Lady LUX

Attention Costco Shoppers! Costco Wholesale, which was once only made available to elite business owners, has expanded their focus from only affluent shoppers to now include those that are on governmental assistance programs.

This news signifies the continual shift in today’s market, with a record number of ‘Americans on government food subsidiaries hitting 36 million’ to date.

The formal announcement comes on the heels of the successful pilot program, which was tested in New York locations. These results surpassed the projected numbers and weighed heavily on the decision to expand the program.

“We recognize these are tough times and more people are food-stamp-eligible,” Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said Wednesday in their official press release.

With the news of this storewide policy, Costco memberships have increased.

Expect for this new policy to be in effect by Thanksgiving at more than 407 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Though, some states will need to have regulatory approval before allowance.

Though this is a new feature for Costco stores, this has been an acceptable program for most grocery outlets for years. Today’s program does look quite different from the program of yesterday. There are no longer individual ‘stamps’ used, but rather actual cards that are simply swiped towards their available credits. With the advancement in technology, the ease of gaining assistance has become much more discrete then every before. Plus, it allows other patrons to not suffer in terms of long check out lines, so don’t expect much to change from your shopping experience.

LUXies, what do you think of this new program being made available at Costco?

Tagged in: costco, food stamps,