Did Walmart Misrepresent Employee Wage Numbers?

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Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon presented questionable data about employee wages. During the Goldman Sachs 2013 Annual Global Retailing Conference, Simon showed a slide, "It all starts with an opportunity." A bullet point says that 475,000 employees earn more than $25,000 per year (excluding benefits). 

  Walmart GS presentation

Here's the entire presentation.

The trouble is that Walmart employs 1.3 million employees in the U.S. (2.2 million worldwide). That leaves 825,000 earning less than $25,000 a year. A Walmart representative clarified that only store employees (about 1 million) were considered for this point. Still, that leaves roughly half of them earning below $25,000 a year.  

Discussion Starters:

  • The U.S. CEO seemed to walk into this controversy. How could it have been avoided?
  • How, if at all, does Walmart's clarification affect your view of how the company pays its employees?