Costco store hiring online

Aug. 05--MISHAWAKA -- Lynn Flowers has been checking the Costco website daily for the past month, waiting for the company to start accepting applications for the Mishawaka store.

Her persistence paid off.

The Granger resident late Friday submitted an online application to become a full-time cashier when the membership-only warehouse club opens its doors this fall.

"I remember reading about the company awhile ago and how it is one of the best to work for. So I applied for full-time cashier," said Flowers.

Costco has not yet officially announced it intends to enter the region, but signage has been posted and building construction is well under way in the 600 block of East University Drive, east of SuperTarget and south of Granger Community Church.

On Monday, Costco did still not have Mishawaka listed as a location opening soon. Store openings are posted through October.

But the company is listing 34 categories of jobs at Costco.com that are representative of positions available at many Costco locations, including the Mishawaka-Granger store.

The jobs range from cashier and stocker to such specialized positions as pharmacy manager and optician.

To access the entire list, click on the Jobs heading near the bottom of the

Costco home page. On the Career Opportunities page, click on the Apply Online link and follow the prompts to the Granger store. Applicants must register on the site before they can apply for a job.

Costco has not announced how many people it will hire for the new store.

The Fort Wayne store, which comprises 130,000 square feet, employs about 160 people. The Mishawaka location will be about 150,000 square feet with a freestanding fuel station.

Flowers said competitive wages and the benefits and bonus structure are reasons she wanted to apply. Starting pay for some Costco jobs is $11.50 per hour; wages are higher for more

specialized jobs. But the average wage at Costco, the second largest U.S. retailer behind Wal-Mart, is more than $20 per hour.

Costco offers health, vision and dental insurance as well as 401(k) benefits for full and part-time workers after 90 and 180 days -- benefits that company officials have said contributes to low turnover and high worker satisfaction.

"It's really a known fact that retail in this area can't even come close to those wages," Flowers said. "Feeling and being appreciated is priceless. It means wanting to get up and

go to work every day. And the salary and benefits, well, those are a major plus and don't hurt either."

There is no word on pre-membership sales, but Costco stores generally start promoting memberships to area residents before new stores open. Household and business memberships cost $55 per year.

Costco is based in Issaquah, Wash.

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