Our dynamic management team, fueled by an enthusiastic, dedicated workforce, is leading us confidently into the 21^st century with creative new ideas grounded firmly in our corporate mission: To continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices.

Our exciting, treasure-hunt atmosphere garners us loyal members wherever we go (currently more than 32 million), and our members know they can always find the greatest value at Costco. We have expanded our well-earned reputation for quality, and currently operate 335 warehouses throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.

Costco now employs a staff of approximately 2,000 at its Home Office in Issaquah, Washington, and counts nearly 80,000 employees worldwide. We operate 15 regional offices, 18 depots/distribution centers, two packaging centers, one meat plant, four business/delivery centers, and two optical labs.

Our aggressive expansion plans call for our entry into new markets around the globe, and we’ll be opening 30 to 50 new warehouses a year into the foreseeable future. That means incredible growth and advancement opportunities for our employees!

We set the standard in our industry, outselling our nearest competitors by as much as 40%, and a lot of our edge comes from our outstanding merchandising philosophy. Our product mix has an upscale twist not found in other "big boxes," and appeals to a very high end demographic profile. Alongside the typical giant boxes of laundry detergent and toilet paper are Waterford crystal, cashmere sweaters, and a fine jewelry department boasting high quality diamonds that are guaranteed to appraise for at least double their purchase price. In addition to the staples, our food departments sell fine wines and gourmet fare like salmon filets, huge rotisserie chickens, and ready-to-cook Epicurean meals.

Our private label, Kirkland Signature, stands for the very best in quality and value, with products that meet or exceed the leading brands at savings from 10% to 80%. In addition, we have co-branded products with manufacturers such as Whirlpool and Hanes. Our ancillary products and services include 1-hour photo processing, optical, pharmacy, hearing aids, tires and installation – even gas stations – all offering quality and value above the norm.

We are committed to quality and integrity in every aspect of our business, and our operations are firmly anchored in our Mission Statement --

To continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices. In order to achieve our mission we will conduct our business with the following Code of Ethics in mind:

1. Obey the law.
2. Take care of our members.
3. Take care of our employees.
4. Respect our vendors.
5. Reward our shareholders.

We also take a leading role in the communities in which we do business, believing that it is extremely important to give back to those who contribute to our success. Costco is well known for its generosity and community service and has won many awards for its philanthropy. We encourage our employees to take an active role in volunteering and provide many corporate sponsored opportunities in which they can help others.

Each fall the company gives away thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies to underprivileged children. Our warehouses participate in Adopt-a-School and reading enrichment programs which allow our employees to mentor and tutor struggling students, often raising their reading levels significantly.

We are major contributors to United Way and Children’s Miracle Network, yearly contributing in excess of 10 million dollars to these and other worthy causes.

Our solid corporate reputation – the combination of our merchandising expertise, our pricing authority, our outstanding customer service, and our unswervingly high ethical standards – stems from our people.

We believe our employees are the best in the retail industry, and we continue to seek friendly, creative, energetic, self-motivated, and caring team players. We believe strongly in the synergy of ideas and are committed to diversity and equal employment opportunities. We provide a safe, drug and alcohol-free workplace where all can work to their full potential.

Costco’s strong corporate culture is based on individual responsibility and initiative, and the faith we place in our employees is rewarded by a workforce that strives for personal and professional excellence. We have a number of training and leadership programs in place to help our employees meet and exceed their goals – and we are dedicated to promoting 80% of our management team from within.