Pros
Most managers were hourly employees at one time, so there is a chance you can move up the management chain if you stand out. I like their online network, called The WIRE---while on the clock, you can request time off, change/edit career preferences. Employees get a 10% discount on general merchandise items and some snack/food items, and get grocery discounts around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Deli is hard work, but the base pay at my store starts at $8.30/hr. (minimum wage in my state is $7.25/hr) Walmart gives you "experience points" so the more experience points you have, the higher your pay will be. I have 6 years food service experience, and I have 3 experience points and I make $9.50/hr. The deli base pay starts higher than what my former employer of 6 years at a restaurant was paying me at the time I left.
Cons
The worst thing about Walmart is the attitude and morale. Workers have a very low morale and managers have a very "I don't care" attitude about it. We are severely understaffed and most of the time there is a hiring freeze. So many employees do nothing but complain and it creates a negative atmosphere every day. It is common for employees to do the bare minimum work to get by, and anything more is seen as being a suck up even when the "extra" tasks should be done every night (for food safety). There is so much to do and if you don't have enough people, you'll kill yourself trying to get everything your suppose to get done finished. It's humanly immpossible unless you want to stay 2 hours past your scheduled shift. Managers do not communicate. Several times has someone called in sick or late and no one communicates to the department about the tardy or absence. The last time I called off, I called the 800 number like I was suppose to, talked to a manager at my facility, had it all squared away only to get an eager message on my phone from a manager asking where I was when I didn't show up. I also got a worried message from a coworker checking on me to see if I'm okay (because as far as they knew, I didn't call in and it's not like me to be a no-call, no-show). Don't expect to be moved out of the Deli. They have a very hard time finding people who want to work in the Deli. After 6 months in one department, your suppose to be eligible to move to a different department if there is an opening. This probably won't happen because they won't find anyone to replace you in the Deli and even if they tell you they will move you when they find someone, you will be waiting a very long time because it is not a priority to managers to move someone who is already trained in an area to a new one. They have, however, moved some people to a different department because they were trouble for the department, but they don't move people based on merit or good work. There is a struggle between "day" people (first shift) and "night" people (second shift) in the Deli. Days are usually people who have worked at Walmart for a while and think they have "done their time" on nights. They forget how hard nights are and Night people don't get a chance to learn day tasks like unloading freight and making subs/salads. There's hardly any shift rotation at all....although at my store there are two women who are middle aged (older than me, I'm in my 20s) who get scheduled days every week....I get no days, and neither do any people in my age group. Walmart will bring you down. It is a negative work atmosphere, especially in the Deli where there is so much work and cleaning to do, and very important work because of food safety. No one back there can honestly say they like their job.