Costco Wholesale interview questions

I got the interview because I used one of my friends who works there as someone i know on the application. That usually gets you the interview. They basically ask you how you live your life during downtime situations. example what do you do in your spare time, do you clean the house. If you had no prior job experience the job is basically out of reach unless you impress them with some out of this world talent.

Interview process began pretty standard for Costco -- apply, then receive a voicemail or an email with an interview invitation. The first in-person interview was with the three assistant buyers I would be reporting to directly and indirectly. They asked a lot of questions that are on the standard interview form for Costco and some that weren't. Things like: why are you looking to leave you current job? Describe a time when you were given constructive coaching - why and how did you feel? Describe a time when you had to work on a group project and one of your team mates wasn't pulling their weight - how did you respond? What makes you stand out as the right person for this job compared to all the other candidates? What are your long term career plans and how would this job fit into them? The interview was a little intense and I definitely got the impression that they were trying to throw me off base for the interview (see if I would loosen up too much) -- three of the four interviewers were very funny, joked around a lot -- I was later told that one of the reasons I was selected for the 2nd interview was that I did not succumb to the tactics and maintained my professionalism throughout the interview. At the end of the first interview I was given a timed math test (story problems and basic merchandizing equations,) as well as an MS Word test (write a letter.) The 2nd and 3rd interviews were more intense and lasted longer (hour+) they included several managers as well as several directors of the division. These interviews were aimed more at how well do you do under pressure. The questions were the same but came much more quickly and the managers wanted much more detail drilled down on each. It's an interview both ways - after meeting more of the group - I did not feel that it was a good fit for me personally and did not continue the interview process beyond the 3rd. They hired a new grad instead. I am looking for a group that enjoys what they do and works well as a team without all the games.