Costco Retail and Corporate Jobs and Careers

General Business Activities

The Costco Wholesale Corporation is a retail warehouse club that provides bulk discounts on branded merchandise to consumers and to small and medium-sized businesses. Costco operates on a membership model where customers sign up for a card that gives them access to the store. With one of the largest product ranges of any American-based retailer, Costco is a well known and well respected brand. The company has 680 locations in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and other countries, with 129,000 full and part-time employees in the US alone.

In addition to supplying branded merchandise, Costco also offers Kirkland Signature products designed to be of equal or better quality. These include food and drink, luggage, home items, and clothing.

Costco Wholesale Industries is a division of Costco that provides services such as optical laboratories, food packaging, and meat processing, which are designed to offer members better prices on high quality goods.

Awards and Recognition

Costco has received numerous accolades. In 2014, co-founder Jim Sinegal accepted the National Retail Federation’s Gold Medal Award. The company also won the Summit Creative Silver Award for Pay, Policies, and Training in 2009 and the OMNI Intermedia Bronze Award for food safety the same year, among other achievements.

Vision and Values

Costco believes in creating profit through ethical business, something that is clear from their mission statement. They promise to provide goods and services to their members at the lowest possible prices, take care of their members and employees, and respect their vendors. This mission statement is reflected in the way they treat their employees; Costco pays well above minimum wage, with high staff morale reported across the company.

Career Development

Costco aims to provide a family atmosphere in which employees thrive and succeed. Most employees start off in their many warehouses, getting to know Costco merchandise, operations and processes, and ambitious and talented staff have opportunities for in house advancement within the warehouse setting. There are also wide ranging opportunities at their regional and home offices, with roles in accounting, IT, human resources, graphic arts, and more.

Benefits

Costco pays well above minimum wage, with high staff morale reported across the company. They provide a range of benefits to both hourly and full time employees, which include health and dental care, vision and pharmacy programs, 401K plans, disability and life insurance. However, hourly employees must work 450 hours or 90 days (full time) or 600 hours or 180 days (part time) to be eligible for benefits. Salaried employees are benefit-eligible on the first of the month after the date of hire.

Employment

Retail Employees

• Cashiers offer a high level of service to Costco customers and process their transactions. They earn an average of $15.99 per hour.
• Stockers keep shelves well stocked with a variety of merchandise, organize displays, and break down packaging. People in these positions earn around $13.46 per hour.
• Front End Supervisors manage a team of cashiers and other staff, ensures that the store is well stocked, and effectively communicates the store’s requirements to the Back End Supervisor to maintain a high standard of customer service. They earn an average of $23.47 per hour.

Corporate Roles

• Analysts collect and analyze sales data in order to make recommendations that maximize future growth opportunities. They present regular reports and prepare presentations for senior management teams. Salaries average at around $100,000 per year.
• Web Developers maintain Costco’s web and intranet sites, create and maintain web pages, design applications and ensure that web pages are viewable on an increasing number of modern platforms. They earn in the region of $75,000 per year.
• Buyers select items for Costco’s many stores, negotiating with manufacturers and other retailers to keep quality high and prices low. They earn around $64,000 per year.

Sources:

• http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=83830&p=irol-homeprofile
• http://www.costco.com/about.html
• http://www.costco.com/costco-memberships.html
• http://www.mediapro.com/portfolio/awards/
• https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/costco-co-founder-jim-sinegal-accept-nrf%E2%80%99s-gold-award-retail%E2%80%99s-big-show-2014
• http://www.theleadermaker.com/core-values-costco/
• http://www.costco.com/benefits.html