2y ago

Costco Japan Pays Workers a Fair Wage, Local Businesses Seethe - Unseen Japan

Costco Japan says it'll pay a higher than market wage in all its warehouses countrywide. That has some local business owners fuming.

8 comments

I like that Costco does this, but this is a shit article with a clickbait headline. The "local businesses" was 1 guy at a gas station that said "I can't pay that". The vast majority of businesses here give at the very least a yearly cost of living raise. Most give more the longer you are with a company. Been working 20 years and my own raises have outpaced inflation almost every time.
The flip side of that coin though is that wages start ridiculously low. Regardless of the position or responsibility, a starting salary will be about 200k 250k yen ($1700 usd) a month.
- If you are a sha-in worker, yes. For other workers, not so much. I’ve also been working in Japan a good 20 years and my wages haven’t changed at all the last several years and the recent jump in food prices and energy bills is hurting. And that’s not just me; everyone I know feels like they’re slipping behind in ways they haven’t before. Wages have stagnated for a lot of people, and most folks working contracts are not getting those increases you may be.

Costco Japan (at least around greater Tokyo) also tend to hire people who speak at least some English in addition to Japanese. However, these people also have to deal with Costco Japan (super packed, people with huge carts and zero situational awareness blocking whole aisles whilst faffing about on their phone not even shopping, etc.), so that definitely requires a premium. I go once every few months and always want to pull my hair out.
- Wait, so it’s WORSE than American ones in that regard? Sounds like utter hell.
  
  In my experience (had a Costco membership near Columbus, OH before moving to Japan, have been to 1 Costco many times after coming), yes.

If they scale Costco worker to the average worker they must be superheroes in Japan.

Step 1 - Pay higher wages than others. Local businesses eventually destroyed
Step 2 - Lower the wages back to "normal"
Step 3 - Profit

8 comments