[karaterobot]

If, as the article says, they are adjusting compensation to retain skilled employees, it makes complete sense. That is, unless you assume Walmart doesn't have any idea what it costs to keep a good manager, but I very much doubt that's the case.

$404K is the absolute maximum total compensation for that role. That's around the top end of a software engineering manager role at some companies. I don't want to be a software engineering manager at that (or any other) salary, but I'd much rather do that job than manage a Walmart. I mean in terms of the amount of stress and anxiety it would entail, the hours, the shit you'd have to shovel. I bet managing a high-volume Walmart is a more difficult job, and there are fewer people doing it.