So I went shopping at Costco today... Democratic yard signs, literature

[ShaneGR]

So I went to Costco's today, and out in the parking lot fringes were all these Dem signs. I'm in Florida so it was Nelson, Davis, etc. signs. So I went inside and asked the manager about itand he says they're basically the anti-walmart and gives me this whole speech on the Costco CEO. Guy even had Dem pamphlets in his office. I thought it was great.

So I came home and found this old article from 2004 about the Costco CEO.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/182915_costco21.html

SHOP COSTCO!

[qanda]

1. I love Costco

I shop there as much as possible. I think I'll make a trip there today.

[leftchick]

2. I love Costco!

though all those giant tvs sorta freak me out.

[Turbineguy]

10. Me three!

I need a 28-pack of thick-cut pork chops and a vat of mango salsa!

[Glenda]

3. thanks for sharing this

I knew they were blue, and I have my Costco card...

That's cool what he said about the "anti-walmart" :woohoo:

[tallahasseedem]

4. Absolutely!

He actually treats the employees with respect as well.

[AnneD]

5. Once I discovered Costco...

I try to spend as many of my dollars there. They are what a large American company SHOULD be.

[gorbal]

6. I wonder where their products come from

Does anyone know if they are making any attempt to avoid selling products made with sweat-shop labor?

[walldude]

12. I Googled Costco and Sweatshop

and got exactly 2 hits. Probably the lowest number of hits I ever got. And the only reason they came up was the writer was talking about going to Costco to avoid sweatshop products. They pay their employees well, they have great benefits and when asked if he was worried about the stockholders being angry that they pay "too well" the CEO said "Let them buy stock in another company if they don't like the way we do business".

[gorbal]

32. I did the same and got over 24,000

(snip)
Jim Sinegal, president of Costco Wholesale Corp., said his company has monitored overseas suppliers for years to avoid products made with child labor.

However, the company acknowledged buying cherries from a packing plant in Washington state where Flor Trujillo, 15, and six other child workers under 16 were sickened by carbon monoxide last July. Children under 16 are prohibited by federal law from working in such plants.

"We obviously have to take a look a little closer to home,'' Sinegal said.
(snip)

http://pangaea.org/street_children/americas/AP1.htm

Sounds like you should contact them if you find out something they sell is made with sweatshop labor or child-labor, -they are trying at least. All the articles on the first few pages are either vague references to illegal workshops in mexico or praise for their being more worker friendly than walmart- you might have to dig for more real info on the subject.

[jilln]

35. Thanks for shocking me out of my ignorance.

I thought if I bought something made or grown in the USA, it was a pretty safe bet there were no sweatshops or children involved. How sad.

[gorbal]

47. i didn't realize it either

Another story swept under the rug by our celebrity obsessed media.

[bluedogyellowdog]

40. Shop at Costco

but look at the labels when you buy, and make a point to avoid the "made in China" stuff or other third world countries where workers are mistreated and not paid a livable wage. It's easy to do with food, hard to do with other things especially electronics and clothes.

I recently bought a union-assembled PC online - built in Chicago - but it shipped with China-made accessories (mouse, keyboard, speakers) which I am now in the process of replacing if I can find anything (as an aside - any ideas here? Supposedly Bose makes some U.S. made computer speakers and there are a few keyboards made in the Czech Republic, not China, but I have yet to find them in any stores - which is probably why even the union-made PC company has to compromise and ship with some China-made accessories. Any ideas would be welcome...)

It's a sad state we're in right now but comsumer demand can change things, and if anyone is willing to pay attention and start stocking more union-made, sweatshop-free products, Costco is one of the more likely companies to do so.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

7. 99% of their political contributions go to Democrats

Also, some articles on Labor & Human Rights, Environment, etc.

http://www.buyblue.org/node/721/view/summary

[wicket]

8. I love Costco

I just got my company to switch to getting most of our office supplies from Costco - free delivery and a lot of their stuff is *half* the price of our normal vendor! :D Major brownie points there!

[jilln]

9. If we could only get them to stop stealing people's homes!

They are quite fond of eminent domain.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=costco%2Beminent+domain&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Unfortunately no big company is all good... or all bad.

[walldude]

13. These articles are all from 2003 and some mention

that there was pressure on Costco at the time to stop taking land aquired by the government in eminent domain cases. Anyone know if they've stopped this? Or if these allegations were unfounded? Either way i'd rather see Costco get that land than Wal-Mart ;)

[sqarebis]

11. That's why I drive an extra distance to go to Costco!

They are worth the extra effort!

[AllexxisF1]

17. I worked For Costco :-)

I worked for Price Club\Costco from 1994-2001 through college. An absolutely top notch organization that taught me the die hard principles of business. Not only that every dollar counts but employees and it's members do to. Those years as a door person to a supervisor were some of the best of my life in Northern Virginia and has served me well in my career in I.T. as an Administrator.

During the Clinton hay days I was making $45,000 a year as a supervisor while going to school at George Mason University. Not to mention the fact that do to our kick ass stores and world class upper company management we all made out like bandits on our 401K's.

Costco's CEO is considered one of the best in the world for good reason. He cares about the employees and is readily accessible to them. Fact is every employee knows Jim, because the guy makes it a point to visit every single warehouse twice a year. From the top down it was and is an incredible organization.

They care so much about getting the best price for it's members to the point of obsession. Put it this way, when Costco purchases 1,000 HDTV's and Sony's rep drops a call saying that since we purchased so much we will get an additional 15% off the next order for 1000. Instead of keeping the price at the level all the members have seen for the first 1,000 and making that 15% extra, they do the most unheard of thing in this business by passing the discount to it's members.

The business model started by Sol Price just plain works. Every single item that passes through the registers just needs to pay ALL the bills. The membership money will be our profit.

If your looking for a solid stock you cannot go wrong with Costco. Remember folks store for store Costco beats the shit out Wallmart.

There are many times I miss the hustle and bustle of running the entire front end on a holiday Saturday. Stress to the hilt...and it was marvelous.

[sqarebis]

18. I own Costco stock

...and I boycott Wally world :D

I'm glad Costco has been good to you :D

[renate]

27. Welcome to DU, AllexxisF1 and sqarebis!

:hi:

[sqarebis]

28. thanks!

glad to be here :hi:

[Ishoutandscream2]

31. Wow, that's a wonderful story

What a great place to work! And I'm sure it helped you become even a better worker and employee. Why can't the world of work be like this - where employee and employer have genuine respect for one another. It works at Southwest Airlines, and it works at Costco. Why can't some companies understand this?

[bigwillq]

34. Hi!

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[yorkiemommie1]

38. love costco!

and their turkey jerky, lol!

[femrap]

14. I miss Costco....I moved to

a place where they haven't opened a store yet.

Great buys and great service.

[helderheid]

15. Bought all my election night party supplies there!

[warrens]

16. I've met Sinegal three or four times

He's a great guy. The most recent example: someone questioned a stock deal he got, so he announced that he would not get a bonus this year as punishment for not being absolutely within the regulations. The bonus would have been north of $200K. Puts his money where his mouth is. He's also among the lowest-paid CEOs in the world; he makes most of his money in the stock he owns.

[philosophie_en_rose]

19. The lowest wage at Costco is $10 an hour, PLUS health insurance.

Costco is labor-friendly. Its products are fresh and of good quality. It doesn't waste money on excessive advertising or marketing. And it just functions well.

I like Costco. People seem genuinely happy to work there. I get what I need (and then some!). And there's nothing like a free sample. :)

[warrens]

22. Nitpicking. I think it's actually $11

And that's a trainee wage. Most people who have been there a year or more make at least $17, and they promote from within, so you have a good chance of making big bucks after a few years.

[philosophie_en_rose]

23. I apologize! I was using old numbers! (Costco is amazing).

Costco proves liberals right. When everyone is treated well, we all win.

[renate]

20. I love me some of that Costco

Not just for the prices, not just for their ethics and responsible business practices, but their return policy is really flexible and easy. As a chronically disorganized person who loses both receipts and track of time, I love that.

[philosophie_en_rose]

25. No kidding!

I bought a computer from them. Four months later, it had a minor flaw. They completely refunded the money.

I really like their quality control, too. The computer was a fluke, but everything else I've bought there has been fantastic. Their fruit is especially good.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Tell them to build one in NW Arkansas and I'll be there!

[Flubadubya]

41. And SW Arkansas too...

All we've got around here is Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. Uggghhh!!! :puke:

[progressoid]

24. I wish we had a Cosco around here

[RC Quake]

26. Costco is the best!

I purchase everything...EVERYTHING...on my American Express Costco card. Even my monthly bills. At the end of the year, I get a really nice cash back check from them to spend at their store. Last year I bought a brand new set of tires for my car! And had money left over!

They are wonderful!

[mopinko]

29. i'm a born again costco shopper. i used to go to sams

there is an old guy who used to be a greeter at sams, now he is a greeter at costco. he told me he would like to be really retired, he is 82, but they treat him so good, and keep giving him raises, so he just can't leave.
i do most of the shopping for events at my kid's school's nclb , and bought the school a card with george bush's money!!
i love costco. and better than that, i trust costco. when i wonder about an item there, i am always will to take that leap, because it is costco.

[madrchsod]

30. the woman i work for asked a costco executive

why their employees dress so well he sarcastically commented that "we are not sam`s club"...by the way costco beats sams club on dollar per square foot of floor space...

[progressivebydesign]

33. Haven't forgiven them for PIMPING Ann Coulter's book , though

They had it featured front and center in a SPECIAL mailer selling books. That was pretty damn disgusting, frankly.

[populistdriven]

36. I drive 20 miles past 3 walmarts to go to costco 2x per month

[redacted]

37. We're buying the business membership to get free delivery on warehouse

goods (not Costco.com). $250 minimum order, and you have to show your business license at signup. But the Costco closest to us is so busy on weekends it's shoulder-to-shoulder and 45-minutes waiting at checkout.

People are driving two hours to get to this store from small rural towns and some even have coolers to keep the frozen goods from melting on the way home.

[senseandsensibility]

39. kick

Costco even still sells some American made goods. I just bought beth towels there that are made in the USA and VERY GOOD quality, unlike the foreign made ones I bought at Target.

[ChiciB1]

42. Man I Wish We Had One In My Area!! I Live In FL... But I Think The

closest one is in St. Pete! Oh, Boo Hoo!

[DarkTirade]

46. At costco.com in the top right corner there's a link to a location finder

:)

[tinfoil tiaras]

43. We don't have any of those down here in Mizz-uh-sippy

so we have to go to wal mart (the store that shall not be named :P ), kroger, etc

[Pithlet]

44. Love Costco.

We shop there so much we upgraded to the Executive Membership.

[DarkTirade]

45. I've been meaning to get a Costco card for a while.

[brook]

48. I made a Costco run today.

I stopped for a hot dog when I finished shopping. A young girl came up to another one sitting nearby. She'd just gotten hired and was thrilled about the pay and ..."time and a half on Sundays!" The other gal ran down some other Costco attributes for her...like health care. Did my heart good.

I also looked around the parking lot...prompted by one car with several anti-GOP bumper stickers. There wasn't one "W", not one yellow ribbon....nada..not even local repuke propaganda on any other car I saw!

The tide is definitely turning!

[Roland99]

49. Just had one open up here a couple of weeks ago! Woo hoo!

[NNguyenMD]

50. he takes home a very modest salary for a CEO of a multibillion dollar company

I think its like 300K a year compared to the multimillion dollar collections current executives rob from their employees.

I heard him on 20/20 say once that that 10x the salary of your average employee is the most you take out in salary.

He might also be one of the few fortune 500 members who still flies coach.

[rsmith6621]

51. I had Dinner Today at Costco.....

It took 17 aisle to get full but it was good and best of all it was free...