Walmart allegedly urged its leaders to ask some of the company's 16,000 pharmacists to voluntarily reduce their working hours, Reuters reported Aug. 29. The company rebuffed these claims.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that senior Walmart leaders gave the order to 20 market leaders — who are directors responsible for 10 to 15 stores each — in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee. The directors also were asked to limit starting pay for new pharmacists.
Walmart confirmed to the news service that it was reducing the amount of hours offered to some pharmacists. However, in a statement shared with Becker's, the company refuted the other claims.
"We are not decreasing starting pay," a spokesperson told Becker's. "Starting pay has actually been going up in many areas due to market competition. We are not reducing pharmacy staffing or hours. We are actively hiring pharmacists in many markets across the country and continue to see demand grow for their services."
In March, Walmart reduced operations by two hours at 4,600 of its pharmacies — nearly all of its locations. Two months later, the retail chain said it increased some of its pharmacists' salaries to more than $140,000.