Business & Tech

Costco Keeps Employees Happy Amid Sales Boom

The bulk retailer pays its employees over double the wage of Target and Walmart workers.

Written by Jacob Bourne

Costco may be a massive corporation, but the retail giant is bucking trends and reversing stereotypes. Ask most employees and they'll tell you, Costco is a great place to work.

Having a huge employer around keeping workers happy is a big deal, especially because a single Costco warehouse store employes, on average, 300 people. 

According to the Huffington Post, a typical Costco worker made $45,000 in 2011. Sam's Club (Walmart's answer to Costco) pays its employees an average salary of $17,486 per year. A Target cashier, meanwhile, makes an average hourly wage of $8.07, GlassDoor.com reports. (GlassDoor is a Sausalito company, by the way.)

Not only is Costco leading the wage game, it is also blasting past the competition in financial success. Costco's profit increased 19 percent to $459 million last quarter. Meanwhile, Walmart and Target have both struggled in year-over-year sales with the latter lowering its "earnings forecast for the year...pushing the retailer's profits down 29 percent," the Huffington Post reported. 

While Costco pays far above minimum wage, CEO Craig Jelinek is on board with President Obama's proposal to raise that standard (used by Walmart and Target) to $10 per hour nationwide. 

Marin County's Costco is in Novato at 300 Vintage Way.

Are you a Costco shopper? Would you consider working there? Do you prefer Walmart or Target? Tell us in the comments!


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