You need to understand 2 things: ALL big box retail stores run in a manner similar to this. If you're one of those "hurry, I'll go shop at Target" people, it's the same shit wrapped in red instead of blue. Petsmart, home depot, target, Homegoods, Marshall's, all these places are more or less running on the same system. You're not getting paid a whole lot for what you do. Payroll is a big part of managing expenses. Stores try to manage expenses.
2nd. People don't get "underpaid." They are offered a job at a certain pay. They agree to this pay before starting the job. (No one at Walmart makes minimum wage EXCEPT for maintenance and they are not always minimum). They are guaranteed a certain number of hours. For part time it's between (I can't remember the low end right now) and 33 hours, and for full time it is over 33 hours. They MUST keep the employees within that range (there are occasionally shitty things that happen with this system).
I am fully on board with living wages and all that. What I'm saying is that at Walmart I made a wage I lived on for a very long time, and I was never "underpaid."
There is a VERY BIG problem with the workforce in America. I have personally interviewed hundreds of people at Walmart over the years. I think the biggest problem with Walmart's employees is the employees themselves. If you have a mother of 3 trying to get a job as a cashier at Walmart, yeah, she's not going to be making a living wage. They are paying you for the job you do, not the circumstances surrounding you. People don't seem to get that. This is the problem for the "living wage" argument. No company is going to pay you more because you have a lot of student loan debt or because you have three kids or a lot of bills. They pay you based on the job, not your life situation.
Walmart does not offer great wages at non-managerial levels, but once you at least move up to department manager, or move into a specialty area, you get paid a bit more. I'm not saying it's amazing pay, but I can tell you that in my time at Walmart I:
Finished both an associates and bachelor's degree. (had some loans but not a huge amount). Yes, they worked with my schedule. It wasn't always perfect, but it worked. Bought a brand new car for 16K Lived on my own. Rent, bills, all that. Had health, dental, life, long term, short term and accident insurance which cost me an affordable sum.
Now, what I don't have is some huge family I'm trying to support. I have never even considered applying for food stamps or any of that.