I
was so pleased to have been informed that Costco, the big-box retailer, has
decided to accept Food
Stamps at all its stores nationwide, given its positive
experience in New York City.
Earlier
this year, I was among those who strongly urged Costco to accept Food Stamps at its new
store in Manhattan, which is scheduled to open in November in East
Harlem. After initial resistance, Costco agreed. It also announced
that it would accept Food Stamps at its Brooklyn and Queens
stores. Nothing was said about the Costco in Staten Island,
so I personally wrote Costco's CEO and asked whether Costco also would accept
Food Stamps in that borough as well. After my inquiry, Costco said that it
would.
According
to The Associated Press, Costco doubted that many New York customers would use Food Stamps.
Instead, it saw a strong and favorable response. Costco, which operates more
than 400 stores in the United States, expects to accept Food Stamps in
about half its stores by Thanksgiving. Given these tough economic times,
Costco's action is indeed commendable.
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