James Sinegal Quotes

It doesn't do much good to have a quality image, whether it's with the facility or whether it's with the merchandise, if you don't have real quality people taking care of your customers.

James Sinegal

Real, People, Quality

52 Copy quote
When employees are happy, they are your very best ambassadors.

James Sinegal

Ambassadors, Employee

"Online Extra: At Costco, "Good Jobs and Good Wages"". Interview with Michelle Conlin, www.bloomberg.com. May 31, 2004.

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It is improper for one person to take credit when it takes so many people to build a successful organization. When you try to be top dong, you don't create loyalty. It you can't give credit (and take blame), you will drown in you inability to inspire.

James Sinegal

Loyalty, Successful, Organization

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You could raise the price of, say, a bottle of ketchup to $1.03 instead of $1, and no one would know. Raising prices just 3% per product would add 50% to your pretax income. Why not do it? It's like heroin: You do a little and you want a little bit more. Raising prices is the easy way.

James Sinegal

Business, Income, Add

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I think the biggest single thing that causes difficulty in the business world is the short-term view. We become obsessed with it. But it forces bad decisions.

James Sinegal

Business, Thinking, Views

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You just can't get too focused on worrying about what's going to happen in the next quarter. You have to worry about where the business is headed long-term.

James Sinegal

Long, Worry, Next

"Online Extra: At Costco, "Good Jobs and Good Wages"". Interview with Michelle Conlin, www.bloomberg.com. May 31, 2004.

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Paying your employees well is not only the right thing to do but it makes for good business.

James Sinegal

Wages, Good Business, Employee

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Driving stock up from one day to the next is not what we are about. We are about building a good company and performing for the long term. I know everyone says that, that sounds trite when I repeat it that way, but that is and has always been our attitude about our business. If we do the right things, the stock price will take care of itself, and our shareholders will be rewarded.

James Sinegal

Attitude, Business, Long

"The CEO Behind Costco". Interview with David Gardner, www.fool.com. January 18, 2005.

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It doesn't do Costco any good if nobody can afford to buy anything.

James Sinegal

Costco, Ifs

"Online Extra: At Costco, 'Good Jobs and Good Wages'". Interview with Michelle Conlin, www.bloomberg.com. May 31, 2004.

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Our attitude has always been that if you hire good people and provide good wages and good jobs and more than that - if you provide careers - that good things will happen to your company. I think we can say that that has been proved by the quality of people that we have and how they have built our organization.

James Sinegal

Jobs, Attitude, Business

"Costco's Competitive Secret". The Motley Fool Interview, www.fool.com. June 14, 2006.

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If you've got to work for the rest of your life, you'd better do something you'll enjoy.

James Sinegal

Rest Of Your Life, Enjoy, Ifs

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Our attitude is that if you hire good people and pay them a fair wage, then good things will happen for the company.

James Sinegal

Attitude, Business, People

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You destroy the initiative of the working people if they don't feel they have a fighting chance to be a part of the American Dream.

James Sinegal

Dream, Fighting, People

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If you're going to say to all the people that you're working with, 'We want you to treat the customers honestly; don't lie and don't cheat,' it is somewhat hypocritical if you're not following the same rules.

James Sinegal

Lying, People, Want

9 Copy quote
You have to worry about where the business is headed long-term.

James Sinegal

Long, Worry, Term

"Online Extra: At Costco, 'Good Jobs and Good Wages'". Interview with Michelle Conlin, www.bloomberg.com. May 31, 2004.

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You take an educated gamble. If you don't occasionally make a mistake, you're not doing your job.

James Sinegal

Jobs, Mistake, Educated

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Obscene salaries send the wrong message through a company. The message is that all brilliance emanates from the top; that the worker on the floor of the store or the factory is insignificant.

James Sinegal

Salary, Messages, Factories

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If we take care of the business and keep our eye on the goal line, the stock price will take care of itself.

James Sinegal

Eye, Goal, Care

"Online Extra: At Costco, 'Good Jobs and Good Wages'". Interview with Michelle Conlin, www.bloomberg.com. May 31, 2004.

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There was a proposal in California that would keep out Wal-Mart but allow Costco. You opposed it. Are you nuts? That's true: I always oppose these kinds of things. Competition makes us better. Some of our best stores have a Sam's Club next door.

James Sinegal

Business, Doors, Nuts

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It's like heroin: You do a little and you want a little bit more. Raising prices is the easy way.

James Sinegal

Business, Want, Littles

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I think that most of the people running companies today are motivated and pay is a small portion of the motivation.

James Sinegal

Running, Motivation, Thinking

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When you hire good people, and you provide good jobs and good wages and a career, good things are going to happen.

James Sinegal

Jobs, Careers, People

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We've always been in favor of improved wages for workers. When you have a strong middle class, they want to buy more stuff at Costco.

James Sinegal

Strong, Class, Wages

"Online Extra: At Costco, "Good Jobs and Good Wages"". Interview with Michelle Conlin, www.bloomberg.com. May 31, 2004.

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Paying good wages is not in opposition to good productivity.

James Sinegal

Wages, Opposition, Productivity

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I say at our management conferences that the amount Wal-Mart grows in just one year is the equivalent of Costco's size.

James Sinegal

Years, Size, Management

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Born: January 1, 1936
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