Costco clerks will soon make up to nearly $32 an hour

Costco Wholesale is increasing its pay to more than $30 an hour for hundreds of thousands of workers, with clerks at the top of the retailer's pay scale set to make almost $32 an hour in March. 

Costco — which employs 272,000 people across the United States and in Canada — says its workers will soon receive hourly increases of 50 cents to one dollar, continuing its strategy of keeping ahead of the competition when it comes to worker compensation.

"We believe our hourly wages and benefits will continue to far outpace others in the retail industry," Ron Vachris, the retailer's president and CEO, said in a memo Tuesday to employees.