8 Reasons Costco Employees Can Get Fired

For some people, working at a grocery store may not be ideal. The pay can often be low (with some workers facing food insecurity), and the work might be difficult, requiring workers to stay on their feet for extended periods of time. But working at Costco definitely seems like one of the better gigs you can get in the food retail space. The pay is quite competitive, and Costco's benefits packages are pretty solid, allowing workers to regard their job as a serious career with room for growth. Getting hired is half the battle, of course — having experience in retail or knowing someone who works for the company might help you snag the interview. But once you actually land the job, you have to keep it.

According to Costco employees on Reddit, there are quite a few things you can do that are likely to get you fired by the company. Some of them are pretty obvious no-nos. After all, you're going to get fired from pretty much any job if you assault one of your co-workers. But some of the other fireable offenses on this list might not seem quite so egregious to many workers. Let's take a closer look at the actions Costco employees say can get you fired. Then, you can dig into what Costco employees know that many shoppers don't.

It should probably go without saying that retail employees who want to keep their jobs should avoid stealing from their employer. Whether you work at a gas station or an electronics store, most employers are not going to look fondly on employees taking store merchandise without paying for it. This is one of those fireable offenses that should be a no-brainer, though — if you get caught, there's an excellent chance that you're going to get fired. According to one Redditor, it's one of the few reasons Costco actually fires people, and as they further insinuated, it's not that easy to get fired from the company.

However, it seems like even relatively small "stealing" slip-ups can cost you your job at Costco. One Redditor who worked at the big box retailer said that they had filled their personal water bottle with soda from the store's soda fountain, saying they had simply gotten too comfortable working there. Unfortunately, though, management said that they had no choice but to fire the employee, since taking that soda essentially counted as stealing from the company. Ultimately, this sounds like a slightly over-the-top overreaction, but the employee eventually got their job back in the end.

If you've ever been employed before, then you know that it's generally a good idea to show up at work on time. When you don't, you're signaling to your employer that you don't care enough to make an effort to show up on time. And if this happens repeatedly, you're almost certainly going to run into problems. That's why it's not a surprise that, according to Costco employees, being tardy repeatedly is hypothetically a fireable offense. Per one poster on the Costco subreddit, an employee has to be written up three times for being tardy before they're suspended, and once they're suspended twice, they're at risk of being fired. However, they added that it's ultimately management's decision. And when an employee is on their 90-day probation? Being tardy could lead to them being let go, says one Costco Redditor. And one even claimed that you only get a pass for two tardies during that time period before getting sacked.

Another pointed out that showing up on time is a common expectation at just about any job. "Shows that you think your time is more important than your job and everything else," they wrote. "Speaks a lot about you as a person." To be honest, we're surprised that Costco gave this worker so many chances in the first place.

It should come as no surprise that Costco members say that assaulting a co-worker or Costco member is one way to get fired from the job. One employee on Reddit was essentially talking about how easy it is to keep a job at Costco — employees just have to avoid a few common-sense bad behaviors. Assaulting someone at the store is clearly one of them. You can basically bet that if you engage in this type of behavior, you're going to be let go swiftly.

But if you actually do attack someone at work, you'll be lucky to just get fired. Assaulting someone isn't just a fireable offense — it's also a crime. Therefore, Costco employees who commit such an act are liable to be arrested, not just lose their job. Of course, we all get frustrated at work from time to time, but it's never an excuse to take those emotions out on other people, whether you're at your place of work or anywhere else.

When you're scheduled to work at any job, it's important that you show up to your place of employment. But there are times when you may not be able to make it in for a scheduled shift, like when you have a personal or family emergency that you have to tend to. This is when you need to call your manager to explain why you won't be able to come in. If you simply don't show up and don't even call anyone, there's a chance you could get fired. According to one Costco employee, though, it sounds like you'd have to do this multiple times in order to actually get the boot. According to them, you'd have to both stop showing up to work and also not respond to any job abandonment letters you're sent.

Depending on the offense, this may not lead to an immediate firing, though. Another employee on a different Reddit thread who accidentally no-called, no-showed one day said that they called their store and apologized the morning after they'd realized their mistake. They were told not to worry and that mistakes happen. However, doing this repeatedly may not yield the same understanding results.

At most workplaces, employers want you to be clear-headed and alert while you're doing your daily tasks, interacting with customers, and representing the business. This is why most employers are not going to want you drinking on the job. And at Costco, a grocery store that's open during the day, it's obviously a big no-no. One Redditor who used to work at Costco said that they got fired from the store for drinking on the job. "I was caught drinking on the job, someone smelled alcohol on me. They asked if they could test my [blood alcohol content]," they wrote. After taking a breathalyzer test, the employee was dismissed.

That being said, comments under this post indicate that Costco might be willing to work with employees who have alcohol problems who want to seek out help. One employee said that they received an ultimatum from Costco: go to rehab and get help or get fired. This employee got sober, and they were able to keep their job. Another commenter said that one of their coworkers was found sleeping on the job after drinking too much, but they were able to come back to work after an unpaid suspension. Therefore, this offense might be somewhat up to the judgment of the managers involved.

At some jobs, you might be lucky enough to be given access to free popular snacks while you work. This is actually a pretty common practice in the tech industry, for example. However, that's not the case at Costco. While some break rooms reportedly do have snacks available, you have to pay for them — they're not simply free when you're on your shift. A Costco employee on Reddit said that at their store, six different employees were fired in the span of one week for stealing food from the break room. According to the poster, the snack company noticed that there were missing snacks and that their revenue didn't match up to the inventory. After management looked at the cameras in the break room, they found out who was stealing and promptly fired them.

A person replying to the original comment asked why workers would be that stupid, considering the low price of the snacks available. Ultimately, you might not think that stealing a snack is a big deal — after all, Costco can probably more than afford to supply a free snack station for its employees — but if you want to keep your job at the retailer, it sounds like it's best not to try to sneak snacks. Luckily, there are plenty of affordable, healthy snacks you can buy right there at Costco (or you can just learn how to make an adult Lunchable on the go).

If you visit Costco as a customer and one of the staff members there helps you, you might assume that it would be nice to give them a tip. In reality, though, Costco employees can't accept tips, according to a worker who took to the r/Costco subreddit. This employee worked at the retailer's tire section, and they were told that if they ever accepted a tip, they'd be fired automatically. Considering that some workers have reportedly gotten away with drinking on the job without being permanently fired, it seems like Costco thinks of accepting a tip as a comparatively serious offense.

However, the same Costco worker said that some co-workers had collected a $5 or $20 bill on the counter after helping a customer. They said that if you wanted to accept one of these tips, you had to be stealthy about it. Honestly, can you blame these workers? They helped an obviously satisfied customer, and the customer wanted to give something back in return. It's totally understandable why they would want to pocket that money that was given directly to them for their labor.

If you're a Costco shopper, you obviously don't have to tip (and might want to do it discreetly if you do). But for those who want to tip, check out how much you should actually be tipping.

When you're scheduled for a shift at Costco, you'll have a very specific time that the chain wants you to show up to work and clock in. According to one Redditor who works at Costco, you have a three-minute grace period with which to clock in. Wait any longer than that, and you'll be considered late. Clock out earlier than your assigned clock-out time, and it'll appear as though you ended your shift early. In fact, one commenter even wrote that Costco considered consistently clocking out early as time theft, since you're technically getting paid for minutes when you're not actually working.

On another thread, a different Costco employee claimed that you actually can get fired for clocking in and out incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid any disciplinary action, Costco employees should arrive at work on time, work their entire shift, and clock out exactly when they're supposed to. A few mess-ups may not result in any problems, but repeatedly messing up this aspect of the job might just result in getting sacked.