Reply #27: One of the defining differences

[gratuitous]

Costco turns a decent profit. With that money, they compensate their employees nicely. They look for even better deals from their suppliers. They give back to their communities. The executives could probably make two or three times what they're making if they followed another business model. But they seem satisfied with what they have, and don't need to squeeze the company, its customers and employees for every excess dime of profit.

Compare and contrast with some other corporated models.