Costco Employees May Be Even Nicer Than Trader Joe's Crew Members

Costco is known for its diverse selection of high-quality, affordable products, and seasonal deals (such as these items on sale for less than $10 now and throughout October); however, there’s another good reason to shop at Costco, and one that’s unrelated even to its actual products. If you haven’t realized, in which case now’s the time you should, Costco employees happen to be exceptionally nice and friendly—a feature often overlooked and rarely mentioned as a perk of shopping at Costco. 

Trader Joe’s employees are notably recognized as being kind, hospitable and approachable, where at times people may even mistake it as flirting. (To be clear, it’s not.) Either way, Trader Joe’s' widely acknowledged friendliness is definitely considered an appealing factor and defining quality associated with the store that helps draw people in and attract customers. 

However, Costco employees deserve a lot more praise and recognition than they’re given, for their positive and charming attitude, helpfulness, compassion for customers and ethics—traits that pertain not only to Trader Joe’s employees, but also to Costco’s. 

Why Costco Employees May Be Just as Nice as Trader Joe's Crew Members

A Redditor by the name u/panda-rampage created a thread discussing recent news coverage about a Costco employee at a store located in Clovis, California who returned an envelope with almost $4,000 in cash to a customer that left it there earlier in the day while shopping at the store. 

ABC7 Eyewitness News reported that Costco employee John Sotelo found the envelope while organizing cases of water, told his manager and then used both the customer’s member ID and surveillance footage to locate the customer and return the envelope to its rightful owner. It made a vast impact, and the customer was very grateful, as is shown from Sotelo’s words. In the story, Sotelo recalled the moment and said, "So yeah, she told me like, 'Oh, you know, I'm so glad you found this. That's for my kids to go to school.' I'm like, 'Okay, you know well I'm happy to help.'" 

Sotelo was surely an employee on a mission, with hopes of becoming employee of the month. And, for his good deed, he won the title and his name written on a plaque, displayed in store. His actions weren’t atypical as a Costco employee, though. In fact, Costco employees don't receive nearly enough love and recognition—when compared to staff at stores like Trader Joe’s—for how warm and welcoming, kind, accommodating and honest they are. 

Based on the Reddit thread, it seems we should be giving Costco employees a lot more credit and expressing our gratitude and appreciation in the same way we do for staff at Trader Joe’s. Costco’s staff demonstrates friendly, caring behavior and maintains excellent customer service. 

A Redditor by the name Perceptive-Idiot shared a similar story, commenting, “I’ve managed Costcos for a while, had an employee turn in a blue bank bag with $80k in it that a business member left in their cart after leaving the Las Vegas business center in downtown. The member was pretty floored that they got a call to come pick it up (we used video to link their purchase to their membership, and luckily they had an up to date phone number).” 

Another user mentioned finding a woman’s purse in a shopping cart containing $2,800, and her “Christmas money,” which she’d been saving for the holiday season that year. The employees at Costco also typically secure lost or missing items (like keys, phones, and clothing) and keep them safe and locked up in case customers return to the store, looking to retrieve them. 

While Costco’s employees are kind enough to lend a hand whenever or however possible, it’s best to also fulfill your duties as a Costco member and customer, and regularly update your contact information associated with your membership account to include your email, home address, and phone number. That way, you’re easy to get a hold of, should you end up losing or forgetting anything at the store. 

Are the Employees Actually Nicer at Costco?

It’s hard to say, since there isn’t any real evidence to justify and support a claim that employees at one store, like Costco, are nicer and more caring than those at another, such as Trader Joe’s. The friendliness of staff members can easily vary based on factors, including the store’s location and its individuals, so it’s impossible to provide a clear and definitive answer. 

Currently, there’s more available and public recognition, as well as general consensus, around Trader Joe’s' lovely team of nice, approachable employees who welcome you to the store. Hopefully over time, Costco’s employees will continue to gain more attention and praise, too.