Walmart extends discount for employees who worked on Thanksgiving amid scrutiny over holiday pay practices

• Walmart is giving employees more time to take advantage of a 15% discount awarded to those who worked on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the following Saturday, the company confirmed to Business Insider.
• Walmart says the extension was tied to the company's pay cycle.
• "With Thanksgiving being later this year, our associates asked for more options in being able to use the extra discount they earned," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider.
• The extension comes after a report that scrutinized Walmart's holiday pay practices and sparked some backlash online.
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Walmart is extending the timeline to use a 15% discount awarded to employees who worked on Thanksgiving, the company confirmed to Business Insider on Tuesday.

Eligible employees can now take advantage of the discount from December 5 to December 13, the company said in a memo that was seen by Business Insider and sent to stores on Tuesday.

Walmart had originally given employees two days - December 5 and December 6 - to take advantage of the deal. The discount is available to employees who worked on Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, or the following Saturday.

Walmart said the extension was tied to a change in this year's pay cycle.

"To give our associates added flexibility around how they choose to use their expanded holiday discount, we've extended the dates to December 5 to December 13," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider. "With Thanksgiving being later this year, our associates asked for more options in being able to use the extra discount they earned."

The extension comes following a report by The Guardian that revealed the company's practice of offering a discount instead of overtime pay to employees who work holiday shifts. The report sparked some backlash online.

US retailers are not legally required to pay employees overtime for working on holidays, though some - such as Target, Macy's, and JCPenney - offer the extra pay.