Talking to reporter, Costco's chief executive, Craig Jelinek, had a habit of stating the conditions in which "good things will happen to you. " To summarize his retail company's strategy, Jelinek said, "As long as you continue to take care of customer, take care of employees, and keep your expenses in line, good things are going to happen to you." Indeed, good things have happened to Costco, which stands out from other retailers for remaining profitable and avoiding layoffs during the Great Recession and beyond.