Neighbors Use Food Stamps. Not Costco

New York Times ^ | May 12, 2009 | Jim Dwyer

[reaganaut1]

This October, when Costco, the big warehouse chain, opens its first Manhattan store, it will occupy a brand new mall along the East River Drive at 116th Street that has been developed with $55 million in tax-free bonds and grants. The company will be eligible for millions of dollars in tax credits for creating new jobs.

But there’s one kind of government money Costco won’t take: food stamps.

That policy effectively cuts off more than 30,000 of its immediate neighbors in East Harlem, who receive food stamps. Throughout the city, 1.4 million people got them in April, an increase of 80 percent since 2002, city officials said. Most of the recipients have jobs, but their wages are so low that they qualify for the food stamps, now issued in the form of debit cards.

Even if those neighbors don’t get to shop at the store and take advantage of bulk food purchases, they will have plenty of chances to see — and hear — a critical part of the company’s warehouse operations: Costco just won special permission for its tractor-trailers to drive on residential streets in East Harlem between midnight and 5 a.m. to make deliveries.

“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?” said Viveca Diaz, an East Harlem resident who has objected to the delivery schedule.

So far, executives of Costco have made no public statements about why its stores — with the exception of one in Puerto Rico — will not take food stamps. They did not reply to four requests for comment. Many other big chains, including Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, B.J.’s and Sam’s Club, do take them.

[reaganaut1]

What the Times thinks is a big problem -- a store that doesn't take food stamps. It could be that Costco does not want lots of food stamp recipients in their stores, though they dare not say it.

[ansel12]

Plus if you are a careful shopper like me you can’t save any money at Costco, or Sam’s Club.

[goodnesswins]

EXACTLY....Costco is NOT a place for food stamp shopping....unless of course you abuse the food stamp program.

[SoCalPol]

Food Stamp Ping

[riri]

I’ve read that the average income of a Walamrt shopper is, say, 35k and the average income of a Costco shopper is about 70k.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

This doesn’t surprise me. Costco supports leftist causes, so it makes sense it doesn’t want the riff-raff in their store. Notice the tone of the NY Times in agreement. That’s why liberals hate Wal-Mart because everyday people shop there and not the elites.

[yldstrk]

you can’t get anything in there with food stamps probably....it’s geared to people who are buying for the long term not daily shopping

[I see my hands]

To: Viveca Diaz

The streets belong to the taxpayers not the tax takers. No one wants to live next to the tracks.. good motivation for betterment.

Maybe the povs should put in an application at Costco if they need more cash.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

East River Drive and 116th Street is pretty much Harlem.

I live in a leafy suburb and you see freeloaders (section 8) using welfare debit cards at high end grocery stores all the time, the kind where half the customers wouldn’t caught dead in Costco. Excuse me, did I call them freeloaders? I meant to say deadbeats.

[WellyP]

No food stamps = a lot less shop lifting!

[ArtyFO]

Er, I hear that the Costco store will soon be inundated with hundreds of “customers” who will fill their buggies with perishable food and take it to the checkout counters where they will go through checkout loading all the stuff in bags and when presented with the sum to pay, they will offer food stamps. Of course when told that Costco doesn’t accept food stamps, they will simply walk off leaving the stuff where it lays, requiring several staff to put the stuff back in the shelves and cabinets. Al Sharpton will lead this buying spree.

[chris_bdba]

We don’t have any Costcos around here so I didn’t know this. How nice it would be to have somewhere that you could stop on the 1st and not be over run with the Foodstamp crowd!

[I see my hands]

Costco is a place where povs can tank up on food samples keeping their dole warm and undisturbed pressed against their fat asses.

[2ndDivisionVet]

The new terminology is underhoused, non-employment-seeking fermented beverage consumers. Please make a note of it.

[muawiyah]

When COSTCO starts running tractor-trailers through residential streets in the wee hours of the morning they may find a problem worse than shoplifting.

[I see my hands]

Good deal for Costco. Fiddy clams for a membership which is terminated after it's first use is likely more than than the cost of the food that will perish and be given to shelters as it would have anyway.

[Vinnie]

They don’t take checks either.

I like Costco. The one warehouse I shop at.
Their merchandise, esp. food, produce, meats are several cuts above Sam’s, BJ’s, etc Even better than the local Krogers.

[Cheetahcat]

“Er, I hear that the Costco store will soon be inundated with hundreds of “customers” who will fill their buggies with perishable food and take it to the checkout counters where they will go through checkout loading all the stuff in bags and when presented with the sum to pay, they will offer food stamps. Of course when told that Costco doesn’t accept food stamps, they will simply walk off leaving the stuff where it lays, requiring several staff to put the stuff back in the shelves and cabinets. Al Sharpton will lead this buying spree.”

Then he should be made to pay damages for what reason we are constantly cowered by 13% of the population I cannot fathom.

[JMS]

You can’t get in without a Costco card

[nascarnation]

1.4 million peeps in NYC on food stamps.
Un-freaking-believable and definitely Baraq’s fault.

[MaxMax]

and you want to drive on their streets all night to deliver something they can’t buy?”

Taxpayers Streets!

[GatorGirl]

Perhaps those that are on food stamps can go to work at Costco, so they can spend their own money there with impunity!

[Randy Larsen]

Costco is a big dem supporter, I don’t spend my dollars their either.

[TankerKC]

That policy effectively cuts off more than 30,000 of its immediate neighbors in East Harlem, who receive food stamps.

No one is shut out. They can pay cash like the rest of us.

[cleveland gop]

1.4 million in NYC get food stamps? Let me think. That’s about 20% of the city.....

And no NYT, don’t tell me most of them work. Fact is probably3 in 5 don’t work. 1 in 5 need it legitimately and the other 1 in 5 are low income elderly people.

I live in Cleveland the welfare capital of America and own a grocery store here. 36% of county residents get some kind of help that I pay for. The ones who walk in my front door with a card have been on the system longer than any supposed time limits. They drive late model cars/SUV’s pulling a boat around this time of year heading to the lake bragging they don’t HAVE to work. They’re also the ones standing in line when I go shopping at places like Walmart and Sam’s taking their sweet little time.....

As for Costco, HOORAY for not caving to lib insanity.

If Rudy were still mayor, no way in hell 1.4 million would be getting stamps, NO WAY!!!

[Lurker]

1.4 million peeps in NYC on food stamps.

Let that sink in for a minute. Then think about Chicago, Atlanta, LA....

[NoLibZone]

1.4 million take food stamps in NYC!!!

That’s 17% of the population that’s cant eat unless the government feeds them.

WOW!

NYC should be handed over to Somalia.

[cleveland gop]

It’s the same, or higher here!!!

And Timmy Geitner wants to fix SS and MEDICARE?
He should worry more about WELFARE and MEDICAID??

[dfwgator]

"Welcome to Costco....I love you."

[NoLibZone]

1.4 million New Yorkers live and die at the whim of the FED.

If the government goes broke, NYC will be utter anarchy in 48 hours or less.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Costco just won special permission for its tractor-trailers to drive on residential streets in East Harlem between midnight and 5 a.m. to make deliveries.

You would prefer they were on the streets during rush hour maybe?

[Obamageddon]

Costco needs to play this as
"We want to be good corporate citizens in this community. We won't accept food stamps so as to allow the existing local markets and bodegas to keep that portion of the local economy free from our competition".

[hecht]

you buy in bulk at costco.
Food stamps should be a short term cushion not a full time parasitical existence.

[RC one]

bingo.

[willk]

Hey they can always get free food samples at Costco. Maybe the government could pay the annual membership fee for them.

[cleveland gop]

In my lifetime, welfare benefits have never, ever been a short term thing. It is the way people want to live who think they are better than those of us who think individual responsibility is pretty damn important.

In this city, there are so many lifers that walk through my front door everyday it makes me sick.....

[mkjessup]

When COSTCO starts running tractor-trailers through residential streets in the wee hours of the morning they may find a problem worse than shoplifting.

If they disturb the sleep of that scumbag Charlie Rangel, they're ok in my book, lol

[Rebelbase]

“EXACTLY....Costco is NOT a place for food stamp shopping....unless of course you abuse the food stamp program.”

Yep. I’m sure there’s someone in Harlem who would trade a carton of cigarettes for a gallon of olive oil.

[Miss Didi]

When COSTCO starts running tractor-trailers through residential streets in the wee hours of the morning they may find a problem worse than shoplifting.

We already have Fresh Direct making deliveries late at night with their rumbling trucks...then the guy clanks the boxes into the building by hand truck. Soooo noisy.

[Wiseghy]

You can fill prescriptions as Costco without a card. Just flash your prescription at the door and tell them you want to use the pharmacy.

Costs are about 2/3rds or more less than regular drugstores.

[martinidon]

oh the horror! Not to worry, obama will soon issue a directive that they must take food stamps. And that $35 “membership” fee that most people pay will be waived for the less fortunate. We can't have those evil rich people the only ones experiencing free food samples everyday!

[Beelzebubba]

Aw, c’mon. What so bad about Food-Stamp-Shoplifters...

...er Shoppers!

[HereInTheHeartland]

I used to go to Sams club and it is ok, except all the employees look like they dread working there.

Costco is a totally different atmosphere; the employees look like they like working there.
And most of the customers speak English, which I find a good thing.

[packrat35]

You got to pay for a membership before they let you shop.

[holyscroller]

Costco was established to serve small business owners. Notice how many restaurants and “re-sellers” shop there. It was established to sell in bulk to “bulk” buyers. Hope they have good locks and security on those big delivery trucks. Driving through Harlem, they may be empty by the time they make it to the store. Remember during the L.A. riots, how stores were emptied out in minutes? I wouldn’t want to be a Costco driver in Harlem!

[jiggyboy]

That’s 17% of the population that’s cant eat unless the government feeds them.

Don't forget straight-up NY state employees (yes that includes firemen and policemen), that's probably at least another 5%, some additional number of retired employees, and you're easily up to 25%.

[JimRed]

...for what reason we are constantly cowered by 13% of the population I cannot fathom.

It is, in fairness, only a portion of the 13% causing the problems; but the squeaky wheel gets the oil!

[JimRed]

Don't forget straight-up NY state employees (yes that includes firemen and policemen), that's probably at least another 5%, some additional number of retired employees, and you're easily up to 25%.

Big diff, though; they EARN it!

[Lancey Howard]

The policy probably cuts down shoplifting enormously, thereby helping to keep prices low for the non-parasites who shop there.

[reaganaut1]

Er, I hear that the Costco store will soon be inundated with hundreds of “customers” who will fill their buggies with perishable food and take it to the checkout counters where they will go through checkout loading all the stuff in bags and when presented with the sum to pay, they will offer food stamps. Of course when told that Costco doesn’t accept food stamps, they will simply walk off leaving the stuff where it lays, requiring several staff to put the stuff back in the shelves and cabinets. Al Sharpton will lead this buying spree.

Wow, are you serious? Can you provide a link?