#136 Costco’s Code of Ethics (12/01/2025)

This week I'm thinking a little differently and writing down some business insights. Many people believe that in business, you must be confident and believe that your decisions will lead to success. I don't see it that way. I often believe that to do things well, you must learn not to be so confident, not to be so sure things will turn out this way or that way. You need to study and learn from what others have done. Don't repeat their mistakes, and learn from their successes to apply to your own work. Recently, I've been researching the story of Costco, and the most insightful part is their four core principles (COSTCO Code of Ethics). I've been deeply inspired by this, and below I'll outline what their principles are:

(1) obey the law.

(2) Take care of our members (take care of guests)

(3) Take care of our employees and

(4) Respect our suppliers

The above four points are listed in order of priority.

When I saw this place, the first thing that came to mind was my job. Actually, this is exactly what I want to do: take care of the customers, take care of my employees, and respect everyone who contributes to the production of the products.

Sometimes in the business world, I encounter many people I would call "bad people." They aren't inherently evil, but their thinking is often self-centered, trying to maximize their own interests. They selfishly only think about themselves, figuring out how to profit through business without considering whether they're truly giving anything good to the other party or anyone else they're dealing with. Their primary concern is personal gain. Of course, this isn't necessarily right or wrong, but I personally don't aspire to be that way. What kind of person you want to be, what kind of life you want to live, is always your own decision. But in my personal opinion, there are far too many self-centered people in this world. If everyone considered things from a broader perspective, the world would be different. To be a good human being—to think of others first—that is true wisdom.

Therefore, I greatly admire companies and individuals (in fact, behind every company are people; every decision a company makes is based on the decisions made by the people behind it) who are willing to consider things from other people's perspectives, seeking the best interests of their customers, while also taking care of their colleagues and ensuring they have a stable life. Note that this doesn't mean taking care of the company's shareholders or doing anything solely for profit; it means prioritizing your audience and customers. Because if customers like your product, it's the only way to ensure long-term success. Pursuing only short-term profits makes it difficult to sustain a business in the long run. Of course, it's all about balance. I understand that many companies face operational difficulties; if they don't make enough profit, they might have to go bankrupt next month, so ultimately, it's all about maintaining a balance.

But different starting points and mindsets lead to different decisions. For me, I strongly agree that we must always start from the customer's perspective. This is also why I feel I can continue doing this. Only by having a vision in mind and putting it into practice can we go on for a long time.