Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
SALT LAKE CITY — Business is easy. You buy for one, sell for two — you make money. But Sol Price had a different idea.
He was a lawyer who represented grocery stores the New York Times says in the 1950s. Sol Price took over empty warehouses in San Diego and sold a lot of this and that at rock-bottom prices. He called his warehouses FedMart Price Club, later shortened to Costco.
Now here’s the part you didn’t know. Because he was a socialist, Sol Price believed a business shouldn’t make too much money. He paid his employees well and sold everything at rock-bottom prices, but charged a small membership fee. The …