Pursuit of employment: Episode 2

Join Gretchen Sweeney as she discusses the potential job option of Walmart for high school students.

By Gretchen Sweeney

Finding a job can be difficult, especially when you are in high school. It is easy to see jobs searching for staff on platforms like Indeed, but who knows if those jobs are worth it. Pursuit of Employment reviews local jobs for high schoolers by high schoolers.

Walmart is a chain grocery store that first opened on July 2, 1962. Since then, it has spread across the globe. According to a 2020 census, there are currently 2.2 million Walmart workers.  In our area, there are a few Walmarts that are often hiring due to rapid worker turnover in retail. 

There are five departments that teenagers can be hired in. The first is store associate where you talk to customers and stock shelves from the goods that just got shipped in. 

The second is fresh food associate where you stock fresh produce. The third and fourth are cart attendant and stocker, which are self explanatory. 

The last is online grocery pick up, which was added to the store during the pandemic. It is where you bring out purchased groceries to people in their car in order to limit contact. 

“I do online grocery pick up, and it is the easiest job you can get for $15 an hour,” Walmart employee Timmy Melendez said. 

The wage average in Illinois is $17.48 which is higher than most retail jobs in the area. 

“It is mostly calm, but when it gets busy, it can be chaotic,” Melendez said. 

The job is pretty simple and low-key. There is a lot of walking, and you are on your feet most of the shift. 

For a full-time employee, there are a lot of job benefits you can get, but most high schoolers only work part-time due to their workload. 

The job benefit that you get working part-time is 10% off all merchandise, which is not significant in comparison to other retail job discounts. Some Walmarts will even pay for your college tuition and books. 

Overall, the job gets a 7/10. It is not too chaotic, and the pay is suitable for a retail job.