Walmart Workers Rant About the “Nonsense” New Dress Code

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Retail juggernaut Walmart maintains an internal website for employees only. There, Walmart workers are free to bitch anonymously to executives. Sometimes, these comments are leaked to us.

Walmart has instituted a new mandatory dress code for employees. Last month, Walmart HR executive Barbara Simone took to the internal website to explain the new dress code rules to employees, in an extremely cheery fashion. One Walmart employee was nice enough to send us Barbara’s dress code posts, which are below. You’ll notice that Walmart employees—who arenotoriously low-paid, even though they work for the richest family in America—are required to purchase their own new uniforms.

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For inexplicable reasons, Walmart employees are allowed to leave anonymous comments on internal postings like these. Below is a small sampling of a couple of days worth of employee comments on the dress code posts. They provide a good window into the opinions of workers who are mostly kept silent. The Walmart employee who sent us this information told us, “I believe Walmart is placing yet another financial burden upon the workers who have to now purchase a new wardrobe on our poverty wages. I do hope that media attention will cause the company to either set up a hardship fund to help us pay for this, or even better, do away with it all together. I believe these comments will give you and your readers great insight into the problems with this corporation.”

WM Associate 29 Aug 2014

I sent an email to our wonderful new CEO because he said he was “listening” and wanted feedback well guess what? No one is listening to the associates or the customers for that matter not even him. Lets face it wal-mart is not a family anymore and they are not customer center. They don’t care as song as they are collecting their paychecks and bonuses. We, the ones that do the physical work, will be the ones to continue to suffer and our poor customers. I used to absolutely love my job and now I pray every night that I can find another one and leave this one. I work 2 jobs Walmart is my part time job but I work these 2 jobs for a reason, to take care of my family. It is pretty bad that my full time job is a administrative assistant in a law office and I can wear jeans there, but I can’t wear jeans in a grocery store. This whole mess is just non-sense.

WM Associate 29 Aug 2014

i have to agree with many of the negative comments I liked this company in the beginning but it seems they are out of touch with employees or there are to many “leaders”who really are not concerned with employees. In pharmacy we have had a light out for over a year, the heat is oppressive, we can not have water unless it is a small pointy paper cup with warm water from the sink. The counters are uncomfortably low and when ringing customers out causes so much back pain I personally have had customers comment at how uncomfortable the position we stand in to ring orders is. Now more money which I like many others just don’t have to buy clothes and a hot vest. I understand that customers come first but I am a customer also and so are my friends and family. It is difficult to be great at your job when you feel so disregarded and expendable

WM Associate 29 Aug 2014

Management will be required to wear these vests as well right? Hmmmm

WM Associate 29 Aug 2014

barbara simone you’ve seen that 99.9% of the associates have an issue with the new dress code. too expensive too hot/cold doesn’t address the problem uncomfortable to work in/not appropriate for some work etc when will you admit you and the big fish at walmart were wrong and scrap this busy work project that you and others are using to justify your big paychecks…every few months you guys dream up something new to torture the associates with…let us just get on with our work …making you more money … don’t worry …you’ll still collect your big paychecks

WM Associate 29 Aug 2014

I was an assistant manger for over 6 years until I was pushed to the point of stepping down ( and there was no resoluttion to the open door)!!! I know how hourly feel with no help and low pay scale and often there were unrealistic goals ( I can honestly relate)… I read a lot of the posts and we do need an affordable cost to the dress code cost of the shirts and pants. I have a sick husband and am the sole bread and bring home the bacon winner. Thank you and I really do love my new store!

WM Associate 29 Aug 2014

Ive been at Walmart 21 yrs and i tend to keep buying better quality clothing other than the standard polo for a better appearance at work and it seems like its a waste of my money to keep changing the dress code and we are not given any clothing allowance or given 2 shirts for free.

WM Associate 28 Aug 2014

Working conditions at my store are atrocious. There is little coverage in any dept. to provide anything close to decent customer service. CSS’ at this store cover money center, run registers and many other tasks because the staffing/hours given to associates are mediocre- I am one of them. For ten years I gave my all but my efforts and voice are ignored. My complaints as well as other associates’ seem to not matter one bit. Our registers and other equipment are slow and unreliable. I do not see how bringing back the vests as if we were living in 1994 will change anything. There are real problems to solve in our stores.

WM Associate 28 Aug 2014

With all due respect to the company, this is more of a financial burden to our family since this is our only source of income with my wife and two kids. We can hardly afford to live on my income now with us having to pay for a new uniform (aside from the vest). It’s silly. The uniform we have now works. Why change it?

Last year, Walmart gave its shareholders nearly $13 billion in dividends and share repurchases. Walmart employees may purchase new Dickies work pants for the low price of $19.97.

Sourced from gawker.com