Walmart Dress Code: Workers Complain They Can’t Afford New Dress Code On Current Pay

A new Walmart dress code has workers complaining that they aren’t paid enough to be able to comply. According to The Huffington Post, several employees are speaking out about the new dress code guidelines which will go into effect on September 29. Workers are expected to pay for their new clothes out of pocket, but with many only making minimum wage, that’s not an easy thing to ask.

“Under the new code, workers will have to a wear a collared blue or white shirt and black or khaki pants, along with a Walmart vest the company will provide. Employees can use clothes they already own or buy new clothes anywhere they want, but they have to pay for the shirts and pants out of their own pockets.”

The new Walmart dress code has some workers frightened that they will have to forgo paying a household bill because they will need to spend the extra money on new clothes. One Walmart employee named Richard Reynoso decided to write a letter to cooperate headquarters and voice his concerns over the new rules and how they are going to cut in to his paycheck.

“The sad truth is that I do not have $50 laying around the house to spend on new uniform clothes just because Walmart suddenly decided to change its policy. If I have to go out of pocket for these new clothes, I’m going to have to choose which bill to skip.”

According to CNBC, some employees find the new dress code absurd. As most people know, a collared shirt and a pair of dress slacks can easily become pricey. And while you might argue that these items are staples and should already be in most closets around the country, it’s not always that simple. Most Walmart employees who are speaking out about the dress code don’t have a collared shirt and a pair of khakis hanging around — and that extra $40-$60 bucks can really cut into a person’s monthly budget — and that’s only one outfit.

A Walmart employee recently called the new dress code “silly” for that exact reason.

“With all due respect to the company, this is more of a financial burden to our family since this is our only source of income with my wife and two kids. We can hardly afford to live on my income now with us having to pay for a new uniform (aside from the vest). It’s silly.”

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Walmart will still be supplying the blue vests to their employees — it’s a staple in the uniform. Do you think the new Walmart dress code is asking too much of the company’s workers?

[Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons]