This little newsbit exemplifies the difference between the stingy
greed of the south and the Walton family vs. the North(west) and the
common sense of the founders of Costco...

"On Tuesday, Costco CEO and President Craig Jelinek came out in
support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which aims to raise the
federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, then adjust it after that for
inflation.

"At Costco, we know that paying employees good wages makes good sense
for business," Jelinek said in a statement. "We pay a starting hourly
wage of $11.50 in all states where we do business, and we are still
able to keep our overhead costs low."

"An important reason for the success of Costco’s business model is the
attraction and retention of great employees," Jelinek added. "Instead
of minimizing wages, we know it's a lot more profitable in the long
term to minimize employee turnover and maximize employee productivity,
commitment and loyalty. We support efforts to increase the federal
minimum wage."

Costco has a reputation for paying its employees above market rate,
with the typical worker earning around $45,000 in 2011, according to
Fortune. Walmart-owned Sam's Club, in contrast, pays its sales
associates an average of $17,486 per year, according to salary
information website Glassdoor.com.

Costco also provides health insurance to a significantly larger
percentage of its workers than does Walmart, the Harvard Business
Review reported in 2006."

....

Consequently, Costco employees don't cost the taxpayers additional
money through supplimental needs like food stamps and health care
delivered through emergency rooms, like so many Walmart employees.

I have both family and friends who work at Costco and they say the
company is both fair and reasonable and expects employees to do their
best, which shows up in how the stores are run and how customers are
treated. This is how American business should be run. Another NW
founded company, Nordstom, works the same way. A fair wage for a good
day's work. They stand with their employees.