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The dress code at Costco varies from casual to business casual, depending on your position. If you work at a Costco store location on the sales floor, you are expected to wear a uniform. Warehouse workers can dress more casually but must adhere to safety protocols. Corporate employees must dress business casual.
Costco's store uniforms include a waistcoat-style vest with a name tag. Employees provide their own pants and shirt, and must wear closed-toe shoes. Jewelry, with the exception of stud earrings, is not allowed, and long hair must be tied up for hygiene reasons.
Costco does not force its employees to remove facial hair, but it must be well-groomed and not bushy. Men are expected to wear beard nets while handling food. Costco does not restrict employees from dyeing their hair, but it is advised to ask your store manager’s permission before doing so.
In general, clothing requirements can be set into two categories. One for men and one for women. Luckily, we have a comprehensive guide for both:
For men, there are a few basic rules to keep in mind. These include:
Shirts. Most Costcos have a no T-Shirts rule for men, in favor of polo or collared shirts. Preferably, these shirts should be tucked into the employee’s pants, but this may depend on the manager.
Pants. No pants with holes and jeans are generally frowned upon. Instead, employees are encouraged to wear khakis or other types of dress pants.
Vest. Most jobs at Costco, especially those involving retail, require the employee to wear their Costco Vest and nametag.
Moving on to women’s clothing requirements, these are some basic rules to keep in mind:
Shirts. Women are expected to wear an appropriate blouse or shirt.
Pants/Skirts. No pants with holes. Dress pants and khakis are also preferred here. However, women also have the option to wear knee-length skirts.
Vest. Of course, women are also responsible for wearing their Costco Vest and nametag.
While Costco isn’t very picky about uniform colors, many employees will be required to wear a red vest. This can affect what colors you may wait to wear, as a dark green polo shirt may look odd with a bright red vest.
However, regardless of whether or not you’ll be wearing a vest, the most common colors worn at the company are:
White
Black
Red
These colors match the overall vibe and are fairly neutral.
Hair color and tattoos aren’t generally an issue at Costco. That said, according to several sources, managers tend to prefer that tattoos are covered and that an employee's hair is well-kempt.
However, tattoos with profanity or offensive imagery may prove to be a bigger issue.
While shoes don’t have to be exceptionally professional, you should avoid wearing open-toed ones like sandals. Costco considers these kinds of footwear to be unprofessional and a safety hazard. Hats are also a no-no, as they can obscure an employee’s face or cause other safety issues.
Many of the rules regarding accessories will revolve around whether or not you work with food. For example, deli workers and other individuals who handle food will be required to wear their hair in hairnets and aren’t allowed to wear accessories like bracelets or earrings.
This is for safety reasons, so an employee’s personal items don’t come in contact with food. However, the rules on this may be more lenient for employees who don’t work in that area.
Generally speaking, Costco interviews aren’t incredibly formal. So, for the most part, what we’ve recommended wearing in the workplace would work in the interview. But, for reference, here are some tips for assembling the perfect Costco interview attire:
Pants: slacks, khakis, other dress pants
Shirts: Button-up shirts. No tie required
Dresses and skirts for women: knee-length skirt or dress may be appropriate
Shoes: dress shoes if possible