Walmart associate says coaching on Christmas Eve sparks worker outrage

A Walmart associate said they were given an official coaching on December 25, a disciplinary step that they described as deeply humiliating and poorly timed. The employee wrote that the corrective conversation came after months of increasing meetings with supervisors, and that managers chose to hold the coaching on Christmas Eve rather than waiting until the next day. The post captured a raw response to enforcement actions during a major holiday and quickly drew replies from other retail workers describing similar experiences.

The associate wrote in full, "I figured it was only a matter of time before it happened, but I got coached today. I won’t lie, it was my fault and I pretty much did it to myself. I do feel bad for the behavior they coached me over… but too late for that. But still, this is the most humiliated I have ever felt at work and the fact that they decided to do it on Christmas Eve of all days makes it sting so much worse. Don’t care to elaborate on things, but they definitely could have waited until 12/26 to hold that conversation. I always take pride in giving 110% effort, even though I don’t have to, and I have done the best I could do to manage my section every single day I have been scheduled. The past few months I had begun to be pulled in the office for conversations with my superiors more and more frequently and finally today an official coaching. Like I said, I am utterly humiliated. It was all I could do to finish my shift today, my morale evaporated. My holiday is completely ruined, I am so embarrassed to show my face there to the other managers in the coming days."

Responses in the thread expressed solidarity and recounted instances of discipline arriving during holiday shifts, underscoring how timing can amplify emotional harm. For frontline employees working peak seasonal hours, corrective actions delivered on or around major holidays can erode trust, sap morale, and complicate relationships with supervisors in ways that affect daily operations. Associates described feeling exposed in front of colleagues, anxious about returning to work, and demoralized after what are often already long and stressful shifts.

The episode illustrates a broader workplace dynamic in retail where staffing demands and policy enforcement collide with the personal significance of holidays. While employers face operational needs and performance standards, workers say managerial decisions about when to address performance issues matter. For many hourly employees the social consequences of discipline can linger, shaping engagement, turnover risk, and the overall tone of workplace culture as stores move into the post holiday period.