Costco’s culture of attention to detail is one of the wholesale club’s keys to success.
That extends to the very top, with CEO Ron Vachris taking time out of his day to deal with what must be a warehouse-sized email inbox.
“I do read my email and respond to the majority,” Vachris told me when I emailed him to ask if he personally checks his messages, as multiple viral screenshots suggest. He replied the same day I messaged him, at about 10:30 p.m. Pacific time.
He also said he delegates some notes to other Costco team members.
“I see a fair number of emails on a weekly basis and can’t give you an estimate,” he added. “I am very fortunate to have fantastic managers and employees that handle the majority of our members’ needs.”
A four-decade employee of Costco, Vachris started as a forklift operator and has been in the top job for two years now, delivering strong results.
His tenure has been one of disciplined execution of the company’s reliable strategy, complemented by thoughtful tweaks such as extended shopping hours for executive members and new tech to manage the flow of customers in and out of the chain’s 923 locations.
Costco also routinely earns some of the highest customer satisfaction scores in retail, though it has seen a bit of pressure lately on that front from Walmart-owned Sam’s Club.
Some CEOs bring a personal touch to the job
Of course, Vachris is neither the first nor the only CEO to bring a personal touch to his leadership.
DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said last year that he gets hundreds of emails each week from gig workers, restaurants, and customers. Many of those notes include insights about how the company can improve.
“Every day, I think, is a daily struggle, where the job is to try to make an improvement for that day,” he said.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Lyft CEO David Risher have also spent time behind the wheel as drivers and delivery workers to better understand the businesses they run.
Apple’s Steve Jobs was another CEO who famously considered (and sometimes curtly dismissed) customer emails — a fitting habit for the inventor of the iPhone and iPad.
Along those lines, I noticed that earlier viral messages from Vachris were usually replies to short notes with relevant feedback about the company.
One example posted online was about the food court being out of ketchup for the famous $1.50 hot dogs during a member’s recent visit to one location.
“Will pass this on to the right folks there,” said the reply under Vachris’ name.
When I emailed Vachris with my questions, I also mentioned my recent experience with the Costco autos program, when I unexpectedly had to replace my car this month — a program I know, from my coverage, the company cares a lot about.
“We have found this to be a great service for our members, bringing great value and clarity to the process,” Vachris replied. “Thank you for your email and support as a Costco member.”
