Unless one has inside info, it is difficult to say what will happen. But ever since the jet.com purchase was completed, the handwriting was on the wall.
Also the Bangalore expansion doesn't favor Bentonville based workers. The departures we have already heard about point to power struggles, that Marc L wins.
So I expect impact in Bentonville to be moderately severe - maybe in the 200-300 range...
But this is all speculation and not a productive exercise to handle anxieties of many...
They do this every year in the first quarter in the stores. They started in earnest at ISD in 2008 with a small targeted 'harvest', were told not to call it layoffs. In 2009 there were a couple hundred. Most done in small groups of 25-30 that were asked to report to a conference room on the lower floor of ISD. I know of one group that was asked to come in at 6:30pm on a thursday with their laptops. The documents given to them along with severage based on number of years, had a specific page that addressed age discrimination. Proving that age wasn't the factor. However several pages later in the 40 page document was another showing the positions eliminated by age. It showed the older workers were permanent and the younger were temp jobs.
In one of the following years I witnessed them escort about 200 from the ISD building all at once in the middle of the morning. The news was there with cameras showing the disgraced workers with walking boxes.
You are correct. Walmart HO and likely at a lot of stores as well present a toxic environment. The place is teeming with incompetents whose main purpose in life is to find fault with targeted associates no matter what they do, These people try to curry favor with those they perceive to have influence by belttling the work of everyone else. The foreign associates are especially adept at that- because it is in their interest to replace as many American workers as they can.
Not to pick on non-Americans but it is a fact it is what it is.
Definitely are not giving a mass exodus. These layoffs will be staggered, and have been happening all along where they've been taking out 10 people here, 20 people there type of thing. It is not like they are rounding up 500 people on a given day and escorting them out of the door. Some very skilled and educated people, mostly those of us who came in external to Walmart (not homegrown) have been let go and told to seek employment with the consultants and vendors Walmart is pushing the business to. I know this because I am one of those people. Please know this folks, Walmart isn't the place to be. I am making a lot more money now doing consulting, except, and this is the best part, I am not consulting on Walmart's business, I am helping other companies that are fantastic to deal with!! These are companies, that unlike Walmart, are actually respectful and great to deal with, and don't kick your teeth in on a daily basis. I am having the time of my life and actually enjoy the work. Not being at Walmart is like having a tremendous weight lifted from my shoulders. Walmart is an abusive and toxic culture, no one deserves that.
I heard it was larger from some reputable sources. I also heard that they are most likely to stagger the different department layoffs on different days or weeks as to not give the media a mass exodus show like a few years ago.