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Retail Giant Walmart In Hot Water After Blizzard Employees Get Noodly Bonus
Retail Giant Walmart In Hot Water After Blizzard Employees Get Noodly Bonus
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Retail Giant Walmart In Hot Water After Blizzard Employees Get Noodly Bonus

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Brrr… it’s cold outside. So cold that even Walmart was put on blast after offering cheap ramen noodles to its employees who had been battling the blizzard. With record-breaking cold weather and nearly 80% of the USA expecting to see below-freezing temperatures, many residents have been urged to stay indoors.

However, people whose workplaces didn’t close due to the weather, such as Walmart, had to brave the storm to trek to work.

That’s when the retail giant’s Rockford, Illinois branch took to its social media to post a picture of employees standing behind 55-cent boxes of instant noodles.

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    Walmart was put on blast after offering cheap ramen noodles to its employees who had been battling a blizzard

    Image credits: Scott Olson/Getty Images

    The company captioned the now-infamous picture: “Brrr, it is cold outside. We appreciate our associates for braving through the cold to be here. 

    “Stay warm with some ramen noodle soup and crackers.”

    As a result, ​​TikToker Millzy (@hiitsmillzy) took it upon herself to slam the corporation in a video that has been viewed 923,900 times.

    In the now-viral video, Millzy said: “Walmart, you are a Fortune 500 company—on the top of the list; you are a multi-billion dollar corporation. 

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    “And your way to show your appreciation is to give your employees 55-cent ramen?” 

    She continued: “People walking to work in -18 degree weather. Some people don’t have cars. 

    “Some people’s cars didn’t start, and they still showed up to work, somehow, someway, so they could get a paycheck.”

    People whose workplaces didn’t close due to the weather, such as Walmart, had to brave the storm to trek to work

    Image credits: Ash Ketchup

    According to Google’s Market Summary, Walmart is worth $ 439,48 billion. The temperature in Rockford has gone as low as -20°C (-4°F).

    Millzy went on to allege that the backlash in the comments of Walmart’s post was so severe that the company was left with no choice but to take it down.

    “I can’t imagine going to work when everything else in the city is shut down because it’s so cold outside, and they say they are having a party, and it’s this,” the TikToker added.

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    She continued: “I would be so mad. I would clock out and go home.”

    Additionally, Walmart workers shared their own experiences in the comment section, as a person wrote: “I worked at Walmart up until a few weeks ago. We had to work on Christmas, and our Christmas ‘bonus’ was a 10-cent Temu pin.”

    Temu is an online marketplace operated by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, and it is known for selling cheap knock-off products.

    “And your way to show your appreciation is to give your employees 55-cent ramen?” a TikToker slammed Walmart

    Image credits: Edward

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    Another TikTok user wrote: “I worked 3rd shift at Walmart, and we were lucky if we got the leftover pizza from first shift that had been sitting out all day.”

    A separate individual chimed in: “I remember working deli at Walmart and they forced us to cook pizza for other departments, [but] we didn’t even get any of it.”

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    This isn’t the first time Walmart has faced negative reactions as a result of poor rewards for its hard-working employees.

    Back in 2019, calls to boycott the retailer grew after it had been offering employees discounts instead of holiday pay.

    The TikToker alleged that the backlash in the comments of Walmart’s post was so severe that the company was left with no choice but to take it down

    Image credits: hiitsmillzy

    “Some people’s cars didn’t start, and they still showed up to work, somehow, someway, so they could get a paycheck,” the content creator pointed out

    @hiitsmillzy lmao that pizza party soundin pretty nice right now #fyp♬ original sound – millzy

    Walmart had reportedly offered its employees a 10 percent and 15 percent in-store discount for working the holidays. 

    The 15 percent discount was only available for employees for two days in December. This sparked social media outrage, with people urging others to boycott Walmart.

    In 2014, a war of words had reportedly broken out between Walmart and workers angered by the retail giant’s pay scheme.

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    Our Walmart, an employee group, had organized a series of Black Friday protests, predicting some kind of action in front of about 1,600 stores.

    “What a way to devalue their employees,” a reader commented

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    Andréa Oldereide

    Andréa Oldereide

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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    Andréa Oldereide

    Andréa Oldereide

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Author, Community member

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    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

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    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Author, Community member

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    What do you think ?
    WalterWhiteSavannah
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I worked at Walmart in my teens. It was awful. I remember getting 10% off on employee appreciation day and buying a little beer fridge. The fridge went on sale for 50% off two days later. Care to guess what they said when I tried to return it and get the 50% off? I hate Walmart with a passion.

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not saying that your experience wasn't terrible (because it was), but I worked retail during the pandemic at one of the "farmer's market"-esque grocery stores, which put on a façade of sophistication and fanciness, and us employees were treated JUST as poorly as you/the Walmart employees in this article. It's sad :( I recall we used to have pallets of our brand of bottled water in the break room for free for us for any time we wanted, but the store head manager nixed it because it was "too expensive". One of our 24-packs of bottled water was like $4.

    Load More Replies...
    MP
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That’s so cringe. They genuinely could have offered nothing and nobody would have noticed or cared or thought bad of them. Also why the FŮCK do they have it precooked in that aluminum pan?!?!?! Ramen is good for like 2 mins tops once you cook it. And most people like ramen their own way. I don’t even eat ramen as a soup, I take the water out and eat it as just noodles. Walmart I swear purposefully acts all dumb and poor. That’s who they want their staff and clients to be.

    SonicAlchemy
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have the same preference when I eat cheap ramen. I leave just enough water to "emulsify" the seasoning packet to stick to the noodles then I hit with a nice dose of Sriracha sauce. I've been a passenger on the "living off ramen" boat before but it never got old to me, I still love it.

    Load More Replies...
    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazon does c**p like this all the time. The physical labor is over the top, the shift hours are ridiculous, yet Christmas 2023 we didn't even get a 10 cent pin, and they all acted like no one's ever heard of a holiday bonus. Yet 5 days later it's right back to the "Thank you for all your hard work" platitudes!

    LonelyLittleLeafSheep
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Absolutely will NOT shop at Walmart and haven't for the last 3 years because they treat their employees so badly.

    WindySwede
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's partly why I'm not shopping from Amazon

    Load More Replies...
    Tams21
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What makes it worse is that they're bragging about it online, as if the reason for spending the cents they did for this wasn't even for the employees but for the publicity.

    Jenn
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sad thing is this most likely wasn’t coming from Walmart corporate. Most likely just some middle manager trying to do something nice out of his own pocket and is being vilified for it.

    dandylilah
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Strike? Literally all employees just don't open the store all over the country. Maybe they would get somewhere.

    AngelWingsYT
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ill say this as crappy as it is, at least its something! Worked fast food during the -50 polar vortex. We got NOTHING. no food not coffees. Nothing. Drive thru was also open so I was in the window no jacket hat or gloves 10 hrs id have KILLED for free soup

    SonicAlchemy
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, it was a cheap, cringy and pathetic gesture that everyone else has already spit venom about, so, I don't need to but I think the saddest part about this article is that Maruchan ramen noodles are 55 cents a pack now. Also, is every Walmart equipped with some secret kitchen in the back where they can "cook pizza" and make a catering tray full of ramen? I'm gonna have to deep dive and answer my own question after I comment.

    Load More Comments
    WalterWhiteSavannah
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I worked at Walmart in my teens. It was awful. I remember getting 10% off on employee appreciation day and buying a little beer fridge. The fridge went on sale for 50% off two days later. Care to guess what they said when I tried to return it and get the 50% off? I hate Walmart with a passion.

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not saying that your experience wasn't terrible (because it was), but I worked retail during the pandemic at one of the "farmer's market"-esque grocery stores, which put on a façade of sophistication and fanciness, and us employees were treated JUST as poorly as you/the Walmart employees in this article. It's sad :( I recall we used to have pallets of our brand of bottled water in the break room for free for us for any time we wanted, but the store head manager nixed it because it was "too expensive". One of our 24-packs of bottled water was like $4.

    Load More Replies...
    MP
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That’s so cringe. They genuinely could have offered nothing and nobody would have noticed or cared or thought bad of them. Also why the FŮCK do they have it precooked in that aluminum pan?!?!?! Ramen is good for like 2 mins tops once you cook it. And most people like ramen their own way. I don’t even eat ramen as a soup, I take the water out and eat it as just noodles. Walmart I swear purposefully acts all dumb and poor. That’s who they want their staff and clients to be.

    SonicAlchemy
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have the same preference when I eat cheap ramen. I leave just enough water to "emulsify" the seasoning packet to stick to the noodles then I hit with a nice dose of Sriracha sauce. I've been a passenger on the "living off ramen" boat before but it never got old to me, I still love it.

    Load More Replies...
    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazon does c**p like this all the time. The physical labor is over the top, the shift hours are ridiculous, yet Christmas 2023 we didn't even get a 10 cent pin, and they all acted like no one's ever heard of a holiday bonus. Yet 5 days later it's right back to the "Thank you for all your hard work" platitudes!

    LonelyLittleLeafSheep
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Absolutely will NOT shop at Walmart and haven't for the last 3 years because they treat their employees so badly.

    WindySwede
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's partly why I'm not shopping from Amazon

    Load More Replies...
    Tams21
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What makes it worse is that they're bragging about it online, as if the reason for spending the cents they did for this wasn't even for the employees but for the publicity.

    Jenn
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sad thing is this most likely wasn’t coming from Walmart corporate. Most likely just some middle manager trying to do something nice out of his own pocket and is being vilified for it.

    dandylilah
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Strike? Literally all employees just don't open the store all over the country. Maybe they would get somewhere.

    AngelWingsYT
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ill say this as crappy as it is, at least its something! Worked fast food during the -50 polar vortex. We got NOTHING. no food not coffees. Nothing. Drive thru was also open so I was in the window no jacket hat or gloves 10 hrs id have KILLED for free soup

    SonicAlchemy
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, it was a cheap, cringy and pathetic gesture that everyone else has already spit venom about, so, I don't need to but I think the saddest part about this article is that Maruchan ramen noodles are 55 cents a pack now. Also, is every Walmart equipped with some secret kitchen in the back where they can "cook pizza" and make a catering tray full of ramen? I'm gonna have to deep dive and answer my own question after I comment.

    Load More Comments
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