If you value your health and life, stay away. - IT Employee Costco Wholesale Employee Review

2.0
Mar 4, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You can mentally shut down and you should be fine as long as you are physically visible to management. This is a "pro" for many people who are used to this type of environment. . Costco cares a lot more about employee socialization and spreading love and viruses than actual work output. If this is your thing, then you will love it here. . Sit-stand desk (but only if you are already sick).

Cons

Very political, akin to a dictatorship. Let me explain: the CEO is in charge of everything, and every single person in the hierarchy down to the managers exist only to please their superiors. Every single change has to go through the CEO (or his office). He might be a good CEO for retail, but certainly not a good one for IT. He needs to trust his subordinates. . I will not be surprised if Costco stocks plummet in a couple of years or so if nothing would change, because the tech people who keep Costco operations up are ignored, in favor of archaic culture perpetuated by management who are very inexperienced with modern tech practices. . Compensation is still very uncompetitive, both with salary and benefits. It's a tiny bit better than last year but still falls short compared to the industry average. You won't get enough time off, and you won't get to telecommute (If they say otherwise, it's a lie. Trust me, I work here). Their selling point is job security, which is a double-edged sword: good for lazy and incompetent people, but bad for everyone else who works with these people. . Again, no telecommuting. Reason? In the name of equality. There are a lot of employees who are required to be in the office, so tech workers (who should not have issues telecommuting) suffer as well. NO equity, NO fairness. It is simply just, equality. . If one employee catches a virus, everybody has to get them as well. This is the management's definition of "fairness". Seriously, I am genuinely concerned not only for my health, but also for my life. . To their credit, some in management push for change. But again, if the supreme CEO says no, everybody just agrees and all hope goes away. I am not sure exactly how this works, but this is how many people in these positions describe it to us. . No one has a real voice, which is why people like me opt to voice out our concerns here in Glassdoor. They continue refusing to listen to the workforce—the people who are not in any political hierarchy—the ACTUAL tech workers. Do I think Costco is a good company to work for? Maybe for retail, but definitely not for IT. . Also, you pay for coffee. If they say there is free coffee, they are talking about the coffee infused with used socks. Real coffee here costs money.

Explore other reviews about Costco Wholesale

5.0
Jul 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent work culture and great teammates.

Cons

No cons, everything is fine.

4.0
Oct 25, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very affordable high quality health insurance benefits even for PT employees. Great for working parents who split up child care and need coverage. The key to succeeding at Costco is to work hard, have a good attitude and be nice to people. It's hard work and fasted paced, you have to be down for that to succeed.

Cons

At this warehouse you are required to work 5 days per week, even if you are PT at 24 or so hours. This means lots of 4-5 hour shifts rather than fewer 8 hour shifts which is tough for those who commute a long distance to work or have to cover day care.

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