In the midst of economic uncertainty, one thing remains true — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/costco">Costco</a> will not be raising the price of its $1.50 hot dog and soda combination anytime soon.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wall-street-journal">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported on Thursday that Richard Galanti, chief financial officer at Costco, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-1-50-costco-hot-dog-combo-that-defies-inflation-11657753870">assured</a> customers that they can still rely on seeing the incredible deal that they&#8217;ve come to love since 1985 inside its stores across <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states">America</a>.
&#8220;That $1.50 price point has been sacrosanct from the very beginning,&#8221; Gallanti told the paper.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics&#8217; Consumer Price Index report <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-the-products-making-your-wallet-lighter-as-inflation-hits-new-highs">announced</a> on Wednesday that inflation rose 9.1% between June 2021 and June 2022, marking a 40-year high.
Costco has raised prices on other food court items, but the CFO admitted that the company&#8217;s profits in that part of the store are practically nonexistent.
&#8220;Needless to say we aren’t making a lot or any money,&#8221; Galanti said about Costco&#8217;s food courts. “At the end of the day, the whole value of our warehouse club includes a great value on that hot dog and soda.&#8221;
The Journal also cited the classic tale about the time that Costco&#8217;s co-founder, Jim Sinegal, comedically threatened to murder Costco CEO W. Craig Jelinek who suggested raising the price in order to recoup revenue.
Sinegal allegedly told the executive, &#8220;If you raise the effing hot dog, I will kill you. Figure it out.&#8221;
Had the price of the combo kept up with inflation, customers would be currently paying $4.13, per the Journal.
Costco has been so intent on keeping the price-point low that it has opened two factories that produce nothing but hot dogs to help keep costs down.
&#8220;What we figured out we could do is build our own hot dog-manufacturing plant (in Los Angeles) and make our own Kirkland Signature hot dogs,&#8221; Jelinek <a href="https://www.425business.com/news/costco-ceo-craig-jelinek-on-shareholders-costco-com-and-hot-dogs/article_5ff4b632-1f75-5e98-b9ff-6e02d676668b.html">said</a> after the plant opened in 2011. &#8220;Now we are doing so much hot dog business that we&#8217;ve opened up another plant in Chicago.&#8221;
&#8220;By having the discipline to say, &#8216;You are not going to be able to raise your price. You have to figure it out,&#8217; we took it over and started manufacturing our hot dogs,&#8221; he said at the time. &#8220;We keep it at $1.50 and make enough money to get a fair return.&#8221;
In 2009, Costco&#8217;s assistant vice president of publishing, Dan Fuller, <a href="https://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/costcos-secret-weapon-1.50-hot-dog-and-soda/">wrote</a>, &#8220;Holding a price that steady for that long sends a clear message about what is possible when you decide to operate your business model on a &#8216;cost plus&#8217; basis instead of a &#8216;what the market will bear&#8217; basis.

Costco Hot Dog

Costco’s $1.50 Hot Dog Combo Remains ‘Sacrosanct’ Amidst Record-High Inflation

Costco's $1.50 Hot Dog Combo Remains 'Sacrosanct' Amidst Inflation

Costco

Economics

Economy

Food

Inflation

Fully vaccinated people can throw off their masks when shopping at Trader Joe&#8217;s, Walmart, Sam&#8217;s Club, and Costco.
In separate announcements on Friday, the companies invited shoppers who have taken the vaccine to come to their stores without wearing masks, in accordance with CDC guidelines. However, the stores say they will comply with any state or local mandates.
&#8220;In Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does not have a mask mandate, we will allow members and guests who are fully vaccinated to enter Costco without a face mask or face shield,&#8221; said Costco <a href="https://www.costco.com/covid-updates.html">on its website</a>. &#8220;We will not require proof of vaccination, but we ask for members’ responsible and respectful cooperation with this revised policy. Face coverings will still be required in healthcare settings, including Pharmacy, Optical, Hearing Aid. Costco continues to recommend that all members and guests, especially those who are at higher risk, wear a mask or shield.&#8221;
&#8220;In those Costco locations where the state or local jurisdiction does have a mask mandate, we will follow the state or local regulations and continue to require members and guests to wear a face mask or face shield. Children under the age of 2 are exempt. If a member or guest has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, they must wear a face shield,&#8221; the company added.
Walmart executives reportedly sent a letter to all Walmart and Sam&#8217;s Club stores, &#8220;as well as supply chain facilities encouraging employees to get vaccinated,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/business/trader-joes-mask-guidance/index.html">CNN</a>. &#8220;Employees who are fully vaccinated will be permitted to work without masks starting May 18, the letter said, adding that some workers may have to continue to wear masks for health or sanitation reasons. The letter added that &#8216;masks will also continue to be required by some city and state ordinances, and we will follow those requirements.'&#8221;
Trader Joe&#8217;s will be keeping many of its policies in place, including employee wellness checks and spacing people out in-store while letting fully-vaccinated customers to shop without a mask.
On Thursday, after months of telling fully-vaccinated Americans to continue wearing masks, the CDC finally issued new guidelines that vaccinated people generally do not have to wear masks indoors.
“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physically distancing,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters in a virtual press conference on Thursday afternoon. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that we have stopped doing because of the pandemic.”
Walensky noted that the vaccines had high effectiveness when combatting COVID-19.
“In the United States, vaccines were 90% effective against any infection in nearly 4,000 health care workers, and 94% effective against hospitalizations from COVID-19 in an evaluation across 24 hospitals in 14 states,” she said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cdc-fully-vaccinated-can-stop-wearing-a-mask-or-physical-distancing-in-most-circumstances">CDC: Fully Vaccinated Can Stop ‘Wearing A Mask or Physical Distancing’ In Most Circumstances</a>

U.S. Struggles With Coronavirus Amid A Surge Of New Cases

Trader Joes, Costco, Walmart To End Mask Requirement For Vaccinated Customers

COVID

Face Masks

Walmart

Where do all those coconuts come from?
Some get plucked off of trees by monkeys, who were captured by trappers and forced into labor.
Amid calls to boycott products that use monkeys, the mega-store chain Costco has pledged not to stock coconut products from Thai suppliers who are accused of using monkeys, officials from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2020/10/28/coconut-milk-chaokoh-monkey-labor-peta-costco-walgreens/5918418002/">told</a> USA Today.
Costco follows the lead of other big chains like Walgreens, Food Lion, and Giant Food, all of which stopped stocking several brands of coconut milk after PETA charged that monkeys in Thailand were being used to pick coconuts.
PETA applauded the move.
&#8220;No kind shopper wants monkeys to be chained up and treated like coconut-picking machines,&#8221; PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. &#8220;Costco made the right call to reject animal exploitation, and PETA is calling on holdouts like Kroger to follow suit.&#8221;
USA Today quoted a letter from Ken Kimble, Costco’s vice president and general merchandise manager of corporate food and sundries.
&#8220;We have ceased purchasing from our supplier/owner of the brand Chaokoh,” Kimble wrote in the letter dated September 29. “We will continue to monitor the implementation of the harvest policies and once satisfied will resume purchasing.”
According to an investigation by PETA, monkeys were found chained up so they can&#8217;t escape and are kept in small cages overnight, the paper reported. The monkeys can pick upward of 400 coconuts per day.
Monkeys are all around Thailand and are used by Thais to retrieve coconuts. The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s also promotes a “Monkey Center” where &#8220;tourists can watch the primates learn how to collect coconuts for 300 baht, or about $10. Kids can catch the show for just 150 baht, or about $5,&#8221; the New York Post reported.
“The Monkey Center is established and has turned into a new tourist attraction which becomes popular among local people and foreigners. In the center, the monkeys will be trained to collect the coconuts. Each training session takes about 4 months and requires a trainer and a student,&#8221; the tourism authority’s website reads. &#8220;Moreover, you can enjoy other monkey shows in the center.&#8221;
Meanwhile, Theppadungporn Coconut Co. Ltd, which makes Chaokoh, denies using monkey labor, the paper said.
“Chaokoh, one of the world’s leaders in coconut milk production, reassures that we do not engage the use of monkey labour in our coconut plantations,” the company said, adding that its suppliers have “signed memorandums of understanding” that monkey labor will not be employed.
Other food products have come under fire, but mostly as part of the politically correct climate. Quaker Oats announced this summer that it would be removing Aunt Jemima from its 133-year-old brand of syrup and pancake mix, and then the company that makes Cream of Wheat said it would move to rebrand its packaging, which features a black chef holding up a piping hot bowl of cereal.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uncle-bens-rice-to-take-black-man-off-box-cream-of-wheat-mulls-removing-black-chef">Uncle Ben’s Rice To Take Black Man Off Box; Cream Of Wheat Mulls Removing Black Chef</a>

THAILAND-ANIMAL-COCONUTS

Costco Pulling Products Allegedly Gathered By Forced Monkey Labor

Animals

PETA

On Monday, a video was posted to Twitter showing an unpleasant encounter at a Costco in which a customer who refused to wear a face mask argues with an employee who asked the man to leave the store.
The video begins with an employee whose name tag says “Tison” holding onto a shopping cart.
The unidentified customer holding onto the other end can be heard saying: “I’ll just put you on my 3,000-follower Instagram feed, mostly locals.”
Tison replies: “Hi, everyone! I work for Costco and I&#8217;m asking this member to put on a mask because that is our company policy. So, either wear the mask, or&#8230;”
The employee is cut off as the man turns the camera to himself, and says: “And I’m not doing it because I woke up in a free country.”
“Have a great day,” Tison says as he begins to pull the cart away.
“So you’re gonna take this cart from me, full of stuff?” the man complains.
“Sir, have a great day,” Tison replies. “You are no longer welcome here in our warehouse. You need to leave. Thank you very much.”
The man then attempts to make an end run around the policy, telling his female companion who appears to be wearing a mask that he would give her his card. However, when Tison continues to walk away with the cart, the man lets loose: “He’s gonna take the cart away cause he’s a p**** little b****. There he is, walking away with all my stuff. There he goes. Cause I’m not a f***ing sheep.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kevin and Karen get shopping cart taken away at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Costco?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Costco</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wearethepeople?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wearethepeople</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirusuk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirusuk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVIDIDIOTS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVIDIDIOTS</a> <a href="https://t.co/LDeB1hDz9L">pic.twitter.com/LDeB1hDz9L</a>
— ONLY iN LVNV (@OnlyInLVNV) <a href="https://twitter.com/OnlyInLVNV/status/1262335074516692992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
The video has gone viral, garnering approximately 8.1 million views as of publication, and Tison has been lauded on social media. Twitter users have taken to calling the man behind the camera “Kevin.”
“Tison is THE MAN!!” wrote user @OnlyInLVNV.
User @Doglover2011 wrote: “I guess Kevin doesn’t realize that he’s on private property, and has to follow the property owners rules, the stuff in the cart isn’t his until he pays for it.”
“The employee handled it well, stated the policy &amp; ended the interaction when the former customer wanted to argue,” user @geewheezie added.
User @ItsButaflii stated: “Regardless of whether or not the mask is effective against the virus, <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/Costco?src=hashtag_click">#Costco</a> has made it mandatory for all shoppers to wear it. If you do not like it, proceed to the nearest exit. Kevin and Karen should learn to abide by company policies and rules. It’s too easy.”
Of course, there are comments deriding not just mask-wearing in general, but Tison himself, but they seem few and far between.
A Twitter account seemingly belonging to Tison later thanked Twitter users for their support: “People of Twitter thank you for all of the support. I was just trying to protect our employees and our members. <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/Tison?src=hashtag_click">#Tison</a>.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/SHyDa0372h">pic.twitter.com/SHyDa0372h</a>
— Thoff82 (@Thoff821) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thoff821/status/1262871751999893504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
According to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/05/20/costco-employee-tison-boots-customer-not-wearing-mask/5231980002/">USA Today</a>, “Kevin” posted a follow up in which he allegedly stated: “I&#8217;ve got every (expletive) right to not wear a mask anywhere because this isn&#8217;t about the mask – this is about control &#8230; I was one of the only people in that store not wearing a mask, which means you&#8217;re protected from me and I&#8217;m protected from you.&#8221;
A <a href="https://www.costco.com/coronavirus.html">statement</a> pertaining to face masks released by Costco Wholesale President and CEO Craig Jelinek reads in part:
<blockquote>To help protect our employees and members, effective May 4, 2020, all Costco members and guests must wear a face covering that covers the mouth and nose, at all times while at Costco. This requirement does not apply to children under the age of 2 or to individuals who are unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition.
Costco employees are required to wear face coverings, and now we are asking that Costco members do so too. We know some members may find this inconvenient or objectionable, but under the circumstances we believe the added safety is worth any inconvenience. This is not simply a matter of personal choice; a face covering protects not just the wearer, but others too.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Costco Employee Praised After Ugly Encounter With Customer Who Refused To Wear Mask

To promote public health and consumer safety, Walmart announced on Friday that it would implement two new changes to the shopping experience at over 4,000 stores across the country.
Beginning on Saturday, April 4, Walmart locations will begin limiting the amount of people inside of a given store at one time. The number of people allowed in a store will be determined by the location’s square footage, with a maximum of five people allowed per 1,000 square feet of store space.
This means that the average Walmart supercenter will be limited to 900 customers at a given time, according to calculations by <a href="https://fox40.com/news/business/walmart-to-limit-number-of-customers-in-stores-starting-april-4/">Fox News</a>. The average Walmart Neighborhood market, which is significantly smaller than a supercenter, would limit the number to about 200 shoppers at a time, according to square footage calculations performed by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmarts-store-of-the-future-photos-2015-10">Business Insider</a> in 2015.
According to a press release, Walmart will have customers wait in a line outside when the store reaches full capacity, and admit shoppers “one-by-one” as other shoppers leave the store. In addition to the new limit on customers, Walmart stores will also start directing movement throughout the store, beginning next week, to limit the amount of time shoppers interact with other people.
Similar changes have been initiated at different stores across the country.
As <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-retailers-make-safety-changes-for-employees-shoppers/2267199/">NBC News </a>reports, Home Depot stores have begun providing thermometers to employees so that they can take their own temperature before shifts, and has ended its annual spring sales to prevent shoppers from crowding.
Target announced on Friday that they would begin providing gloves and masks to employees before shifts, sometime in the next two weeks, reports <a href="https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/target-to-start-limiting-customers-to-ensure-social-distancing">CBS2-Iowa</a>. The chain store will also cap the amount of customers in a given store, but has provided leeway to individual locations to develop policies.
Costco has also announced a bevy of changes, including that locations will only allow two people inside of the store per membership card: “We’ve increased our protocols in sanitizing surfaces, including shopping cart handles, merchandise shelves, front-end belts and registers. Limits have been implemented on certain items to help ensure more members are able to access the merchandise they want and need.”
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-toughest-week-ahead-may-take-hydroxychloroquine-himself-as-precaution">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, during a press briefing on Saturday, President Trump announced that the public should prepare itself as the nation enters what could be the “toughest” weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This will be probably the toughest week, between this week and next week, and there will be a lot of death, unfortunately,” said Trump. “But a lot less death than if this wasn’t done, but there will be death.”
“Every decision we’re making is made to save lives. It’s really our sole consideration. We want to save lives. We want as few lives lost as possible,” said the president on Saturday.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said during the briefing that the New York, Detroit, and New Orleans areas will likely experience the peak of their cases in seven days. 
“They’re all on the upside of their curve of mortality, so you know when you get to the peak, you come down the other side,” said Dr. Birx. “By the predictions that are in that healthdata.org, they’re predicting those three hotspots, all of them hitting together in the next six to seven days.”

Shoppers wait in line to pay for their p

Walmart, Other Stores, Announce Changes To The Shopping Experience