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Walmart has expanded a popular benefit for employees, widening its 10% discount scheme on groceries to include 95% of its store products.
Approximately 1.6 million US employees are eligible for the perk, which becomes available to staff after their first 90 days with the country’s largest private employer.
It comes as Trump’s tariffs drive higher prices for consumers on items like coffee and tea, sparking concerns about the affordability of everyday groceries.
10% off! Walmart expands one of its ‘most requested benefits’
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Walmart has expanded its 10% employee discount to include nearly all grocery items, including frozen food, meat, seafood, and milk.
The benefit, first introduced over fifty years ago, was previously limited to fresh produce and merchandise such as clothing and toys. Discounts on other food items were only available over the holiday season.
Walmart notified employees via an email memo, with Chief People Officer Donna Morris confirming that the expansion would come into effect immediately.
“We’ve heard your feedback that these savings make a real difference for you and your families,” she told Walmart staff. “And we have continued to hear that you would like to see this benefit expanded. In fact, it’s one of our most requested benefits.”
According to CNBC, the company also made the surprise announcement at a holiday meeting in Houston, Texas. All of the retailer’s store managers attended the event, with one joining Walmart US chief exec John Furner on stage.
“All I can think is about my associates back at home,” the store manager told his CEO. He added that many of his store’s employees “don’t know how they’re going to be paying [for] their next meal.”
“Now this is going to help them,” he said.
The latest expansion to Walmart’s benefits package comes after improvements to its compensation plans in recent years.
Last year, the company’s EVP of Store Operations said an enhanced compensation plan introduced in January 2024 led to improvements in manager retention, turnover, and engagement.
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Walmart grapples with impact of tariffs, AI, & more
Like many large-scale employers, Walmart has had to grapple with several challenges in recent months, including the fallout of rising tariffs, shifting immigration legislation, and the impact of artificial intelligence.
In May, Walmart CFO John David Rainey said the company was “wired for everyday low prices,” but the magnitude of tariff-driven increases would be “more than any retailer can absorb.”
Later that month, it cut approximately 1,500 roles across the US, as part of a strategic restructuring effort aimed at streamlining the business and accelerating growth in core areas.
Walmart’s Chief People Officer, meanwhile, has said her organization is working hard to embrace the upside of AI and automation without losing the human touch.
“Build your people skills. They cannot be automated,” Morris said, speaking on Columbia Business School’s BizCast, stating that it is “incumbent upon leaders to reimagine what workforces are going to look like, leveraging technology.”
“We actually view that the disruption to our frontline workforce is going to be far lower than our campus workforce,” she explained. “Supply chain automation, other changes, and investments have continued to reshape what our front line looks like.”
The HR leader also encouraged employees to “invest in their own wellbeing.”
“We live in a world where emotional health is super important and physical health is super important, and so put that all into the equation and make sure that you're calculating the right equation for what's really important in your life,” she said.
