While detergent pods still have some safety issues and still sort of look a little bit like candy, here’s one inspiring piece of news about them. A few weeks ago, we wrote about Costco’s Kirkland Signature pods shrinking, losing 10 pods from a 130-pod package. Costco contacted us to point out that our reader actually got this backwards: they had recently made the packages bigger, not smaller. [More]
costco
Costco Executive Points To Record Sales Of Cage-Free Eggs As Evidence Of Progress
By 10.6.15
In another round of the ongoing tug-of-war between Costco and its customers, one executive at the wholesale store is holding up its sales numbers as evidence that it’s making progress toward selling entirely cage-free eggs. [More]
Costco Shrink Rays Bins Of Detergent Pods Ever So Slightly
By 10.5.15
The Grocery Shrink Ray stealthily takes away small portions of all kinds of consumer products: food, beverages, personal care items, and cleaning supplies. Even the super-sized containers at Costco aren’t immune: 130 loads of laundry since his last purchase, Ed noticed that his newest container has fewer detergent pods in it than the last one. Update: Actually, Costco increased the quantity of pods! [More]
Elderly Shopper Punched In The Face Over Nutella Samples At Costco
By 9.22.15
One would think combining free sample day and Nutella would create the ideal shopping experience. That certainly wasn’t the case at a California Costco where an elderly shopper was punched in the face was punched in the face in the name of free chocolate hazelnut spread. [More]
Starbucks Introduces Pumpkin Spice Bottled Frappuccinos As Costco Exclusive
By 9.21.15
I live in a rather deprived part of the Northeast: I can only reach a Costco store by driving more than two hours in any direction. (Except north. That’s Canada.) Today, we learned about a Costco-exclusive product that leaves me wondering whether I’m extra-deprived or better off. Starbucks is selling bulk packs of its bottled Frappuccinos in pumpkin spice flavor, but they’ll only be available at Costco. [More]
Sam’s Club Expands To Accept American Express Cards Starting Oct. 1
By 9.10.15
Back in February, American Express and Costco announced that they’re breaking up in 2016. That means AmEx, including the Costco co-branded cards, will be useless at the warehouse store. Now, seven months later, the credit card company reveals its entering into a relationship with Costco rival Sam’s Club, allowing shoppers at that warehouse store to use AmEx cards at the register for the first time. [More]
Federal Judge Finds In Favor Of Tiffany In Costco Imitation Ring Case
By 9.8.15
After more than two and a half years of litigation, the dispute between Costco and Tiffany over what, exactly, “Tiffany” means in the context of diamond engagement rings is over. A federal judge found in favor of Tiffany, noting that Costco clearly had not acted in good faith when slapping the word “Tiffany” on their jewelry cases. [More]
Costco’s Online Photo Services Back Up After Breach, Customers’ Cards May Have Been Compromised
By 9.8.15
If you like viewing and ordering prints of your digital photos from the comfort of your own home and then traipsing to the local Costco to pick up your memories, then we’ve got good news: Costco has finally relaunched its online photo services website after taking the site down upon discovering a breach in July. But there’s also a bit of bad news: some customers’ credit card information may have been captured in the year-long hack. [More]
Sam’s Club Wants To Help You Buy A Car
By 9.3.15
Earlier this year, Costco reported that it had sold nearly 400,000 vehicles of all makes and models at its stores across the country with the purpose of making its members happy. Today, Sam’s Club launched a similar endeavor that will put keys in the hands of the warehouse store’s faithful following. [More]
People Trust Optometrists More Than Costco Or 1800CONTACTS, At Least According To Optometrist Group
By 8.25.15
As we’ve previously reported, there’s a legal war going on — with optometrists and manufacturers on one side, and discount and online retailers on the other — over how much you should have to pay for your contact lenses. Both sides of this battle have recently released surveys they hope will help win over public opinion. [More]
Customer Sues Costco, Claims Workers In Shrimp Farms Are Trafficked And Mistreated
By 8.19.15
A woman in California is suing Costco over its shrimp, alleging that the company sells shrimp from Thailand that is raised by workers who have been trafficked and are forced to work without pay. In her complaint, the lead plaintiff says that Costco is misleading its customers about the origins of the shrimp it sells. [More]
Costco Pushes Back Relaunch Of Online Photo Services Another Month Following July Hack
By 8.18.15
Fans of Costco’s photo services will likely be waiting another month before they are able to order pictures though its website, as the company that manages the site continues to recover from a July breach. [More]
Costco CEO: We Aren’t Ready To Set A Date For All Cage-Free Eggs Yet
By 8.11.15
Amid a campaign by the Humane Society and certain famous faces to push Costco to only sell cage-free eggs, CEO Craig Jelinek says the company is being unfairly targeted. Although the company pledged to go fully cage-free in 2007, he says Costco isn’t prepared to announce when that change will happen. [More]
Investors Sue American Express After Loss Of Costco Agreement
By 7.31.15
Five months after American Express and Costco announced they would go their separate ways and end their exclusive relationship – essentially allowing members of the warehouse club to use other cards – shareholders for the credit card company have filed a lawsuit claiming it blindsided investors with the loss of the contract. [More]
Costco Joins In Virginia Crackdown On Bulk Cigarette Buyers
By 7.28.15
Following reports of Costco shoppers loading up entire trucks full of large boxes of cigarettes, presumably with the purpose of reselling them on the black market in other states, the wholesale club is now posting signs indicating that these customers will face much more scrutiny going forward. [More]
Get Your Halloween Costumes And Plastic Pumpkins While They’re Still On Shelves
By 7.28.15
Time keeps moving whether we like it or not, and it’s almost the end of July. The patriotic party decorations and inflatable pool rafts have all sold, the school supplies that took their place in stores’ “seasonal” sections are starting to move, and they need something to fill that empty space on the shelf. That’s why we have Halloween in July. [More]
Costco Cuts Back On Chilean Salmon In Favor Of Antibiotic-Free Fish
By 7.23.15
Amid concerns of antibiotics overuse contributing to the development of drug-resistant superbugs, American consumers are increasingly demanding antibiotic-free meat and fish. That’s bad news for Chilean salmon farmers who are facing a bacterial outbreak and treating their fish with record levels of antibiotics — and losing the business of Costco and others. [More]
Costco, Three Other Retailers Suspend Photo Sites After Third-Party Host Suffers Possible Breach
By 7.21.15
Less than a week after CVS took down its CVSphoto.com site while it investigates a possible credit card breach, at least four other retailers including Costco and Sam’s Club have suspended online photo services following notification by the company that manages or hosts photo services for the sites of a possible data breach. [More]
