The approaching holiday season means more shopping, and as a result, more jobs in retail.
For some retail employees, it will also mean higher wages. Target announced today that it would raise its minimum wage above $10 beginning in October, eventually reaching $11 per hour for all U.S. stores. The retailer has already promised to add 100,000 jobs in the coming months and has committed to raising minimum wage to $15 by 2020.
Though many of these jobs may be temporary, they provide experience as well as a source of income, and knowing how major stores compare in terms of hourly pay could help you if you're in the market for a job.
Using Fortune's list of the 20 retailers with the greatest number of employees in the U.S., CNBC Make It looked at average hourly wages for the position of "sales associate" — a common consumer-facing, non-managerial role — at each company. Wages were determined using data submitted by employees to jobs and salary platform Glassdoor. Each company on the list was also contacted to provide information or comment.
Here's how the country's 20 biggest retail employers rank in terms of pay:
20. Dollar General
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $7.87
Number of employees: 121,000
19. Dollar Tree
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $8.17 to $8.26
Number of employees: 116,050
After five months, some Dollar Tree employees can earn $9 per hour, The Wall Street Journal reports.
18. Sears Holdings
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $8.54
Number of employees: 140,000
17. Ross Stores
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $8.57
Number of employees: 78,600
Business Insider reports that Ross Stores leadership announced in 2015 it would raise starting wages to $9.
16. Kohl's
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $8.71
Number of employees: 85,000
15. TJX (parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshall's)
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $8.75, as determined by averaging Glassdoor data for TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods. (Too few Glassdoor salary reports were available to determine wages for Sierra Trading Post.)
Number of employees: 235,000
A company representative tells CNBC Make It that all sales associates now make a starting wage of at least $9 per hour, and at least $10 per hour after six months.
14. Toys "R" Us
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.00
Number of employees: 64,000
13. J.C. Penney
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.07
Number of employees: 106,000
12. AutoZone
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.15
Number of employees: 66,780
11. Staples
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.20
Number of employees: 61,503
10. Macy's
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.40
Number of employees: 148,300
9. Wal-Mart
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.41
Number of employees: 2,300,000
The Wall Street Journal reports that after three months, workers can earn $10 per hour.
8. Target
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.45
Number of employees: 323,000
Target will begin raising its base hourly wage in October, eventually reaching $11 per hour nationwide.
7. Bed Bath & Beyond
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $9.85
Number of employees: 62,000
6. Gap Inc. (parent company)
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $10.36, as determined by averaging Glassdoor data for average sales associate wages across all of Gap Inc.'s major brands: Banana Republic, Old Navy, Gap, Athleta and Intermix.
Number of employees: 135,000
5. Best Buy
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $10.58
Number of employees: 125,000
4. Home Depot
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $11.33
Number of employees: 406,000
3. Lowe's
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $11.70
Number of employees: 240,000
2. Nordstrom
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $11.71
Number of employees: 72,500
1. Costco
Average hourly wage for sales associates: $12.92
Number of employees: 172,000
A Costco representative tells CNBC Make It that the company's sales assistant positions have a current starting wage of $13 per hour, with the opportunity for "regular increases based on hours worked."
What explains the differences in wages?
There are many who argue that big retailers could afford to increase wages. Some retail employees say they struggle to make ends meet and many have joined the "Fight for 15" protests, which call for a minimum wage of $15 per hour and have gained traction in many major cities.
Jiyoung Hwang, assistant professor of marketing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Bryan School of Business and Economics, says there are a few factors at play.
Chief among them are the minimum wage in each state, which she says retailers often use a benchmark, the level of skill each employee has and the company's emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR.)
"Costco is well-known for its CSR while Wal-Mart is quite lower in that reputation," Hwang says.
Pressure to offer customers low prices, long operating hours and the importance of competing with other retailers also play a big role, she adds.
In addition, company sales, the cost of living in an area and a worker's responsibilities contribute to wage decisions, according to Ana Serafin Smith, senior director of media relations at the National Retail Federation (NRF). Still, Smith says that those who earn minimum wage from major retailers may not have to do so for long.
"A majority of those hired in an entry-level position," Smith says, citing NRF research, "reported earning a promotion within a year of employment."
Correction: This story has been updated to correct average hourly wage data for Gap Inc., Target, TJX, Ross and Costco, as reported by Glassdoor. The story also corrected that the current starting wage for sales associates at TJX stores is at least $9 per hour, rising to at least $10 after six months.
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