Costco Raises Annual Membership Fees for the First Time Since 2017
By AP Staff
FILE - People enter Costco Warehouse in Cranberry Township, Pa., Friday, March 29, 2024. Costco bargain hunters are going to have to pay an additional $5 to $10 annually as the popular warehouse chain prepares to raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) — Costco bargain hunters are going to have to pay an additional $5 to $10 annually as the popular warehouse chain prepares to raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years.
The Issaquah, Washington, company disclosed the forthcoming 8% increase in the fee to gain entry into its more than 700 warehouses in the U.S. and Canada as part of a monthly sales report Wednesday.
The new fees, set to take effect Sept. 1, will boost the price of Costco's basic Gold Star membership from $60 to $65 annually, while the cost for the premium Executive membership will rise from $120 to $130. The annual fee had remained the same since 2017, despite several years of unusually high inflation rates that finally have been cooling down in recent months.
With inflationary pressures squeezing household budgets, Costco's commitment to offering low prices on a wide range of food and other merchandise has helped make its warehouse an even more popular shopping destination. That phenomenon, in turn, has help boost its profits, making its stock a hot commodity among investors. Costco's shares have nearly doubled during the last 18 months, increasing the company's market value by about $180 billion during that span.
Costco's shares rose by more than 2% after news of the fee increase and its latest sales gains came out. If the stock behaves similarly in Thursday's regular trading session, the shares will hit a new peak.
Besides the fee increase, Costco disclosed its sales for the five-week period ending July 7 rose by 7% from the same time last year to $24.48 billion.
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
