Winnipeg Retail

[pegcityboy]

$21/ hr isnt very high anymore at all . It used to be a pretty good wage but now it’s ok. They work hard in grocery business with weird hours weekends and holidays working . One of my neighbours is a UPS driver hes making $25an hr another one is a postie and he makes over $27 an hour . Grocery stores paid well years back , but now other jobs have caught up or even surpassed them .

[cheswick]

Last census (2016) had median income for 25-54 year olds in Manitoba at $41,659. That equates to $20 an hour for a 40 hour work week. So $21 an hour is more than what half the established adult population of Manitoba earns.

[CoryB]

Even at $21/hour Costco is paying easily 30% more than most similar retail level jobs and in a lot of cases even more than that. Also most retail employees are forced to work in uncertain hours and intentionally restricted to part-time status so they are not legally required to receive benefits like group health insurance (vision, dental, etc). Worse, as managers often have a high degree of discretion on how many hours part time employees get scheduled for a disagreement with a manager can see your hours drop from almost full time to almost unemployed on a whim.

It isn't always just about the wage per hour.

[laumag]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Even at $21/hour Costco is paying easily 30% more than most similar retail level jobs and in a lot of cases even more than that. Also most retail employees are forced to work in uncertain hours and intentionally restricted to part-time status so they are not legally required to receive benefits like group health insurance (vision, dental, etc). Worse, as managers often have a high degree of discretion on how many hours part time employees get scheduled for a disagreement with a manager can see your hours drop from almost full time to almost unemployed on a whim.

It isn't always just about the wage per hour.

I was at Costco St. James Street location and it was very busy, but, the Cashier I had processed everyone with very little waiting. I asked her if she was happy working at Costco. She told me that all Costco employees receive comprehensive medical coverage, which includes dental, vision care, prescriptions, hospital etc. They also receive bonuses at Christmas. She is full time and told me her annual salary is $59,000.00 That is roughly $27 an hour. She also receives an employee discount on items purchased at Costco. She mentioned that there are very few employees that quit.

Winnipeg could use another Costco. I tend to go there late afternoon around 3:30 PM and the crowds on St. James are not as bad as other times during the day. I am retired, so, I have the luxury of frequenting stores when others are working.

[esquire]

^ That's really good... $59K must be near the top end of what cashiers get paid in this city.

[blueandgoldguy]

That's impressive. $59K is more than many white collar professionals earn and in some cases, by a substantial amount. Compare her salary to someone who is working in a similar position at Wal Mart - probably making half her salary with no bonuses and a fraction of the benefits.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by laumag

I was at Costco St. James Street location and it was very busy, but, the Cashier I had processed everyone with very little waiting. I asked her if she was happy working at Costco. She told me that all Costco employees receive comprehensive medical coverage, which includes dental, vision care, prescriptions, hospital etc. They also receive bonuses at Christmas. She is full time and told me her annual salary is $59,000.00 That is roughly $27 an hour. She also receives an employee discount on items purchased at Costco. She mentioned that there are very few employees that quit.

Winnipeg could use another Costco. I tend to go there late afternoon around 3:30 PM and the crowds on St. James are not as bad as other times during the day. I am retired, so, I have the luxury of frequenting stores when others are working.

Costco is a great employer, hard to get a job there cause there is such low turnover. My local Costco there has been a guy working there since at least the mid 90's over 20 years, that's pretty good for a retail job, they give benefits and good raises.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by laumag

I am retired, so, I have the luxury of frequenting stores when others are working.

Kicks ass, doesn't it?

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ It seems like for years now different companies have been trying to become the Starbucks of tea only to fail hard, or at the very least have a hard time getting traction. Cargo & James, Teavana, DavidsTea, am I missing any?

The that all these companies have failed to see is the price ceiling for tea products is half that of coffee at best, and coffee is a much more in-demand commodity in NA than tea. The whole concept is flawed. Especially DavidsTea which doesn’t even have snacks.

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Costco has a reputation for treating its employees very well.

Although I will say the inconvenience is too great for me to want to shop there. I bought a membership once to get a set of tires and checked out the rest of the store a few times after that. Paying for a membership, dealing with their short hours and crowded stores when they are open, the often gargantuan product sizes, no thanks. I think you have to have some masochistic tendencies to shop there.

I know several people who work at Costco and absolutely love it. Good pay, all FT employees get great medical and benefits, vacation, RRSP matching, fantastic management — really just have nothing but the best things to say. I know a few people who stopped serving at places they made a lot of tips to go to Costco, and never looked back.

And the usual caveat with most where it’s only “FT” people that get that is almost irrelevant there. They actually try to have as many FT employees as possible. You save significant costs on turnover, training, and management of PT staff and scheduling, and create a much better work environment/community feeling for staff, which is proven to have spin-off benefits to treatment of customers, etc.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

That's impressive. $59K is more than many white collar professionals earn and in some cases, by a substantial amount. Compare her salary to someone who is working in a similar position at Wal Mart - probably making half her salary with no bonuses and a fraction of the benefits.

To get anywhere near the $59K a Costco cashier is reportedly making a Walmart employee would most likely need to be on the store management team (store manger, assistant, and similar) or a highly specialized field (ie pharmacist).

Based on the stores I hear that is also more than most store managers at smaller chain retailers are making. Again there could be exceptions (ie Apple store) but it covers off most of the places you would see in a mall or similar.

[drew]

I remember Costco being considered the holy grail of part time jobs when I was in high school.

I don't actually know anyone who ever managed to get a job there.

[Gm0ney]

The city definitely needs another Costco...or maybe extend the hours. Or both!

The parking lot is usually my biggest frustration - it seems to be the weakest link of every Costco I've ever been to. Some members could use a crash course in common courtesy, as well.

[buzzg]

The parking lot at the Kenaston one is absurdly small. I refuse to go there. There's always a line waiting to park with no spots open/

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by CoryB

To get anywhere near the $59K a Costco cashier is reportedly making a Walmart employee would most likely need to be on the store management team (store manger, assistant, and similar) or a highly specialized field (ie pharmacist).

Not necessarily. I was at Costco the day after Remembrance Day and my cashier didn't realize that Costco was open on the 11th.

She was corrected by the person boxing my stuff and quipped that she doesn't get scheduled on holidays because they likely don't want to pay her the $68/hr when time-and-a-half is factored in.

Here name tag showed she was an employee since 1992.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by h0twired

Not necessarily. I was at Costco the day after Remembrance Day and my cashier didn't realize that Costco was open on the 11th.

She was corrected by the person boxing my stuff and quipped that she doesn't get scheduled on holidays because they likely don't want to pay her the $68/hr when time-and-a-half is factored in.

Here name tag showed she was an employee since 1992.

Time and a half at $68 would equate to $45 a hour regular time, which is full time close to $100k a year. Somehow I find this story dubious.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The parking lot at the Kenaston one is absurdly small. I refuse to go there. There's always a line waiting to park with no spots open/

I am fairly sure that of the three Winnipeg Costco locations, before the expansion of the Regent parking lot, Kenaston had the largest lot by a significant margin. I know it was the one I typically have the easiest time finding a spot at.

[vjose32]

Originally Posted by h0twired

Not necessarily. I was at Costco the day after Remembrance Day and my cashier didn't realize that Costco was open on the 11th.

She was corrected by the person boxing my stuff and quipped that she doesn't get scheduled on holidays because they likely don't want to pay her the $68/hr when time-and-a-half is factored in.

Here name tag showed she was an employee since 1992.

$68! Yeah I don’t buy it.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by vjose32

$68! Yeah I don’t buy it.

It wouldn't surprise me if she was making $40+/hr after working there for over 25 years.

Likely a supervisor that was just working the tills during a busy day.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by h0twired

It wouldn't surprise me if she was making $40+/hr after working there for over 25 years.

Likely a supervisor that was just working the tills during a busy day.

So this person working cash was a supervisor who's paid by the hour, isn't even aware when the store is open, is still scheduled by superiors, but somehow is pulling in close to $100k a year? Yeah colour me skeptical.

[AccordTR]

Originally Posted by h0twired

Not necessarily. I was at Costco the day after Remembrance Day and my cashier didn't realize that Costco was open on the 11th.

She was corrected by the person boxing my stuff and quipped that she doesn't get scheduled on holidays because they likely don't want to pay her the $68/hr when time-and-a-half is factored in.

Here name tag showed she was an employee since 1992.

I think she means 2-1/2 pay. 1 pay for the stat and then 1-1/2 for actually working a shift. I have few friends that work at Costco, 1 is a full time cashier, the other an over night supervisor. They make decent money but definitely not over $50k.