--- description: These days, the store's reputation as an employer isn't quite as fantastic title: Walmart Employee Morale Used to Be Chain's Claim to Fame image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc7512e75c3c10d/6987803806f2c1ff9b33412e/walmart.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Walmart's One-Time Claim to Fame: Employee Morale  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Feb 20, 2015 4:30 PM CUT  Wal-Mart regional VP Andy Wilson (L) giving a pep talk on corporate values at a Wal-Mart store, in 1992 Wal-Mart regional VP Andy Wilson (L) giving a pep talk on corporate values at a Wal-Mart store, in 1992Alan Levenson—;The LIFE Images Collection/Getty  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Feb 20, 2015 4:30 PM CUT These days, Walmart is such a powerful company that this week’s news that it will [give employees a raise ](http://time.com/money/3715565/500000-wal-mart-employees-are-getting-a-pay-raise/ "undefined")could potentially [change the minimum-wage landscape nationwide](http://time.com/3715047/walmart-minimum-wage-mcdonalds/ "undefined"). In 1983, when TIME first profiled the company, many readers might not have even heard of it. Though Wal-Mart was already the ninth-largest retailer in the nation and had raked in $3.4 billion the previous year, it had locations in only 15 states. And the size of the operation — it now operates in 27 countries — isn’t the only thing that has changed. The news about the Walmart minimum-wage hike has been tied to an ongoing campaign for the rights of workers; like the fast-food industry, the company has acquired a reputation as a place where low-level [employees](http://time.com/3715819/wal-mart-earning-match/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") aren’t paid enough. In 1983, however, employee happiness was said to be one of the company’s strengths: --- > “” --- **_Read the 1983 story, here in the TIME Vault:_** [Small-Town Hit](http://time.com/vault/issue/1983-05-23/page/45 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3716416/walmart-employee-morale-1983/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3716416/walmart-employee-morale-1983/"},"headline":"Walmart's One-Time Claim to Fame: Employee Morale","datePublished":"2015-02-20T16:30:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:34:46.241Z","description":"On Thursday, the company announced a plan to increase wages for some employees","url":"https://time.com/3716416/walmart-employee-morale-1983/","keywords":["Labor","Minimum Wage","Business topic","Walmart"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc7512e75c3c10d/6987803806f2c1ff9b33412e/walmart.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8cc7512e75c3c10d/6987803806f2c1ff9b33412e/walmart.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Andy Wilson","caption":"Andy Wilson","creditText":"Alan Levenson—;The LIFE Images Collection/Getty","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3716416/walmart-employee-morale-1983/","name":"Walmart's One-Time Claim to Fame: Employee Morale"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"About Half-Million Wal-Mart Employees Will Get Pay Raises","description":"Wal-Mart announced pay for new employees will be $9 starting in April and current employees will make at least $10 by next year.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yxoeBYZq/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-19T18:50:09.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yxoeBYZq.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3716416/walmart-employee-morale-1983/","duration":"PT1M50S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3716416/walmart-employee-morale-1983/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```