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Some Costco employees say they get a special cake after working with the company for 25 years that normal customers can't order
Some Costco employees say they get a special cake after working with the company for 25 years that normal customers can't order
Shoshy Ciment,Áine CainOct 7, 2019, 19:56 IST
Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider
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Costco employs more than 245,000 workers and offers benefits to its employees like medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as the chance for a 401K matching plan and free membership for employees and their families.
Some employees say workers who hit their 25th year working at Costco get a special benefit - a sheet cake with the Costco logo on it.
Seven Costco employees in stores across California, New Jersey, Minnesota, Ontario, and Ohio mentioned that they had heard of the special cake in varying forms for an employee who hits 25 years with the company.
Some employees mentioned that the perk depends on the warehouse and the manager.
In addition to medical, dental, and vision coverage, Costco offers the chance for a 401K matching plan and free membership for employees and their families. One cashier assistant in a California Costco told Business Insider that one of his favorite benefits is that employees get paid overtime for every hour they work on a Sunday.
Employees who hit 25 years at Costco can get a sheet cake with the Costco logo on it.
"The cake thing is really rare because it's not every day an employee hits 25 years with the company," said the cashier assistant who is about to hit two years with a Costco in California.
"They'll congratulate the manager who spent 25 years amongst your peers in the meeting," said another Costco employee who has been with the company for 22 years. "They'll put the cake in the break room and that way all the employees know that you've reached your 25 years and they get to share in the cake."
Seven Costco employees in places including California, New Jersey, Minnesota, Ontario, and Ohio mentioned that they had heard of the cake in varying forms for an employee who hits 25 years with the company.
A few employees mentioned that the perk depends on the warehouse and the manager, and it's not clear if the cake is a store policy or a tradition some stores have adopted.
A representative for Costco declined to comment for this story.
"At ours, there wouldn't be a 'free' cake for the employee," said a Costco worker in Ohio. "There would be cake for everyone — multiple cakes — in the break room celebrating the milestone."
The Costco cake with a logo on it is so special, that stores exclusively reserve it for employees, and the average customer is usually not allowed to get a cake with a Costco logo.
However, some Costco fanatics have been able to get their hands on it.
A super Costco fan, 27-year-old Max Ellinger, once had his birthday party in a Costco food court. His friends knew he loved Costco, so they ordered a sheet cake with the Costco logo on it.
Kelly Reck, Ellinger's friend, was told that the cake with the Costco logo was a special treat reserved for employees hitting their 25th year.
To convince Costco to make the cake, Reck said that Ellinger had a Costco tattoo — which was a lie at the time.
"They put her on hold and got her one-time permission for the cake," Ellinger explained. "In exchange for photos [of the tattoo]."
To preserve Reck's honor, Ellinger went ahead and got the tattoo that day. And he said he didn't regret the decision at all.
"It felt right," he said.
Though not a Costco employee, Ellinger managed to get the Costco cake of his dreams.
