Anne :

Hi everyone. Welcome to Your Stories, a podcast on how Costco benefits are changing the lives of Costco employees. I’m your host, Anne Webster, and I’m excited to bring you the fourth episode in our podcast series. Today we’re talking with Costco employee Reese Schmelling. Welcome, Reese. I’m so glad you could join us today.

Reese:

Well, it’s great to be a part of your program and I’m looking forward to going over some things.

Anne :

Let’s start with the basics. How long have you been with Costco?

Reese:

Almost 10 years now. I’m going to have my anniversary in October.

Anne:

Happy Anniversary.

Reese:

Thank you.

Anne:

Which Costco location do you work at?

Reese:

I work at the Scottsdale location over off of Hayden in Arizona.

Anne:

Okay. I bet that’s a popular location.

Reese:

It is, yeah. It is quite busy.

Anne:

And what do you do there?

Reese:

I actually work in merchandising, so I am night merch and I’m also a forklift driver.

Anne:

Oh, wow. That must really keep you on your toes.

Reese:

Sometimes.

Anne:

So when you’re not at work, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Reese:

My favorite thing is I like to go to San Diego. I enjoy surfing, so it’s a big part of my life. I’m not good at it, I’m from Arizona, but I do enjoy it.

Anne:

I also heard that your family owns a boat from 1991 that still runs?

Reese:

Yeah, it does. Yeah. It is an old Ski Nautique and it’s a little ski boat that we’ve had for quite a long time, and that’s also a lot of fun. Anything with water is my kind of thing.

Anne:

Okay. Well, today we are here to talk about your experience with Costco benefits, but before we go into that, tell me: did you take the “We’re In This Together” pledge this year?

Reese:

I actually did.

Anne:

Well, that’s great. Before we get into your story, I just want to remind everyone about the “We’re In This Together” pledge. It’s basically a way for you to learn about your benefits so that you can use them to take care of yourself. Costco really believes in supporting its employees in every way possible and really wants you to make the most out of your benefits. So Reese, can you tell me how you used your Costco benefits to help you?

Reese:

Yeah, I actually started using the benefits at the beginning of 2013. I started having some issues with a mental illness called schizophrenia. I’ve done what I can to battle that and put myself in the best position I can for being able to work and do what I can to just be the best person I can be.

Anne:

You reached out to the Live Healthy team, correct, to get started with benefits?

Reese:

Oh, yeah. I got a call from an Aetna coach. It was kind of a really great timing because I’d just had my third episode after 10 years.

Anne:

I think her name was Rachel, correct?

Reese:

Yes. Rachel was very helpful.

Anne:

What was she able to do for you?

Reese:

She was able to put me in a better position to get a therapist, a dietician. We also were working together to figure things out in the sense of what I need to do to dial in my medications, that’s the main thing. And doing so, it’s just a really great process for me.

Anne:

That’s great. I’m glad that you could get the support like that. I also heard that you were injured in a car accident while employed at Costco. That sounds awful.

Reese:

Yeah, that was not a very good thing. It was like a perfect storm. It was nice to have Costco on my side when I was going through those problems with my back pain and my leg dysfunction. I was able to get the help I needed to get myself back at work. Kind of put myself in the best position I could.

Anne:

You did your physical therapy through Omada, correct?

Reese:

Oh yeah. That’s definitely correct. It’s been very helpful for me when it comes to building myself up for both my serotonin levels for mental health and also physical abilities to be able to work every day and get that leg function back.

Anne:

And tell me about how that experience works. It’s a virtual physical therapy, correct?

Reese:

Yes, it is. And it’s actually a really great process where you’re able to do it from home and when it makes the most sense for your specific schedule. It’s nice to have someone in your corner too that’s very knowledgeable in that field.

Anne:

You’ve been through a lot and accomplished a lot. What are you most proud of as far as your health goes now?

Reese:

When it comes to my health, I’m most proud that I’m able to not only work, but have a good life work balance. Costco’s been a really big benefit in making sure that I can utilize my full potential of who I am.

Anne:

I’m really glad that you’re doing better and that you found the help you needed. That’s great. Great to hear. I want to talk a little bit about another way Costco supports the wellbeing of its employees. Each month, Costco posts health related content at the wellbeing website, which is WITTpledge.com. This month’s focus is on taking time for yourself; which is something we could all use, right? Have you spent any time on the website looking at articles and other content?

Reese:

I have. I think it’s very motivational to see what people are doing and what you’re capable of accomplishing through a program that’s thinking in your best interest.

Anne :

Have you learned anything about financial wellbeing while either working with your advocate or on the website?

Reese:

Financially it’s been a really big help in the sense of getting with the right people and making sure that I’m doing what I can to work with my short-term disability program. It’s been nice to be there and have them be able to give me some sort of percentage of pay while I’m out of work.

Anne:

Yeah, I bet that’s a big help, and I’m glad that, again, you were able to find the benefits that supported that. When you’ve looked at the website, are there any topics that you wish you saw more coverage of?

Reese:

The one that I trying to get a little bit more connected with is still financial. It’s some sort of wallet that they have available that goes over what you’re spending, your spending habits.

Anne:

Yes, that’s SmartDollar.

Reese:

If I had a chance to get more involved with that specific program, I think it would be really helpful for my own financial wellbeing for the future.

Anne:

Definitely. Beyond SmartDollar, are there any other benefits that you’ve read about that look interesting to you?

Reese:

I got to be honest with you, I’ve never seen a retail store that’s so geared towards helping their employees and making sure that they have the right resources for the future. And there’s so many to count, but I really think that there’s a lot of different opportunities that are available with the benefit program that are important to look through.

Anne:

I have a final question, which you’ve sort of hinted at and covered. If a coworker came up to you in the workroom and asked you about using their Costco benefits, especially if they’re struggling with mental health issues, what would you say to them?

Reese:

I’ve actually had this connection before with a couple of people at work already, and I kind of talk about, some people tell me that they have risk problems or mental health issues or whatever it might be, and it’s an unbelievable experience to have them connected with the right people, and I’ve actually sent out Rachel a couple shout-outs to her to give them the phone number and give them the best thing they can.

Anne:

Oh, that’s great. I’m glad that you’re getting the word out. Really good advice. Is there anything else that you’d like your fellow coworkers to hear about your story or about your experience with Costco benefits?

Reese:

When it came to this story and the 10 years of struggling and battling schizophrenia, I have to be honest with you, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for Costco. And it’s really important to realize that they’re really there for you in making sure that you can find the right gear to go forward and continue to work with Costco as a whole. And I got involved with this just so I can allow more employees and more people to understand that Costco’s a great business to work for and it has great benefits that no other company can come close to.

Anne:

I’m so glad that you feel so supported by Costco. That’s a wonderful thing. Well, we really appreciate your time here today, Reese, and thank you for sharing your story.

Reese:

Thank you. I really appreciate being a part of it.

Anne:

Until next time, stay well, be safe and remember, we’re in this together.