No Longer With Costco. Still Have an Allegiance With My Old Friends

Lame, cowardly post.  I am long gone from Costco.  I met many wonderful people there.  Went back a couple of weeks ago and found that nothing is changed. 

I would like to help all Costco employees, everywhere, and be a clearinghouse for attempts to unionize and move forward.

Please contact me so I can help.  I can make no promises.   But maybe we can all make this bigger than what it is now.

I am still here...

still disgusted by Costco's enforcement of its own policies. I had to slow down because of the possibility of being fired for writing this blog. Lotsa gossip and speculation at this warehouse.

I will soon write about what I have recently seen/experienced.

All the best,
(*(*%^*

Posted Schedules

I have complained before about the fact that Costco Rego Park didnt post their schedules on the Monday before the following week, as was dictated by the employee handbook. Since my posting, they have been very diligent about posting the schedule as dictated. I don't attribute that to this blog, but it was nice to see.

Spoke to a fellow employee who had a question about the schedule and he/she was told that the new schedule is just a reprint of the old one. It is only posted because.....

.

Did some shopping at ALDI

ALDI opened last Friday, with a modest amount of fanfare. I went on the Thursday prior to see their offerings. The store was much smaller than anticipated. It is barely larger than Costco's front end. Not a criticism, but an observation. All of ALDI's greeters were pleasant and put on the expected smiling face, but it seemed really weird to be handed little yogurt cups, pretzel crisps and pizza rolls from overly courteous Aryans - white, slim, young and well-groomed - in their $600 dollar suits. It really felt weird seeing one of the Aryan Amazons bending over to hear a little Asian woman asking for a sample of their cinammon cereal. That pretentiousness doesn't sell well in this borough.

As to its product, that is left to be tasted. The prices are low, the selection is limited and the quality is yet TBD. I suspect that immigrants, which comprise a majority of the area's consumers, will not accept Eurotrash. I don't know if ALDIs fits that bill, the early word suggests their products are not on par with the suits their young lil execs wear at their opening.

As far as it being a threat to COSTCO, the jury is out. The profit margins for cost-cutting retailers/wholesalers is low. ALDI has some advantages, as I have pointed out earlier. And, as for ALDI, its not a matter of stealing a big chunk of COSTCO's business, it is only a matter of putting a big enough dent in it to make it unprofitable.

So now, the matter goes to the consumer......

And how is Aldi doin?

Shelves are stocked. Freezers are stocked. Registers are on. Looks ready to open. But by the look of it, seems to be a lil peanut store. You wouldn't think it could compete with Costco. Based on the composition of the neighborhood their inability to buy in bulk, who knows. Hmmmmmmmm.

UPDATE: Aldi to open on the 18th with a preview on the 17th. I am certainly not trying to promote Aldi, I hope they fail. I just don't understand - - "To get to Costco, follow that arrow, go down the elevator, and navigate yourself through the vestibule."

How is that shrinkage?

Costco had its last inventory over the last weekend. And what did we see?

Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe more eyes should be behind the front counter. Maybe the holding pen should be held tighter. The deli chickens don't seem to be clucking well, either. Was it $15k? Ouuuuuchhhh

Heard that the Elevators Broke Today

Ouch. The cart people had to carry up full loads from Costco shoppers. There were elderly ladies luggin bulk packages up steep stairs. Is there anything wrong here? From what I have heard this was a logistical nightmare.

Costco was not the cause of the problem, but having employees hauling product up a couple of flights is horrible.

Nobody envisioned this scenario?

Management at Costco Not All That It Seems?

No first person verification here. I don't spread rumors. But I do I believe I am hearing my information from very credible sources. From what I have heard, at least 2 Rego Park Costco Managers have gone to ALDI, seeking a lateral managerial positions.

Interesting. Hmmmmmmm.

I won't give names here because I am not about hurting Costco management, or any other employees. It is only about fair treatment for employees.

Btw, nice to hear from the front end people that support this blog.

RP Costco Finally Abiding by the Handbook?

As I have said, Costco has been notorious for holding employees accountable to the letter of the law of their employee handbook. At the same time they ignore their own obligations it spells out. I first took issue with their failure to post the employee schedule, as promised in said handbook the Monday prior to the work week. They finally did that this week.

Maybe some birds have been chirping in their ears.

Pack Your Bags, You Are Officially Laid Off.........

Butttttttttttttttttttttt, we are going to be be busy in Sunday. Wanna work then? That is what some RP workers have been told.

Laying off people is one thing, but asking those same people to work after they have suffered from being told they are no longer wanted is a cherry on top of humiliation.

Lotsa people, from, er uh, Costco, are lookin for positions at Aldi. I know of at least 2 managers at Costco that are interviewing at Aldi. Hmmmmmm.

Doesnt Seem That Management Can Keep a Secret

Wow, someone who works up front - one of those supervisoreeee types gabbed a lot. Gave away the layoff announcements, i.e. you are fired, prior to the actual carnage.

Always great for someone to hear they have been fired by others insinuating they will be in short time.

Carnage at the Front End

Did anyone notice the nervous faces on the "first faces of Costco" (i.e. front end, cart crew and member services personnel?) Well, they weren't worried about slipping on a patch of ice, seems that RP Costco is once again thinning the herd. Seems that several people in the aforementioned departments have been let go. Final tallies aren't in yet, but I'll inform as soon as known.

All the best to my fellow employees in their involuntary retirements.

UPDATE: NOT AN UNCOMMON PRACTICE COSTCO, 160 WORKERS AT COSTCO IN EAST HARLEM KICKED TO THE CURB EARLIER IN 2010.

Its Collllllldddddd Outside.

Costco workers can expect much colder conditions inside. From high ab ove, orders are to cut as many hours as possible!!!

Remember part-timers, the employee handbook guarantees 25 hours a week. Yes, thats that silly handbook that says that the following week's schedule must be posted on the MONDAY prior to the following week.
BUT it was posted on FRIDAY. I hope Costco's violations of its own regs didnt screw up any co-workers plans.

Not lookin for radical changes, but a Union could curb these problems.

Right now, employees have no place to voice a complaint except with a supervisor. Do you think your supervisor will properly vent your frustrations? What do supervisors do? They report tomanagement. They are making waves, causing problems, etc. Do you think they want to do that? So WHO is working on your behalf?

NOBODY. VOTE for a union!!!

How might a unionized shop benefit Costco workers?

Let's look at history:

"Costco Wholesale Corp and union negotiators have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract for 13,000 Costco workers in California, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said. The agreement raises annual wages, lifts semiannual bonuses and increases retirement packages."

These are heartening results, but what I like about a union more is that it is a vehicle whereby the hourly part-timers at Costco have a voice to challenge the company's confounding policies about scheduling, seniority and task allocation.

As things stand now, we have no voice.

The Wheels are Turning...

The notion of a unionized Rego Park Costco is getting closer. Major Union forces have announced their interest in a unionized Costco and have been in contact with the author of this blog.

The employees of this warehouse need to be represented. They need a voice.

Hopefully it will come shortly. I think the best way to achieve it is by the collective action of its employees in support of a union.

Big Jim stopped by....

and I didn't even get a t-shirt. But the employees got some extra hours. Speaking of hours, shoutouts to store bigs for posting next week's schedule a full 3 days before the Christmas week begins, but still, er, uh 4 days later than it was supposed to be posted.

*Updated Query*
As an aside, Wikileaks says that Mr. Sinegal likes to say - "you have to take the shit with the sugar." I am curious to see why he likes to visit his locations, visits announced well beforehand, fully and completely sugar-coated, with warehouses ridiculously overstaffed.

My input. If you want to see how a store is run, make an anonymous visit, alone, dressed in middle class Queens garb on a Tuesday afternoon. Stop these Royal Presentations...

IM

War of the Wills

Costco getting out of the Apple biz. A good move?

Unionize Costco at Rego Park: Response to commenter at Queens Crap

Unionize Costco at Rego Park: Response to commenter at Queens Crap: "One of the commenters at the Queens Crap link mentioned in a prior post has this to say: 'LOL, the store is not doing well... making less m..."

Response to commenter at Queens Crap

One of the commenters at the Queens Crap link mentioned in a prior post has this to say:

"LOL, the store is not doing well... making less money than they thought... how to fix this?

I know lets unionize the workers forcing the company to spend EVEN MORE!! Yeah, that will be fantastic!!!

Gee boss, I know times are tough but I'm sure if you gave us more money and more time off and bigger benefits, sales would pick right up!!!"

They are called straw arguments. Make up things people have said. Then mock them for the things you made up. Buy an intellectual crutch.

I am not arguing for 1. higher wages; 2. more time off; 3. 'bigger benefits.'

Costco is often a great example of how an employer treat its employees well. My concern is how Costco treats its workers in Rego Park. I want Costco to succeed!!! My future is tied to it. At the very least, a good dialogue between workers and management might be a start to accomplish that.

Voicing a Complaint I Have Heard

Costco has a very rigid policy about lateness. It is tracked to the minute. That is a logical and prudent policy for any corporation. An employee shouldnt be paid for time they didnt work and the employee shouldnt be late because it affects other employees who have to adjust for their absence.

By the same token, after a late-hour employee punches out, how are they compensated when they are forced to stand in the front of the store for 10 - 15 minutes waiting for a manager to let them out?

Employees should be compensated for every minute they are forced to wait to be let out of the store after-hours. Period.