MULO Brands With Soul July Pick: Walmart
“It’s not just wages. Retailers are treating employees in a more insidious way.” That was the headline of a recent opinion piece in the New York Times. The sad reality is that it may be true for many MULO (multi-location) retailers. But we at Street Fight want to focus on those MULO retailers with heart, soul, and authentic empathy for the people who work for their companies and the communities’ consumers who spend at their locations.
We all know disgruntled employee reviews can tank a brand’s Glassdoor ratings. And social media has created a “safe space” for consumers and workers alike to rant about unpleasant experiences, but…
Walmart scored a whopping 73 percent rating on employee satisfaction and is on the Fortune list of 100 best companies to work for. The brand’s rating climbed 60 percent since 2017, indicating that management may have taken employee issues seriously at some point and put programs in place to increase satisfaction and growth opportunities.
Walmart’s website discusses employee treatment in terms of pathways (career advancement), perks (benefits and discounts), and pay (salary).
In addition, Walmart is among the brands that donated the most to benefit organizations, neighborhoods, and humans. Contributing $1.7B to a range of causes, the company:
- Supports communities following natural disasters
- Donates to support resilient agriculture
- Contributes to school programs at all levels
- Gives funds to eradicate hunger
One might argue that a company with deep pockets gives back mainly for the “optics,” but this doesn’t appear true. The Walmart Foundation has 120 dedicated employees. Founded in 1979, the 501c-3 has a comprehensive website and donates at both a macro level and to community groups through its Spark Good program.
Brands with soul are often perceived as so focused on human and social good that they may neglect the bottom line or other innovations. However, this is not the case with the Arkansas-based retail icon.
Walmart also often appears on lists of companies successfully experimenting with next-generation technologies to help teams work better, consumers find what they need, and the company itself to reduce theft.
Are you bound to find trash talk online about the “soul” of the Walmart brand? Of course. But its scores are impressive, and millions have benefited from the $1.7B.
Do you work for or support a MULO brand with soul? Whether your company has 10 locations or 10K+ (like Walmart), we’d love to hear from you. And be sure to join us at Street Fight LIVE in November. We promise it’ll be an event with soul…and you’ll meet the humans who care about the future of the MULO world.
