Walmart wanted better customer care and correctly decided to treat their employees better so they would know how to treat customers.
Department managers are also getting a bump, with starting wages for some of the positions going to $13 an hour this summer and $15 next year.
While the pay raises were seen as a victory by labor groups, investors were less enthusiastic. The extra labor costs, coupled with currency headwinds, will weigh on Wal-Mart’s profit this year.
