"Welcome to Costco....I love you."
Posted on 05/12/2009 6:39:12 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Taxpayers Streets!
Costco is a big dem supporter, I don’t spend my dollars their either.
No one is shut out. They can pay cash like the rest of us.
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!!!
Let that sink in for a minute. Then think about Chicago, Atlanta, LA....
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.
It’s the same, or higher here!!!
And Timmy Geitner wants to fix SS and MEDICARE?
He should worry more about WELFARE and MEDICAID??
"Welcome to Costco....I love you."
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.
You would prefer they were on the streets during rush hour maybe?
you buy in bulk at costco.
Food stamps should be a short term cushion not a full time parasitical existence.
bingo.
Hey they can always get free food samples at Costco. Maybe the government could pay the annual membership fee for them.
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.....
“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.
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.
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