Amazon is upping its minimum pay for core operations workers to $20 an hour and giving all US workers new grocery discounts.

The $1-an-hour raise applies to full-time employees, many of whom work in Amazon's warehouses picking, packing, and sorting orders. Amazon's average hourly wage is now about $24, the company said on Wednesday.

The company is also adding new benefits for all US Amazon employees, including a 20% discount on in-store purchases at Whole Foods stores. The discount applies to groceries as well as the chain's hot bar and salad bar.

Employees will also get a 10% discount on eligible fresh groceries and essential items ordered on Amazon.com. Both discounts take effect on October 1.

Amazon has grown its delivery network for fresh groceries over the past decade to compete with Walmart and other grocers.

The e-commerce giant bought Whole Foods in 2017. More recently, it's expanded same-day delivery of fresh groceries to thousands of cities and towns in the US and has a distribution network to match.

"When we build something like that, we want our teammates to benefit from it just as much as our customers do," Udit Madan, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Operations, wrote in a blog post.

Amazon will also offer employees a membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union, which provides basic services such as auto loans.

The benefit, which Amazon calls Day 1 Financial, will be available to employees, their spouses, and children, even if they leave Amazon.

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