A seasoned Costco employee, earning $33 an hour, finds himself with a millionaire’s retirement plan, thanks to the retail company’s exceptional treatment of its long-serving staff.

Tony Barzar, a 60-year-old resident of Tucson, Arizona, is among the numerous veteran workers who are content to stay with Costco, all thanks to the retailer’s generous employee benefits.

These benefits include wages that surpass the industry average, reduced cost-sharing for healthcare, and appealing vacation offers.

Barzar’s journey with the company began back in 1986, when he earned $5.85 per hour running carts for Price Club, prior to its merger with Costco.

Now, as a self-checkout monitor, he receives the top hourly wage of $32.90.

Costco’s decision to buyout Price Club in 1993 meant that he transitioned from a pension to a 401(k) which has grown his retirement fund to a seven figure balance.

‘I could retire, but what would I do? Costco has been good to me,’ he told The Wall Street Journal.  ‘I didn’t think me and my family would reach where we sit now.’ 

Barzar’s role has afforded him the ability to buy a three-bedroom house with a pool and two trips to Europe over the past decade. 

Costco has designed its benefits packages with long-term employee retention in mind, as constantly training new hires is more expensive than keeping staff on for decades, like Barzar. 

The wholesale club’s one-year turnover rate is around seven percent, according to WSJ – a shockingly small amount compared to the retail industry’s normal 60 percent rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Costco also has ‘culture coaches,’ which are long-term employees who mentor younger staff members to keep customers and the environment happy. 

The employee benefits go beyond just good pay, as they also offer great and cheap insurance plans, which paid for his wife Jody’s three brain surgeries as part of her cancer treatment. 

Jody also worked at Costco for 26 years in the bakery department, WSJ reported. 

Barzar, who won Employee of the Year in 2018, also used Costco’s therapy benefits to help him cope with his wife’s illness. 

‘You don’t have any idea how deep it goes until something tragic happens,’ Barzar said. 

He has since returned to work as a part-time employee, and he was able to keep the same hourly pay, he told WSJ. 

Barzar has declined several promotions, saying he wants to keep his customer-facing role which has allowed him to bond and share stories with shoppers.

‘I would say this is my calling, right where I’m at,’ he said. The Daily Mail has reached out to Barzar and Costco for comment.

Barzar is not unique, with many other long-term Costco staff who have opted out of progression set to enjoy a healthy retirement.

Gary Millerchip, the chief financial officer, said ‘thousands’ of employees currently have $1 million in their retirement plans. 

Employees stay on so long that many retire early due to the massive amounts in their 401(k)s, but ‘you have a pipeline of employees coming behind that group that also are building that level of experience,’ he told WSJ. 

Meanwhile in Seattle, Lee Warders, who is in his nineties, retired from the Covington store in April, The Seattle Times reported. 

He started at Costco in 2011 and had built up a strong rapport with customers, who created a Facebook page with him and post pictures with him. 

He even met his girlfriend, Madeleine, through a customer while working for the retailer. 

And like many Costco employees, his 401(k) is healthy as he contributed up to 50 percent of his income into it, he told The Times. 

Years before the tragic murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, Joseph Perrulli recalls a chilling prediction she confided to him, a premonition he desperately wishes had never been realized.

During a dinner with Perrulli, Nicole spoke about the severe abuse from her estranged husband, O.J. Simpson, famed for his football prowess and Hollywood stardom. She revealed that the abuse was so severe it once caused her to lose consciousness.

Through tears, Nicole lamented to Perrulli, “I just prayed something like that would never happen again. But it did. I’d rather die than go back to that man.”

Tragically, on June 12, 1994, Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were discovered murdered outside her Los Angeles home in the Brentwood neighborhood. Reflecting on these events three decades later, Perrulli penned a memoir, “The Forgotten Briefcase,” documenting their poignant relationship.

“To hear those words — how do you even process it?” Perrulli told News Media. “It disturbed me that night. I’ll never forget waking up and remembering everything she said to me. But I felt confident she would never go back to him. I saw such strength in her eyes. I figured she wouldn’t go back to him.”

Perrulli first met Simpson in 1989 through their mutual friend, Kris Jenner. But it wasn’t until 1992, after Simpson filed for divorce from O.J., that they reconnected — and Perrulli said the woman he met then was almost unrecognizable from the one he’d first encountered years earlier.

“When I first met her, I suspected something was going on in her life,” Perrulli said. “She was very secretive. Her demeanor was unlike anything I’d seen in Beverly Hills at the time. But I remember I was drawn to this inner sadness. I don’t know why. But when we reconnected in 1992, she had completely transformed herself. She was a vivacious woman taking control of her life. It was so mesmerizing to me.”

After having dinner with the Jenners, Simpson invited Perrulli back to her new rental home in Brentwood. Once she checked on her children, Sydney, then 6, and Justin, 3, she lit candles, and the pair quickly bonded on the couch. There, Perrulli learned about her favorite music — “everything but country,” she told him — and her favorite restaurants across Los Angeles. Between laughter, they kissed.

Perrulli also remembered a warning from Jenner’s husband, then known as Bruce Jenner, after he sensed sparks were flying between the pair: “O.J. will always be her problem.”

“Those words have always stayed with me,” Perrulli said. “Caitlyn Jenner said it almost in passing, but with such a serious look. We were mountain biking in Malibu when I spoke about how incredible Nicole was. I could never let those words go.”

When Perrulli left Simpson’s home that night, he recalled catching the scent of Paco Rabanne cologne and feeling compelled to look over his shoulder. He also remembered that Simpson wore the scent herself.

Days later, Simpson told him a neighbor had seen O.J. lurking outside her home while Perrulli was there. Perrulli said he realized the scent he’d noticed belonged to the same cologne O.J. was wearing.

As their relationship deepened, Perrulli said he also began to learn more about the darker side of Simpson’s marriage to O.J.

“She didn’t always talk about the abuse she endured,” Perrulli said. “She was very private and held it very close to her chest. We were having dinner when, out of nowhere, she confided in me. I had my suspicions, but it was entirely different hearing it from her.”

“I was unprepared for it,” Perrulli admitted. “I didn’t know how to react. All I could do while she was crying in public was hold her hands and make sure I listened. I never spoke about that to anyone. Ever.”

According to the book, Simpson told Perrulli, “He totally lost control, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs. Then he started hitting me, hard … I thought for sure he was going to kill me. The pain was so intense, I must have gone into shock because even though I could still hear him yelling and I could still hear his fists hitting me, I was numb. I totally blacked out from the pain.”

Despite everything she had endured, Perrulli said Simpson remained determined to build a new life for herself. She poured herself into raising Sydney and Justin and embracing the independence she believed she had finally found.

As Perrulli fell deeper in love with Simpson, he also grew increasingly unnerved by O.J.’s continued presence in her life.

In the book, Perrulli said the turning point came during a run along San Vicente Boulevard. As he, Simpson and her friend Cora jogged, they unexpectedly encountered O.J. waiting nearby with his and Simpson’s children. Perrulli briefly locked eyes with O.J. as he ran past. He described feeling a chill as he saw “the monster from Nicole’s nightmare” in O.J.’s stare.

“I saw something far different in his eyes that morning,” Perrulli told News Media.

The encounter convinced him that remaining in Simpson’s life would only intensify the danger surrounding her, a realization he later summed up with the words, “Fear can supersede love.”

Perrulli said he also experienced what he believes was a prophetic dream in which he and Simpson died together in a car crash.

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“It felt like one of the most significant premonitions of my life,” he said. “The following morning, I knew the relationship had ended.”

“I regret not maintaining a friendship with her because she was such a beautiful spirit,” he said. “But I realized how difficult it was going to be for her to separate herself from him. And, of course, living about a mile from his home, I felt it was an impossible situation to be in.”

Simpson wanted to stay friends. She even called him to say her divorce was finalized. She gave him a copy of her favorite book and dropped off a photo album with a goodbye note. She told him, “I want you to keep that, and I want you to look at it sometimes and see what you’ll be missing.”

Perrulli didn’t see Simpson again until the Jenners’ annual Christmas Eve party in 1993. There, he said he was stunned to discover she had reunited with O.J.

“I found out they’re back together,” he said. “I just remember the night when she said she’d never go back to him. She’d rather die than go back to him. I lingered there a little too long. Obviously, I upset him. I regret that last encounter because I thought I’d see her again and apologize.”

Six months later, Simpson was murdered. She was 35 years old. Perrulli said he immediately believed O.J. was responsible.

“I knew exactly who did it,” Perrulli said. “But I couldn’t grieve. I did everything I could to detach myself, as if the spring of 1992 never existed.”

During the 1995 murder trial, Perrulli spoke with prosecutor Marcia Clark after tabloids revealed his relationship with Simpson. He wasn’t called to testify. O.J. was acquitted in the criminal case but was later found liable for the deaths of Simpson and Goldman in a 1997 civil trial. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

For years, Perrulli attempted to lock away his memories of Simpson. It wasn’t until 2024 that he opened a briefcase he initially believed had been lost. Inside were the letters, photographs and keepsakes he’d packed away after ending their relationship — untouched for more than three decades.

“Nicole was seen as just a victim, and Ron Goldman, too, for that matter,” Perrulli said. “But she was a devoted mother who, at one point, felt she was finally free. I guess I needed some closure. And maybe, in finding this briefcase, Nicole wants the world to see her for who she was.”

Perrulli said he hopes readers remember not only how Simpson died but also who she was during the brief period when she believed she’d reclaimed her life.

LAS VEGAS — Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett was on the brink of escalating his career to new heights, teetering on the edge of UFC glory, until Justin Gaethje disrupted his trajectory.

At UFC 324, the debut event for UFC on Paramount+, Pimblett found himself the anticipated victor against seasoned fighter Gaethje, with a potential title opportunity looming had he succeeded. His track to stardom seemed inevitable.

The charismatic Englishman didn’t just win his fights; he enthralled audiences with his striking flair and theatrical style inside the octagon, earning multiple finishes and performance bonuses. Fans quickly rallied behind his flamboyant persona.

However, Gaethje, who had recently seized the lightweight championship under unexpected circumstances by besting Ilia Topuria, was not to be underestimated. During their January bout, he dominated Pimblett, securing a unanimous decision victory. Gaethje’s assault was so formidable that Pimblett had never before endured such punishment, being knocked down twice.

Reflecting on these past events, Pimblett, who is set to face Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 329, remarked to The Post, “I can’t start demanding title fights. I’m not even on a win streak. Once I beat BSD, I’ll be on a one-fight— it’s not even a streak— it’s just a win. I didn’t even ask for a title fight when I got the Gaethje fight.”

Saint-Denis, a former member of the French Army Special Forces, profiles as one of the toughest matches for Pimblett at lightweight — and is going into the bout fearless.

Though Pimblett views his opponent as a less dangerous version of Gaethje.

“I’ve fought people like him,” Pimblett said. “We’ve done a lot of specific stuff, obviously, for the type of grappling he does. We’ll be ready for him… He’s a not-as-good version of Justin Gaethje on the feet.”

Though the 31-year-old Pimblett said he still has the edge in grappling.

“People talk about his grappling… even [Renato] Moicano absolutely schooled him on the ground. Moicano busted him up bad and schooled him on the floor,” Pimblett said.

Pimblett said he expected the fight, which is the co-main event for Conor McGregor’s return against Max Holloway, to be a five-round fight. He added that he signs whatever the UFC puts in front of him and that he doesn’t know for certain that Saint-Denis asked for a three-round fight, but it’s the “only explanation” for it being three rounds.

“I think he must have asked for it to be three rounds because he knows he gasses after two,” Pimblett said. I’ll be shocked if this fight gets to the third round, but if it does, I’ll be putting a third-round beating on him.”

Pimblett is well known for his talks about mental health, as well as for criticism of his dietary habits, and is able to tune out all that noise these days.

“I just can’t wait to weigh in,” Pimblett said. “Get some post-weigh-in food, and then that’s the fun part.”

Pimblett added that he has “all sorts” of different food choices in his head, as he’s currently knee-deep in a weight cut that could see him drop from nearly 175 pounds to 155 pounds within 10 days.

“It’s dedication and hard work,” Pimblett said. “People say I’m not dedicated because I put weight on when I’m out of camp, but I’m not fighting then, I can do what I want. When I’m in camp, and I’ve got a weight to make, I’m the most dedicated fighter you’ve ever seen. I have to be to make weight.

“People think that I’m mostly just trying to kill myself to make weight. I don’t; I just have to be structured and know what I’m eating every day. People always ask me, ‘What’s the trick?’ There is no trick. You just have to eat fewer calories than you burn every day, and you’ll keep losing weight consistently.”

WASHINGTON — In the wake of a report concerning security issues with the newly commissioned Air Force One, the Trump administration has served subpoenas to multiple New York Times reporters, according to the newspaper.

This aircraft, recently welcomed by President Donald Trump and gifted by Qatar, commenced its official service just last week.

The purpose of these subpoenas is to mandate journalists’ appearances before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday. The paper reported that federal agents personally delivered some of these subpoenas to reporters at their residences.

While the New York Times shared this news, independent confirmation is still pending, and no immediate comments have been received from either the White House or the Department of Justice.

David McCraw, the legal representative for the newspaper, declared, “The presence of federal law enforcement at the homes of reporters should be alarming to all Americans who value the Constitution and the press freedom it safeguards,” in a statement released on Friday.

The developments come after Trump flew the new Air Force One to a NATO summit in Turkey. But he departed Wednesday on one of the older-model Air Force One jets for a trip to Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, England. The two jets both flew to Mildenhall. Trump then switched to the newer plane for the flight home to Joint Base Andrews.

The abrupt plane swap came as a shaky cease-fire with Iran had collapsed, with the U.S. launching airstrikes on Iran and Tehran attacking three Gulf Arab states. Iran and Turkey share a border, sparking speculation that the Qatari-gifted jet – which underwent a $400 million retrofit – lacked certain sophisticated security and countermeasure systems.

The paper reported Wednesday the switch had come at the urging of the Secret Service. On Thursday, the paper said the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older aircraft, including antimissile capabilities. Both articles cited anonymous sources.

Trump, at the time, denied any security concerns, posting on social media that the stop in Mildenhall was so that service members there could view the new jet. During the flight, Trump denied to the reporters accompanying him that security concerns involving Iran were a factor in flying two planes home. Asked if he was aware of any credible threats against Air Force One by Iran, Trump brushed off the question.

“I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list,” he said

The White House later denied any security shortcomings on the new plane.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal – including distraction and misdirection – to address those threats.”

The Times journalists who received subpoenas included Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt, the paper reported.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department issued subpoenas seeking to compel testimony from reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In both cases, the DOJ later withdrew the subpoenas.

___

Associated Press reporters Michelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

Once again, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert finds herself under scrutiny as the fallout from the Caitlin Clark incident continues to intensify.

Last month, the league and Engelbert were thrust into another whirlwind of controversy after Caitlin Clark, arguably the most prominent figure in the league, was punched in the throat by an opponent during an Indiana Fever game.

Amidst this turmoil, Engelbert was set to appear on the Dan Patrick Show, something the radio host revealed in advance of the planned appearance.

However, according to Patrick, Engelbert’s appearance was abruptly canceled at the urging of the WNBA’s public relations team.

Engelbert was in the vicinity of Lake Tahoe, Nevada, attending the American Century Championship golf tournament, where the show is typically recorded.

And Patrick had promoted the interview with the Commissioner, which had been scheduled for Thursday, throughout the week. 

Yet, when the allotted time rolled around, Patrick claimed that Engelbert, who has served as the WNBA’s commissioner for seven years, did not show. 

Patrick said he and his producers ‘waited almost two hours’ for Engelbert, contacting the WNBA multiple times before getting a ‘feeble’ response. 

‘And then we got word that the commissioner said that the WNBA staff, the PR staff, said that she is not allowed to do this,’ Patrick said. ‘They would prefer that she did not do [the interview].

‘Did you check with PR before you said yes to us?’

He continued to insist that if the WNBA wanted to be treated as a top league in the United States then its commissioner should be willing to face the music. 

He admitted he was preparing to ask some tough questions, but nothing unfair that Engelbert shouldn’t have to answer to. 

‘I thought this was going to be a good thing for the WNBA because people still want answers here,’ Patrick said. ‘There’s so many people who have an opinion, agendas here, and this was a chance to sit down.

‘And yes, would the questions be tough? Yes, yes. And I’m sure that had something to do with [Engelbert canceling]… So, it’s just disappointing.’

Engelbert’s cancelled interview comes after Patrick, like the majority of news outlets and networks in the US, has extensively covered the fallout from the punch on Clark.

The Fever guard was driving to the hoop when she fell to the ground in the paint while under pressure from a number of Mercury defenders.

Three rival players were battling to strip the ball away from Clark and succeeded in doing so. But, while Clark was down on the floor, Mercury star Alyssa Thomas charged in and put her closed fist into the Fever superstar’s neck.

The WNBA’s lack of reaction to Thomas’ punch on Clark has sparked a firestorm directed at the player, officials and the league for what some believe is a routine failure to protect the Indiana Fever star.

Even a group of 11 Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to Engelbert earlier this week demanding that the WNBA Commissioner take ‘accountability’ for the ‘multiple attacks’ on Clark.

The congressmen and women, led by US Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, questioned how she intends to keep players, namely Clark, safe on the court.

The letter describes Clark as ‘the face of your league,’ crediting her for increased fan interest, television ratings and corporate sponsorships,

In the days that followed the punching incident, Thomas said she was racially abused online and received threats toward herself and her family – including her children.

She directed frustration at the WNBA and Engelbert, whom she criticized for being silent on the issue.

‘The league has to do better in this instance,’ Thomas said. ‘Honestly, I didn’t even know I was being suspended until 10 minutes before it was being put on social media. We still have yet to hear anything from Cathy.

‘It’s no surprise. You can see what’s being said on social media. It’s unfortunate, but as usual, she remains silent. That’s unfortunate when our lives are being threatened.

‘Just the whole narrative that’s being painted out there,’ she continued. ‘It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this over basketball.

‘A lot of us, myself included, didn’t even know the play took place until after the game. And now we’re being painted as thugs. And [there are] death threats out on us, so it’s really unacceptable. It’s something that needs to change in this league, and I’m just really sick and tired of it.’

As reported by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Engelbert and Thomas did exchange text messages. The Commissioner is said to have directed league security to get in touch with Phoenix security over the threats to Thomas.

Engelbert also released her own statement last week, saying: ‘The WNBA vehemently condemns any and all forms of hate. The safety and well-being of everyone in our community is always the league’s top priority.

‘We are aware of Alyssa Thomas’ comments, and what she and her teammates have experienced is completely unacceptable and not representative of the WNBA community. The league and our security team have been in contact with the Phoenix Mercury organization and remain committed to protecting all players.’