Retail’s war of words: Wages and taxes deployed as salvos

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos challenges Walmart and others to match its pledge to pay every worker a minimum of $15 per hour. The reply, ‘What about your taxes?’ fuels the high-profile sparring.

By Ted Kitterman
@tedkitkat
April 12, 2019

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All’s fair in love and retail.

After Amazon’s Jeff Bezos called for major competitors to match Amazon’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, his targets weren’t going to take the criticism lying down. Top bosses at both Walmart and eBay used social media to hit back.

The statements came from individual executives—mirroring Bezos’ statement but falling short of providing an institutional message. However, journalists were ready to see those tweets as representative of their respective organizations.

CNBC reported:

Amazon and Walmart are in war over worker pay — and now corporate taxes.

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