According to Business Insider on Thursday, January 11, Walmart announced that 63 Sam's Club stores across the country are closing. That was an abrupt move that caught employees off-guard. They knew nothing about the sudden closing until they reported to work on Thursday as usual. They found out about the sudden move when they saw a sign on locked doors. At some stores, employees were turned away by police officers. All of the closed stores were taken off the Sam's Club website on Thursday morning.

Employees affected

Many Sam's Club stores have already closed, and others are scheduled to close within weeks.

The exact number of employees affected is not known, but it is estimated that each store employed about 175 people. That means that more than 11,000 people could be out of a job. A Walmart official did have good news for some employees. Ten of the closed stores will be turned into e-commerce distribution centers. Employees who worked at those stores will be afforded the opportunity to reapply for positions at those locations, but there is no guarantee that they will get any of the vacant positions.

Announcement on social media

Instead of notifying employees beforehand, Walmart posted a notice on Twitter at the last minute.

The announcement indicated that the company decided to close a number of warehouses. The closings seem strange because they happened on the same day that the minimum wage for all hourly employees was raised to $11 an hour. Additionally, benefits were included such as extended parental leave, and some employees were promised one-time bonuses up to $1,000 made possible by the passing of the GOP tax overhaul.

Some employees found out about the closings when FedEx showed up at their doors on Thursday with a letter saying the stores were closing. This is putting many employees in a bind especially since they had no idea they were losing their jobs. Business Insider has a partial list of the closings, and the list will be updated as more stores are expected to close within the next few weeks.

Some consumers will be inconvenienced by the sudden closings. However, they need not worry about the money left on their $45 yearly membership card. Officials are assuring them that they will get a refund for the money left on the card, or they could use the card at a store that did not close.

Are you shocked that Walmart abruptly closed so many Sam's Club stores without notifying employees in advance?
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