Walmart, the retailer's cake decorators have attracted detractors on social media. The company promotes its personalized baked goods on TikTok and encourages the workers behind such creations to do the same. Critics have accused Walmart decorators of stealing ideas and undercutting the work of professional cake artists with their low-priced products. After TikTok videos praising Walmart's $25 heart-shaped cakes with borders that resemble vintage lace cropped up before Valentine's Day this year, a few bakers produced their own videos explaining why their cakes cost so much more and critiquing Walmart's. Debates ensued in the comments sections over whether Walmart represented evils of capitalism or served the needs of the masses. A customized sheet cake that can be sliced to serve 96 people costs $59 at Walmart, about one-third to half the price that a nationwide sample of independent bakeries list online for similarly sized cakes. For $5.20 more, Walmart customers can add strawberry or 'Bavarian creme" fillings, which like the bare cakes, are vendor-supplied. The slice of the celebratory occasion cake market Walmart holds appears vast based on company-supplied figures. One out of four cakes sold in the U.S. comes from Walmart, and its employees will collectively decorate more than 1 million cakes during May and June, according to a company spokesperson. The number of cakes decorated each day at the location where Fernandez works nearly doubles to 50-60 when school graduations come around, compared to 30-35 a day during the rest of the year, said Michael DeMarco, the manager of the store's fresh food department. He credits the decorators' talent and promotional efforts on TikTok. "We're getting a lot of repeat customers. We're doing a lot more business because of just the viral sensations,' DeMarco said. A TikTok video that showed Fernandez designing a $24 version of a customized bouquet cake — 12 cupcakes that are individually decorated and arranged to look like a bunch of flowers — received nearly a half-million views. The bouquet design was one of the North Bergen store's most popular cakes last month, a company spokesperson said. The dressy heart-shaped cakes, as well as cakes that resemble meals like sushi or a pile of spaghetti and meatballs, are popular too, she said. Fernandez also has created 'burn away' cakes: an iced cake topped with an image printed on paper, which is set ablaze to reveal a different image underneath. 'TikTok helps me stay up to date,' she said. 'A lot of trends that I see on there, within that week or within that month, customers will come asking about it. And we're pretty up to date as well.' Jazzing up a cake by hand requires skill, whether or not someone else did the baking, she said. Funneling buttercream frosting through a bag and various sized piping tips to yield the desired design without misplaced blobs is not the same as drawing or painting, Fernandez explained. 'There's a lot of pressure points that you have to practice in order to get the borders correct and the right thickness or the right texture,' she said. Tiffany Witzke, who has been a Walmart cake decorator since July 2016 and works at a store in Springfield, Missouri, has more than 912,000 followers on TikTok. The job attracts people who "can be extremely skilled and talented,' Witzke said, adding that customers want increasingly complicated designs. 'When I first started, it was basically just borders and writing," she said. 'Now, everybody wants more and more and more on their cake.' Liz Berman, owner of The Sleepy Baker, in Natick, Massachusetts, said she's not worried about losing customers to Walmart because of her attention to detail and the premium ingredients she uses. She charges $205 and up for a half-sized sheet cake, the bouquets made up of two dozen miniature cupcakes cost $110. All the cakes are made from scratch, and Berman said she designs everything herself. 'It's just a totally different business model," she said. 'Everything I do is custom.' For Walmart, the cake decorating business delivers higher profit margins than some other areas, such as groceries and electronics, according to Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana. But it's also resonating with shoppers looking for affordable luxuries. 'We've gone into a period where the consumer is saying, 'This is good enough,'" Cohen said. Customers interviewed at the North Bergen store on a recent weekday seemed to be satisfied. George Arango, 34, picked up two customized cakes, one to celebrate a co-worker's retirement and the other for a colleague getting another job. After researching prices on various store websites, he decided to give Walmart a try. 'The price is fantastic," he said. "I'm walking out with two cakes for $40.'
