Costco raises salary rates, adds new member service

Costco Wholesale employees in Farragut and across the country are finding more dollars in their paychecks these days.

Costco Wholesale began raising its minimum wage for existing and new entry level workers from $11.50 or $12 an hour to $13.50 an hour beginning in March. This is the first time in nine years the company has raised its minimum wage.

“We are thrilled to be on the forefront of salary wage increases,” Todd Galanti, warehouse manager of Costco Wholesale at 10745 Kingston Pike, Farragut, said.

Galanti said the company raised the salary rates “to continue to attract great employees and provide them with great jobs.”

At the same time, Costco Wholesale’s Farragut customers are using a new service, a pro-pane filling station, which opened Friday, March 11.

The propane filling station is located on the northeast side of the building.

“We’re extremely thrilled to bring yet another service to our members to give them another great value,” Galanti said.

“Our mission statement is ‘to continually provide our members quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices.’”

The Farragut store opened Nov. 9, 2012, as the first Costco Wholesale store in East Tennessee, Galanti said.