Blog a Day-Day 13-What I do...A Career at Costco

On 02/13/2014 at 03:55 PM by NintendoFanJon

Linked to Article Series: Blog a Day (BaD) 2014

So I've often talked about how busy I am as a high up business guy. But just what exactly do I do? Most people don't go into what they do for a living and I can say that unless you ask well you won't get an answer. We've all had those dead end jobs. Jobs that don't pay too well or jobs that do. Some jobs we like, others we don't. I remember getting a paper route at 13 years old and thinking about how awesome that paltry $60 was when I got it. Delivering papers on my bicycle after school every day and early Sunday mornings was awful.

Then I realized just what awful was when I worked at McDonald's at age 16. For two years of hell...I look back and realize...how much I became a cynic. I know that work is work and I never really cared. I think I was a shift manager all of 6 months there before deciding I quit. Then from 18 to now I've been to college...got a business degree and I'm a top supervisor at Costco.

What this means exactly is I've been promoted to a level in which I make $25 an hour. I work full time, time and a half Sundays, and all that crap. When you talk to people about Costco or a business like a Costco functions...they usually like the Costco experience. Sure you have many who don't like the membership or big box feeling....some might say Costco sucks. I can see that point.

Costco is no different than any other job. I worked my way up. There were days I hated it...days I enjoyed it. I guess you can say it may not be based on what I get payed and the benefits, but I've found something that while not a career I wanted to get into I have come to grow into. Will I work there forever? Hard to say. Futures change, decisions change, and who knows...maybe I'll find something that pays better....maybe I'll open my own business. But until such a time I shall continue to try and improve.

Joaquim Mira Media Manager

02/13/2014 at 04:42 PM

I've been trying to get a job at a local Costco because I know a freind of mine that used to work at another one with a 5am to 11am shift, 6 days a week, but the pay was better than what I'm doing now. I order, receive, and work all produce for a brand of convenience stores. They suck, thus why I'm leaving it asap, and I've been there since October 2013.

NintendoFanJon

02/14/2014 at 06:22 AM

Yeah Costco isn''t too bad depending. I usually work variable shifts because I like to keep track of just about every employee. I t's good because I mean we promote from within so if I notice someone doing an excellent job at something they either get a pay raise or promotion. But that's just my experience. Other places do things differently

Matt Snee Staff Writer

02/13/2014 at 04:50 PM

I had a paper route too.

02/14/2014 at 06:23 AM

I know right? I used to love my paper route as a kid riding my bike around everywhere lol

Super Step Contributing Writer

02/14/2014 at 01:05 AM

My friend Andy works as a forklift driver at Costco. He makes I think $15/hour? $25/hour is not something I'd shake a stick at.

Anyway, my current Graduate Assistantship is the highest paying job I've had other than Residence Life (I'll get into that), at $1000/month. I am only ever supposed to work 20/week by law, but I intentionally spend more time than that in the radio station I'm managing. I would love a career in what I do. Only problem is I really do need to focus on my Graduate courses more than I have been.

I totally understand your cynicism towards McDonald's. My first job was at Boston Market at age 16, and I quit after a few months. I was paid $6/hour and didn't care how little my hours were, because I was forced by my parents to get the job.

Then I got a job as a busser at Outback Steakhouse in 2007 (age 17), then promoted to Take Away, then to Server/occassionally Captain (my favorite position besides busser; they involved dealing with people, but not to the point I was made inefficient; just went went went). I was also forced into this by my parents and made a paltry $2.13/hour plus tips (any position, though I made more with each promotion; I'd say I made the most as "Captain"), and people could still suck/Valentine's Day in a restaurant is now my idea of hell, but I had lots of good friends there, got along with management, etc. so stayed for three years (until 2010/age 20).

Starting in Fall 2009, I was a CA (Community Assistant; most other places call them RAs), and promoted to AHD (Assistant Hall Director) for Fall 2011/Spring 2012 when I graduated. It was downright demoralizing, and I became depressed doing it. Thank God for decent people and coworkers. I learned to hate authority, and by extension myself, quite a bit. Never again. I did it because I felt obligated to and most days it really wasn't that bad, but the anxiety about what could and sometimes did happen was ... well, let's just say I feel I earned that free housing, meal plan, and (once promoted) $400/mo stipend.

Sorry for the rant, I do that when I'm tired. It was cool to hear what you did and do for a living. I always wanted a paper route as a kid, but I guess there's drawbacks there, too. I mostly mowed my parents' lawn for cash.

02/14/2014 at 06:26 AM

Yeah forklift can be pretty good...and you can even move up as a forklift operator to make like $20. Also I appreciate the rant. I mean I could see myself in a similar boat of sorts working my way up so I can identify...though I mowed my parents lawn for free...it was a household chore along with picking up dog crap.

02/14/2014 at 11:40 AM

Yeah, I had other unpaid chores, but mostly those were inside chores like dusting, vacuuming, etc. We had cats, but I only cleaned the litter box a few times.

For some reason, I liked mowing the lawn and was decent at it, but edging the lawn always gave me trouble.

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