I like shopping at Costco. It’s one of the few places I will put myself through the pains of traveling in a vehicle to get to. But due to recent political activities, I will no longer be shopping at Costco.
For those of you out of state, or unaware, let me explain. Here in Washington, where Costco is headquartered, there were two initiatives (I-1100 and I-1105) on our ballots which, in a nutshell, would make hard liquor available for sale by anybody and their dog, on every street corner, in convenience stores, grocery stores, and of course Costco stores. As it is now, hard liquor is only available in state run liquor stores.
You might ask, why are you picking on Costco, what do they have to do with a state initiative? It has come to my attention that Costco was the driving force behind I-1100.
“The I-1100 campaign battle had mainly been between big box stores like Costco and distributors who don't want to disrupt the current system….The "yes" campaign spent nearly $6 million, with more than $4.8 million coming from Issaquah-based Costco in money and in-kind contributions.” King5.com November 3, 2010
Isn’t it nice to know that Costco spent almost $5 million, some of which I’m sure was profits they made off of you, to fund an initiative campaign to make hard liquor more convenient, less expensive, and easy to obtain?
Alcohol is the most devastating drug in our society. More people have thrown their lives in the gutter by using alcohol, then any other drug. I’m not just talking about homeless alcoholics, but suburban mothers (I saw a dateline show about this), college students, social drinkers,, etc. In fact, a recent British study supports my claim.
“Study: Alcohol is the most lethal drug, outranking heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana
The Associated Press
By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer
LONDON November 1, 2010 (AP)
Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.
British experts evaluated substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and marijuana, ranking them based on how destructive they are to the individual who takes them and to society as a whole.
Researchers analyzed how addictive a drug is and how it harms the human body, in addition to other criteria like environmental damage caused by the drug, its role in breaking up families and its economic costs, such as health care, social services, and prison.
Heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, or crystal meth, were the most lethal to individuals. When considering their wider social effects, alcohol, heroin and crack cocaine were the deadliest. But overall, alcohol outranked all other substances, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana, ecstasy and LSD scored far lower.”
Do we really need hard liquor available at every corner store? At Costco? At the grocery store?
Alcohol use and its effects are already taxing our society. We don’t need hard liquor more easily obtainable, just so someone can make a buck at the expense of others lives.
That’s really what this comes down to. Money. Costco wants to make more money. They don’t care about people. They care about money. They will tell you it’s about their customers. But that’s a lie. It’s about them making money.
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago we were at the Costco business center in Fife. This was before I knew about Costco being the power behind I-1100. They had a table set up with a giant chalkboard sized poster board with full-color pictures promoting initiative 1100. They had pictures of bottles of liquor with prices that the state liquor store charges, and the price they would charge. The title on the top said, “yes on I-1100” they even had an employee manning the booth talking to people, trying to convince them to vote yes on initiative 1100.
I was really mad after I saw this. And I even mentioned that we shouldn’t shop at Costco anymore. This was before I knew about the $5 million they wasted on campaigning for this initiative.
I used to think Costco was a good company that cared about people, specifically their employees. But now I know they are just money hungry, apathetic, and selfish.
I saw on the news the other day that the cofounder of Costco hosted Michelle Obama in his backyard for a political rally in support of Patty Murray. That pretty much sums up what a cheese bag company Costco is.
I will miss shopping there, but it is not worth it to me, to support such a company. I hope those of you who read my blog will also boycott Costco.
That’s my two cents.
By the way, I did write a letter via e-mail to Costco to express my disdain and disappointment. And to let them know I will not be shopping at their stores anymore.
I have not had a Costco membership for the last 3 years. I know some (actually most) people think they can't live without Costco, but you really can. Sure you will miss a few things, although the only thing I really miss is the chocolate very berry sundae at the food court. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's always Sam's Club too, for people who have a need to buy everything in big quantities.
It's pretty pathetic really that a company like Costco would be so greedy that they are willing (and actually begin an initiative) to allow the sale of hard liquor in any establishment, making it much more accessible to minors-and risk putting more intoxicated drivers out on the road. As if Washington does not have enough of those already!!!
Yes, alcohol destroys families. Alcohol is usually involved in greater crimes and sins. 90% of the people that commit adultery have also consumed alcohol (probably to try and numb the feelings of guilt). Alcohol increases domestic violence and abuse. Alcohol destroys.
I say, "Good for you!" in boycotting Costco. If everyone who believed in this, actually had the courage to stand up against them for this, it might make a difference. But unfortunately, most people are more concerned with what is convenient for them.