Target said Monday that it will spend more than $70 million on another round of employee bonuses during the coronavirus pandemic, as the holiday shopping season picks up.
The retailer will pay $200 to its more than 350,000 employees who work at stores, distribution centers and contact centers, according to a post on its corporate website. It will pay the bonuses by early November.
Grocers and big-box retailers, including Walmart, Amazon and Kroger, temporarily increased pay and gave bonuses to hourly workers early in the pandemic. The “hero pay” was meant to recognize workers who helped the company replenish shelves during weeks of stockpiling and put their own health at risk.
Retail workers across the country have gotten sick and died from COVI-19 during the global health crisis. Amazon, for example, said earlier this month that more than 19,000 of its workers have contracted the virus this year.
Most retailers have ended that extra pay, but at least two have announced bonuses: Lowe’s and Target. Lowe’s gave an additional $100 million in bonuses to hourly employees this month — $300 to full-time workers and $150 to part-time and seasonal hourly employees.
These bonuses come as daily new COVID-19 cases are rising once again in the US, and approaching a third peak. Public health officials have warned that cases could increase as temperatures get colder and people spend more time indoors…. CNBC News