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Walmart and The Container Store Have Something Surprising In Common

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The Container Store started a fund for employees in need and got a lot of pats on the back. A Walmart store took up donations for employees in need during the holidays, and was pilloried for the effort.

Two companies with two identical goals, have two very different outcomes.

What gives?

The Container Store announced the new fund on Valentine’s Day as part of its annual "National We Love Our Employees Day" – a day it created five years ago to show employee appreciation.

The Employee First Fund is an employee assistance fund that will provide grants to employees experiencing unforeseen emergencies, a major medical situation, a catastrophic event or other challenges in life which they are not financially prepared to handle. The Container Store established the fund with a $100,000 donation. After that, employees can make donations.

When a Walmart store in Canton, Ohio stuck a makeshift donation jar in the employee break room to collect donations for employees in need heading into the holiday season, there was a decided lack of love for the effort.

The effort was erroneously attributed to Walmart headquarters, there were the inevitable calls for higher pay and better benefits. The company, was taken to task for having employees in need in the first place.

But The Container Store sits at the opposite end of the public perspective spectrum. The retailer is consistently ranked by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and pays higher than the minimum wage. It announced the program with a press release and happy quotes from executives peppered with exclamation marks.

“We're so thrilled to launch our Employee First Fund, which exists to support our company's commitment to an employee-first culture, ensuring all employees feel well taken care of, safe, secure and warm," said Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO. "It's a culture that's driven by our seven Foundation Principles and results in an environment where the lives of everyone connected to our business are enriched and brimming with opportunity – where everyone can thrive – starting with our employees first!"

Walmart issued no press release and the program wasn’t officially sanctioned, nor did it make an initial $100,000 donation. But both companies efforts recognize they have employees in need, regardless. Because things happen in life that require assistance, to people of all walks.

No one seemed to question The Container Store’s motives or accuse stores of not paying enough to keep employees from need. The opposite was true of that one program at the single Walmart store.

Same sentiment, different reaction.