The 12 biggest companies paying workers the least

The gap between rich and poor is well illustrated by the large multibillion-dollar corporations employing thousands of low-wage workers.

[Rob]

Greed & no loyalty for employees.

Target & Walmart are doing well in this terrible economy because suffering employees will put up with all kinds of abuse just to keep a low paying job.

[Follow The Money]

THAT is the walmart business model - it simply doesn't work if they paid their employees a reasonable wage. Now management is another story - I would guess your average walmart store manager makes $85,000 a year in base salary plus a bonus that is up to 105% of their base salary (another $89,500). How much of that bonus they get is determined by sales and profit - the more expenses they can wring out (payroll is THE #1 Expense) the more money they take home. Now if store managers can take home a cool $160 a year just think what all the other hogs at the trough above them get - district managers, regional managers, divisional managers and that is not to even mention the parasite divisions like Asset Protection and Compliance - they get their cut too. By the time all the heavy hitters get paid there just isn't any money left for the people who actually run the store and take care of the customers (are SUPPOSED to take care of the customers)

I didn't even mention the herd of management in multiple layers under the store manager - I would guess they only take home $75 to $100k a year but there are so damned many of them. Walmart is middle management heavy - there is no room to pay the workers.

You ever wonder how many workers struggling to keep the lights on and food in the fridge are aware just how little their store manager cares? It is the business model - the more he hurts them the more he gets paid. Is he going to take care of his family or his employee's family? THAT is why the business model works - you pay someone some pretty large money and they will do whatever they have to in order to keep the money coming. It is a business model that has worked for decades.

[David]

Especially when most store managers couldn't make that kind of money anywhere outside of Wal-Dumb. There are quite a few managers with no college degree.

[Follow The Money]

You are right and they remind those managers of that simple fact each and every day. They really don't have to have degrees to be a walmart manager though - the want "Followers" NOT "Leaders".