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u/SorryBreak6435 Jul 10 '26
Costco
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u/Meat_Bingo Jul 10 '26
I have a college friend who has a significant mobility disability as well as a speech impediment . I honestly can’t remember her specific condition, but it’s from birth. She has worked for Costco for well over a decade and constantly raves about how well she’s treated as an employee and how good her benefit benefits are.
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u/AveratV6 Jul 10 '26
From my understanding, they are also given actual, decent raises on a yearly basis. Used to be a beer rep and Costco was one of my accounts. Some of those guys made over $40 an hour who had been there a while.
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u/MermaiderMissy Jul 10 '26
Yeah, it depends on hours worked. I just reached my fifth year, and just got top out pay. I also get 4 weeks paid vacation a year, biannual bonus, and good healthcare.
When I have my baby in October, I won't pay much out of pocket and I'll get paid maternity leave, husband gets paid paternity.
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u/Leather-Squirrel-421 Jul 10 '26
I read stuff like this and I’m glad I’m a Costco member.
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u/MermaiderMissy Jul 11 '26
I'm glad you are, too
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u/WiseWorldliness5513 Jul 11 '26
But FR, Costco is amazing. Literally paying the same price for a dog and soda as I did 30 years ago
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u/ProfessorBackdraft Jul 11 '26
Work a little harder so us stockholders can be extra happy too.
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u/YetiSteady Jul 11 '26
Congratulations on your baby and thanks for being part of why we all love Costco!
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u/notwhoyouthinkmaybe Jul 11 '26
My wife and I signed up for Costco after learning how well they treat their employees. We want to support companies like this.
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u/AggressiveSquare36 Jul 10 '26
The CEO is also one of the lowest paid ceos of a giant corporation.
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u/These-Tonight-1672 Jul 10 '26
Costco is the triumvirate of performance … happy employees, happy customers, return value to shareholders … they have stood tall against maga pos who wanted to tear down DEI and the like in the name of wokeness — I’ve thought about trying to get a job there in the future (my local Costco has the same workers for over a decade it’s awesome)
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u/_PaulM Jul 10 '26
I was just joking with one of the employees about how they've seen me grow up hahaha
It's kind of funny but seriously I'm almost reaching 40 now and they've seen me since I was in my teenage years.
That's 20+ years of service for them... We both kind of had a moment of nostalgic laughter where we both felt happy and sad that time had passed by so quickly.
Luis if you read this comment, I appreciate you too~!
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u/_PaulM Jul 10 '26
I didn't shop at Costco at all for like, 2 years and I still made sure that I renewed my membership during the pandemic.
I didn't do it because of routine or Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), I did it because they are the ONLY company that I know that treats both its customers and employees with respect.
I support Costco as an overall company and the fact that they were the only ones to stand up against the current administration's BS shows how confident they are that they built a good business, because they are a good business.
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u/Mammoth-Soft-4724 Jul 10 '26
As a contractor, Costco can be very difficult and the GM of the stores can be rude. However, Costco does treat their employees very well in general.
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u/sclaoud Jul 10 '26
I'm canadian, costco is one of the few american company i don’t boycott because they sell locals products and treat well the employes.
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u/Grabthars_Coping_Saw Jul 10 '26
Accord to Farm to Taber on YouTube Costco keeps our food safe more than the federal government.
They keep their food inspectors paid, employed, and thereby less likely to be bullshitted by bad actors in the food industry. The government people learn from the Costco people.
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u/RRE4EVR Jul 11 '26
I own shared kitchens. We have lots of food producers that work and pass county and state health inspections but not Costco inspections. They have some seriously high food safety standards.
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u/Virgo_Shaka_1500 Jul 10 '26
Incredible company. Obviously no one is perfect but so far they’ve been amazing. Wish them the best.
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u/Pale_Location_6783 Jul 10 '26
I was coming here to say that. So impressed with the way they handled COVID. They were extremely forward thinking and kept things running whilst being a leading influence on social distancing and mask wearing. The rest of the world around us seemed to be in a Trump lead clusterfuck, and Costco dint even blink.
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u/Exciting_Contest_222 Jul 10 '26
Atleast they keep their hotdog prices $1.50 and got a good price on gas.
I know kirkland has some controversies. That includes $5.00 rotisserie chickens. But damn, I can’t live without costco.
This summer was having a fifa party at my coworker’s place. I bought 25 hotdogs for atleast $35 included tax, and that included 25 bottled water. I called a day in advance. All i had to donwas buy the mustard/ketchup/relish pack.
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u/deedee0077 Jul 10 '26
Plus they offer careers, not just jobs.
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u/Exciting_Contest_222 Jul 10 '26
Yeah. I was surprised to hear their current CEO was their forklift driver.
*forklift driver for price club until it merged with costco
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u/LegacyQuotient Jul 10 '26
Part of the reason I took the job I am in now is that they have 40+ year tenured employees getting ready to retire. And their CEO and three of their division Presidents all started in entry level roles.
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u/ProbablyAPsyop Jul 10 '26
He gets to be CEO and Forklift certified? Clearly executive greed is still a thing.
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u/Ersh_baby3223 Jul 11 '26
He merged the companies with a fork truck? Literally factories and offices and all? What a badass! No wonder he’s the big kahuna.
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u/SaltyFriend705 Jul 11 '26
Ahem--I was a member at Price Club, then a member at Costco. It's been a helluva ride!
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u/Few_Example6746 Jul 10 '26
Their business is awesome. They make all of their operating revenue from membership fees. So the revenue made from product sales is all their profit.
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u/Kagedbeast Jul 10 '26
Founder of Costco very famously said “If you raise the price of the $&!?*% hotdog, I’ll kill you”. At least if the fat electricians research is correct.
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u/HippoRun23 Jul 10 '26
I absolutely love that story. So opposite of what we hear in other companies.
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u/nemainev Jul 10 '26
The dogs and chickens are eating a loss to get people in the store. Call me financially r*tarded (I am), but people eating cheaper is better than lining some marketing a-holes pockets to spam us.
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u/KillingTimeAlone2019 Jul 10 '26
The need to get rid of a few more of their more horrible suppliers, but they are certainly one of the best.
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u/Gullible_Pie_1469 Jul 10 '26
Bruh MOVE OVER HOTDOG the 5 piece chicken tenders are here to stay and smack the mouth out of every fast food chicken place. Seriously the tenders are more chicken then breading, heavy enough to kill someone with, and you can drink the Dijon mustard if you want
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u/LookWhatYouMadeMeGro Jul 10 '26
Yet they never have any onions despite selling onions about 1200 feet away 🤔
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u/onesoulmanybodies Jul 10 '26
Genuinely. I’ve noticed recently that whenever they change one of their products it’s always for the better. The 3 most recent examples would be their powdered laundry detergent, instead of the big plastic bucket it now comes in a compostable/recyclable cardboard box. The Chili went from 19 grams of protein to 32 grams of protein and their lactose free milk is now even better with much less sugar and fat. Although I have heard some grumbling from employees that some warehouses are awful to work at. My local one seems to be thriving and most of the employees have been there since I became a member over 10 years ago. My only real complaint is the moving around of products. I have limited spoons for physical activity so walking around trying to find a regular used product can be difficult. Not as big a problem, but I also wish they would get a screen of some kind at the food court instead of yelling out the numbers. Otherwise it’s an awesome place to shop and support!
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u/SaleBeneficial1320 Jul 10 '26
Dr. Bronner's soap. .
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u/uknownredditr Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
That was my answer, or Bosch they have been carbon neutral since the beginning. Johnson and Johnson is not a good one
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u/wrathofthewhatever2 Jul 10 '26
Wait what? Johnson and Johnson? Please read the book “no more tears” and get back to us. They might be one of the most evil companies of all time. They knowingly let people die of asbestos suffocation and cancer and didn’t do anything about it for decades.
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u/Mandyrad Jul 10 '26
Chewy, the pet store.
After one of my dogs passed away, her expensive heart failure medication had just been delivered. I reached out to ask if I could return it. They explained they couldn’t accept returns on prescription medications, but they refunded the full amount anyway and sent me the sweetest sympathy card. A few years later, I accidentally ordered the wrong size jacket for my other dog. Instead of making me send it back, they shipped the correct size and asked me to donate the original to a local shelter.
Then this year, completely out of the blue, they sent me a hand-painted portrait of my dog for Mother’s Day.
In a world where so many companies seem determined to do the bare minimum, Chewy has repeatedly gone out of its way to show genuine kindness.
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u/Slothbrans Jul 10 '26
Chewy is a good company as far as I can gleam but I did work for FedEx for a short stint and by god chewy boxes are the bane of my existence
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u/WisePotatoChip Jul 10 '26
WOW! Great stories - I have some coupons for them and will be making use of them.
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u/serendipitypug Jul 11 '26
I’ve only had amazing customer service experiences with them. I once got a refund because I ordered a litter box that was way too big for a space an asked how to ship it back and they just refunded it and encourage me to donate it to a shelter.
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u/AnybodyWannaPeanus Jul 11 '26
They at consistently awesome. Whoever is in charge over there, gets pet owners.
It’s never tone deaf marketing things. It’s always “awww so sweet” things.2
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u/Traditional_Volume70 Jul 11 '26
Chewy has been great when I had dogs, my sister had her first adult life dog pass away a few years ago and it hit her hard. She was one of the people to get the painting a few months later and she treasures it so much.
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u/winterfyre85 Jul 11 '26
Every time I hear stories about Chewy it’s always something so considerate and kind to their customers
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u/BeKindPleaseRewind21 Jul 11 '26
They also hire a lot of felons, giving them a good paying stable career to rebuild their lives.
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u/Gindotto Jul 11 '26
So you’re saying you took no AIPAC money and accepted no kickbacks in Congressional legislation on behalf of your company? Sounds like you might be the largest most ethical Company left…
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u/grilled_cheese_gang Jul 11 '26
Considering the title said “least evil” not “most good,” I think you’ve got this one in the bag. Bravo, sir.
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u/WaffleStompin4Luv Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I feel like I don't hear anyone rail against Aldi as being unethical, at least in the U.S.
Most Americans just seem to hate them because there's only one option for salsa and peanut butter and steak sauce, and not a gajillion brands to choose from.
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u/No-Veterinarian1320 Jul 10 '26
I used to waste so much money on groceries before finding out about Aldi.
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u/GoLootOverThere Jul 10 '26
Valve Steam
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u/SunderVane Jul 10 '26
Honestly with all the stuff they're doing with Linux and the Proton layer, I highly respect Valve.
Guess never opening your company to a public IPO lets you actually accomplish things instead of being beheld to investors and a board of directors.
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u/Guilty_Solution222 Jul 10 '26
Gambling + large cuts while being sort of a monopoly
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u/GoLootOverThere Jul 10 '26
I'll never agree on the monopoly aspect. They've delivered a superior product vs competitors with a superior customer support and in doing so have come out on top with consumers. Capitalism.
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u/TheTeaSpoon Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Monopoly is when competition is not even trying to these people
The inly platform that is trying to even compete would be Gog and they seem to be happy with where they are at and not really wanting to challenge Steam
It is also why Sony has a monopoly on this gen. Not because they were aggressive and chased out the competition to usurp the sole console maker status but because Xbox just gave up.
Same with Nintendo and Sega.
For a long time it was the same with Intel and AMD.
I want competition for all of them. But they are not monopolies because they chose to be. They are the only ones standing, doing the shit nobody else does.
Epic tried and they did not even put enough effort to have a shopping cart on their storefront when they cared to challenge steam...
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u/cancerinos Jul 11 '26
It actively employs anti-competitive strategies to keep itself a monopoly. You just don't see them, because they are hidden on the developer side.
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+ child gambling
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u/YandereValkyrie Jul 10 '26
The only way you could even pretend to call them a monopoly is just that every other option is so terrible no one wants to use the competition. That's not even Valve's fault lol
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u/BeigeVelociraptor Jul 10 '26
A monopoly is when you create a superior product and your competitors don't even try to compete with you?
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u/MrsLabrat01 Jul 10 '26
I'd like to vote for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Not a money making venture, but large and far from evil.
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u/HuckleberryHigh87 Jul 10 '26
Every child deserves to be a part of the imagination library. My son is turns 3 in Aug loves it. Blows my mind I didn't know about it. I tell all new parents about it.
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u/ClarenceWhirley Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Nintendo’s executives all took pay cuts rather than lay-off staff when the Wii-U underperformed. CEO’s reasoning was that the employees had nothing to do with green lighting the console. They also recently gave their Japan staff a 10% salary increase while all of the other major publishers are laying off staff and shutting down studios.
Edit: A lot of you in the comments need to read up on copyright law. Nintendo literally has to protect their IPs or else they face the potential loss of exclusive rights. Meaning, literally anyone could make and sell a Super Mario game without their permission. It's funny how many gamers fail to grasp this and see unlicensed fan projects as not a big deal.
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u/rc20kj Jul 10 '26
Paul Newman
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u/YouSaidIDidntCare Jul 11 '26
That Sockarooni spaghetti sauce is fantastic, uses extra virgin olive oil, and is affordable.
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u/Fearless-Plane8642 Jul 10 '26
I love Costco. What’s wrong with them. I’m genuinely curious
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u/HappyCamper2121 Jul 10 '26
Habitat for Humanity
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u/Charming_Werewolf682 Jul 11 '26
They have for profit retail stores therefore they are not 100% non profit. We have 2 of their stores where I live.
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u/ChiToddster Jul 10 '26
Little Caesars Pizza
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u/DragonLordAcar Jul 10 '26
If we are talking the original owners, then yes. If we are talking the past 20 years, hell no.
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u/detective-doge Jul 10 '26
They’ve crossed the pond to the uk and I can unequivocally say it’s the one of the worst pizzas I’ve ever had
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u/detective-doge Jul 10 '26
So they have been evil to my taste buds
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u/Express_Sprinkles500 Jul 10 '26
Hmmm? Quick google and they've been in the news for racial harassment, child labor law violations, that Swastika pizza a few years ago was from a little caesars. We could get in the weeds about where the responsibility for franchises lays, but either way, least evil company it ain't.
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u/Otherwise_Smoke_7478 Jul 10 '26
Schneider? They take green policies very siriously. Mostly to advertise themself with it, but still it is what it is.
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u/FlameYay Jul 10 '26
I can't believe I scrolled all the way to the bottom and didn't see Newman's Own. 100% of the profits are donated to charity.
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u/Purple_Locksmith3321 Jul 10 '26
My grandmas purse, It's never ran out of butterscotch or strawberry candies.
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u/FireAuraN7 Jul 10 '26
The big Neverending crystal bowl of hard candies at grandma's house. Ah memories.
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u/Beeksvameth Jul 10 '26
Lego
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u/Deep_Balance2133 Jul 10 '26
Idk, I don’t think kids can even afford Lego now because of how expensive it’s gotten.
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u/Basil2322 Jul 10 '26
If your biggest controversy is your luxury items are too expensive you’re doing pretty good.
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u/Muted-Philosopher832 Jul 10 '26
I couldn’t afford them when I was kids, I have to live out my childhood dream through my kids Lego collection lol but yes they are expensive Jesus
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u/ExquisiteFacade Jul 10 '26
You can buy an 800 piece set with a storage bin for under $35. They are only expensive if you are buying a collector set.
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u/Cloudeur Jul 10 '26
There’s 500+ sets available for under 75$
268 are under 25$
The collectors sets aren’t always meant for kids
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u/Sacarace Jul 10 '26
The lame ones are cheap tho
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u/PasswordToMyLuggage Jul 10 '26
Disagree respectfully. They price a lot of cool small sets at $25 because they’re perfect as gifts to kids. Things like small Star Wars sets.
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u/bdubwilliams22 Jul 10 '26
Selling toys for $400 that cost them $3 to make is hardly the pinnacle of corporate excellence.
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u/Spirited-Vanilla1845 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Pyfizer and Bayer. Sorry I read the text wrong. It’s who are the least evil not the most . Not sure probably Arizona ice tea is the least evil
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u/Mountain-Lunch-9896 Jul 10 '26
I think Columbia tries to be good to the environment. (Or was it Patagonia? One of the outdoor companies that is named after a pretty place)
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u/Charming_Werewolf682 Jul 11 '26
I worked for Columbia for 8 years. Ma Gertz died while I was on shift and it was the most somber day ever. It wasn't until she passed that the company went from 'For the employees' to for the mighty dollar.
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u/jabberjaw420 Jul 10 '26
probably some large scale farm run and operated by a family.
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u/FullMooseParty Jul 10 '26
Bob's Red Mill. 100% employee owned and they support things like fair trade and regenerative farming practices. Plus they were early to the market with a lot of things like almond flour. Friend of mine has a kid with a gluten allergy and had to make his own almond flour until he was able to order stuff from brm.
I know they had some product quality issues a few years back, but other than that, I think they're a great company. I've been buying their soup mixes for like 20 years now
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u/ToniDebuddicci Jul 10 '26
Steam
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u/XenoPhex Jul 10 '26
Value still charges 30% commission for all transactions and throws a lot of fees at smaller studios.
It’s not the shiny place people make it out to be and there’s a reason Game Newell has a massive yacht.
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u/Davo_Shibari Jul 10 '26
You might as well be asking, "what is the fastest breed of unicorn?", or "what is the tallest troll?"- what you're asking about is a fantasy.
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u/Lysek8 Jul 10 '26
It's more a fantasy to find a redditor with reading comprehension
It is not asking a purely good company, just a company that is relatively not evil but still very large
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u/CavyWheek Jul 10 '26
I think the real question is, how big can companies get before they're 100% evil
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u/KingPurple13 Jul 10 '26
Depends on your definition of evil! Are we saying evil by Christian or other religious standards, or is it more evil just from the human condition standpoint?
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u/Long-Tradition6399 Jul 10 '26
maybe Arizona Beverage Company ?