Experience

I spent most of those years on the front end and out in the parking lot. Pushing carts in the dead of a Canadian winter, in the summer heat, in the rain. Every season had its own version of hard. There were shifts where my hands went numb and shifts where the lot felt endless. You learn quickly that nobody is coming to make it easier; you just keep moving and you get the job done.

I took it because I wanted to understand the value of a dollar and what it takes to earn one. Working alongside people who'd done this for decades taught me humility fast. I learned to switch between cashier, merchandising, and the lot without missing a beat, to hit my KPIs even on the worst days, and to treat every member like the interaction mattered, because it did.

More than anything, Costco taught me discipline and consistency. Showing up, doing the unglamorous work well, and staying steady when conditions are miserable. Those are the habits I carry into everything now, from accounting to building brands. The parking lot taught me that the standard you hold when no one's watching is the only one that counts.