Consumerist
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discounts
Costco Bans Coca-Cola
A dispute over pricing has led Costco to stop selling a number of Coca-Cola brands, which means all Coke varieties as well as Sprite, Squirt, Dasani water, and Full Throttle energy drinks, reports the Associated Press. More » -
assistance
Costco Will Expand Food Stamp Program Nationwide
It turns out more Costco customers use food stamps than CEO James D. Sinegal originally thought, because after a test run earlier this year the company has decided to roll out the program nationwide. More » -
christmas creep
Costco Already Playing Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
We're sort of wondering what happened to "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," because apparently Costco has skipped right to playing "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." More » -
what you get for that annual $50 membership fee
Costco's Return Policy In Action
This weekend Costco really justified its annual membership fee to me with its amazing return policy. Eight weeks ago my wife bought two four-packs of printer cartridges that cost $146. She didn't realize they weren't the type of cartridges for our printer before she'd not only opened the plastic clamshell prison in which they were encased, but a cartridge from each package. More » -
shopping
Man Goes Into Business Delivering Costco To Overpriced NYC Neighborhoods
Groceries on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of Manhattan are expensive. How expensive? One guy with a truck has started a business delivering cheaper groceries. One catch, he doesn't own a grocery store. He will go to Costco, where items cost a fraction of their Manhattan prices — and split the savings with you. More » -
retailing
Why Costco Taunts You With High-End Luxury Items
Heather at The Greenest Dollar read How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer earlier this summer, and it made her see Costco in an entirely new way. The point behind all that crazy luxury stuff for sale at Costco isn't just to sell it, she says; it's to prime your brain with feel-good dopamine so that you're far more likely to splurge on the more affordable items deeper in the store.
"How Costco Primes Us To Spend More Money…" [The Greenest Dollar] (Thanks to Kimberly!)
(Photo: Heather Levin) -
christmas creep
Christmas Has Arrived In August At Costco
Yes, it's the second half of the year — which can only mean one thing: as the sweltering waves of sticky heat give way to hurricanes and the little tykes sharpen their pencils for the first day of school — Santa is on his way. Get out your @#$%#$ mistletoe and holly and all that. More » -
recession watch
More Stores Accepting Food Stamps Now That 39 Million People Use Them
We're going to have to start offering tips for shopping with food stamps now that a record number of consumers —and stores— are using them. More » -
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annual memberships
Beware The Costco And American Express Membership Fee Double Dip
Last week we mentioned that Costco has a habit of backdating the starting date for lapsed membership renewals, which prompted Monica to write in and let us know of another issue they seem to have with billing. If you renew your executive membership with Costco but then apply for the Costco American Express card, Amex will charge you the membership fee a second time. Monica says the Amex CSR who fixed the problem told her it happens all the time. More » -
annual memberships
Be Careful, Costco Backdates Renewals
If you let your Costco membership lapse, then 2 months later renew it, Costco will backdate it to day it lapsed instead of the day you renew. The result: your 12 month membership suddenly shrinks to 10 months for the same price. Consumer Reports notes that Costco used to backdate renewals by as much as 5 months before a recent class-action settlement. More » -
The animals are rising up, and invading our big-box stores. This week, a small (non-poisonous) snake bit a man in an Illinois Walmart, and a woman in Utah reportedly found a black widow spider in a bunch of grapes purchased at Costco. Nature clearly abhors the modern suburban lifestyle, and it's taking back its territory. [Carmi Times] [KSL]
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warehouse clubs
Costco Now Accepting Food Stamps, Sort Of
Finally following the lead of its competitors, Costco will accept food stamp cards. For core food items, not other merchandise. Two New York City stores, in Astoria, Queens, and in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, will serve as test sites because of the high numbers of food stamp recipients nearby. If the program is successful, Costco will expand it to all other New York City stores, but there are no plans to expand the program to other cities or states. More » -
unacceptable food
The Extra Fiber In Quaker Natural Granola: Chunks Of Wood
James' seven-year-old daughter was happily noshing on her Quaker Natural Granola when she came across this chunk of wood. Quaker was quick to send James a coupon so he could buy more woody granola from Costco, but then offered a refund when reminded that the bulk warehouse doesn't accept manufacturer's coupons.
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george washington university
Sorority Sisters Suffer Ironic Laundry Detergent Injuries
A fraternity fundraiser for the D.C. Firefighter's Burn Association at George Washington University included a super-fun Slip 'n' Slide lubricated with laundry detergent. Detergent isn't supposed to be slathered all over the body, though, and can lead to severe skin irritation and chemical...um....burns. More » -
prescriptions
Costco Fixes Customer's Botched Electronic Prescription
If you get your prescriptions filled electronically, always double-check the dosage. Kimberly's prescription was recently screwed up somewhere between the physician filling out the order online and Costco's pharmacist receiving it. Luckily for her, the Costco pharmacist was incredibly helpful and fixed the problem for her, so Kimberly didn't have to waste her copay or deal with the issue on her own. He also explained, however, that the current state of electronic prescriptions is a big mess. More » -
hot fuel
Costco Might Fix Hot Fuel Ripoff
Vermonters get a better deal on gas than Texans. Fuel expands in the heat and shrinks in the cold, so 5 gallons of "hot fuel" won't get your car as far as 5 gallons of regular. Oilmen know this, and that's why at various points in the supply chain volume gets adjusted for the industry standard temperature of 60° F. The retail pump isn't one of them. That might start to change if a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement with Costco as a defendant goes through. Under the terms, Costco would fix its pumps in the bottom half of the country so that they dispense fuel at 60° F. If it goes through, it would be a precedent-setting consumer victory. After all, you want a Tiger in your tank, not a Heat Miser, don't you?
Costco offer would fix hot fuel [Kansas City Star] (Photo: whatatravisty)
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If you recently bought organic brown eggs from a Costco, Safeway, or Pack 'n' Save in California or Nevada, you should check to make sure they're not part of yet another salmonella recall. [MSNBC] (Photo: Bonzo McGrue)
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costco
Magic Pricematching Fairy Visits Costco
Reader Lyn is happy to report that he is not suffering any buyer's regret. A week after buying a big ol' 52" Sony Bravia LCD TV from Costco for $1950, one of "my wife's and I's once-in-ten-years type deals," he saw the same one sitting in the TV section for $200 less. More »
costco
New York, 8:10 AM
Mon Nov 23
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