Walmart to hire another 20,000 and other business news

September 23, 2020 at 10:00 p.m. | Updated September 23, 2020 at 7:37 p.m.

by Staff and wire reports

FILE - This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 file photo shows a Walmart in Warrington, Pa. A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort that's gaining steam despite the government's reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday. Walmart says it will give its 1.5 million U.S. workers up to three hours paid time off to vote.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - This Tuesday, March 17, 2020 file photo shows a Walmart in Warrington, Pa. A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort that's gaining steam despite the government's reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday. Walmart says it will give its 1.5 million U.S. workers up to three hours paid time off to vote.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Walmart to hire another 20,000

Walmart said Wednesday it will hire 20,000 seasonal employees who will help pack and ship online purchases at its fulfillment centers as it anticipates more holiday shopping to shift online during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since March, the world's biggest retailer has hired more than 500,000 employees across its U.S. stores and supply chain to keep up with demand for everything from groceries to hair color and bicycles.

In a news release Wednesday, Walmart said it will stretch Black Friday sales throughout the holiday season and have more deals online, rather than squeezing them into a single day that jams up stores - though it shared few details about specific offers.

"Over the past six months, our customers have been shopping differently, and we expect that will continue into the most important shopping season of the year - the holidays," said Scott McCall, chief merchandising officer of Walmart U.S. "We've heard from our customers that many plan on starting their holiday shopping well before Black Friday, and that they're looking for gifts that fit their current lifestyle."

eBay workers plead guilty to intimidation

Four former eBay Inc. employees have agreed to plead guilty to their roles in a campaign of intimidation that included sending live spiders and cockroaches to the home of a Massachusetts couple who ran an online newsletter critical of the auction site, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Those pleading guilty are among seven former eBay employees charged in the case, in which the Massachusetts couple had other disturbing items sent to their home, including a funeral wreath and a bloody pig Halloween mask.

They are all charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with a witness.

The employees also sent pornographic magazines with the husband's name on them to their neighbor's house, planned to break into the couple's garage to install a GPS device on their car, and posted the couple's names and address online, advertising things like yard sales and encouraging strangers to knock on the door if the pair wasn't outside, officials said.

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