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And their employee actually gets treated pretty well - when I go to Sam's club, I always feel bad; maybe I'm projecting.

ashtonkem 5y ago
I’ve shopped at both (based on location I lived), and the Costco employees always seemed in a better mood than the Sam’s employees. I figured it had to do with how the company, and maybe the customers, treated them.
- dylan604 5y ago
  >and maybe the customers I don't think people give this enough credit. It's one thing to be shit on by your employer, but having the customers treating like shit as well is just as bad. Getting the double whammy of getting it from both sides must be brutal.
  - indymike 5y ago
    > It's one thing to be shit on by your employer, but having the customers treating like shit as well is just as bad. Spent a few years in retail, and can tell you: if management treats employees badly, customers will treat employees badly, which in turn causes another cycle of management treating employees badly. It's a cycle that is caused when management and employees aren't focused on the one thing that really matters in a retail exchange: having happy customers.
    - ashtonkem 5y ago
      I was going to say: I think there’s a mixture of customer selection and signaling from management going on here. I think Costco (and all stores really), subtly signal how their employees are to be treated, which creates a norm and a social expectation that most people implicitly follow. I think the fact that Costco employees don’t have to wear a full uniform is part of it. They have a clear identification that they’re an employee, as is necessary, but they also don’t have to wear a uniform that strips them of as much individuality as possible.
- bb88 5y ago
  At the local costco, many employees have stuck around for over a decade (you can tell because of the badge). At an Amazon warehouse, they go through employees like a runny nose goes through tissues.

ashtonkem 5y ago

I’ve shopped at both (based on location I lived), and the Costco employees always seemed in a better mood than the Sam’s employees. I figured it had to do with how the company, and maybe the customers, treated them.

dylan604 5y ago
>and maybe the customers I don't think people give this enough credit. It's one thing to be shit on by your employer, but having the customers treating like shit as well is just as bad. Getting the double whammy of getting it from both sides must be brutal.
- indymike 5y ago
  > It's one thing to be shit on by your employer, but having the customers treating like shit as well is just as bad. Spent a few years in retail, and can tell you: if management treats employees badly, customers will treat employees badly, which in turn causes another cycle of management treating employees badly. It's a cycle that is caused when management and employees aren't focused on the one thing that really matters in a retail exchange: having happy customers.
  - ashtonkem 5y ago
    I was going to say: I think there’s a mixture of customer selection and signaling from management going on here. I think Costco (and all stores really), subtly signal how their employees are to be treated, which creates a norm and a social expectation that most people implicitly follow. I think the fact that Costco employees don’t have to wear a full uniform is part of it. They have a clear identification that they’re an employee, as is necessary, but they also don’t have to wear a uniform that strips them of as much individuality as possible.
bb88 5y ago
At the local costco, many employees have stuck around for over a decade (you can tell because of the badge). At an Amazon warehouse, they go through employees like a runny nose goes through tissues.