Walmart Store Manager’s Average Yearly Salary Might Make You Question Your Day Job

A new internal report from Walmart reveals the average yearly salary of a store manager, and it has many people looking at their job applications.

Most people do not think of Walmart as a lucrative job opportunity, but that might change soon. The company recently released a 94-page document called the 2019 Environmental, Social & Governance Report. It included Walmart’s goals for reducing its carbon footprint, increasing cybersecurity and, most notably, the average salary of a store manager in the U.S. The figure was a whopping $175,000 per year.

The number appeared to be released as a way to entice would-be employees. The company pointed out that more than three-quarters of its store operations management team members begin as hourly employees, suggesting that they promote from within whenever possible. Obviously, not everyone can become the manager of their own store, but if they do they stand to make as much as many doctors do.

The report took pains to point out the upward mobility Walmart employees already have, and the steps the company is taking to make it even better. The company is adding to its roster of classroom training, Pathways and its “Walmart Academy.” It also has educational benefits for employees enrolled in college.

As surprising as it is to hear, many do not see the massive salaries as a good thing. Some point out the comparatively lower wages of hourly workers, which are often not enough to live on. CNBC reporter Sarah Berger even pointed out that the average lawyer makes less.

“That’s higher than the average salary of some of the country’s best-paying jobs, including dentists, who make an average $174,110 a year, according to U.S. News & World Report, and lawyers, who make an average of $141,890,” she tweeted.

The timing of the big salary reveal lines up perfectly with a relevant storyline on Superstore, the workplace comedy on NBC. The show takes place in a department store called Cloud 9 which is an analogue of stores like Walmart, in the most recent season, Amy (America Ferrera) became the general manager of the store. On the April 11 episode, “Salary,” she was shocked to learn that her new salary was $120,000 per year.

Following the show’s themes of working-class apathy and absurdity, Amy dealt with excitement, guilt and defensiveness over her new salary all in quick order. In the end, she came to terms with it, and went on to throw a lavish Quinceanera for her daughter.

In reality, the story may not be as light-hearted. The debate over Walmart manager salaries rages on social media.