COSTCO WAS FOUNDED in 1976 and carved out a niche as a membership-only wholesale retailer .

Its branches can now be found in 10 other nations as well as America , and it is the second largest retailer in the world ( after Walmart ). While most Costco locations are not unionized , there are employee agreements in all branches , which are revised every three years .

As of 2005 , in America , eightyfive percent of workers had health insurance – a vast improvement on less than fifty percent at Walmart and Target .

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