Posted on 07/21/2004 9:25:28 AM PDT by Rushgrrl
Costco, Wal-Mart duel in political arena Warehouse-store giants give money to opposing parties
By MICHAEL FORSYTHE AND RACHEL KATZ BLOOMBERG NEWS
Executives at Costco Wholesale Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., competitors in the $76 billion U.S. warehouse-club market, have taken their rivalry to a new level: national politics.
Costco Chief Executive Officer Jim Sinegal, 68, is a Democrat who says President Bush's $1.7 trillion in tax cuts unfairly benefit the wealthy. He opposed the Iraq war and supports Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts for president. And he's the only chief executive of a company in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to donate money to independent political groups formed to oust Bush, Internal Revenue Service records show.
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer and owner of Sam's Club warehouse stores, gives more money to Republican candidates than any other company does. Its top three managers, including Chief Executive H. Lee Scott, donated the individual maximum $2,000 to Bush, and Jay Allen, vice president for corporate affairs, raised at least $100,000 to re-elect the president, earning him the Bush campaign's designation of "Pioneer."
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...
I canceled our family's Costco membership after I found out that Costco's top executives were funding extreme left-wing groups that hate President Bush.
I just went to their web site and let them know what I think. I'll be voting against Costco with my wallet for a while.
I'm glad I didn't renew with Costco a few years back. We tried it for a while. I did not know about their political leanings.
Wal-Mart rocks if you like long lines and inferior YumCha brand merchandise.
I went to Wal-mart to buy some a few air cleaners for the house a few years ago. A quick look at the merchandise convinced me to head over to Target for some quality products. They cost more, but they last much longer. I'll pay for quality anyday.
And as for Costco... I just don't care. As long as they continue to offer good merchandise at decent prices, they'll get my business. If they want to throw their money away, let them. I'm not going to throw mine away.
I'm sorry guys, I've given up a lot for my Party, but asking me to give up Costco's Kirkland brand of Smoked Salmon is just too much of a sacrfice for me.
I can't support Costco with it's left leaning executives. I don't like Target either. I'll just have to order all my stuff from the local feed store!
Tearing up my Costco card as we speak.
Is it any better than shopping at wal-mart which costs taxpayers something like 450K per store in subsidies? I'd rather have a choice, rather than subsidizing other people's shopping.
I tore mine up a couple of months ago when I found out about their executives contributions to the left wing organizations. Not one red cent of my money will ever pass throught the doors of Costco. I also emailed the company and called the local manager.
I used to love that store. But I have found better buys elsewhere. I am not at all sorry about dumping them as my major shopping destination.
When you talk about taxpayer subsidies are you talking about Walmart getting to keep money they have earned or money they are given that formerly was not theirs?
I'm talking about walmart keeping so much money their employees need to hit the government up for things like health care.
Fact is, if walmart paid their employees just a bit more, and we're not talking a ton more, prices wouldn't be changed. Sure, maybe the CEO would have to take a paycut from 23mil a year to 21mil a year. Or maybe if the store manager's yearly bonus dropped from 130K to 120K they could cut it.
Bottom line... I have no problems with the stores earning money. I have problems with my tax dollars making up for their cheapness. Period.
You are plainly contradicting yourself. In your first post, you put no conditions on your support for Costco as along as they offer 'good merchandise at decent prices.' In your subsequent posts, however, you say that you are not going to patronize Walmart because it gets subsidies that cost taxpayers and, following up on that, because it doesn't pay its employees enough so the public has to pickup the healthcare costs these employees incur (which is a dubious position at best).
I don't know how to explain your obviously contradictory positions with regard to Walmart and Costco except to assume that you have an agenda against Walmart that does not apply to Costco. Maybe you can explan what the agenda is and why it applies to Walmart and not to Costco?
As far as I know, Costco isn't costing taxpayers money in order to offer their low prices. Therefore, what you pay is really what you pay. What you pay at Wal-mart isn't really what you pay after you figure in subsidies. I believe in a capitalist system, not a halfway system where they pay their employees barely enough, then the govt picks up the rest.
And as I stated above, my prefered shopping choice is Target. Higher prices, but higher quality merchandise.
Secondly, you keep talking about subsidies that Walmart receives that Costco doesn't. What exactly are these subsidies? Are you saying that a failure to pay an employee a particular amount that you deem to be sufficient amounts to a subsidy? In your view of free market system does that mean that every employer that is paying an employee a minimum wage is receiving a subsidy?
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