ɪt wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd baɪ ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd jˈuː.ˈɛs. pˈoʊst ˈɑːfɪs ɛmplˈɔɪiːz hˌuː wˈɔntᵻd tə lˈɛvɚɹɪdʒ ðɛɹ bˈaɪɪŋ pˈaʊɚ baɪ pˈɜːtʃɪsɪŋ ɡˈʊdz dᵻɹˈɛktli fɹʌm hˈoʊlseɪlɚz, ænd ᵻlˈɪmᵻnˌeɪt ðɪ ɐdˈɪʃənəl mˈɑːɹkʌp əvɚ ɹˈiːteɪl stˈoːɹ.
It was founded by 800 U.S. Post Office employees who wanted to leverage their buying power by purchasing goods directly from wholesalers, and eliminate the additional markup of a retail store.