The change was entirely unanticipated, according to staff involved.
Author’s Note
This article is based on corporate postings and accredited media reports. Linked information within this article is attributed to the following outlets: VVNG.com, WirelessAdvocates.com, TMO.report, Reddit.com, and Twitter.com.
Introduction
Costco appears to have been blindsided this week with the sudden closure of Wireless Advocates, the entity responsible for operating the warehouse superchain’s phone kiosks.
Over 1800 employees of Wireless Advocates have been laid off in the process.
Let us explore further.
Costco, 2022
According to multiple reports, the warehouse superchain’s corporate office was, along with store employees, taken aback by the Wireless Advocates’ apparent permanent shuttering. For one, VVNG.com’s report, “Over 1800 Employees Laid Off at Wireless Advocate Inside Costco Wholesale Stores,“ supports that contention.
As excerpted from the VVNG.com report: Over 1800 employees were laid off at Wireless Advocates which operates the phone kiosks inside Costco Wholesale stores. A local Costco representative said staff is just becoming aware that all their phone kiosks abruptly ceased operations at all Costco Warehouses on December 5, 2022... An email sent to Costco employees Monday afternoon read, “As of this morning wireless advocates has ceased operations effective immediately and is no longer doing business.”
Said employees were advised by Costco to contact Wireless Advocates’ customer service, but the calls have remained unanswered and the entity’s website has been rendered non-operational.
The article went on to state: Wireless Advocates operates retail kiosks and online sales activities for retail partners including 535 Costco Wholesale Kiosks, and 65 Army & Air Force Exchange Services Kiosks operating at various military bases, according to the website which was taken offline Monday.
TMO.report clarifies, in their piece titled “Company Responsible For Mobile Sales in Costco Implodes Overnight,” that the employees were placed at Costco but worked for the ill-fated Wireless Advocates.
From the December 5th article: Mobile carriers in the US, including T-Mobile, have partnerships with retail outlets to sell services to customers visiting those stores. T-Mobile made a big deal about expanding to “National Retail” back in September of 2021. Unfortunately it looks like the company responsible for mobile sales in Costco, called Wireless Advocates, has suddenly shut down without notice. According to posts on Reddit, Wireless Advocates LLC has completely and suddenly ceased all business operations as of today, December 5th. Costco was apparently blindsided by the news, finding out along with employees that the partnership was ending due to company shutdown.
Conclusion
Individuals claiming to be now former employees working in the Wireless Advocates side of Costco have taken to social media to express anger and resentment over losing their jobs so close to Christmas and related holidays.
“I am a manager, we knew nothing about this until the call this morning,” a Wireless Advocates worker shared on Twitter Monday, saying they were told they were being laid off via a conference call that lasted about 1 minute.
In the event of pertinent updates on this matter, I will share them here on NewsBreak.
Thank you for reading.
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