Kiley Pulley Walmart career: How a college dropout went from cashier to store manager, bought a house and earns six figures like CEO John Furner

The 23-year-old Kiley Pulley is the youngest Walmart⁠ store manager in the United States, who oversees a store in northwest Glendale. Kiley Pulley was made manager of the Walmart Neighborhood Market store at 6550 W. Happy Valley Road in Glendale when she was 21, a story that inspires millions and reflects that she is living a version of the Gen-Z dream. Just at this young age, she has already purchased her first home, earning six figure salary and is also planning a wedding she hopes to pay for without taking on debt.

Her story is strikingly similar to that of Walmart CEO John Furner. Furner started out as a part-time hourly associate in the company’s garden center in 1993. He eventually worked his way up to store manager before moving into merchandising roles across Walmart and Sam’s Club.

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“As long as I’ve been in retail—it’s officially 33 years—it’s always been changing,” Furner said in an interview with Fast Company earlier this year. “Getting comfortable with change in a world that continues to change, I think, is a really great trait for any leader.” Both Pulley and Furner began their Walmart journeys in entry-level positions, demonstrating how employees can progress through the company’s ranks.

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Kiley Pulley Walmart career timeline

According to a report in Fortune, Pulley first joined Walmart at 16 as a part-time cashier, following the steps of her mother and sister. At that time, she was a high school student and was looking to earn some extra spending money. “I was a high schooler,” Pulley told the Business Journal. “I wanted more money.”
Initially, she had no plans to build a long-term career at Walmart. She wanted to earn her own money. But two years later, she achieved success and was promoted to Academy Trainer, a role responsible for training and developing new employees. But since she had just started first semester at Grand Canyon University , initially she was not interested in building her career. Six months later, however, she accepted a promotion to Team Lead- a move that changed her life.“When I got Team Lead, it really stuck with me that Walmart is something I can make a career out of and something I want to continue to grow in,” Pulley told the Phoenix Business Journal. “That’s when I started applying for salary positions.”

At 19, she became an operations manager. Shortly before turning 22, she was promoted to store manager, becoming the youngest person to hold the position at Walmart in the US. Now 23, she still holds that distinction, leading a Neighborhood Market outside Phoenix.

How did Kiley Pulley earn a six-figure salary?

Pulley told Business Insider that she kept her approach to success and career growth simple. She was always ready to learn something new and creative and also made herself available for opportunities beyond her job description.

She regularly participated in calls with Walmart leaders, including monthly discussions with her market manager, and became involved in succession planning. As she moved into the operations manager role, she also took on projects across her market to prepare herself for the next step.

Pulley even volunteered to cover for store managers on their days off to gain the experience that was needed to be promoted. Ultimately, that willingness to seek out additional responsibility helped her build relationships with senior leaders and develop the skills needed to advance.

“Kiley has embodied ambition, dedication and perseverance since I first met her six years ago as an hourly associate,” Ray Shouse, Walmart’s Phoenix market manager, told the PBJ. “Throughout her career, she has consistently sought out mentors and development opportunities to strengthen her leadership.”

Pulley’s advice to other young people is to embrace the opportunities, even if it feels challenging. That could mean volunteering for extra projects, taking on more responsibility, or stepping in for a store manager who’s out.

“That’s how you learn, build confidence and show you’re ready for the next step,” she told Fortune. “Don’t wait for someone to hand you an opportunity. Go after it.”

Why did Kiley Pulley drop out of college?

Pulley enrolled at Grand Canyon University to study business but eventually left college after securing a salaried management position at Walmart. She said she had decided to return to college once she became a store manager.

Her former store manager helped her prepare for her first salaried management interview, even conducting practice sessions and asking her to repeat answers whenever she used filler words such as “um.”

Pulley is now enrolled in Walmart’s Live Better U programme, through which the company pays for eligible bachelor’s degree programmes. She is currently completing foundational courses and plans to finish her college degree.