OREANDA-NEWS. September 21, 2015. “The holidays are one of the most anticipated times of the year for families, and one of the busiest. Walmart has been working all year to give our customers a great shopping experience and we believe they will see a difference when they visit us during the holidays.

“Walmart will have more associates in our stores working more hours this season, all with a focus on providing service and convenience to our customers. We will continue our ‘Checkout Promise’ by having more registers open during peak shopping times, helping customers save time by getting through our lines quicker.

“To help exceed our customer’s expectations, Walmart will give current associates the first opportunity to pick up additional hours. We are also hiring 60,000 seasonal associates, with a starting rate of at least \\$9 an hour. We know some of these hires are looking for a short-term opportunity to earn extra Christmas money, but for many, this could be the start of a career. In fact we have hundreds of store managers who started with the company as a seasonal associate. Last year, more than half of our seasonal associates stayed with Walmart in a permanent role after the holidays.

“More and more, customers are turning to the convenience of digital and mobile shopping and we are going to make the experience at Walmart simple and easy. We are adding department managers in more than 3,500 stores for the holidays to specifically serve customers who are coming into the store to pick up their online orders. We want to help people pick up their order and get back to the rest of their day as quickly as we can.

“Walmart is thankful for the hard work and dedication of our associates. I see every day how our people make the difference. Associates are doing amazing things to help create an excellent experience for our customers. As we head into our busiest time of the year, we know associates are going to deliver for our customers and help give them a memorable and affordable Christmas.”