Costco costs neighborhood

Many folks think Costco is a bright spot of America's retail industry - the "anti-Wal-Mart", if you will. But some policies of this store chain call this reputation into question.

For one, Costco doesn't accept food stamps even if you try to buy food - which food stamps usually cover. (That's why they're called food stamps, you see.) This despite the fact that Costco is equipped to install electronic card readers (and even gets readers for free). Even Scam's Flub finally began accepting food stamps early this year - but not Costco!

It gets worse.

In October, the Costco Costers are planning on opening a store in Manhattan - in a neighborhood where 30,000 people rely on food stamps. Most of these food stamp recipients have jobs - but still don't make enough money to get off food stamps.

Who is the new Costco store supposed to serve? Certainly not the neighborhood - considering most locals won't even be able to buy anything there, despite having jobs.

And who's paying for the construction of this store? Why, neighborhood residents, of course. Their tax dollars are being used on government grants to pay for the store's construction. And the store will be eligible for generous tax credits.

Costco is willing to accept corporate welfare, but it won't let you buy anything with food stamps? How hypocritical can you get?

It gets worse still!

Costco just won special permission from the right-wing scuzzpaws who run the city to drive its noisy delivery trucks on the neighborhood's streets between midnight and 5 AM.

One resident said of the Costers, "You're moving to a neighborhood with thousands of people on food stamps, and you don't accept food stamps, and you want to drive on their streets all night to deliver something they can't buy?"

Here's what folks need to do when this Costco opens: They need to get a Costco membership, stop by Costco, load their shopping cart with gobs and gobs of food, and try to buy it with food stamps. When they're told Costco doesn't accept food stamps, they should just walk away and leave the merchandise at the checkout.

It would serve Costco right.

(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/nyregion/13about.html;
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09073/955632-85.stm)