2 Sam's Club Stores In Minnesota Closing Down

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Wal-Mart is boosting its starting salary, but the company is also closing 10 percent of its Sam's Club warehouse stores, including two in Minnesota.

The two in Minnesota are in St. Louis Park and Moorhead.

The Star Tribune reports employees were not informed in advance and found the doors locked when they reported to work Thursday. WCCO called both locations, and recorded messages say they were closed Thursday but are reopening Friday.

A spokesperson for Wal-Mart said the stores will close by Jan. 26. The spokesperson said employees will have the chance to transfer to other stores and hourly associates will receive compensation for 60 days while they look for other opportunities.

A Wal-Mart official says about 10 of the 63 stores that are closing will be repurposed into e-commerce distribution sites.

The closings came on the same day Wal-Mart announced it would boost its starting salary to $11 an hour and hand out one-time cash bonuses.