Costco has reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay $11.75 million to resolve federal allegations that the warehouse club’s pharmacies violated the Controlled Substances Act by filling prescriptions they probably shouldn’t have. [More]
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Golfers Losing Their Minds Over Costco’s Kirkland Brand Golf Balls
By 1.19.17
Last year, Costco slapped its Kirkland Signature label on some balls from a company called Nassau Golf, which had extras sitting around that it wanted to get rid of. The warehouse club sold them in containers of 24 for $30 and put them on the shelves, not realizing that it had created a sensation. [More]
Sam’s Club CEO Exiting As Company Moves To Win Over Costco Shoppers
By 1.6.17
In recent years, Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer has led the warehouse store’s efforts to compete for Costco’s more affluent shoppers, but as sales at the Walmart-owned chain remain unremarkable, Brewer will soon retire.
[More]
The Price Of Your Costco Membership May Be Going Up By 10% This Year
By 1.5.17
Costco-watching industry analysts say that members of the popular warehouse store should prepare themselves for a possible hike of as much as 10% to the cost of their annual membership at some point in the coming year. [More]
How Do Some Retailers Succeed While Ignoring The Internet?
By 12.21.16
Shopping online: it’s convenient for customers and brings in big bucks for retailers. But not everyone is jumping at the chance to sell their goods on the internet. HomeGoods and Marshall’s don’t have websites filled with products and TJMaxx has a sparsely filled online platform, and they appear to be doing just fine, thank you very much. [More]
Costco Exec: We Beat ‘Amazon Go’ To The Punch “Literally 20 Years Ago”
By 12.8.16
In response to the arrival of Amazon Go — a checkout-less store design the Seattle ecommerce giant is planning for next year — one might expect that other food purveyors would be nervous. Not Costco, though. It’s already been there and done that, a company executive claims. [More]
This Woman Is On A Mission To Stop At Costco Stores In Every U.S. State That Has Them
By 11.15.16
Do you have a Costco store in your state? It may soon get a visit from a dedicated Costco devotee who’s on a solo road trip around the country right now, in an effort to check out a Costco store in every state that has one. [More]
4 Things We Learned From Costco CEO Craig Jelinek
By 11.11.16
Costco warehouse stores are big, gray, and decidedly un-sexy, but that has not stopped the wholesale club from attracting shoppers, including some who talk to their friends about Costco the same way you might talk about must-read book. [More]
Costco Credit Card Switch Came With Unexpected Side Effect: Lost Insurance
By 11.10.16
When Costco announced it was ditching its exclusive co-branded American Express card in favor of a Citibank-issued Visa card, customers worried about the various ways this switch could affect their finances and credit, but one family says the change in card networks resulted in them losing an insurance policy. [More]
Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Costco Of Illegally Charging Tax On Toilet Paper
By 10.20.16
Under New Jersey tax laws, it’s illegal to charge sales tax on disposable household paper products. But, according to a recently filed lawsuit, Costco hasn’t been following that rule, allegedly tacking on sales tax for toilet paper. [More]
Federal Jury Awards Tiffany Another $8.2 Million In Costco Ring Dispute
By 10.6.16
Last week, a federal jury found in favor of the high-end jewelry brand Tiffany, concluding that Costco’s 2012 collection of “Tiffany” engagement rings was a trademark infringement, and wasn’t just the name of a popular diamond setting. The jury awarded $5.5 million in actual damages to Tiffany for the infringing ring sales, and has now awarded the jeweler $8.25 million in punitive damages for infringing on the brand’s copyright. [More]
Costco’s Credit Card Transfer Issues Didn’t Affect Sales, Profits
By 10.3.16
Costco’s complicated, complaint-riddled switch from an American Express-branded store credit card to a Visa Citi card may have been a big issue for the membership store’s customers, but it apparently wasn’t a problem for the company’s bottom line. [More]
Jury Decides Costco Owes Tiffany $5.5M Over Alleged Copycat Rings
By 9.30.16
Since 2012, Costco and Tiffany have been fighting in court over the question of whether “Tiffany” describes a jewelry company and a prestigious brand, or a just a style of diamond solitaire ring. The case finally reached a jury this month, and the jury’s verdict is that Costco owes Tiffany $5.5 million in compensation, and an amount yet to be decided in punitive damages. [More]
Man Who Punched Nutella-Loving Elderly Man Sentenced To Two Years In Jail, Released
By 9.21.16
Is an extra sample of Nutella worth going to jail for? A Burbank man who spent a year locked up for punching a 78-year-old man in the face over free samples of the chocolate hazelnut spread at Costco might be able to answer that question. [More]
Even Loyal Costco Customers Aren’t Shopping Quite As Much
By 9.1.16
Costco members tend to be a fiercely loyal bunch. They love to sing the warehouse club’s praises and, most importantly, they love to shop there. But even Costco can’t buck the trend of physical stores finding customers are spending more time and money elsewhere these days, it seems. [More]
Costco Citi Card Users Receive Cancellation Notices, Are Very Confused
By 8.22.16
Costco, Citibank, Visa, and all of the companies’ customers had plenty of notice that the warehouse club’s store-branded credit card would be switching from American Express to a Citi Visa card. The transition didn’t go very smoothly for some members, but everyone assumed that the transition-related problems would be over by now. Nope. Some customers received cancellation notices at the end of last week, and are now very confused. [More]
Sam’s Club Forgot To Tell Some Employees About Their Clever Costco Promotion
By 6.29.16
Last Monday was an important day in retail history, and we’re not being sarcastic: it was the day that Costco switched its credit card acceptance policy from only accepting American Express to only accepting Visa. The transition didn’t go smoothly for some members, and national competitor Sam’s Club decided to take advantage of the confusion and try to win over some of those members. Unfortunately, some employees didn’t know about this. [More]
Sam’s Club Takes Advantage Of Costco Credit Card Problems, Invites Members To Visit
By 6.28.16
Hey, are you a Costco member? Are you annoyed with their switch to only accepting Visa cards, and the problematic transition to the Costco Anywhere Visa? Competitor Sam’s Club has a solution for you: come check out their warehouse club, where all major credit cards are welcome. Even if that’s a pretty recent development. Sam’s is welcoming Costco card holders to enter the store and browse (but not to shop without buying their own membership) through July 4. [More]
