A step forward would be something like... we've restructered into a democratically run co-op, in a tri cameral structure, your costco membership now grants you a vote in something approximating the US House of Representatives, employees now all get votes in some higher authority body approximating the Senate, and then the board of directors acts as a multi person executive branch.
Costco is slightly less egregious than its counterparts, but it is still very much a part of the system and went along with the insane profiteering price increases on essentials.
the thing is, the system in which we have to function forces corporations and people to do evil things, even against their intention or will. being good means sooner or later becoming bankrupt as now you're working against the system and losing profits.
as another person mentioned - if their suppliers artificially raise prices, whether Costco wants it or not, they have to raise them as well. the market just forced them to do something that limited the amount of things an individual can purchase with their paycheque (as we know, salaries haven't been exactly keeping up with inflation), and pushed more people into poverty as a result
no corporation is good, and very few are still fighting against becoming fully evil. and as you can see, the fights get more ridiculous every year, the bar of being "good" keeps getting lower
Your argument would hold more weight if Costco encouraged or even complied with unions. Just because Costco is making sure it won't be the subject of discrimination lawsuits does not make them the good guy here. I don't care how many free samples and $1.50 hotdogs you get.
Also that's a pretty reductive take on what @N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com posted. They were merely highlighting that the larger system in which Costco operates is exploitive. Not that Costco themselves were inherently evil.
They're a business at the end of the day. If their suppliers raise their prices, they have no choice but to do the same in order to not go broke overnight. It sucks for everyone, and nobody can avoid it.
It's not that it's such a great act in itself, it's no where near enough.
But.
This is a significant win as a large, profitable and respected company is seen to be doing something so insignificant and get such good marketing results. This is the best kind of encouragement we can give to the souless retail machine 😉
And yes... "We will sing your praises if you just follow basic laws" is a pretty low bar, but here we are 😄