Walmart raises pay for thousands of opticians after pharmacists get wage bump
Walmart kept its shortened pharmacy hours
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Walmart – the nation's largest retailer – announced Wednesday that it's raising wages for 4,000 opticians nationwide.
The move will push their average wage to over $22.50 an hour, according to the company. Those pay raises will take effect on June 3.
The company is also helping prepare opticians for certification by the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners through the company's Optician Development Program.
Walmart will cover the cost of the training and offer reimbursement for any fees that are associated with the training. Walmart touted that this program will help push opticians get "higher-paying roles and more career opportunities," according to Walmart.
Meanwhile, in April, the Arkansas-based company raised pay for 3,700 pharmacists, bringing their average salary to more than $140,000, Kevin Host, senior vice president of pharmacy at Walmart Health and Wellness, and David Reitnauer, vice president of optical at Walmart Health and Wellness, said in a joint statement.
The average salary doesn't include any incentives or bonuses, according to Walmart.
CVS, WALMART CUT PHARMACY HOURS AS PHARMACIST SHORTAGE PERSISTS
Pharmacy technician Carolyn Van Syckle, of Feasterville, Pennsylvania, fills a prescription inside a Walmart store in Trevose, Pennsylvania, on May 8, 2008. (Mike Mergen/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The latest investments also build on the raises the company implemented for 36,000 pharmacy technicians last year.
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Walmart said it's been "continuously raising wages and creating new pathways across the company" throughout the last few years. It also cut down on pharmacy hours earlier this year.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 88.38 | +1.19 | +1.36% |
| CVS | CVS HEALTH CORP. | 57.10 | +0.27 | +0.48% |
| WBA | WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC. | 8.30 | +0.06 | +0.73% |
In March, Walmart started closing pharmacies two hours early at most of its stores as pharmacist shortages persisted throughout the industry.
The company told FOX Business the change better serves its customers and offers "a better work-life balance for our associates."
Pharmacy manager Kelly Fong talks on the phone during the grand opening of a Walmart location in Los Angeles, California, on Sept. 19, 2013. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Earlier this year, CVS also cut or shifted pharmacy hours at two-thirds of its locations nationwide, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In an earnings call in January, Walgreens – which also had to temporarily cut hours – said it was "focusing investments to return stores to normal pharmacy operating hours" and that staffing has been positive nearly every week since mid-July 2022.