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Wikipedia

Costco

February 15, 2024

Not to be confused with Cosco or Cusco.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (commonly shortened to Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores.[3] As of 2023, Costco is the third-largest retailer in the world[4] and is the world's largest retailer of choice and prime beef, organic foods, rotisserie chicken, and wine as of 2016.[5] Costco is ranked #11 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.[6]

Costco Wholesale Corporation
Logo since 1997
Headquarters in Issaquah, Washington
Company typePublic
IndustryRetail
FoundedSeptember 15, 1983; 40 years ago (1983-09-15) (as Costco)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Founders
Headquarters
Issaquah, Washington
,
U.S.
Number of locations
861[1][2] (2023)
Area served
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Iceland
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Taiwan
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Puerto Rico[1][2]
Key people
BrandsKirkland Signature
Services
Revenue US$242.3 billion[2] (2023)
US$8.114 billion[2] (2023)
US$6.292 billion[2] (2023)
Total assets US$68.99 billion[2] (2023)
Total equity US$25.06 billion[2] (2023)
Members 127.9 million[2] (2023)
Number of employees
 316,000[2] (2023)
Websitecostco.com
Original logo (used until 1993, but carried by stores until 1997)

Costco's worldwide headquarters are in Issaquah, Washington, an eastern suburb of Seattle, although its Kirkland Signature house label bears the name of its former location in Kirkland. The company opened its first warehouse (the chain's term for its retail outlets) in Seattle in 1983.[7][8] Through mergers, however, Costco's corporate history dates back to 1976, when its former competitor Price Club was founded in San Diego, California.[9][10][11] As of February 2024, Costco has 871 warehouses worldwide: 602 in the United States, 108 in Canada, 40 in Mexico, 33 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 18 in South Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, six in China, four in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden.[1][2]

History edit

 
A Costco in Tlalpan, Mexico City
 
Australia's first Costco, located in Docklands, Victoria
 
Hashima, Gifu, Japan

Price Club edit

Main article: Price Club
 
Costco membership card from Iceland

Costco's earliest predecessor, Price Club, opened its first store on July 12, 1976, on Morena Boulevard in San Diego, California. It was founded three months earlier by Sol Price and his son, Robert, following a dispute with the new owners of FedMart, Price's previous membership-only discount store.[12] Price Club was among the first retail warehouse clubs, beginning with its Morena Boulevard store inside a series of old airplane hangars once owned by Howard Hughes.[13][14] The store, known as Costco Warehouse #401, is still in operation today.[15][16]

Price Club's sales model targeted small business owners, selling items in bulk for a discounted price at no-frills outlets that were accessible only with an annual membership fee.[17] The company launched an initial public offering in 1980 and expanded to 24 locations in the Southwest and 1.1 million members by early 1986.[11][17] Price Club expanded into Canada in 1986, opening a store in Montreal,[18] followed by a Mexico City store in 1992 as part of a joint venture with hypermarket chain Controladora Comercial Mexicana.[19] The company also announced plans to open stores in Spain and Portugal through their Canadian subsidiary.[19]

Costco opens edit

Jim Sinegal and Jeffrey H. Brotman[20] opened the first Costco warehouse in Seattle on September 15, 1983.[21] Sinegal had started in wholesale distribution by working for Sol Price at FedMart; Brotman, an attorney from an old Seattle retailing family, had also been involved in retail distribution from an early age. During this time, small businesses were given an 8% or 9% discount on inventories.[22] He began his retail involvement as a grocery bagger.[23] A second store opened in Portland in October, and a third in Spokane in December 1983.[7] The company went public in 1985 with 17 warehouses nationally and 1,950 employees.[21][24] The company was initially headquartered at its first warehouse in Seattle but moved its headquarters to Kirkland in 1987.[21]

The "PriceCostco" merger edit

In 1993, Costco and Price Club agreed to merge operations themselves after Price declined an offer from Walmart to merge Price Club with their warehouse store chain, Sam's Club.[25] Costco's business model and size were similar to those of Price Club, which made the merger more natural for both companies.[11] The combined company took the name PriceCostco, and memberships became universal, meaning that a Price Club member could use their membership to shop at Costco and vice versa. PriceCostco boasted 206 locations generating $16 billion in annual sales.[13] PriceCostco was initially led by executives from both companies, but in 1994, the Prices left the company to form PriceSmart,[11][26] a warehouse club chain in Central America and the Caribbean unrelated to the current Costco.[27]

Costco moved its headquarters from Kirkland to Issaquah in 1996; it chose to build a new headquarters campus next to a warehouse store to allow buyers to check sales and merchandise.[28] They had originally planned to move by December 1993 to Redmond, another Eastside city, but delays in road construction near the warehouse site caused the company to reconsider.[29] The former Kirkland headquarters, a 10.7-acre (4.3 ha) campus, was sold in late 1996.[30]

The company began testing store conversions to Costco branding across the Southwestern United States in late 1996. It officially reverted to using the Costco name and stock symbol in February 1997, with all remaining Price Club locations subsequently rebranded as Costco.[31][32]

Other company milestones edit

The first Costco warehouse in Seattle was replaced with a new building on an adjacent lot to the north in March 2005;[33] the company was able to arrange to keep the same address for the new building, which was on land acquired from Seattle Public Schools.[21][34] The original building was demolished and replaced by a parking lot, gas station, and car wash—the company's first—that opened in 2006.[35][36]

In 2014, Costco was the third largest retailer in the United States.[37] That year Costco announced plans to open an online store in China using Alibaba Group.[38]

Costco announced the opening of 29 new locations in 2016, the most in one year since 2007.[39][40] Span Construction, led by King Husein, has constructed almost all of Costco's buildings since 1989.[41]

Costco opened its first warehouse in China on August 27, 2019, in Shanghai. The store's opening garnered much attention, which led to its opening day being cut short over safety concerns.[42]

The first Costco in New Zealand was first opened at West Auckland in September 2022,[43][44] delayed from mid-August due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[45]

Costco today edit

In the United States, Costco's main competitors operating membership warehouses are Sam's Club (a subsidiary of Walmart) and BJ's Wholesale Club.[46] Costco employs 304,000 full-time and part-time employees worldwide.[1] Costco had 90.3 million members in 2017.[47][48] In 2020, Costco had 105.5 million members.[49] In 2021, the company had 111.6 million members.[50] As of November 2023, Costco had 129.5 million members.[1]

Costco was the first company to grow from $0 in sales to $3 billion in sales in under six years.[13] For the fiscal year ending on August 31, 2012, the company's sales totaled $97.062 billion, with $1.709 billion net profit.[51] As of 2019, Costco is ranked #14 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.[52] The ACSI (The American Customer Satisfaction Index) named Costco number one in the specialty retail store industry with a score of 84 in 2014.[53]

From December 2013, Costco's board of directors was chaired by co-founder Jeffrey H. Brotman and included James Sinegal, co-founder and director, and two officers of the company: president/CEO W. Craig Jelinek and CFO Richard A. Galanti. On August 1, 2017, Jeffrey Brotman died.[54] As of August 2017, James Sinegal and W. Craig Jelinek remained on the board. Jim Sinegal stepped down in 2018.[48]

Locations edit

 
Map of Costco warehouses in the US, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico (January 2021)
Red: Wholesale locations
Blue: Business center locations
 
Map of Costco warehouses in Mexico, as well as parts of the US (January 2021)
 
List of countries that operate Costco (blue: current, yellow: planned)

As of February 2024, Costco has 874 warehouses worldwide:[1][2]

  • 602 in the United States
  • 108 in Canada
  • 40 in Mexico
  • 33 in Japan
  • 29 in the United Kingdom
  • 18 in Korea
  • 15 in Australia
  • 14 in Taiwan
  • 6 in China
  • 4 in Spain
  • 2 in France
  • 1 in Iceland
  • 1 in New Zealand
  • 1 in Sweden

International locations edit

 
The Costco in Perth Airport opened in March 2020.
 
Aerial perspective of the Costco roof at Melbourne's Docklands store in March 2019

Warehouses outside the U.S. are similar to the company's domestic locations, featuring generally identical layout, signage, and even parking lot markings.[55][56][57][58][unreliable source?] Food court menus are tailored to international tastes, with meat pies on offer in Australia; poutine in Canada and France; seafood-topped pizza in Asian locations; pastor taco-topped pizzas in Mexico; clam chowder in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan; plokkfiskur in Iceland; and jacket potatoes in the UK.[59] Additionally, Costco has led a strategic initiative to enhance the merchandise mix available at international warehouses by tailoring products to local tastes, offering a selection of both American and local products.

In Canada, it is a participant in the voluntary Scanner Price Accuracy Code managed by the Retail Council of Canada.[60]

Largest and smallest locations edit

In 2005, the world's largest Costco by square feet was warehouse #692 in Hillsboro, Oregon with 148,663 sq ft (13,811.2 m2).[61][62] In 2015, Costco completed an expansion in Salt Lake City, Utah, making it the new largest Costco at 235,000 sq ft (21,800 m2).[63] Costco is currently working on getting approval to build their new largest ever retail store in Fresno, California at 241,000 sq ft (22,400 m2).[64]

In 2019, Costco opened its biggest store in Canada, in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador; the store is 182,000 sq ft (16,900 m2).[65]

 
Panorama of the Largest Costco warehouse location, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

In 2011, Costco's highest-volume store was in Seoul, South Korea.[66] In 2018, the store in Taichung, Taiwan, ranked at the top in the number of members and was second in the world in sales volume, behind South Korea's Yangjae store in Seoul. Of the 14 Costco operations in Taiwan, three – Taichung, Neihu, and Chungho – ranked in the top 10 in the world in sales volume.[67]

As of 2019, the smallest Costco is in Juneau, Alaska.[68]

Costco Business Centers edit

Costco Business Centers are warehouses similar to regular Costco warehouses, and are open to all Costco members, regardless of membership type. Their merchandise caters predominantly to enterprises, with a focus on small businesses. Business Centers do not carry most consumer items like clothing, jewelry, media, and tires, while carrying larger quantities and more options for the business products they do carry.[69] More than 70% of the items that can be acquired from a Costco Business Center cannot be found in a typical Costco store.[70] Some locations do have a food court, a gas station, or both. Unlike regular warehouses, most Costco Business Centers have a Print & Copy Center which provides printing professional services. They have large parking spaces for trucks and are capable of delivering goods to businesses in bulk quantities, with a delivery charge of $25 for orders that are below $250.[70] Costco Business Center operating hours[71] are shorter than regular warehouses (usually opening at 7:00 am on Mondays to Saturdays and closed on Sundays), while discounts and coupons for Business Centers are issued separately from regular warehouses.[72][73]

The first Business Center was a converted Costco warehouse in Lynnwood, Washington that reopened in October 1996 following renovations; the change was made after a conventional Costco warehouse had opened in nearby Everett.[74][75]

Locations edit

As of August 2022, there are 22 Costco Business Centers in the United States, located in Orlando, Florida; Texas (Stafford, and Dallas); Minneapolis, Minnesota; Phoenix, Arizona; California (Commerce, Hawthorne, Hayward, North Hollywood, Sacramento, San Diego, South San Francisco, Ontario, Westminster, San Marcos, and San Jose); Denver, Colorado; Morrow, Georgia; Bedford Park, Illinois; Hackensack, New Jersey; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Washington (Lynnwood, and Fife).[76] A Business Center in San Marcos, California opened in March 2022.[77]

The first Costco Business Center outside the U.S. opened in Canada in Scarborough, Toronto, in March 2017.[78] In September 2020, the second Canadian Costco Business Centre opened in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, near Montreal.[79] A third Canadian Business Centre opened in the Ottawa neighborhood of Gloucester in March 2021.[80]

Finances edit

For the fiscal year 2023, Costco reported earnings of US$6.292 billion, with an annual revenue of $242.29 billion.[2]

Year Revenue
in mil. US$ 		Net income
in mil. US$ 		Price per Share
in US$ (year end)[81]		 Warehouses Employees Ref(s)
2005 52,935 1,063 34.96 433 115,000 [82]
2006 60,151 1,103 37.73 458 127,000 [83]
2007 64,400 1,083 50.26 488 127,000 [84]
2008 72,483 1,283 38.20 512 137,000 [85]
2009 71,422 1,086 43.68 527 142,000 [86]
2010 77,946 1,303 54.02 540 147,000 [87]
2011 88,915 1,462 63.06 592 164,000 [88]
2012 99,137 1,709 80.99 608 174,000 [89]
2013 105,156 2,039 98.67 634 184,000 [90]
2014 112,640 2,058 118.86 663 195,000 [91]
2015 116,199 2,377 141.43 686 205,000 [92]
2016 118,719 2,350 141.82 715 218,000 [93]
2017 129,025 2,679 173.55 741 231,000 [93]
2018 141,576 3,134 191.93 768 245,000 [48]
2019 152,703 3,659 279.64 782 254,000 [94]
2020 166,761 4,002 370.85 795 273,000 [49]
2021 195,929 5,007 563 815 288,000 [50]
2022 226,954 5,844 455.72 838 304,000 [95]
2023 242,290 6,292 871 316,000 [2]

Business model edit

 
Costco warehouse interior in Brampton, Ontario, Canada in 2021

Costco is a membership-only warehouse which generates a majority of its revenue from retail sales and a small percentage from membership fees. Customers must buy memberships to access the warehouse and make purchases. This is executed through the direct sourcing and efficient inventory management techniques.[96] The efficiency of this business model has earned Costco somewhat of a cult-like following from many of its members.

Costco divides its business into three segments: United States Operations, Canadian Operations, and Other International Operations. These three business segments are reported by revenue and operating income.[97] Of the three, the United States Operations was the largest, followed by Canadian Operations.[96]

Sales model edit

One company rule states that no regular item may be marked up more than 14% over cost and no Kirkland Signature item may be marked up more than 15% over cost.[5] The company runs very lean, with overhead costs at about 10% of revenue and profit margins at 2%.[5] Costco's annual membership fees (US$60/year for Gold Star, US$120/year for Executive as of 2024)[98] account for 80% of Costco's gross margin and 70% of its operating income.[99]

If Costco feels the wholesale price of any individual product is too high, they will refuse to stock the product. For example, in November 2009, Costco announced that it would stop selling Coca-Cola products because the soft-drink maker refused to lower its wholesale prices.[100] Costco resumed selling Coca-Cola products the following month.[101][102]

Although the brand engages in visible efforts to reduce costs, the stores themselves are expensive. In 2013, Costco spent approximately $80 million on each of the new stores it opened.[103]

 
Aerial view of a Costco Gasoline in Tempe, AZ

The cost is partly driven by the cost of real estate, as each new store means that they need enough space to support a building of approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) in size, a large parking lot, and often a gas station.[103]

Lighting costs are reduced on sunny days because most Costco locations have several skylights. During the day, electronic light meters measure how much light is coming in the skylights and turn off an appropriate percentage of the interior lights. During an average sunny day, it is normal for the center section of the warehouse not to have interior lights in use.[104] The company has no public relations department and buys no outside advertising.[5] A typical Costco warehouse carries only 3,700 distinct products, while a typical Walmart Supercenter carries approximately 140,000 products.[5]

Rotisserie chickens are a major driver of customer traffic and sales for Costco, which has sold them since 1994 amid the then-rising popularity of Boston Market.[105][106] In response to the annual growth of per-capita chicken consumption in the United States,[107] Costco opened a factory in Nebraska in 2019 that implemented vertical integration across all aspects of poultry production in a bid to keep their pricing intact while maintaining consistent quality control of them.[108][109] In some international markets, Costco also offers sushi that is made in-house; the Issaquah warehouse became the first U.S. store to have in-house sushi in 2023.[110]

Costco is known for its "exit greeters", who briefly compare receipts against shopping cart contents as customers exit. They are trained to quickly count cart contents and serve as a form of customer service to verify that customers were charged correctly, have redeemed any voucher-based items (e.g., tickets), and have not missed items placed in their cart's lower racks. Costco has used exit greeters since its first store in 1983.[111]

Online shopping edit

Costco primarily focuses on getting members to come in to a warehouse for purchases, instead of ordering products online.[112] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Costco's online sales increased dramatically, with more online sales growth in 2020 than the previous five years combined.[113]

In November 1998, the company launched Costco Online, its online shopping site.[114] The site expanded to incorporate B2B e-commerce on April 17, 2001.[115][116]

Instacart offers Costco delivery in a select number of states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.[117]

Similarly, in March 2017, Costco initiated a partnership with Shipt, an online grocery delivery service. Unlike Instacart, Shipt charges its own membership fee, $99 a year or $14 a month, in exchange for free delivery on orders over $35. As of November 2018, Shipt offers Costco delivery in select Florida markets.[118]

In October 2017, Costco launched same-day and two-day grocery delivery options for members.[119]

In June 2023, Costco in Iceland opened up for click-and-collect alcohol sales, having previously only been open to businesses.[120]

Products edit

Costco frequently rotates its inventory, often stocking items temporarily or seasonally.[121] Over the years, Costco has significantly expanded its range of products.[122] While initially focusing on bulk, boxed items easily displayed in store by removing the stretch wrap from a pallet, Costco's offerings now[when?] include a diverse array of items of all shapes and sizes.[citation needed] These range from art, books, caskets,[123] and clothing, to computer software, fine wine, furniture, home appliances, electronics, hot tubs, jewelry, and various perishable goods like dairy, baked items, flowers, produce, meat, and seafood. Other items such as solar panels, tires, and vacuum cleaners have also found their way into Costco’s product lineup.[citation needed]

Beyond products, many Costco warehouses feature additional services including gas stations, pharmacies,[124] hearing aid centers, optometry and eyewear departments, and tire installation garages.[125]

Alcohol edit

Alcohol sales at Costco vary by location due to differing state regulations. In some places, separate liquor stores exist to adhere to licensing laws, whereas in others, alcohol is available within the main warehouse alongside general merchandise. In certain states, like Texas, liquor sales must be conducted by a separate business entity with its own staff.[126] Costco's desire to alter its alcohol sales structure faced a setback in 2006 when it unsuccessfully challenged Washington State's requirement for retailers to buy wine through the state-controlled system.[127]

International operations must navigate regional laws as well.[128] For example, Costco's first store in Victoria, Australia, operates under the country's relatively liberal alcohol licensing laws, allowing sales directly off the shelf as is common in most European countries.[citation needed] However, in New Zealand, Costco’s sole warehouse in West Auckland is restricted from selling alcohol due to a local monopoly on liquor retail.[129]

Kirkland Signature edit

 
Kirkland Signature logo
 
Kirkland Signature branded bottled water, pictured in 2005
 
Kirkland Signature "Extra Fancy Mixed Nuts", pictured in 2022

Kirkland Signature is Costco's private label brand, featured on a wide array of products sold across Costco's warehouses and its website. Launched in 1995, the brand takes its name from the original location of Costco's corporate headquarters in Kirkland, Washington.[130][131] It accounts for nearly one-third of the company's sales and outpaces the growth of Costco's overall sales.[132]

The aim of the Kirkland Signature brand was to offer products with brand name quality at discounted prices.[133] Recognizing the typical consumer skepticism common with private labels, Costco has adopted a strategy of co-branding certain items with well-known manufacturers to bolster consumer trust.[134] Notable co-branded products include those from Chinet, Jelly Belly, Keurig Green Mountain, Ocean Spray, Stearns & Foster, and Starbucks.[135] Additionally, while some Kirkland Signature products maintain a generic label, they are produced in partnership with recognized companies such as Duracell and Niagara Bottling.[135]

Publications edit

Costco Connection edit

Costco Connection is a magazine sent free to the Costco executive members; it can also be accessed online by anyone, free of charge.[136]

The magazine was established in 1987 as a newsprint publication and converted to a magazine in 1997.[137] It features articles which regularly tie into the corporation along with business, celebrity features, cooking, entertaining, health, home improvement, and social articles, as well as coupons and ads. MediaPost reports: "While about 90% of the magazine's advertising is co-op, increasingly national advertisers such as Procter & Gamble are buying space, notes Roeglin -- presumably because of the pub's gargantuan reach and the data it has on its subscribers (whose average household income is $156,000 a year). 'We see about 56% of our subscribers a month buy something at one of our stores based on something they've read in the magazine,' says Roeglin."[138] The magazine is one of the largest-circulation print monthlies in the United States[138] and is the third in circulation figures in the United States after AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin.

Services edit

Concierge service edit

Costco offers a free "concierge" service to members who purchase electronics, to help answer questions regarding setup and use and avoid potential returns due to not understanding how to use the products.[139]

Costco Auto and Home Insurance edit

Costco has an agreement with CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, for auto insurance, home insurance and umbrella insurance.[140]

Costco Optical edit

Costco Optical ranks as the fifth-largest optical company in the US, as of 2015.[141] Optometrists working at Costco locations will see patients without Costco memberships,[142] although a membership is required to fill a prescription at the optical department.[143]

Costco Travel edit

Costco Travel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale and offers leisure travel to Costco members of the United States and Canada.[144]

The program offers vacation packages to the Caribbean, Europe, Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Mexico, and the South Pacific.[145]

Food service edit

See also: Costco hot dog
 
Food concession stand at the Costco warehouse in Overland Park, Kansas

If you raise the [price of the] effing hot dog, I will kill you.

Jim Sinegal to W. Craig Jelinek, when Jelinek suggested increasing the price of the hot dog.[146]

In 1985, Costco started to sell freshly prepared food through a hot dog cart at its original Seattle warehouse.[21] Most Costco locations now have a food court.[147] They can be indoors or outdoors,[148] but the menu is essentially the same: hot dog with drink (one of the most popular items), pizza, frozen yogurt/ice cream, Pepsico beverages, baked items, and sandwiches.[149] Costco offers its signature quarter-pound 100% beef hot dog and 20 US fluid ounces (590 ml) drink (with refills) for US$1.50, the same price since 1985. Some US locations also offer Polish sausage or bratwurst in addition to hot dogs, at the same $1.50 price.[150][151][152] The hot dog sausages were kosher and supplied by Hebrew National and Sinai Kosher until 2009, when supply issues[153] and low profit margins[146] led Costco to start producing them in-house under the Kirkland Signature label to maintain the $1.50 price.[152] In Australia and New Zealand, the hot dog is made of pork and is sold with a large soda for $1.99 (AUD/NZD). In Canada, the price for a hot dog and soda with refills is C$1.50.[154] In Mexico, the hot dog is made of 100% beef and includes a drink (with refills) for MXN$35. In the UK, the hot dog is also made from beef and customers also get a drink (with refills) for £1.50. Costco sold more than 137 million quarter-pound (113 g) hot dogs in its food courts in 2017.[152] In Taiwan and Japan, the hot dog is made of pork as well. Japan's price for their 120-gram hot dog & refillable 600-ml drink is ¥180.[155]

As of June 2022, cheese or pepperoni pizza (along with pre-ordering of full pizzas to take home), chicken bakes, ice cream (vanilla), ice cream sundae (vanilla, with very berry or chocolate sauce toppings), fruit smoothies, latte freeze (without chocolate), mocha freeze (with chocolate), and twisted churros (in select stores) are offered at all United States locations.[156] Some food court items are only available in certain countries.[157] For example, the bulgogi bake and mango boba tea are only available in Australia, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan;[158] poutine is available in Canada and France. There are, however, temporary menu items available exclusively in several countries, like the pastor taco-topped pizzas in Mexico.[159][160]

United States menu changes in March 2020
Original Item Replacement Item
Veggie/Combo Pizza No longer offered (this includes the discontinuation of the "Italian Sausage" pizza topping as well)
Frozen Yogurt Vanilla ice cream (with addition of chocolate sauce sundae)
Turkey Provolone No longer offered
Twisted Churro Replaced with dual-flavor churro in late 2020/early 2021, name remained same
Chicken Caesar Salad Has resumed at locations
Chicken Bake Replaced with factory-made item of same name, no longer hand-made in store (at most locations)
Sauerkraut (topping) No longer offered
Deli Mustard (condiment)
Relish (condiment) Offered in select locations, expected to resume at all locations (no time period for return)

Due to slow sales, in 2009, the pretzel was replaced by the churro.[161] In April 2013, Pepsi replaced all Coca-Cola fountain drinks at U.S. locations because Coke had raised its prices; this helped keep the hot dog combo with soda at its original US$1.50 price.[162]

Costco started selling a cheeseburger with a 1⁄3-pound (150 g) patty at select stores across Western Washington and Southern California in mid-2017 as a test item, with comparisons drawn to those of Shake Shack.[163][164] The cheeseburger was not successful; its availability only spread to around a dozen locations before it was discontinued in 2020.[165]

Diced onion was discontinued in March 2020 but returned as a topping in May 2023.[166]

Costco credit card edit

On April 1, 2016, in US, Citigroup became the exclusive issuer of Costco's branded credit cards. Prior to that, Costco credit cards had been issued by American Express since 2001, and Costco accepted only American Express cards for credit transactions. After the switch of its co-branded cards to Citi, Costco ceased accepting AmEx and began exclusively accepting Visa. AmEx cited the reason for the split that Costco was asking for lower transaction fees than AmEx was willing to grant.[167][168][169] In Canada, Costco ended its AmEx relationship in 2014, and starting in 2015,[170] it partnered with Capital One Mastercard for branded credit cards.[171] In 2020, Capital One announced it would be ending the partnership in late 2021.[172] It was announced that beginning in March 2022, Costco will begin a partnership with CIBC Mastercard.[173] Costco branded credit cards from both issuers also serve as alternate Costco membership cards, with a customized reverse side containing membership info.[174]

Costco Audiobook App edit

In March 2021, Costco started selling audiobooks and launched a corresponding iOS and Android app to listen to purchases.[175] The app is free; however, the books are exclusive to Costco members. The retailer sells audiobooks in bundles grouped by genre or author, with prices ranging from $5 to $50. Audiobooks are currently only available at U.S. locations.[176]

Labor relations edit

Employee rights edit

While some former Price Club locations in California and the northeastern United States are staffed by Teamsters,[177] the majority of Costco locations are not unionized, although there was a drive in 2012 to unionize some locations in Canada.[178] The Teamsters claim that over 15,000 Costco employees are union members.[179] The non-union locations have revisions to their Costco Employee Agreement every three years concurrent with union contract ratifications in locations with collective bargaining agreements. The Employee Agreement sets forth such things as benefits, wages, disciplinary procedures, paid holidays, bonuses, and seniority. The Employee Agreement is subject to change by Costco at any time and offers no absolute protection to the workers. As of June 2022, non-supervisory hourly wages ranged from $17.50 to $28.45 in the U.S., $16.00 to $28.70 in Canada, and £9.75 to £13.90 in the United Kingdom. In the U.S. as of 2005, eighty-five percent of Costco's workers had health insurance, compared with less than fifty percent at Walmart and Target.[180] Health benefits include coverage through Aetna,[181] remote primary care through Teladoc, second opinions and clinical navigation by Grand Rounds, varieties of health insurance agencies with Custom Benefit Consultants Inc. (CBC),[181] and wellness coaching by Omada.[citation needed]

In February 2021, Costco announced that it would be raising the starting rate for its hourly store workers in the United States to $16 an hour. Costco has been actively raising their minimum wage starting with $14 during 2018, and into $15 during 2019. They further add that 20% of their hourly employees will be subject to the minimum wage change.[182]

Contractors edit

Costco contracts exclusively with two independent companies to provide employees for product demonstrations (e.g., food samples) at Costco stores: Club Demonstration Services (CDS)[183] and Warehouse Demo Services (WDS).[184][185] Demonstration employees receive a pay and benefit package that is less than that of Costco employees. As of August 1, 2017, demonstrations/samples are provided by CDS in Canada.[186] Product demonstrations at Costco stores in the United States were halted in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with some Costco CDS employees shifted to cleaning tasks before all were laid off when CDS temporarily ceased operations the following month;[187][188] they were rehired as Costco started resuming demonstrations at select stores in June 2020, with all U.S. stores resuming demonstrations by June 2021.[189][190]

Discontinued concepts edit

Costco Home edit

The first Costco Home warehouse opened in December 2002, in Kirkland, Washington.[191][192] The warehouse's concept was to combine the value, setting and members-only elements of Costco's warehouse clubs with the product array one would find at an upscale home store, such as Fortunoff or Crate & Barrel. The Costco Home warehouses sold furniture, housewares, kitchen products and accessories from higher-end brands such as Lexington, Ralph Lauren and Waterford[193] in a warehouse-club setting. A second warehouse opened in 2004 in Tempe, Arizona.[192]

On April 2, 2009, the company announced that it would be abandoning its Costco Home concept, closing the two existing stores in Kirkland, Washington and Tempe, Arizona on July 3, 2009, and abandoning plans for a third warehouse in Portland, Oregon.[192][194]

Costco Fresh edit

A grocery-centered format, named Costco Fresh, was announced in September 1999 for a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) two-story space in Manhattan, New York City.[195] The company pulled out of an agreement to build the Manhattan store later that year after cost increases and local protests.[196] The concept was revived in late 2002 for a store in Bellevue, Washington, near its Issaquah headquarters, at a former Kmart. The new store would primarily sell fresh produce, meats, seafood, and baked goods instead of bulk items, but would also have several features from normal Costco warehouses; it would also have a modified logo, with a fruit stem growing from the first "o" in the Costco name.[197] The concept was dropped the following year, but the company retained interest in building a normal Costco store at the Bellevue site until 2008, when they abandoned the plans due to zoning regulations that would have required daylighting an underground creek.[198][199]

Controversies edit

In 2010, Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at Buckeye Veal Farm, a veal supplier to Costco.[200] Immediately following the investigative release, Costco adopted a policy against purchasing veal from producers that use the crate-and-chain production method.[201] The case prompted Ohio lawmakers to vote in favor of a veal crate phase-out in the state.[202]

In 2012, Mercy for Animals conducted another undercover investigation of a pork supplier to major retailers such as Costco, Walmart, Safeway, Kroger, and Kmart.[203] Before the public release of the investigation, Costco announced they would begin requiring their pork suppliers to phase out gestation crates.[204][205]

In 2014, The Guardian reported that Costco is a client of Charoen Pokphand Foods. Over six months, The Guardian traced down a supply chain from slave ships in Asian waters to leading producers and retailers. Costco has published a statement saying it has had a supplier code of conduct since 1999 which does not allow this practice, and that independent auditors check for violations regularly.[206][207][208][209]

In 2015, the Humane Society of the United States conducted an undercover investigation at an egg supplier to Costco.[210] An undercover worker at Hillandale Farms, a major egg supplier to Costco, filmed conditions in which egg-laying hens lived in tiny wire cages.[211] Following the investigations, several celebrities including Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling publicly wrote to Costco to address this issue.[212] Following efforts by animal protection nonprofits including The Humane League,[213] Costco released an updated commitment to source exclusively cage-free eggs in its operations.[214]

In 2016, a follow-up to Costco's shift to cage-free eggs by animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) reported cannibalism and high mortality at a cage-free Costco egg supplier.[215][216] Costco denied the allegations, but the video sparked a discussion about animal welfare problems continuing to exist at cage-free egg farms.[215] Writing in The Huffington Post, DxE co-founder Wayne Hsiung argued that the new investigation, rather than suggesting that Costco should keep birds in cages, indicated that hens should have the right not to be raised for food or kept on farms at all.[217]

In January 2017, Costco was brought to court in the US for lax pharmacy controls by violation of the Controlled Substances Act. Allegations such as Costco "filling prescriptions that were incomplete", or were for substances "beyond various doctors' scope of practice". The case was settled after Costco paid US$11.75 million.[218]

In August 2017, a federal judge ordered a "deceptive" Costco to pay Tiffany & Co. $19.4 million for misleading consumers into thinking they could buy legitimate Tiffany merchandise at warehouse club prices.[219][220]

Costco was criticized in 2019 by the Natural Resources Defense Council and SumOfUs for using virgin Canadian boreal forest to make its toilet paper. NRDC says that over the previous twenty years, 28 million acres of Canadian boreal forest had been cut down to make toilet paper.[221][222]

In September 2020, CBS News reported that Costco has stopped selling Palmetto Cheese after the owner of the pimento cheese brand called Black Lives Matter a "terror organization." Costco posted a note to the item in their Myrtle Beach location indicating that the item will not be reordered, and over 120 Costco's throughout the US will no longer be carrying the item.[223]

In October 2020, Costco dropped Chaokoh coconut milk over the allegations of forced monkey labor. PETA accused the manufacturer, Theppadungporn Coconut Co., of using forced monkey labor, finding cruelty to monkeys at their farms and facilities. Ken Kimble, Costco's Vice President of Corporate Food and Sundries, stated Costco has launched an investigation regarding the issue and have ceased purchasing from the supplier/owner of the brand Chaokoh condemning the use of monkey labor. Kimble also stated that Costco will continue to monitor the implementation of the harvest policies and once satisfied will resume purchasing.[224]

In December 2020, Costco announced plans to end the use of eggs from caged chickens throughout its operations worldwide.[225] It became the first US retailer to issue a global policy on the confinement of animals in its supply chain.[226] Josh Dahmen, Costco financial planning and investor relations director also said: "We are in the process of making that transition to cage-free eggs. We will continue to increase the percentage over time, with a goal of eventually getting to 100%."[227]

In June 2023, an employee named Kim Dong Ho in Hanam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea who was assigned to organize shopping carts, died of heatstroke while at work. South Korean government guidelines state that outdoor workers be given a 10 to 15-minute break every hour during heatwave advisories; however, these guidelines were not strictly followed or enforced at the Costco store where Kim worked and he was given 15-minute breaks every 3 hours without a regular supply of drinking water.[228][229]

See also edit

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External links edit

 
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February 15, 2024
costco, confused, with, cosco, cusco, wholesale, corporation, commonly, shortened, american, multinational, corporation, which, operates, chain, membership, only, warehouse, club, retail, stores, 2023, third, largest, retailer, world, world, largest, retailer,. Not to be confused with Cosco or Cusco Costco Wholesale Corporation commonly shortened to Costco is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership only big box warehouse club retail stores 3 As of 2023 Costco is the third largest retailer in the world 4 and is the world s largest retailer of choice and prime beef organic foods rotisserie chicken and wine as of 2016 update 5 Costco is ranked 11 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue 6 Costco Wholesale CorporationLogo since 1997Headquarters in Issaquah WashingtonCompany typePublicTraded asNasdaq COSTNasdaq 100 componentS amp P 100 componentS amp P 500 componentIndustryRetailFoundedSeptember 15 1983 40 years ago 1983 09 15 as Costco Seattle Washington U S FoundersJames SinegalJeffrey BrotmanHeadquartersIssaquah Washington U S Number of locations861 1 2 2023 Area servedAustraliaCanadaChinaFranceIcelandJapanMexicoNew ZealandSouth KoreaSpainSwedenTaiwanUnited KingdomUnited States Puerto Rico 1 2 Key peopleHamilton E James chairman Ron Vachris president and CEO BrandsKirkland SignatureServicesMerchandiseCash amp carryWarehouse clubGas stationsRevenueUS 242 3 billion 2 2023 Operating incomeUS 8 114 billion 2 2023 Net incomeUS 6 292 billion 2 2023 Total assetsUS 68 99 billion 2 2023 Total equityUS 25 06 billion 2 2023 Members127 9 million 2 2023 Number of employees316 000 2 2023 Websitecostco comOriginal logo used until 1993 but carried by stores until 1997 Costco s worldwide headquarters are in Issaquah Washington an eastern suburb of Seattle although its Kirkland Signature house label bears the name of its former location in Kirkland The company opened its first warehouse the chain s term for its retail outlets in Seattle in 1983 7 8 Through mergers however Costco s corporate history dates back to 1976 when its former competitor Price Club was founded in San Diego California 9 10 11 As of February 2024 update Costco has 871 warehouses worldwide 602 in the United States 108 in Canada 40 in Mexico 33 in Japan 29 in the United Kingdom 18 in South Korea 15 in Australia 14 in Taiwan six in China four in Spain two in France and one each in Iceland New Zealand and Sweden 1 2 Contents 1 History 1 1 Price Club 1 2 Costco opens 1 3 The PriceCostco merger 1 4 Other company milestones 1 5 Costco today 2 Locations 2 1 International locations 2 2 Largest and smallest locations 2 3 Costco Business Centers 2 3 1 Locations 3 Finances 4 Business model 4 1 Sales model 4 2 Online shopping 5 Products 5 1 Alcohol 5 2 Kirkland Signature 6 Publications 6 1 Costco Connection 7 Services 7 1 Concierge service 7 2 Costco Auto and Home Insurance 7 3 Costco Optical 7 4 Costco Travel 7 5 Food service 7 6 Costco credit card 7 7 Costco Audiobook App 8 Labor relations 8 1 Employee rights 8 2 Contractors 9 Discontinued concepts 9 1 Costco Home 9 2 Costco Fresh 10 Controversies 11 See also 12 References 13 External linksHistory edit nbsp A Costco in Tlalpan Mexico City nbsp Australia s first Costco located in Docklands Victoria nbsp Hashima Gifu JapanPrice Club edit Main article Price Club nbsp Costco membership card from IcelandCostco s earliest predecessor Price Club opened its first store on July 12 1976 on Morena Boulevard in San Diego California It was founded three months earlier by Sol Price and his son Robert following a dispute with the new owners of FedMart Price s previous membership only discount store 12 Price Club was among the first retail warehouse clubs beginning with its Morena Boulevard store inside a series of old airplane hangars once owned by Howard Hughes 13 14 The store known as Costco Warehouse 401 is still in operation today 15 16 Price Club s sales model targeted small business owners selling items in bulk for a discounted price at no frills outlets that were accessible only with an annual membership fee 17 The company launched an initial public offering in 1980 and expanded to 24 locations in the Southwest and 1 1 million members by early 1986 11 17 Price Club expanded into Canada in 1986 opening a store in Montreal 18 followed by a Mexico City store in 1992 as part of a joint venture with hypermarket chain Controladora Comercial Mexicana 19 The company also announced plans to open stores in Spain and Portugal through their Canadian subsidiary 19 Costco opens edit Jim Sinegal and Jeffrey H Brotman 20 opened the first Costco warehouse in Seattle on September 15 1983 21 Sinegal had started in wholesale distribution by working for Sol Price at FedMart Brotman an attorney from an old Seattle retailing family had also been involved in retail distribution from an early age During this time small businesses were given an 8 or 9 discount on inventories 22 He began his retail involvement as a grocery bagger 23 A second store opened in Portland in October and a third in Spokane in December 1983 7 The company went public in 1985 with 17 warehouses nationally and 1 950 employees 21 24 The company was initially headquartered at its first warehouse in Seattle but moved its headquarters to Kirkland in 1987 21 The PriceCostco merger edit In 1993 Costco and Price Club agreed to merge operations themselves after Price declined an offer from Walmart to merge Price Club with their warehouse store chain Sam s Club 25 Costco s business model and size were similar to those of Price Club which made the merger more natural for both companies 11 The combined company took the name PriceCostco and memberships became universal meaning that a Price Club member could use their membership to shop at Costco and vice versa PriceCostco boasted 206 locations generating 16 billion in annual sales 13 PriceCostco was initially led by executives from both companies but in 1994 the Prices left the company to form PriceSmart 11 26 a warehouse club chain in Central America and the Caribbean unrelated to the current Costco 27 Costco moved its headquarters from Kirkland to Issaquah in 1996 it chose to build a new headquarters campus next to a warehouse store to allow buyers to check sales and merchandise 28 They had originally planned to move by December 1993 to Redmond another Eastside city but delays in road construction near the warehouse site caused the company to reconsider 29 The former Kirkland headquarters a 10 7 acre 4 3 ha campus was sold in late 1996 30 The company began testing store conversions to Costco branding across the Southwestern United States in late 1996 It officially reverted to using the Costco name and stock symbol in February 1997 with all remaining Price Club locations subsequently rebranded as Costco 31 32 Other company milestones edit The first Costco warehouse in Seattle was replaced with a new building on an adjacent lot to the north in March 2005 33 the company was able to arrange to keep the same address for the new building which was on land acquired from Seattle Public Schools 21 34 The original building was demolished and replaced by a parking lot gas station and car wash the company s first that opened in 2006 35 36 In 2014 Costco was the third largest retailer in the United States 37 That year Costco announced plans to open an online store in China using Alibaba Group 38 Costco announced the opening of 29 new locations in 2016 the most in one year since 2007 39 40 Span Construction led by King Husein has constructed almost all of Costco s buildings since 1989 41 Costco opened its first warehouse in China on August 27 2019 in Shanghai The store s opening garnered much attention which led to its opening day being cut short over safety concerns 42 The first Costco in New Zealand was first opened at West Auckland in September 2022 43 44 delayed from mid August due to the economic impact of the COVID 19 pandemic 45 Costco today edit In the United States Costco s main competitors operating membership warehouses are Sam s Club a subsidiary of Walmart and BJ s Wholesale Club 46 Costco employs 304 000 full time and part time employees worldwide 1 Costco had 90 3 million members in 2017 47 48 In 2020 Costco had 105 5 million members 49 In 2021 the company had 111 6 million members 50 As of November 2023 update Costco had 129 5 million members 1 Costco was the first company to grow from 0 in sales to 3 billion in sales in under six years 13 For the fiscal year ending on August 31 2012 the company s sales totaled 97 062 billion with 1 709 billion net profit 51 As of 2019 update Costco is ranked 14 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue 52 The ACSI The American Customer Satisfaction Index named Costco number one in the specialty retail store industry with a score of 84 in 2014 53 From December 2013 Costco s board of directors was chaired by co founder Jeffrey H Brotman and included James Sinegal co founder and director and two officers of the company president CEO W Craig Jelinek and CFO Richard A Galanti On August 1 2017 Jeffrey Brotman died 54 As of August 2017 update James Sinegal and W Craig Jelinek remained on the board Jim Sinegal stepped down in 2018 48 Locations edit nbsp Map of Costco warehouses in the US as well as parts of Canada and Mexico January 2021 Red Wholesale locations Blue Business center locations nbsp Map of Costco warehouses in Mexico as well as parts of the US January 2021 nbsp List of countries that operate Costco blue current yellow planned As of February 2024 update Costco has 874 warehouses worldwide 1 2 602 in the United States 108 in Canada 40 in Mexico 33 in Japan 29 in the United Kingdom 18 in Korea 15 in Australia 14 in Taiwan 6 in China 4 in Spain 2 in France 1 in Iceland 1 in New Zealand 1 in SwedenInternational locations edit nbsp The Costco in Perth Airport opened in March 2020 nbsp Aerial perspective of the Costco roof at Melbourne s Docklands store in March 2019Warehouses outside the U S are similar to the company s domestic locations featuring generally identical layout signage and even parking lot markings 55 56 57 58 unreliable source Food court menus are tailored to international tastes with meat pies on offer in Australia poutine in Canada and France seafood topped pizza in Asian locations pastor taco topped pizzas in Mexico clam chowder in Japan South Korea and Taiwan plokkfiskur in Iceland and jacket potatoes in the UK 59 Additionally Costco has led a strategic initiative to enhance the merchandise mix available at international warehouses by tailoring products to local tastes offering a selection of both American and local products In Canada it is a participant in the voluntary Scanner Price Accuracy Code managed by the Retail Council of Canada 60 Largest and smallest locations edit In 2005 the world s largest Costco by square feet was warehouse 692 in Hillsboro Oregon with 148 663 sq ft 13 811 2 m2 61 62 In 2015 Costco completed an expansion in Salt Lake City Utah making it the new largest Costco at 235 000 sq ft 21 800 m2 63 Costco is currently working on getting approval to build their new largest ever retail store in Fresno California at 241 000 sq ft 22 400 m2 64 In 2019 Costco opened its biggest store in Canada in St John s Newfoundland and Labrador the store is 182 000 sq ft 16 900 m2 65 nbsp Panorama of the Largest Costco warehouse location in Salt Lake City Utah United StatesIn 2011 Costco s highest volume store was in Seoul South Korea 66 In 2018 the store in Taichung Taiwan ranked at the top in the number of members and was second in the world in sales volume behind South Korea s Yangjae store in Seoul Of the 14 Costco operations in Taiwan three Taichung Neihu and Chungho ranked in the top 10 in the world in sales volume 67 As of 2019 update the smallest Costco is in Juneau Alaska 68 Costco Business Centers edit Costco Business Centers are warehouses similar to regular Costco warehouses and are open to all Costco members regardless of membership type Their merchandise caters predominantly to enterprises with a focus on small businesses Business Centers do not carry most consumer items like clothing jewelry media and tires while carrying larger quantities and more options for the business products they do carry 69 More than 70 of the items that can be acquired from a Costco Business Center cannot be found in a typical Costco store 70 Some locations do have a food court a gas station or both Unlike regular warehouses most Costco Business Centers have a Print amp Copy Center which provides printing professional services They have large parking spaces for trucks and are capable of delivering goods to businesses in bulk quantities with a delivery charge of 25 for orders that are below 250 70 Costco Business Center operating hours 71 are shorter than regular warehouses usually opening at 7 00 am on Mondays to Saturdays and closed on Sundays while discounts and coupons for Business Centers are issued separately from regular warehouses 72 73 The first Business Center was a converted Costco warehouse in Lynnwood Washington that reopened in October 1996 following renovations the change was made after a conventional Costco warehouse had opened in nearby Everett 74 75 Locations edit As of August 2022 update there are 22 Costco Business Centers in the United States located in Orlando Florida Texas Stafford and Dallas Minneapolis Minnesota Phoenix Arizona California Commerce Hawthorne Hayward North Hollywood Sacramento San Diego South San Francisco Ontario Westminster San Marcos and San Jose Denver Colorado Morrow Georgia Bedford Park Illinois Hackensack New Jersey Las Vegas Nevada and Washington Lynnwood and Fife 76 A Business Center in San Marcos California opened in March 2022 77 The first Costco Business Center outside the U S opened in Canada in Scarborough Toronto in March 2017 78 In September 2020 the second Canadian Costco Business Centre opened in Saint Hubert Quebec near Montreal 79 A third Canadian Business Centre opened in the Ottawa neighborhood of Gloucester in March 2021 80 Finances editFor the fiscal year 2023 Costco reported earnings of US 6 292 billion with an annual revenue of 242 29 billion 2 Year Revenuein mil US Net incomein mil US Price per Sharein US year end 81 Warehouses Employees Ref s 2005 52 935 1 063 34 96 433 115 000 82 2006 60 151 1 103 37 73 458 127 000 83 2007 64 400 1 083 50 26 488 127 000 84 2008 72 483 1 283 38 20 512 137 000 85 2009 71 422 1 086 43 68 527 142 000 86 2010 77 946 1 303 54 02 540 147 000 87 2011 88 915 1 462 63 06 592 164 000 88 2012 99 137 1 709 80 99 608 174 000 89 2013 105 156 2 039 98 67 634 184 000 90 2014 112 640 2 058 118 86 663 195 000 91 2015 116 199 2 377 141 43 686 205 000 92 2016 118 719 2 350 141 82 715 218 000 93 2017 129 025 2 679 173 55 741 231 000 93 2018 141 576 3 134 191 93 768 245 000 48 2019 152 703 3 659 279 64 782 254 000 94 2020 166 761 4 002 370 85 795 273 000 49 2021 195 929 5 007 563 815 288 000 50 2022 226 954 5 844 455 72 838 304 000 95 2023 242 290 6 292 871 316 000 2 Business model edit nbsp Costco warehouse interior in Brampton Ontario Canada in 2021Costco is a membership only warehouse which generates a majority of its revenue from retail sales and a small percentage from membership fees Customers must buy memberships to access the warehouse and make purchases This is executed through the direct sourcing and efficient inventory management techniques 96 The efficiency of this business model has earned Costco somewhat of a cult like following from many of its members Costco divides its business into three segments United States Operations Canadian Operations and Other International Operations These three business segments are reported by revenue and operating income 97 Of the three the United States Operations was the largest followed by Canadian Operations 96 Sales model edit One company rule states that no regular item may be marked up more than 14 over cost and no Kirkland Signature item may be marked up more than 15 over cost 5 The company runs very lean with overhead costs at about 10 of revenue and profit margins at 2 5 Costco s annual membership fees US 60 year for Gold Star US 120 year for Executive as of 2024 update 98 account for 80 of Costco s gross margin and 70 of its operating income 99 If Costco feels the wholesale price of any individual product is too high they will refuse to stock the product For example in November 2009 Costco announced that it would stop selling Coca Cola products because the soft drink maker refused to lower its wholesale prices 100 Costco resumed selling Coca Cola products the following month 101 102 Although the brand engages in visible efforts to reduce costs the stores themselves are expensive In 2013 Costco spent approximately 80 million on each of the new stores it opened 103 nbsp Aerial view of a Costco Gasoline in Tempe AZThe cost is partly driven by the cost of real estate as each new store means that they need enough space to support a building of approximately 150 000 square feet 14 000 m2 in size a large parking lot and often a gas station 103 Lighting costs are reduced on sunny days because most Costco locations have several skylights During the day electronic light meters measure how much light is coming in the skylights and turn off an appropriate percentage of the interior lights During an average sunny day it is normal for the center section of the warehouse not to have interior lights in use 104 The company has no public relations department and buys no outside advertising 5 A typical Costco warehouse carries only 3 700 distinct products while a typical Walmart Supercenter carries approximately 140 000 products 5 Rotisserie chickens are a major driver of customer traffic and sales for Costco which has sold them since 1994 amid the then rising popularity of Boston Market 105 106 In response to the annual growth of per capita chicken consumption in the United States 107 Costco opened a factory in Nebraska in 2019 that implemented vertical integration across all aspects of poultry production in a bid to keep their pricing intact while maintaining consistent quality control of them 108 109 In some international markets Costco also offers sushi that is made in house the Issaquah warehouse became the first U S store to have in house sushi in 2023 110 Costco is known for its exit greeters who briefly compare receipts against shopping cart contents as customers exit They are trained to quickly count cart contents and serve as a form of customer service to verify that customers were charged correctly have redeemed any voucher based items e g tickets and have not missed items placed in their cart s lower racks Costco has used exit greeters since its first store in 1983 111 Online shopping edit Costco primarily focuses on getting members to come in to a warehouse for purchases instead of ordering products online 112 Due to the COVID 19 pandemic Costco s online sales increased dramatically with more online sales growth in 2020 than the previous five years combined 113 In November 1998 the company launched Costco Online its online shopping site 114 The site expanded to incorporate B2B e commerce on April 17 2001 115 116 Instacart offers Costco delivery in a select number of states including Arizona California Colorado Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Massachusetts Maryland Minnesota Missouri North Carolina New Jersey New York Oregon Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington and the District of Columbia 117 Similarly in March 2017 Costco initiated a partnership with Shipt an online grocery delivery service Unlike Instacart Shipt charges its own membership fee 99 a year or 14 a month in exchange for free delivery on orders over 35 As of November 2018 update Shipt offers Costco delivery in select Florida markets 118 In October 2017 Costco launched same day and two day grocery delivery options for members 119 In June 2023 Costco in Iceland opened up for click and collect alcohol sales having previously only been open to businesses 120 Products editCostco frequently rotates its inventory often stocking items temporarily or seasonally 121 Over the years Costco has significantly expanded its range of products 122 While initially focusing on bulk boxed items easily displayed in store by removing the stretch wrap from a pallet Costco s offerings now when include a diverse array of items of all shapes and sizes citation needed These range from art books caskets 123 and clothing to computer software fine wine furniture home appliances electronics hot tubs jewelry and various perishable goods like dairy baked items flowers produce meat and seafood Other items such as solar panels tires and vacuum cleaners have also found their way into Costco s product lineup citation needed Beyond products many Costco warehouses feature additional services including gas stations pharmacies 124 hearing aid centers optometry and eyewear departments and tire installation garages 125 Alcohol edit Alcohol sales at Costco vary by location due to differing state regulations In some places separate liquor stores exist to adhere to licensing laws whereas in others alcohol is available within the main warehouse alongside general merchandise In certain states like Texas liquor sales must be conducted by a separate business entity with its own staff 126 Costco s desire to alter its alcohol sales structure faced a setback in 2006 when it unsuccessfully challenged Washington State s requirement for retailers to buy wine through the state controlled system 127 International operations must navigate regional laws as well 128 For example Costco s first store in Victoria Australia operates under the country s relatively liberal alcohol licensing laws allowing sales directly off the shelf as is common in most European countries citation needed However in New Zealand Costco s sole warehouse in West Auckland is restricted from selling alcohol due to a local monopoly on liquor retail 129 Kirkland Signature edit nbsp Kirkland Signature logo nbsp Kirkland Signature branded bottled water pictured in 2005 nbsp Kirkland Signature Extra Fancy Mixed Nuts pictured in 2022Kirkland Signature is Costco s private label brand featured on a wide array of products sold across Costco s warehouses and its website Launched in 1995 the brand takes its name from the original location of Costco s corporate headquarters in Kirkland Washington 130 131 It accounts for nearly one third of the company s sales and outpaces the growth of Costco s overall sales 132 The aim of the Kirkland Signature brand was to offer products with brand name quality at discounted prices 133 Recognizing the typical consumer skepticism common with private labels Costco has adopted a strategy of co branding certain items with well known manufacturers to bolster consumer trust 134 Notable co branded products include those from Chinet Jelly Belly Keurig Green Mountain Ocean Spray Stearns amp Foster and Starbucks 135 Additionally while some Kirkland Signature products maintain a generic label they are produced in partnership with recognized companies such as Duracell and Niagara Bottling 135 Publications editCostco Connection edit Costco Connection is a magazine sent free to the Costco executive members it can also be accessed online by anyone free of charge 136 The magazine was established in 1987 as a newsprint publication and converted to a magazine in 1997 137 It features articles which regularly tie into the corporation along with business celebrity features cooking entertaining health home improvement and social articles as well as coupons and ads MediaPost reports While about 90 of the magazine s advertising is co op increasingly national advertisers such as Procter amp Gamble are buying space notes Roeglin presumably because of the pub s gargantuan reach and the data it has on its subscribers whose average household income is 156 000 a year We see about 56 of our subscribers a month buy something at one of our stores based on something they ve read in the magazine says Roeglin 138 The magazine is one of the largest circulation print monthlies in the United States 138 and is the third in circulation figures in the United States after AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin Services editConcierge service edit Costco offers a free concierge service to members who purchase electronics to help answer questions regarding setup and use and avoid potential returns due to not understanding how to use the products 139 Costco Auto and Home Insurance edit Costco has an agreement with CONNECT powered by American Family Insurance for auto insurance home insurance and umbrella insurance 140 Costco Optical edit Costco Optical ranks as the fifth largest optical company in the US as of 2015 update 141 Optometrists working at Costco locations will see patients without Costco memberships 142 although a membership is required to fill a prescription at the optical department 143 Costco Travel edit Costco Travel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Costco Wholesale and offers leisure travel to Costco members of the United States and Canada 144 The program offers vacation packages to the Caribbean Europe Florida Hawaii Las Vegas Mexico and the South Pacific 145 Food service edit See also Costco hot dog nbsp Food concession stand at the Costco warehouse in Overland Park KansasIf you raise the price of the effing hot dog I will kill you Jim Sinegal to W Craig Jelinek when Jelinek suggested increasing the price of the hot dog 146 In 1985 Costco started to sell freshly prepared food through a hot dog cart at its original Seattle warehouse 21 Most Costco locations now have a food court 147 They can be indoors or outdoors 148 but the menu is essentially the same hot dog with drink one of the most popular items pizza frozen yogurt ice cream Pepsico beverages baked items and sandwiches 149 Costco offers its signature quarter pound 100 beef hot dog and 20 US fluid ounces 590 ml drink with refills for US 1 50 the same price since 1985 Some US locations also offer Polish sausage or bratwurst in addition to hot dogs at the same 1 50 price 150 151 152 The hot dog sausages were kosher and supplied by Hebrew National and Sinai Kosher until 2009 when supply issues 153 and low profit margins 146 led Costco to start producing them in house under the Kirkland Signature label to maintain the 1 50 price 152 In Australia and New Zealand the hot dog is made of pork and is sold with a large soda for 1 99 AUD NZD In Canada the price for a hot dog and soda with refills is C 1 50 154 In Mexico the hot dog is made of 100 beef and includes a drink with refills for MXN 35 In the UK the hot dog is also made from beef and customers also get a drink with refills for 1 50 Costco sold more than 137 million quarter pound 113 g hot dogs in its food courts in 2017 152 In Taiwan and Japan the hot dog is made of pork as well Japan s price for their 120 gram hot dog amp refillable 600 ml drink is 180 155 As of June 2022 cheese or pepperoni pizza along with pre ordering of full pizzas to take home chicken bakes ice cream vanilla ice cream sundae vanilla with very berry or chocolate sauce toppings fruit smoothies latte freeze without chocolate mocha freeze with chocolate and twisted churros in select stores are offered at all United States locations 156 Some food court items are only available in certain countries 157 For example the bulgogi bake and mango boba tea are only available in Australia Taiwan Korea and Japan 158 poutine is available in Canada and France There are however temporary menu items available exclusively in several countries like the pastor taco topped pizzas in Mexico 159 160 United States menu changes in March 2020 Original Item Replacement ItemVeggie Combo Pizza No longer offered this includes the discontinuation of the Italian Sausage pizza topping as well Frozen Yogurt Vanilla ice cream with addition of chocolate sauce sundae Turkey Provolone No longer offeredTwisted Churro Replaced with dual flavor churro in late 2020 early 2021 name remained sameChicken Caesar Salad Has resumed at locationsChicken Bake Replaced with factory made item of same name no longer hand made in store at most locations Sauerkraut topping No longer offeredDeli Mustard condiment Relish condiment Offered in select locations expected to resume at all locations no time period for return Due to slow sales in 2009 the pretzel was replaced by the churro 161 In April 2013 Pepsi replaced all Coca Cola fountain drinks at U S locations because Coke had raised its prices this helped keep the hot dog combo with soda at its original US 1 50 price 162 Costco started selling a cheeseburger with a 1 3 pound 150 g patty at select stores across Western Washington and Southern California in mid 2017 as a test item with comparisons drawn to those of Shake Shack 163 164 The cheeseburger was not successful its availability only spread to around a dozen locations before it was discontinued in 2020 165 Diced onion was discontinued in March 2020 but returned as a topping in May 2023 166 Costco credit card edit On April 1 2016 in US Citigroup became the exclusive issuer of Costco s branded credit cards Prior to that Costco credit cards had been issued by American Express since 2001 and Costco accepted only American Express cards for credit transactions After the switch of its co branded cards to Citi Costco ceased accepting AmEx and began exclusively accepting Visa AmEx cited the reason for the split that Costco was asking for lower transaction fees than AmEx was willing to grant 167 168 169 In Canada Costco ended its AmEx relationship in 2014 and starting in 2015 170 it partnered with Capital One Mastercard for branded credit cards 171 In 2020 Capital One announced it would be ending the partnership in late 2021 172 It was announced that beginning in March 2022 Costco will begin a partnership with CIBC Mastercard 173 Costco branded credit cards from both issuers also serve as alternate Costco membership cards with a customized reverse side containing membership info 174 Costco Audiobook App edit In March 2021 Costco started selling audiobooks and launched a corresponding iOS and Android app to listen to purchases 175 The app is free however the books are exclusive to Costco members The retailer sells audiobooks in bundles grouped by genre or author with prices ranging from 5 to 50 Audiobooks are currently only available at U S locations 176 Labor relations editEmployee rights edit This section needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information June 2020 While some former Price Club locations in California and the northeastern United States are staffed by Teamsters 177 the majority of Costco locations are not unionized although there was a drive in 2012 to unionize some locations in Canada 178 The Teamsters claim that over 15 000 Costco employees are union members 179 The non union locations have revisions to their Costco Employee Agreement every three years concurrent with union contract ratifications in locations with collective bargaining agreements The Employee Agreement sets forth such things as benefits wages disciplinary procedures paid holidays bonuses and seniority The Employee Agreement is subject to change by Costco at any time and offers no absolute protection to the workers As of June 2022 non supervisory hourly wages ranged from 17 50 to 28 45 in the U S 16 00 to 28 70 in Canada and 9 75 to 13 90 in the United Kingdom In the U S as of 2005 update eighty five percent of Costco s workers had health insurance compared with less than fifty percent at Walmart and Target 180 Health benefits include coverage through Aetna 181 remote primary care through Teladoc second opinions and clinical navigation by Grand Rounds varieties of health insurance agencies with Custom Benefit Consultants Inc CBC 181 and wellness coaching by Omada citation needed In February 2021 Costco announced that it would be raising the starting rate for its hourly store workers in the United States to 16 an hour Costco has been actively raising their minimum wage starting with 14 during 2018 and into 15 during 2019 They further add that 20 of their hourly employees will be subject to the minimum wage change 182 Contractors edit Costco contracts exclusively with two independent companies to provide employees for product demonstrations e g food samples at Costco stores Club Demonstration Services CDS 183 and Warehouse Demo Services WDS 184 185 Demonstration employees receive a pay and benefit package that is less than that of Costco employees As of August 1 2017 update demonstrations samples are provided by CDS in Canada 186 Product demonstrations at Costco stores in the United States were halted in March 2020 amid the COVID 19 pandemic with some Costco CDS employees shifted to cleaning tasks before all were laid off when CDS temporarily ceased operations the following month 187 188 they were rehired as Costco started resuming demonstrations at select stores in June 2020 with all U S stores resuming demonstrations by June 2021 189 190 Discontinued concepts editCostco Home edit The first Costco Home warehouse opened in December 2002 in Kirkland Washington 191 192 The warehouse s concept was to combine the value setting and members only elements of Costco s warehouse clubs with the product array one would find at an upscale home store such as Fortunoff or Crate amp Barrel The Costco Home warehouses sold furniture housewares kitchen products and accessories from higher end brands such as Lexington Ralph Lauren and Waterford 193 in a warehouse club setting A second warehouse opened in 2004 in Tempe Arizona 192 On April 2 2009 the company announced that it would be abandoning its Costco Home concept closing the two existing stores in Kirkland Washington and Tempe Arizona on July 3 2009 and abandoning plans for a third warehouse in Portland Oregon 192 194 Costco Fresh edit A grocery centered format named Costco Fresh was announced in September 1999 for a 75 000 square foot 7 000 m2 two story space in Manhattan New York City 195 The company pulled out of an agreement to build the Manhattan store later that year after cost increases and local protests 196 The concept was revived in late 2002 for a store in Bellevue Washington near its Issaquah headquarters at a former Kmart The new store would primarily sell fresh produce meats seafood and baked goods instead of bulk items but would also have several features from normal Costco warehouses it would also have a modified logo with a fruit stem growing from the first o in the Costco name 197 The concept was dropped the following year but the company retained interest in building a normal Costco store at the Bellevue site until 2008 when they abandoned the plans due to zoning regulations that would have required daylighting an underground creek 198 199 Controversies editIn 2010 Mercy for Animals conducted an undercover investigation at Buckeye Veal Farm a veal supplier to Costco 200 Immediately following the investigative release Costco adopted a policy against purchasing veal from producers that use the crate and chain production method 201 The case prompted Ohio lawmakers to vote in favor of a veal crate phase out in the state 202 In 2012 Mercy for Animals conducted another undercover investigation of a pork supplier to major retailers such as Costco Walmart Safeway Kroger and Kmart 203 Before the public release of the investigation Costco announced they would begin requiring their pork suppliers to phase out gestation crates 204 205 In 2014 The Guardian reported that Costco is a client of Charoen Pokphand Foods Over six months The Guardian traced down a supply chain from slave ships in Asian waters to leading producers and retailers Costco has published a statement saying it has had a supplier code of conduct since 1999 which does not allow this practice and that independent auditors check for violations regularly 206 207 208 209 In 2015 the Humane Society of the United States conducted an undercover investigation at an egg supplier to Costco 210 An undercover worker at Hillandale Farms a major egg supplier to Costco filmed conditions in which egg laying hens lived in tiny wire cages 211 Following the investigations several celebrities including Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling publicly wrote to Costco to address this issue 212 Following efforts by animal protection nonprofits including The Humane League 213 Costco released an updated commitment to source exclusively cage free eggs in its operations 214 In 2016 a follow up to Costco s shift to cage free eggs by animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere DxE reported cannibalism and high mortality at a cage free Costco egg supplier 215 216 Costco denied the allegations but the video sparked a discussion about animal welfare problems continuing to exist at cage free egg farms 215 Writing in The Huffington Post DxE co founder Wayne Hsiung argued that the new investigation rather than suggesting that Costco should keep birds in cages indicated that hens should have the right not to be raised for food or kept on farms at all 217 In January 2017 Costco was brought to court in the US for lax pharmacy controls by violation of the Controlled Substances Act Allegations such as Costco filling prescriptions that were incomplete or were for substances beyond various doctors scope of practice The case was settled after Costco paid US 11 75 million 218 In August 2017 a federal judge ordered a deceptive Costco to pay Tiffany amp Co 19 4 million for misleading consumers into thinking they could buy legitimate Tiffany merchandise at warehouse club prices 219 220 Costco was criticized in 2019 by the Natural Resources Defense Council and SumOfUs for using virgin Canadian boreal forest to make its toilet paper NRDC says that over the previous twenty years 28 million acres of Canadian boreal forest had been cut down to make toilet paper 221 222 In September 2020 CBS News reported that Costco has stopped selling Palmetto Cheese after the owner of the pimento cheese brand called Black Lives Matter a terror organization Costco posted a note to the item in their Myrtle Beach location indicating that the item will not be reordered and over 120 Costco s throughout the US will no longer be carrying the item 223 In October 2020 Costco dropped Chaokoh coconut milk over the allegations of forced monkey labor PETA accused the manufacturer Theppadungporn Coconut Co of using forced monkey labor finding cruelty to monkeys at their farms and facilities Ken Kimble Costco s Vice President of Corporate Food and Sundries stated Costco has launched an investigation regarding the issue and have ceased purchasing from the supplier owner of the brand Chaokoh condemning the use of monkey labor Kimble also stated that Costco will continue to monitor the implementation of the harvest policies and once satisfied will resume purchasing 224 In December 2020 Costco announced plans to end the use of eggs from caged chickens throughout its operations worldwide 225 It became the first US retailer to issue a global policy on the confinement of animals in its supply chain 226 Josh Dahmen Costco financial planning and investor relations director also said We are in the process of making that transition to cage free eggs We will continue to increase the percentage over time with a goal of eventually getting to 100 227 In June 2023 an employee named Kim Dong Ho in Hanam Gyeonggi do South Korea who was assigned to organize shopping carts died of heatstroke while at work South Korean government guidelines state that outdoor workers be given a 10 to 15 minute break every hour during heatwave advisories however these guidelines were not strictly followed or enforced at the Costco store where Kim worked and he was given 15 minute breaks every 3 hours without a regular supply of drinking water 228 229 See also edit nbsp Companies portalBulk foods Costco bear Costco Wholesale Corp v Omega S A Price Club Retail 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6 2017 Retrieved October 6 2017 Einstaklingar geta nu keypt afengi hja Costco www mbl is in Icelandic Archived from the original on June 15 2023 Retrieved June 15 2023 De Maria Meghan 16 Things Costco Won t Be Bringing Back Eat This Not That Archived from the original on July 24 2020 Retrieved July 24 2020 Costco About Us Costco Archived from the original on December 31 2021 Retrieved April 25 2021 Caskets Costco Archived from the original on January 14 2023 Retrieved January 14 2023 7 Things To Know About Costco Pharmacy Clark com March 29 2023 Archived from the original on May 30 2023 Retrieved May 30 2023 McCaffery Jen October 14 2022 Here s Why You Should Buy Your Tires from Costco Reader s Digest Archived from the original on May 30 2023 Retrieved May 30 2023 Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code section 22 14 Costco Loses Long Fight to Reform Wine Distribution Laws Wine Spectator Archived from the original on February 17 2020 Retrieved February 17 2020 About Costco Costco Australia Archived from the original on July 24 2020 Retrieved July 24 2020 Stock Rob September 15 2022 Why Costco won t be selling booze from its Auckland mega store Stuff Archived from the original on September 26 2022 Retrieved September 28 2022 Meyersohn Nathaniel February 5 2022 Why every Costco product is called Kirkland Signature CNN Archived from the original on August 13 2022 Retrieved August 24 2022 Business Spotlight Costco Wholesale Archived from the original on December 26 2008 Retrieved October 26 2006 Green Dennis January 11 2019 Shoppers love Costco s Kirkland Signature brand and it s turned into the retailer s biggest asset Business Insider Archived from the original on February 26 2019 Retrieved February 25 2019 Broberg Brad April 1 2007 Costco buying power makes dent in private label wine market Archived from the original on January 17 2008 Retrieved March 30 2007 Duff Mike December 19 2005 A private label success story DSN Retailing Today Archived from the original on 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News November 30 2015 Archived from the original on December 3 2015 Retrieved November 30 2015 COSTCO CATERING MENU PRICES Costco Party Platters Trays etc Archived from the original on July 28 2020 Retrieved February 8 2020 Gaudette Karen May 24 2006 Costco is the place for inexpensive dining The Seattle Times Archived from the original on February 19 2011 Wight David amp Bjorkman Steve Illustrator March 2009 Order in the Court Costco food courts consistently deliver the value quality and efficiency members appreciate Costco Connection pp 20 24 Archived from the original on January 16 2013 Retrieved July 14 2009 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link History of Costco Food Courts a b c Romano Benjamin July 5 2018 Costco changes up food court menu but the 1 50 hot dog deal remains The Seattle Times Archived from the original on August 13 2018 Retrieved August 12 2018 Meyersohn Nathaniel July 8 2022 Why Costco s 1 50 hot dog combo and 99 cent Arizona iced tea still cost the same CNN Business Retrieved July 1 2023 Order in the court PDF Costco Connection Vol 24 no 3 March 2009 p 21 permanent dead link Compton Natalie B February 25 2017 Costco Is Even Better in Taiwan Vice Archived from the original on December 11 2019 Retrieved December 11 2019 Costco Food Menu Prices Costco Menu costcomenu com June 1 2022 Archived from the original on June 30 2022 Retrieved June 12 2022 Costco Food Court Menu Prices Hours Nutrition Membership costcofoodcourt org June 18 2022 Archived from the original on August 25 2022 Retrieved June 27 2022 Costco Japan s bulgogi bake is a melting pot of deliciousness February 13 2014 Archived from the original on April 22 2015 Retrieved April 5 2015 Costco Food Court Nutrition Data Archived from the original on October 19 2015 Retrieved February 20 2012 Lopez Fana April 2018 Amantes de Costco y los taquitos Ya existe la pizza de pastor y el mundo no volvera a ser igual Buzzfeed in Spanish Archived from the original on May 26 2018 Retrieved April 2 2018 Food Court questions PDF Costco Connection May 2009 p 59 permanent dead link Costco s 1 50 hot dog soda combo to get big change Seattle Post Intelligencer Archived from the original on February 5 2013 Retrieved February 7 2013 Vinh Tan June 26 2017 Costco is testing a new burger in Seattle and it might remind you of Shake Shack The Seattle Times Retrieved July 2 2023 Luna Nancy July 5 2017 Costco testing Shake Shack copycat cheeseburger in Southern California The Orange County Register Retrieved July 2 2023 Martinson Nicole March 3 2020 Say Goodbye to Costco s Food Court Burger Seattle Met Retrieved July 2 2023 Walker Clay One of Costco s beloved food court items is making its grand return and superfans are overjoyed Insider Retrieved October 28 2023 Cannon Ellen June 23 2016 Costco s launch of new Citi Visa card leaves angry customers on hold Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on July 29 2020 Retrieved February 20 2020 Panzar Javier March 2 2015 Costco names Citi Visa as new credit card partners after AmEx deal ends Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on June 21 2020 Retrieved February 20 2020 Cowley Stacy June 23 2016 Costco s Transition to Visa Cards Riddled With Problems The New York Times Archived from the original on August 22 2019 Retrieved August 22 2019 Schecter Barbara Leong Melissa September 18 2014 Costco to stop accepting American Express cards in Canada switches to Capital One and Mastercard Archived from the original on November 24 2020 Retrieved December 21 2020 Capital One Mastercard Costco Costco ca Archived from the original on December 20 2020 Retrieved December 21 2020 Khan Ahmar October 29 2020 Capital One ending Costco and Hudson s Bay contracts closing offices in Montreal and Toronto Yahoo News Archived from the original on November 16 2020 Retrieved December 21 2020 Learn About The Benefits Of Your New CIBC Costco Mastercard CIBC Archived from the original on November 24 2021 Retrieved November 25 2021 Costco Anywhere Visa Cards By Citi Costco com Archived from the original on December 21 2020 Retrieved December 21 2020 Kozlowski Michael March 23 2021 Costco launches new Audiobook Store and iOS App goodereader com Archived from the original on April 17 2021 Retrieved April 25 2021 Meisenzahl Mary Costco is adding an audiobook app as a new perk for members ahead of an anticipated price hike Business Insider Archived from the original on March 27 2021 Retrieved March 29 2021 Costco Workers Stand Together Teamster org Archived from the original on February 29 2012 Retrieved February 20 2012 Unionize Costco Archived from the original on January 16 2013 Retrieved August 15 2012 Teamsters Local 986 Costco Members www local986 org Archived from the original on March 31 2021 Retrieved March 28 2021 Greenhouse Steven July 17 2005 How Costco Became the Anti Wal Mart The New York Times Archived from the original on April 5 2015 Retrieved February 18 2017 a b Martin Erik Costco health insurance plan options Insurance com Archived from the original on August 3 2021 Retrieved May 16 2022 Costco raises minimum wage to 16 The San Francisco Times Archived from the original on April 23 2021 Retrieved March 1 2021 Pinsker Joe October 1 2014 The Psychology Behind Costco s Free Samples The Atlantic Retrieved July 1 2023 Eaton Dan January 16 2023 Employee may not be outside salesperson even if sales work mostly is performed off employer s premises San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved July 1 2023 Cicero Providence January 11 2006 Mmm samples The Seattle Times Retrieved July 1 2023 Edmonds Robert February 15 2012 We Are Family North Bay Bohemian Archived from the original on January 19 2012 Retrieved February 20 2012 Walansky Aly March 7 2020 Costco stores stop serving free food samples due to coronavirus concerns Today NBC News Retrieved July 1 2023 Sacks Brianna Mac Ryan April 3 2020 The Company That Handles Free Samples At Costco Is Shutting Down Because Of The Coronavirus BuzzFeed News Retrieved July 1 2023 Stych Anne June 2 2020 Costco s beloved free samples will return bringing jobs along with them Bizwomen Retrieved July 1 2023 Lacy Lisa June 3 2021 Costco s Free Samples Are Returning Even If Samplers Don t Adweek Retrieved July 1 2023 Frey Christine December 4 2002 Costco embraces high end goods for Home store Seattle Post Intelligencer Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c Costco to close home stores in Kirkland Arizona The Seattle Times April 2 2009 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Desjardins Doug January 6 2003 Costco Home poised to revolutionize high end furniture DSN Retailing Today Archived from the original on November 28 2009 Retrieved November 27 2009 Costco pulls plans for store near Portland International Airport The Oregonian February 26 2007 Archived from the original on March 6 2023 Retrieved March 6 2023 Weir Richard September 19 1999 Teeth Bared Over Costco s Plans The New York Times Retrieved June 29 2023 Pristin Terry December 11 1999 Costco Abandons Plans For a 14th Street Store The New York Times Retrieved June 29 2023 Bishop Todd September 25 2002 Costco will try out a fresh idea in Bellevue Seattle Post Intelligencer Retrieved June 29 2023 Bach Ashley July 26 2007 Costco looking at Kelsey Creek for first Bellevue store The Seattle Times Retrieved June 29 2023 Allison Melissa November 5 2008 Costco reportedly drops Kelsey Creek store plan The Seattle Times Retrieved June 29 2023 Crated Cruelty The Hidden Price of Veal Mercy For Animals Archived from the original on January 16 2013 Retrieved September 27 2012 Allison Melissa Costco bans treatment of veal calves that industry calls typical The Seattle Times Archived from the original on January 20 2013 Retrieved September 27 2012 Runkle Nathan Progress for Ohio s Farmed Animals Mercy For Animals Archived from the original on October 13 2012 Retrieved September 27 2012 Walmart Cruelty The Hidden Cost of Walmart s Pork Mercy For Animals Archived from the original on August 30 2012 Retrieved September 4 2012 Runkle Nathan Victory Costco and Kmart Commit to Ditching Gestation Crates Following MFA Investigation Mercy For Animals Archived from the original on August 22 2012 Retrieved September 4 2012 Runkle Nathan Safeway Pledges to Eliminate Cruel Gestation Crates from Supply Chain Mercy For Animals Archived from the original on October 13 2012 Retrieved September 2 2012 Hodal Kate Chris Kelly Felicity Lawrence June 10 2014 Revealed Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US UK The Guardian Archived from the original on April 28 2020 Retrieved June 11 2014 Charoen Pokphand CP Foods buys fishmeal which it feeds to its farmed prawns from some suppliers that own operate or buy from fishing boats manned with slaves CP Foods admits that slave labour is part of its supply chain Shrimp Sold at Walmart Costco Tied to Slave Labor CBS Money Watch June 11 2014 Archived from the original on July 28 2020 Retrieved April 17 2020 Walmart Tesco and Costco among retailers responding to revelations of slavery in prawn supply chains The Guardian June 10 2014 Archived from the original on May 10 2017 Retrieved December 11 2016 Disclosure Regarding Human Trafficking and Anti Slavery Costco June 2014 Archived from the original on July 5 2014 Retrieved July 5 2014 Worl Justin An Undercover Investigation Alleges Major Mistreatment of Egg Laying Hens Time Archived from the original on October 20 2015 Retrieved October 21 2015 Costco It s Time to Go Cage Free The Humane Society of the United States action humanesociety org Archived from the original on October 24 2015 Retrieved October 21 2015 Brad Pitt has a major grievance with Costco Business Insider Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Retrieved October 21 2015 Take A Stand Against Animal Cruelty thehumaneleague com Archived from the original on October 6 2015 Retrieved October 21 2015 Shanker Deena December 28 2015 After months of pressure Costco commits to a cage free egg supply Quartz Archived from the original on March 2 2016 Retrieved February 26 2016 a b Strom Stephanie October 20 2016 How Cage Free Hens Live in Animal Advocates Video The New York Times Archived from the original on December 17 2016 Retrieved January 9 2017 Moyer Justin Her head has been torn off Activists film alleges abuse at Costco linked cage free egg farm The Washington Post Archived from the original on January 30 2017 Retrieved January 9 2017 Hsiung Wayne They re Being Eaten Alive What I Saw In A Cage Free Egg Farm The Huffington Post Archived from the original on January 10 2017 Retrieved January 9 2017 Costco Wholesale to Pay 11 75 Million to Settle Allegations of Lax Pharmacy Controls www justice gov January 19 2017 Archived from the original on May 3 2022 Retrieved May 3 2022 Costco ordered to pay 19 4M for misleading Tiffany jewelry New York Post August 14 2017 Archived from the original on August 28 2017 Retrieved August 28 2017 McCoy Kevin August 15 2017 Judge Costco must pay Tiffany 19 4 million for advertising knock off rings USA Today Archived from the original on October 23 2017 Retrieved October 22 2017 The issue with tissue how Americans are flushing forests down the toilet PDF Natural Resources Defense Council February 2019 Archived PDF from the original on February 8 2020 Retrieved February 25 2020 Costco protect the boreal forests and use recycled pulp in your toilet paper Sumofus January 24 2020 Archived from the original on July 28 2020 Retrieved February 25 2020 Costco reportedly drops Palmetto Cheese after owner calls BLM a terror organization www cbsnews com September 23 2020 Archived from the original on January 5 2021 Retrieved March 28 2021 Lauren Padgett October 31 2020 Costco drops Chaokoh coconut milk over allegations of forced monkey labor CNN Archived from the original on April 17 2021 Retrieved March 28 2021 Costco transitioning to cage free eggs worldwide Meat Poultry Archived from the original on January 24 2021 Retrieved December 31 2020 Costco is making this major change to its egg products Yahoo Life Archived from the original on January 24 2021 Retrieved December 31 2020 Costco to ban the use of cages in its global supply chain Poultry World Archived from the original on January 24 2021 Retrieved December 31 2020 이 하린 July 29 2023 사망 직원 장례식장서 병 숨겼지 코스트코 대표 유족에 막말 논란 매일경제 in Korean Retrieved December 20 2023 Costco worker dies due to excessive heat The Korea Herald Retrieved July 29 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Costco Official website nbsp Official UK website Why every Costco product is called Kirkland Signature CNN Business data for Costco Wholesale Corporation BloombergGoogleReutersSEC filingsYahoo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Costco amp oldid 1206799402, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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