There may be no more discussed problem these days than income inequality. But one big-box retailer has long shown that the wage gap doesn’t have to be so wide. In an industry where shelf stockers and cashiers are typically meagerly paid, Costco compensates its workers well above national norms—and still records eye-popping profits. The average U.S. Costco worker earns $21.50 per hour, and 90% of its 134,000 U.S. employees qualify for benefits. The average cashier, by contrast, earns $9.12 per hour nationally, and warehouse workers, $11.04. Costco had $2.06 billion in profit in 2014, up from $1.3 billion in 2010.
