Retail CEO pay gap remains wide as daily compensation outpaces worker annual earnings

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Retail CEO pay gap

Highlights

Williams-Sonoma CEO Laura Alber led retail CEO compensation at $91,226 per day in 2024, while Walmart’s Doug McMillon earned $80,112 per day.
Costco CEO Ron Vachris earned $38,171 per day, notably less than the company’s median worker annual pay of $49,186, contrasting sharply with sector peers.
Retail CEOs routinely outpaced the median U.S. retail worker annual salary of $34,750 within a single day’s pay, underscoring persistent compensation gaps.

Proxy filings highlight compensation spread

As reported by Business Insider, the ranking is based on annual executive compensation disclosed in recently filed 2025 proxy statements for major retailers and restaurant groups, converted into estimated daily pay over the past year. The comparison uses Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing median annual pay for retail salespersons in the U.S. was $34,750 in 2024.

At the lower end of the list, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos earned $22,365 a day, AutoZone CEO Shane O'Kelly earned $24,992, and Texas Roadhouse CEO Gerald Morgan earned $29,650. Costco CEO Ron Vachris earned $38,171 a day, below the company's median worker pay of $49,186 for the year, making Costco the notable outlier in the review.

At the higher end, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon earned $80,112 a day, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol earned $84,912, Tractor Supply Co CEO Hal Lawton earned $88,431, and Williams-Sonoma CEO Laura Alber topped the list at $91,226 a day. Business Insider also noted that Yum Brands reported a combined compensation figure for Chris Turner and David Gibbs because Turner took over as CEO in October 2025.

Labour pay pressures stay in focus

The figures underline the scale of pay disparity across consumer-facing companies that rely on large hourly workforces in stores, warehouses and restaurants. In many cases, the disclosed CEO totals, which include salary, stock awards and executive perks, mean leaders match or surpass a typical worker's yearly earnings within hours or days.

The data also shows how workforce pay levels can alter the comparison between executive and employee compensation. Costco's position differs from most peers because its median worker pay is materially higher than that of many other large retailers, narrowing the gap even though the chief executive still receives a multimillion-dollar package.

Our earlier coverage on Costco’s stock performance noted that COST was sliding toward key long-term support despite strong quarterly results. We highlighted double-digit revenue growth, rising paid memberships, and mixed technical signals, with analysts watching whether the share price could stabilize or reclaim near-term levels as volatility cooled.

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