Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) is a membership-based warehouse retailer known for high employee wages, strong employee benefits, and business ethics that contrast favorably with most big-box retail. However: Costco pharmacies fill prescriptions for mifepristone (abortion drug), Costco has publicly doubled down on DEI programs when other companies retreated in 2025, and Costco sells alcohol prominently. 48/100 Mixed — better than most major retailers on labor ethics, worse on abortion access and LGBT/DEI institutional affirmation.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) is not a Christian company — it is a secular membership warehouse retailer. However, Christians asking this question often have a more specific inquiry: Does Costco reflect values Christians should care about in how it treats people and conducts business? The answer is genuinely mixed, which makes Costco one of the more interesting company ethics assessments — better than most retailers on some dimensions, worse on others.
Employee wages and treatment: Costco is consistently cited as an exemplary employer in the retail sector. It pays starting wages significantly above industry average (beginning around $20/hour in most markets, with experienced workers earning substantially more), provides comprehensive health benefits to part-time as well as full-time employees, and has extremely low employee turnover for retail. Proverbs 3:27 — "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it" — and James 5:4's labor ethics principle are positively satisfied by Costco's employment practices relative to its competitors.
Business integrity: Costco's business model is built on genuine value delivery to members — low markups (Costco limits its markup to 14% on Kirkland products and 15% on name-brand items), transparent pricing, and a no-questions-asked return policy that reflects genuine confidence in its products. This is a business model built on trust rather than manipulation.
Abortion drug prescriptions: Costco pharmacies fill prescriptions for mifepristone (Mifeprex) — the FDA-approved medication abortion drug. Following the Dobbs decision, multiple pharmacy chains faced pressure to restrict mifepristone dispensing; Costco has continued to fill these prescriptions where legally permitted. For Christians who believe life begins at conception and that abortion ends human life made in God's image (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-16), supporting a business whose pharmacy fills abortion drug prescriptions is a serious moral concern worth weighing.
DEI: In early 2025, when major companies including Target, Walmart, Ford, and Harley-Davidson rolled back DEI programs in response to political and consumer pressure, Costco's board explicitly reaffirmed its DEI commitments in a shareholder meeting, calling them consistent with its business mission. Costco's board voted to maintain DEI programs and rejected a shareholder proposal to assess the risks of continuing them. Christians who regard race-based preferential treatment as inconsistent with equal dignity (Acts 10:34, Galatians 3:28) have reason to take note of this institutional doubling-down.
Alcohol: Costco is the largest wine retailer in the United States by volume. Alcohol is sold prominently and in bulk quantities. This is a practical concern for Christians who do not consume alcohol or who have family members with alcohol dependency.
See our guide on Is Nike a Christian Company? for the brand ethics comparison. See our Theology Guides hub. Better Business Bureau. GotQuestions on alcohol and the Bible.