Salary: $1.46 million; Bonus: $0; Stock and option awards: $21.8 million; Other: $6.9 million Scott earned almost $15 million more than any other executive this past year as Wal-Mart’s net income rose 5.3 percent. His $30.2 million compensation package was down from $31.6 million a year earlier, as declines in option awards and nonequity incentive plan compensation outstripped a $3.3 million increase in his stock awards. During his tenure at the $401 billion retailer based in Bentonville, Ark., Wal-Mart grew to almost 7,400 stores around the world with more than 2.1 million associates. Scott joined Wal-Mart in 1979 and became president and ceo of the Wal-Mart Stores U.S. division in 1998, company chief operating officer and vice chairman in 1999 and president and ceo in 2000.

Salary: $1.5 million; Bonus: N/A; Stock and option awards: $5.6 million; Other: $8.8 million Jeffries jumped up six spots to number two because of a 39.5 percent increase in his compensation package, despite Abercrombie’s sagging financial performance (revenues were down 5.5 percent to $3.54 billion in fiscal 2008). Jeffries’ $6 million bonus to stay at the firm pushed his nonequity incentive earnings to $6.5 million, up 234.1 percent, while stock and option rewards grew to $5.6 million from $5.1 million. The company last month pulled the plug on its 29-unit Ruehl division. Jeffries joined New Albany, Ohio-based Abercrombie, then owned by The Limited, now known as Limited Brands Inc., as ceo in 1992. He has been chairman since 1998 and took the company public in 1996.

Salary: $1 million; Bonus: $0; Stock and option awards: $6.4 million; Other: $7.8 million Seemingly fatigued a few years ago, Guess has rebounded and Marciano’s creative flair is often cited for the comeback. Last year, net income rose 14.5 percent to $213.6 million while revenues were up 19.6 percent to $2.09 billion. Marciano joined Guess shortly after his brothers launched the company in California in 1981. Without any training, he took the lead as creative director. With brother Maurice, Marciano launched a turnaround in 2004 that returned the company to profitability. Paul Marciano propelled Guess’ e-commerce business and nurtured licensing deals that bolstered the brand’s international presence.

Salary: $1 million; Bonus: $0; Stock and option awards: $6.98 million; Other: $6.2 million As the head of a chain considered to be hot in the teen retail world, Geiger moved up five spots to number four. His package increased to more than $14 million from $9 million in 2007. Aéropostale has been a bright spot in the dismal retail industry. Its core customers, whose average ages are between 14 and 17, have been “turned off” by brands they see as “arrogant and fake,” Geiger recently noted. Aéropostale’s latest venture, P.S. From Aéropostale, targets kids ages seven to 12. Geiger has served as chairman and ceo since August 1998.

Salary: $879,808; Bonus: $500,000; Stock and option awards: $11.5 million; Other: $279,108 Donahoe, who became president and ceo in March 2008, cracked the top 10 for the first time. He joined eBay in February 2005 as president of eBay Marketplaces, responsible for all elements of global e-commerce businesses. The e-commerce company posted $8.54 billion in revenue for the 2008 fiscal year, an 11.5 percent increase from the previous year. Donahoe said at the time, “For 2008, we delivered double-digit revenue and earnings growth, made significant changes in our eBay business and built a stronger, more diverse portfolio of leading e-commerce businesses.” Before eBay, Donahoe spent more than 20 years at Bain & Co., the worldwide consulting firm based in Boston, where he began as an associate consultant and rose to ceo.

Salary: $1.05 million; Bonus: $0; Stock and option awards: $7.5 million; Other: $3.66 million Duke also made the list for the first time. He had been vice chairman of the company, leading Wal-Mart International, which became a fast-growing part of Wal-Mart’s overall operations. As a stand-alone business, Wal-Mart International would be one of the most successful global retailers, with annual sales of almost $100 billion in 2008. Before joining the company in 1995, Duke had 23 years of experience in retailing with Federated Department Stores Inc. and May Department Stores Co.

Salary: $1.5 million; Bonus: N/A; Stock and option awards: $6.2 million; Other: $2.3 million Ullman is the only Penney’s executive in the top 10. His compensation rose by just more than $2 million from last year, bumping him into seventh place. Over a three-year period, he is eligible for as much as $25 million in company stock grants under a supplemental performance bonus plan. Ullman’s second in command and possible successor, Ken Hicks, resigned in June as president and chief merchandising officer to become ceo of Foot Locker. Ullman is assuming Hicks’ responsibilities in the interim. Before joining Penney’s, Ullman was director general, group managing director, of LVMH Möet Hennessy Louis Vuitton from 1999 to 2002.

Salary: $919,945; Bonus: $480,000; Stock and option awards: $5.28 million; Other: $3.3 million Castro-Wright is responsible for leading Wal-Mart U.S. and overseeing the company’s global procurement operations. He joined the retailer in 2001 and worked in Mexico through 2005, first as president and later as ceo of Wal-Mart de Mexico. He went to Wal-Mart U.S. as chief operating officer in 2005 and was promoted to president and ceo of Wal-Mart U.S. the same year. Castro-Wright was named vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in November 2008. Previously, Castro-Wright worked for Honeywell International Inc.

Salary: $1.16 million; Bonus: $0; Stock and option awards: $6.5 million; Other: $1.96 million Aided by its emphasis on affordable luxury, Coach boosted its earnings from continuing operations 16.6 percent last year, to $742 million, while revenues grew 21.8 percent, to $3.18 billion, and same-store sales in its North American stores rose 9.8 percent. Frankfort, chairman and ceo since November 1995, has been a member of Coach’s board since 2000, the year it was spun off from Sara Lee and taken public. Within a few years, revenues had doubled and, by 2007, quadrupled from the pre-IPO days. This year, Frankfort celebrates his 30th anniversary with Coach, which he joined in 1979 as vice president of new business development.

Salary: $780,000; Bonus: $249,600; Stock and option awards: $6.6 million; Other: $1.87 million Schoewe is the fourth Wal-Mart executive in the top 10. He became executive vice president and cfo of Wal-Mart in January 2000. Before his employment at the retailer, Schoewe was senior vice president and cfo of Black & Decker Corp. from 1993 to 1999. Previously, he served four years as Black & Decker’s vice president of finance and was responsible for all financial operations except treasury and tax functions.