Walmart facing backlash for offering employees discount instead of holiday pay

LOS ANGELES - Many people on social media expressed outrage and urged others to boycott Walmart because the retail giant reportedly does not pay its employees overtime for working the holidays and instead offers them a small in-store discount.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Walmart offered its employees a 10 percent and 15 percent in-store discount for working the holidays. The 15 percent discount is only available for employees during two days in December, according to a flyer the publication obtained.

In a statement, Walmart told Business Insider that no longer offering employees holiday pay has been its policy for a few years.

“We simplified our paid time-off policies in 2016 to combine vacation, holiday, sick and personal time into one bucket,” a spokesperson told Business Insider. “As part of that change, we no longer offer holiday pay.”

Overtime pay is not legally required for people who work “on weekends, holidays or regular days of rest, unless overtime is worked on such days,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Walmart was one of several national chain stores open during Thanksgiving and Black Friday.