front end associate

certified pharmacy technician

pharmacy technician

optician

loss prevention director

Costco-Wholesale

Costco starts off their employees at $11.00 and your pay moves up from there based on hours worked. Even part time employees can get full benefits and the benefits are some of the best in the industry. I pay $32/month for pretty much everything and it's not skimpy coverage. Wisdom teeth surgery was paid in full and most prescription co-pays come out to 10 cents per pill. The main reason I took off a star for compensation is that they make it very difficult to get a full-time position, and employees with more seniority will almost always be given preference. It doesn't matter what your education level is or how well you perform. I often find myself giving pointers to supervisors who are promoted over me because of their seniority. This is counter-intuitive and unfair to the most competent employees. One more thing: tips are not allowed. If they catch you accepting a tip from a member, even if the member insists, they can fire you over it.

I had to take a star off Culture/Values for the same reason. They take customer service very seriously and maintain a serious code of ethics. The shady stuff that other retail jobs have tried to pull on me will never fly in Costco. Even if they don't treat you great, they definitely treat most people fairly and stick to their principles. The only flaw in their values is that they do not value education and merit as much as they should. They definitely benefit from it, but don't reward the best employees accordingly.

You will not find a more secure job in retail. They treat it like a union job even when you're not working in a union building. This can be a bad thing though when it comes to employees who get comfortable in a cushy position and do the minimum amount of work necessary. Combine this with the frustration of the hard-working people who can't move up because of seniority, and you can imagine the sort of environment this can create. Like I said above, some days I feel like I'm the one training supervisors.

Management is wonderful. Unlike supervisors and other positions that can be had just by having enough seniority, you usually have to be something special to get a position in management, and it can take a long time. Most managers are willing to sit down and seriously listen to what I have to say, and they maintain an open door policy. In return, I listen to and respect management because I know that they are competent and trustworthy. I cannot give them 5 stars for the reason I had to take a star off everything else. They ultimately decide who gets promoted, and occasionally you'll see certain positions suddenly pop-up or suddenly disappear as there seems to be some cronyism with the company. They keep hours and full-time positions to a bare minimum.

They will definitely work with your schedule. Many people work there while going to school and they are flexible. You will rarely have request offs or vacation days denied. Working weekends is pretty much required though, and they have certain black-out dates for vacations/requests, like the entire month of December and last week of November, and the weeks they do inventory. If you are a manager, expect to work at least 50 hours per week, maybe even 60. I do not have experience as a manager, but from what I have seen and heard they are not flexible with managers. They rely on them very heavily, and that's why they're paid what they're paid.

The only other thing I'll mention is that they are very strict about being on time. More than 3 minutes late is late, and 3 or more lates in any 30-day period is a write-up. This would be fine if they would let people punch in early, but they don't, so you only have that 3-minute window. The result is people sitting in their cars, sitting in the break room, and standing in front of the time clock waiting to punch in. I'm fine with making a habit of showing up early every day to ensure that I'm never late, but let me work. I shouldn't have to waste several minutes of my day, every day, just to be 100% that I'm never 4 minutes late. If you're more than 1 hour late, it's an automatic write-up, even if you call and explain the situation. I got written up this way from my radiator pump breaking and my car breaking down. This wouldn't be a big deal if write-ups didn't pretty much disqualify you from any promotions for 6 months.

In summary, if you're a hard-working, customer oriented, average Joe with a high school diploma, and you're looking for an average job where you can scrape by without doing anything special, Costco is worlds better than WalMart or any other retail job. If you're a smart, highly-educated, highly-motivated individual with plans to work in a competitive, rewarding environment, look elsewhere. You're destined for greater things than retail. You might make a good Costco manager or supervisor, but a competent individual like yourself could move up to a leadership position in 5 years at any other company, while it would take you 10 years at Costco.

On one final note, they will train you to be the best customer service person you could ever be. For me, the most rewarding part of the job was the smiles on the faces of people who were sincerely grateful for the extra mile I went for them. The most sincere thank yous I've ever heard in my life came from working at Costco. People would shake my hand and really mean it. They would come back to me for other needs, and would even tell managers that they purchased from Costco because of the help I offered. There's nothing more rewarding than knowing you're really appreciated.

The co-workers here are really incredible. Everyone is so easy to talk to and always willing to help. Especially the supervisors, they do care about you and want you to succeed and they always give insight and tips & tricks so you  can perform better. Unfortunately, the small things throughout the day that are out of your control, can really be demoralizing and just ruin the experience.

For example, when you are done picking and have a wrapped pallet, your scanner might say fluid load, Route 20, Stop 3, position RIGHT. So you go to the loading area and look for Route 20. The problem is, your scanner is not synced correctly to the written map they have next to the truck. So, if you don't go into the trailer and check the ordering first, you are screwed. This eats up a lot of your time, which overtime, will diminish your pick rate. Not only that, but a supervisor or one of the loaders  will see what you are doing and be  like "what's it telling you to do?", you say "to load", but they don't realize you need to double check the ordering. This gives off the illusion you are not working / doing it correctly, when you are. It's hard to explain, but it doesn't feel good. 

I've mentioned this to my supervisor and they have told me it's fine, always make sure you double check the ordering, they will give you time (to help with your pick rate). Which is nice!

Another issue is there are several wireless dead zones in aisles. A lot of co-workers experience this as well. This happens randomly in the wrapping aisle, and your scanner might get disconnected right before you are about to load. So, you have to wait for the scanner to reconnect, which can take 3-5 minutes, then move out of the wrapping aisle to get out of the dead zone, then reconnect, scan your labels again, and then you are ready. This might not seem like a hindrance at first, but it accumulates a lot of time over a 5-7 hour shift. Which again, goes against your pick rate.

You can notify your supervisor and tell them to give you time, however, there comes a point where you do that so many times, it makes you feel like you are complaining / whining a lot. Which again, feels demoralizing / not good. I want to feel like a fast, positive, and confident Order Picker! Also, in the cooler area, sometimes when sticking your hand in certain freezers, you'll lose connection. Again, another 3-5 minutes for a reconnect.

The worst part is, you'll be standing there waiting for it to reconnect, and a depot manager might walk   by. You've been sweating all day working very hard, and then for 5 seconds give off the impression of lollygagging around, because of something out of your control.   :(

IMO, it's a good feeling to work hard in front of the depot managers. 

One big issue is the item locations and shortages. Your scanner will sometimes say an item is in Aisle 318, but it's actually in 326. Or, it will say it's F (front), when it's B (back). However, overtime, you will learn where all the items are by memory, so you don't really need to rely on your scanner that much.   You'd be surprised how much your brain will memorize the items overtime! 

Sometimes you'll spend a lot of time trying to find an item, but can't find it. So you find someone on an EPJ (electric pallet jack), They'll try to find it, then if they can't find it, you look up the quantity on your scanner. Then, they might tell you to short it, but you can't short it without a supervisor's permission (which makes sense). But even then, if you are on the wrong side of the warehouse, you have to walk all the way back to the other corner just to get their permission. Sometimes you can use a local phone or radio though. But this delay overtime, adds a lot of time that diminishes your pick rate. Which again, is really out of your control. It would be nice if the scanner updated and said the item is short, or, if they gave the pickers a little list of what items are short today.  Would increase the pick rates for everyone!

Another issue I had (might be specific to me), but I had a pre-pick and couldn't find it on the rack. So I asked another co-worker for help, he couldn't find it, so I walked to the front desk and told them. They said they would come and help me try to find it, they couldn't find it, so they had to go back to the front desk. I eventually got the item, but this ate up like 13 minutes, I was just standing around near the pre-pick area "lollygagging" around. Which thank goodness the AGM wasn't there :(. He specifically told me during the interview I would be fine if I don't lollygag around. However, it seems like lollygagging can actually happen when you can't even control it :(

With all this said.. then the supervisor will come up to you and mention how low your pick rate is.



I've also noticed my buddy who got hired (new at Costco) has been on the electric pallet jack. He mentioned sometimes he doesn't even know where half the items are, but the depot manager tells me that I can get  on the EPJ once I get my "pick rate up". Also, there was a recent new hire, who mentioned he's already getting trained on the EPJ. He's asked me for  item locations before as well, so it just seems.. like my time is probably coming to an end. I can only pull the manual jack for so long (in my experience anyway).

Or,   I'm just a slow picker. But I tried, so that's what counts I think!


I'm going to miss all the co-workers, and especially the depot managers for at least giving me a chance and believing in me during the interview!

I left my full time job of 8 years to come here seasonally. Everyone talks such a big game about Costco, “Oh it’s awesome!” , “Oh, it’s worth it!” 
I would say the only thing Costco has going for them is their insurance and Benefits. Really cheap and good. But, it comes at a price. 
 
The micromanaging is ridiculous. The superiority complex of the “supervisors” (people holding the clip boards at the front end) was astounding. I haven’t been treated like an incompetent child since I was 16 at my first job. So at 33 with tons of experience in high stress jobs, I was baffled. I was effortlessly doing their work (it’s mindless, you just have to be fast, basically manual labor all day). 

But I would occasionally get a supervisor who would come up to me. Point to the ground, as I’m hauling butt boxing groceries. And say, “that piece of paper next to you, it needs to be picked up. Make sure your area is clean.” 

Or a day before thanksgiving and the lines are all the way into the clothing section. I had a supervisor come up to me as I’m boxing groceries and say, “I want you to sweep up the picnic area (the red tables where everyone eats their hotdogs and pizza). Although Costco employes someone to go around cleaning all day. I had to stop and do it. So I get it done in 10 minutes (I used to be a housekeeper at a hospital years back, I’m very fast). This seems to irritate the supervisor, and she tells me. “No, I want it done good and points to a couple who just stood up and dropped napkins and crumbs on the floor.” I say “oh ok, you want me to clean up after customers as they’re leaving.”  She just gives me a blank stare. I mindlessly swept up crumbs for an hour. 

Here’s another one, they try and only schedule you to collect shopping carts 2 days a week. It takes a toll on your body especially if you’re not an 18 year old athlete lol. 
They had me - 5’1”, 33 years old. Collect for 6 hours, 6 days in a row. That almost made me quit. I was so beyond sore. Those carts come up to my chest and are so heavy. And then the 7th day they had me boxing groceries on a weekend (Costco on a weekend is beyond busy). And I was commented on by an employee that I wasn’t my bubbly self. I just said I’m so sore and tired.. 

They had me do everything box groceries, collect carts, work the snack bar, go backs, work in clothing, help close, check receipts at the door, count customers and checking memberships upon entrance, meat department. 
I did everything and with a smile on my face the whole time. 
Oh and I was faster then all the more seasoned workers there. I was averaging 3-1 for everything I did. For every one customer processed by a co worker I was averaging 3. Weather it be boxing groceries or checking receipts, it’s easy you just gotta be fast. 

But no one ever commented on that. Shoot, that was the first thing I noticed. I’m so much faster than everyone lol (not being cocky just being honest and real).

They had me run their seafood extravaganza. 5 or 6 times that I was there. On one of the days that I did it (by myself for 8 hours) Costco made a record break in sales for the seafood roadshow. 
No one even told me about it or thanked me. I had to over hear it from a cashier as I was boxing groceries the next day, “Costco made a record break in sales with the seafood roadshow the other day, who ever ran it did a crazy good job.”
-I just smiled. 

You will never have a set schedule working there. Typical grocery store, they want your life to revolve around them. 

Breaks and lunches, you’ll be told when to take them.

Ask for permission to use the bathroom. 

No chewing gum.

Constantly nit picked and micromanaged. (Even if it’s not useful, helpful or needed)

No talking to coworkers on the front end floor. (Even at closing time when there are no customers)

Busy work, constant busy work. Pointless unnecessary busywork, only purpose to put on a show for the customers. 

They are constantly changing the schedule, so you are obligated to go online and check (sometimes it’s not even communicated to you)

I would sometimes work 8-9 days in a row cause “grocery store schedule “. 

I came in early when they asked, stayed late when needed, worked on my days off, went home early whenever they asked. 
I was their B!tch.

I don’t know, I’m so used to working in the real world. When you come here people are just fake (you know, putting on a show for the customers) . Workers seemed intimidated by someone who effortlessly did this job. They have a lot of arbitrary rules. 
It felt like a time warp working there. Like I was a child and forced to do demeaning tasks all day. Didn’t like it. At all.

I worked for the company only a year and can confidently say that most of the time working there is focused on consistent, diligent, hard work.

From an entry level perspective, it's particularly for young adults from the ages of 18-27 yrs old. It's a lot of hard labor, with the most strenuous being pushing carts for 2 1/2+hours straight, a small break, then back again for another 2 1/2+ hours. You'll probably spend most of your shifts like this for the first 3 months, which allows time for management to formulate more than enough reason to drop you after not meeting company standards. Especially, if you are seasonal and your usefulness for the holidays is no longer needed. In the event you are hired on as a permanent after the 3 month probation, you still will probably be subjugated to the same position UNLESS you are able to sign an AVAILABLE "Posting" that would train you for other subsequent positions in the warehouse. These are based on seniority (the amount of time you as an employee have been with the company gives you a better chance to be considered) and only then would that make you a somewhat better candidate to be hired full time due to your plethora of knowledge and skills of the warehouse. 

I had learned a couple different departments in the 3 month period before getting hired permanently. Costco depending on your location will have a Deli, Meat, Front End, Membership, Major Sales, Optical, Sundries/Stockers and Food Court. In my experience, the Bakery, Meat, and Deli are the most work intensive and as a new hire your position will more than likely be the most messy and grunt work like requiring intensive cleaning and heavy lifting. AND even in the event you are hired on as an explicit Cashier Asst/Cashier for the Front End, you'll more than likely be tasked with assisting different departments on a regular basis if you are able. 

The workplace culture and environment are nice though. Coworkers are usually pretty nice once you get to know them, often have some extent of existential dread but that's mood lol. I think a lot of people complain about management and supervisors which is understandable given the scope of the warehouse. Most people keep to themselves and are friendly enough to interact with small talk. 

Management is also pretty nice, if you formally communicate what you need they are more than happy to try facilitate what you need or want, BUT that doesn't guarantee it. It's really important to be honest and open about the things you need (i.e Hours, Time Off, if you missed work, etc.) It's a fast pace environment so them having a clear idea with what you need helps them know exactly what they need to do to make sure both parties can work seamlessly with no issue.

It's a weird job dynamic but your gender does matter: if you are a male you are more often than not going to be put outside to do carts. If you are a female you are more likely to be inside the warehouse. Admittedly it makes sense with the varying strengths and needs of either parties such as periods and risk of injury but I'm pretty sure you can ask to not be placed certain places this would probably influence your permanent hire if you are on probation but this is something to consider. 

I think overall I would say my experience at Costco was a positive one, at times though I felt really tired and overworked. I remained in a position that was technically part time but was still working full time hours which on a benefits end felt a bit exploitative, but that goes for a lot of jobs admittedly. I recommend to work here, but after your 3 month probation regardless if you feel like you owe them something, respect and express yourself and tell them what you need, at worst they say they aren't able to give you that and at best they do. 


If you like retail, Costco is a great place to work. Great benefits. Good work culture. The problem is getting hired. At any given time there are a thousand people lined up waiting for an interview. It took 3 years submitting online applications before I got mine, but one guy in my cohort walked in off the street and was hired on the spot. The hiring managers have so many potential employees to choose from that they get overwhelmed and end up hiring on impulse. Plus, when they need to hire they need to hire NOW!  At my orientation we stopped midway because the store was so shorthanded that they needed all 20 of us to jump in and start working immediately. Of that cohort, only 4 of us remain. There is turnover. Your chance will come. Persistence counts.

 I was lucky. My cohort were part-time permanent hires, which meant we qualified for benefits, sick and vacation time after 6 months as long as we worked a minimum of 25 hours a week. Most new hires start as seasonals and are let go after 3 to 4 months, but management is watching. If you are a responsible, competent person with a good work ethic who interacts well with the customers and is a team player, chances are you’ll be invited to reapply for a permanent slot. Think of seasonal as your probation period. The company does this, I think, because once one is hired permanent, one has to practically commit a crime to get fired. Once you’re in, Costco wants to keep you.

Most Costco employees are part-timers, although one can expect to work occasional 8 hours shifts. Forget about consecutive days off. Schedules varying wildly from day to day is the rule. A wise employee checks one’s schedule daily. 

Full-time positions are coveted and open rarely. With full time you get more consistent hours and more pay increases. Costco offers 50 cent pay increases after every 1000 hours worked up to $30.00 an hour. Right now in Los Angeles, starting pay is $19.50. A full timer will hit top pay a lot sooner than a part-timer.

Most of my part-time co-workers juggle multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet until they can score that full-time gig when it magically appears. 

Invest in good shoes, because Costco workers are always on their feet. There is no place to sit except the break room, and one can only go there for breaks or lunch.  

Costco is a 24 hour operation. The most desirable shift is morning between 1am and 10am. The most senior employees work those hours. There are no customers in the warehouse during those hours, so the workers can be extremely productive. Forklifts roam freely, loading and unloading the trucks at the docks, distributing pallets full of merchandise to various parts of the building for the stockers to unload. 

At Thanksgiving, all permanent employees at every warehouse get a free turkey.  Each permanent employee gets up to 4 Executive Memberships for oneself and one’s family.  There’s paid pregnancy leave, paid bereavement leave. They even offer an unpaid 6 week mental health break if you need time to detox. You can transfer to other warehouses in other states without losing your seniority. If you’re a college student, they will work with your schedule. The list goes on and on. 

Still, people find things to complain about. No workplace is perfect. The supervisors and managers have varying levels of competence. On-the-job training is mostly the occasional pointer from a co-worker.  But none of the work is brain surgery, so don’t sweat it.

All-in-all, Costco is good place to work. You won’t get rich, but you will get paid. 

Costco is what you make of it. I worked there part time for 2 and a half years. Started selling TV’s.. then applied to customer service (Membership) for a dollar raise. After nearly losing my mind in customer service I ran for the hills to the Tire Department. Finished my time there. I eventually left because I was getting burnt out... Since I was the new guy in the tire shop, and since we didn’t always have cars to work on, I would constantly get sent back and forth between the shop and the registers up front to help the cashiers... this is called working “THE FRONT END” Dun dun dun....

For anyone that hasn’t worked the front end of Costco before (packing groceries and cashiering), it can be quite arduous. Sometimes the lines never end. And people will load their cart until they can barely push it. Sometimes they have two carts! So guess what you gotta take all that stuff out, put it onto the belt, and then pack it all back into the cart without squishing or missing anything. On Holidays it can be an introverts worst nightmare. I’m talking lines back to the rotisserie chickens!! I heard a seasonal guy came in and quit on the first day before his shift was over... Oh, and everyone has to help out on the “front end” when it gets really busy. You don’t have a choice. (Unless you work in food) If need be they can and will send you outside in 90 degree weather to push carts. And they don’t discriminate!! If you are new, chances are you will be pushing carts at some point. Front end also consists of folding clothes, putting items back where they belong in the store, and it can also mean whatever they need you to do in that moment, really. If someone has rotten grape tomatoes at the checkout line.. guess what Charlie?! You are gonna jog to the very back of this enormous warehouse, dodging people, children and carts like it were the Costco olympics and you’re gonna bring back this poor member some fresh tomatoes!  Good exercise I must say. But, I digress. 

Costco can be chaotic at times and the truth is, it feels like you’re doing multiple jobs that you did not apply for..  Also, dealing with the public at the level we do is sometimes mentally exhausting. I used to have nightmares of the customer service department! But... Providing good customer service is what it’s all about and Costco stands true to that. If you like unpredictability, fast paced work and you thrive in a social environment, please give it a shot! Once you get in you can try to see what other positions are available.. For example if you get stuck on the “Front End”, you can try to apply for the bakery or something different. There are many departments to choose from.

Long story short... - Great job.- Fantastic benefits.- Good culture. - Fast paced. - Stressful. (Your feet will hurt from the concrete floor but you’ll get your steps in.)  - You get a free membership that you can share with 4 people. - The management was good for the most part. - Starting wage is 15 bucks now across the U.S. - and last but not least... You will work at least one Saturday or Sunday every weekend until the end of time. Retail baby!! - I had a wonderful experience working at Costco. But I must admit... I was happy when I left.

My typical day at work begins at 5 a.m. First thing in the morning I key out (remove product from our inventory) products that have either been returned by customers or damaged/expired within the warehouse. Usually takes between 1-2 hours to complete this task. Depending on the day of the week, we will ship salvage or donation items, process RMA paperwork from vendors, and manage inventory of items brought through RTV.

I've learned that through hard work and perseverance at this company, you can move up fairly quick, but there are quite a few politics in play that will keep you from doing so if the time isn't right. Typically when a new job is posted, they will interview all of those applying, but pick someone who is getting paid the least out of the candidates and usually does not have the experience for the applied job. If you're too good or valued in your specific department, very rarely will you be able to move or get promoted out of that department even though you are heavily qualified for the new job posted.

Management at my particular warehouse is very poor. Very focused on payroll and cutting hours/people in order to save the warehouse money. Very poor planning when it comes to department moves or rearrangement, usually we will move a department 4-5 times within several days before it actually stays in that arrangement for a few months at a time. When major moves are planned, there isn't enough manpower to finish it before the store opens (10 a.m. - So roughly 5 hours of time for projects). Very little communication between managers when it comes to department moves as well; one manager will like it, another will hate it and have you move it again. Many times have I found myself doing entire department moves in 5 hours without any help whatsoever. Several times I've finished a move, sweating and tired, only to be told that I have to move it again because the store manager does not like the arrangement. Management will also take advantage of you if you're too reliable or good at the tasks given, overloading you with tasks that aren't even apart of your job description.

Co-worker wise, there are some good apples and bad apples as with any company. Many fly under the radar and are given little or no tasks to complete. Those like myself who are reliable and productive get a large load of tasks to complete.

Hardest part of the job is having pride to do things right and get the job done. At this moment, I have 6 different jobs that I'm pulled to when a department is in need of help. I'm constantly being pulled away from my primary tasks to pick up the slack elsewhere. The only recognition for those who have a great work ethic is your picture on the wall, no bonus or raises, not even an employee of the month parking spot.

Enjoyable part is the fact that the health benefits are great and low cost when you can get them. Also the amount of pens and markers you will accumulate in your car/home because you forgot to take it out of your pocket...

My shifts were always closing shifts, starting between 2 and 4pm. It always started with checking the dock for additional produce to be stocked, grabbing a radio to communicate with the floor, and inspecting the sales floor to quickly identify what items to focus on first. Condensing produce, ensuring produce boxes were full, and even hand-stacking additional produce to ensure members had ample selection to choose from.

Working at Costco taught me the value of working hard and appreciating a day well worked, as well as managing my time to be able to close quickly and efficiently.  Overtime was discouraged, even going as far as to write up employees who have worked longer than their scheduled shift, regardless of whether or not the required work was finished.

Management was completely biased, managers had their favorite employees who often got scheduled the shifts they wanted rather than shifts that would help accommodate others. Closing as a produce stocker, I would often be forced to close with less than optimal assistance, often being forced to close the entire produce section on my own. When brought up, management would tell me that they could not afford to send assistance to produce, despite having more than enough workers who have finished their closing routine and folding clothes to otherwise socialize with their friends. Even after quitting, management did not communicate with each other, even going as far as to write me up for not showing up to work, despite having communicated with my supervisor about leaving Costco as a whole.

Workplace culture as a whole is decent, there are plenty of friendly team-members. Managers and supervisors often gossip about their team-members, most of which gets filtered through their work and scheduling.

The hardest part of working at Costco was the closing. Often, being forced to close solo, I was met initially with physical hardship; my body not used to pushing over 20 pallets of produce within the span of an hour, while also maintaining and ensuring boxes were full and empty boxes were processed. As time went on, I grew more and more used to closing alone. 

The most enjoyable part of working was the satisfaction of closing on my own and the friends I made working. Few coworkers would sympathize with me, stating how they also worked in produce and faced similar problems as me, but they managed to move to other departments where help was more available to them. Despite that, the satisfaction of being the only member actively closing produce nightly was often enough for me, providing bragging rights that I am a capable individual.

Pay was always fairly decent. Upon hire, you would be put into a part-time position, guaranteed at least 24 hours a week. The only issue would be the conflicting raise to hours worked, raises only being given after working 1050 hours. Unfortunately, team members who worked only 24 hours would be forced to stay at the bottom of the scale due to minimum wage increases forcing the scale to reset.

I was forced to resign after the job triggered my illness—autonomic failure—which is made worse by heat and physical activity. But the reason the job is so physical is that it’s misclassified. 

It is a baker’s assistant/clerk job with cake decorating responsibilities. You have to unload sheet pan racks full of cakes, lift heavy pans full of water with several 4.5-pound cheesecakes on them, and balance these heavy cheesecakes on your forearm while simultaneously trying to rip the slippery foil pans off of them in thin strips! The un-traying of baked goods is NOT a cake decorator’s job. There are huge metal mixer bowls full of frosting that need 2 people to lift, yet I was expected to empty them and lift them by myself during the final hour that I was closing. I then had to organize and put away heavy storage bins of icing, weighing what I guess to be 50+ pounds each.

A cake decorator’s normal responsibilities at most companies are filling, frosting, and decorating cakes with daily stocking and other minor activities. I’ve worked for 4 other supermarkets as a cake decorator including 4 years at Meijer and never had a problem with the work being too physical.

At Costco, everything is made from scratch so the bakery is always too hot. They had fans running, but in the 90-degree summer heat with the ovens always going, it triggered my illness. Add to that the constant loading, unloading, and lifting of huge mixer bowls and storage bins makes this a difficult job. Instead of having a 20-pound box of pre-made cake or a 15-pound bucket of ready-made icing, you’re lifting full, 50-pound metal mixer bowls and bins. And the way they micromanage, you are constantly stopping and starting a project which means pulling out and putting away this heavy stuff all day long!

Because I have problems with my illness in the mornings, I asked to start work at 9 am. This is considered the ‘closing’ shift at Costco. They have a weird, unfair rule that the last person working has to clean up after the whole team! I’ve never had to clean up after coworkers at any other cake decorating job. When you’re a closer, you are in a hurry and don’t have time to clean up everyone’s table, cake stands, implements, and equipment in addition to cleaning and sanitizing the whole area. The one girl was so inexperienced that she had cake and frosting in every crevice and all over the equipment, table, and floor! Yet I had to clean up after her and several others. I had to bend over the commercial sink to do EVERYONE’s dishes. I was not hired to be a dishwasher, scullery maid, or whatever you call this. Cake decorators at all my past jobs were expected to clean up after themselves. It’s unfair to put this responsibility on someone whose only fault was that they were unable to start work an hour earlier due to health reasons. 

The store manager acted like he’d been hoodwinked into hiring me. But *I* was the one questioning whether or not I could physically do the job during my interview. I wanted this to be a good fit for everyone. They forced me to resign after I was honest and told them I was struggling. Cruel.

It has been awhile since I worked as a cake decorator/Baker for Costco, but it was one of those job experiences you will never forget, and not in a good way.

Working for Costco was the worst job I have ever had. 

Truthfully, I don't even know where to begin on why I think this. 

Now that I am in a well established job with people working under me, working at Costco taught me how to never treat your employees.

First off I was a very hard worker. I did my job and never complained. My manager noticed and praised me. 

In front of everyone.

You probably know where that is going.

Because I was . . . 20? 19? there were a lot of jealous older women who thought I didn't deserve the praise. As a result, I suddenly talked behind my managers back and purposely left messes behind for others to clean -- among other countless flaws, etc.

Because of this, I was also "told on" for "eating" baked goods during work hours and was constantly brought in front of management where I always denied these allegations. I knew who told on me and would tell them fervently that I knew it was this certain someone and that they are lying. Despite everything, I was constantly picked on by management to the point that I was watched religiously for the smallest of mistakes. These mistakes include:

1. Being sick and taking an extra five minutes to go the the bathroom to take care of business and in doing so was told I wasnt allowed to take an extended break and was written up for being sick. Because I was embarrassed (and too young to stick up for myself) I continued to work despite being really sick.

2. I was asked to work overtime. I had to call my parents to let them know I would be home later and took my phone out in the hallway leading to the break room. Because I took my phone out outside of the break room, I was scolded for it.

3. Walking from the bakery all the way across the store to the break room, I'd would be constantly stopped by shoppers. I would help said shoppers and when fifteen minutes past, had to go back despite not stepping into the break room once. I would take off my white Costco hat when my break or lunch came and was told I could not do that to avoid shoppers.

4. I was constantly threatened by my manager that if I did not move faster, I would be fired.

5. I was constantly pitted against a Baker who had worked as a Baker for 10+ years in speed. I was only a Baker for about a month at that time. Again, my job was put on the line if I did not beat her. (I didn't beat her and was brought to tears. My boss would say she was just teasing. She never gave off that air.)

The only reason I worked there was to pay for my tuition. Finally I got fed up and quit. The only reason why I stayed there for so long was because the pay was good and had benefits.

I had more harassing experiences working for this company, but the ones I listed here are the ones I remember constantly and repeat religiously to my employees on how not to act or treat others in a professional atmosphere.

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