Last
month, Costco announced
that it would begin accepting food stamps at two of its New York City stores—and pledged to extend the program to a new store
planned for East Harlem. The announcement came
after entreaties
from myself, Council Member Eric Gioia and Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. 
Because
the news accounts of this decision made no mention of the Costco
store in Staten Island, I sent a letter to Costco CEO James D. Sinegal to verify whether he had also
decided to introduce the trial program at that location.
I’m
pleased to report that, in a prompt response to my inquiry, Costco has informed me
that it plans “to include the Staten Island Costco warehouse in
our ‘food stamp’ acceptance test when it begins at Queens and Brooklyn later this year.” This is great news for
residents eligible for food stamps, and it could lessen the burden of this
economic crisis. Well done, Costco.
Comments