business

Container Store pays workers on average $50,000 Jolie Lee, USA TODAY Network 3:26 p.m. EDT October 17, 2014 AP HOMES ORGANIZING A SPF USA NY MORE Container Store employees make on average nearly $50,000 a year, CEO Kip Tindell says in his newly released book, Uncontainable. That's more than double the $23,690 average national salary ($11.39 per hour) of a retail sales worker, according to 2013 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employee compensation has made headlines in recent weeks. Last month, fast-food workers went on strike in support of raising the minimum wage. This week, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon addressed the minimum wage, saying: "It is our intention over time that we will be in a situation where we don't pay minimum wage at all." Even by paying employees a higher salary, the Container Store is able to make money, Tindell told Business Insider. He says that he believes a great employee is three times more productive than just a good employee. "You can pay them twice as much and still save, since you get three times the productivity at two times the cost," Tindell, who is also the incoming chairman of the National Retail Federation, said in the interview. Opponents to a minimum wage increase say it would destroy jobs and increase prices. The Container Store isn't the only retailer to offer wages above industry norms. A look at a few others: