E commerce sales at the retail giant grew 79% with strong results across all channels helping boost same store sales and profit margins.

The surge in demand for essentials at WalMart has carried into the second half of the year, with consumers relying on its same day delivery options and store pickup services to buy everything from groceries to sneakers.

But the health crisis also forced the world's largest retailer TOE ad about $600 million in additional expenses that included higher wages for warehouse workers and bonuses for store employees as well a spending MAWR on cleaning facilities.

Home Depot has also boosted pay for workers, and on Tuesday it announced it will spend about $1 billion more annually on employee compensation as it makes some of its temporary pay enhancement programs permanent.

This comes as the home improvement chain benefits from a sustained surge in demand for tools, paints and building materials as Americans spend more time at home using their discretionary income on minor home remodeling and repair work.

This led to a 24% rise in sales at Home Depot from a year ago, beating analysts expectations.