Amazon increases starting hourly wage and discounts for employees

Amazon, the online behemoth, has announced an increase in starting hourly wages for its U.S. full-time operations employees, including warehouse workers. The pay raise, effective from September 27, sees the hourly wage boosted by $1 to $20, raising the average wage to nearly $24 an hour. The total compensation, including benefits, is now over $32 an hour.

Amazon is also offering new perks, such as a 10% discount on eligible groceries and essentials on Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market, as well as 20% off at Whole Foods physical stores. The discounts can be combined with existing Prime member discounts. These benefits will be available to all U.S. employees starting October 1. Additionally, Amazon is rolling out access to First Tech Federal Credit Union for qualified employees and their families, offering low-cost banking services they can keep for life.

The rollout of this credit union membership will commence later in the year. This wage increase and benefit package are in contrast to Walmart's previous expansion of its 10% employee discount, which previously only included certain groceries and not items like milk, pasta, or meat. Walmart's starting pay for hourly workers is $14, with U.S. hourly employees earning more than $18.50 on average.