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.

  26 Copy quote

• 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

  9 Copy quote

• 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

  14 Copy quote

• 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

  14 Copy quote

• 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.

  10 Copy quote

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

  James Sinegal

  Wages, Good Business, Employee

  6 Copy quote

• 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

  10 Copy quote

• 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.

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  8 Copy quote

• 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.

  8 Copy quote

• 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.

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  9 Copy quote

• 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.

  7 Copy quote

• 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

  4 Copy quote

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

  James Sinegal

  Jobs, Mistake, Educated

  7 Copy quote

• 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

  7 Copy quote

• 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.

  9 Copy quote

• 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

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  4 Copy quote

• Obscene salaries send the wrong message through a company.

  James Sinegal

  Salary, Messages, Brilliance

  10 Copy quote

• In the final analysis, you get what you pay for.

  James Sinegal

  Finals, Analysis, Pay

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

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  4 Copy quote

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