ISSAQUAH, WA — Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) today reported net sales of $7.67 billion for the month of May, the four weeks ended May 27, 2012, an increase of seven percent from $7.14 billion during the similar period last year.
For the first thirty-nine weeks of its reporting period ended May 27, 2012, the Company reported net sales of $71.28 billion, an increase of ten percent from $64.75 billion during the similar period last year.
Comparable sales for these periods were as follows:
4 Weeks 39 Weeks ---------- ---------- U.S. 5% 7% International 3% 7% Total Company 4% 7% ========== ==========
Deflation in gasoline prices had a slight negative impact on comparable sales for the four-week period, while inflation in gasoline prices had a positive impact for the thirty-nine week period; foreign currencies had a negative impact for both periods. Excluding these effects, comparable sales for these periods were as follows:
4 Weeks 39 Weeks ---------- ---------- U.S. 5% 6% International 8% 9% Total Company 6% 7% ========== ==========
Additional discussion of these sales results is available in a pre-recorded telephone message. You can access the recording by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (conference ID 28780562). This message will be available today through 5:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, June 1, 2012.
Costco currently operates 602 warehouses, including 435 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 82 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, 22 in the United Kingdom, 13 in Japan, eight in Taiwan, seven in Korea and three in Australia. The Company also operates Costco Online, an electronic commerce web site, at www.costco.com and at www.costco.ca in Canada. The Company plans to open up to an additional six new warehouses prior to the end of its fiscal year on September 2, 2012.
Certain statements contained in this document and the pre-recorded telephone message constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (including health care costs), energy, and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions and other risks identified from time to time in the Company's public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
© Marketwire 2012
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses Launches Customer Reviews Website - YAHOO!
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses has embraced social media fully by launching its customer reviews site for the clients to leave their testimonials and feedback.
(PRWEB) May 31, 2012
Ecommerce vendors are increasingly embracing social media and CTS Wholesale has launched its customer reviews website to collect customer feedback and testimonials. They already have a Facebook page and a blog to keep in touch with their customers and fans.It is now common knowledge that Internet is no more a one-way medium where the business owners would show their product range and customers would buy. Now users are actively voicing their opinion about the different brands and also checking others' comments before taking a final buying decision. Therefore companies need to be in touch with their most precious asset, customers. Customer reviews websites help the companies to collect these testimonials in an organized fashion and display these to help their prospects move towards the buying decision with confidence.
"We love to carry out a constant dialog with our customers and our social media activities are a reflection of this policy. We started with a blog to share marketing tips and new product information with our small business customers. Then we launched a Facebook page to interact with them even more closely. And now we have opened another channel where they can share their good and bad experiences with us," shared Kirk Bachelder, owner of CTS Wholesale.
CTS operates an online ecommerce portal where people can buy wholesale sunglasses, wholesale hats and oil based lighters with a large selection of designs. This site is very user friendly and has provision for toll-free numbers and live online chat to help the customers with any questions they may have about the products, shipping or returns.
Actively monitoring the online media helps business owners research the in-demand products and understand the consumer psyche which enables them to launch just what the market needs. This results in ready acceptance of their products by the early and later stage buyers. CTS regularly announces coupon codes and special discounts through the social channels for a little extra profit to the people who stay connected with the company.
"The reviews website helps us listen to our customers and learning about their good experience in dealing with us motivates us to provide an even better service next time. We also get to know if someone has faced any problem and we can set things right and resolve the customer's issues quickly thereby improving the overall satisfaction level," said Kirk. "Those who leave us a review are also rewarded by a surprise bonus," added Kirk.
CTS offers wholesale replica sunglasses, sunglass accessories and sales tools like display stands, which can be bought online and sold at malls, exhibitions and other retail markets. With a fantastic profit potential, selling sunglasses has become an attractive proposition for several people who want to run their own small retail business. CTS is a leading online wholesaler of such products. Those testing the waters can buy as little as 1 dozen, while there is a provision for large commercial level wholesale packs for those with an established outlet.
The store has a convenient ordering process, facility to pay with a credit card and same day shipping resulting in pleasant online shopping experience. Toll-free numbers in both USA and UK allow the customers to get their questions answered in real time.
About CTS Wholesale LLC:
CTS Wholesale operates an online store selling sunglasses, caps, hats and lighters to dealers buying in wholesale. Stressing on high style, attractive prices and reliable quality, they are a popular consumer website. Visit http://www.CTSWholesaleSunglasses.com. The customers can leave their review at http://reviews.CTSWholesaleSunglasses.com.
Contact:
Kirk Bachelder
CTS Wholesale LLC
503.364.3486
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Kirk Bachelder
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses
503.364.3486
Email Information
Star Shopping using Dublin address to defraud UK customers - Irish World News
By Dan Griffin
A direct mail fraud company is using an Irish PO Box address to defraud people in the United Kingdom.
Star Shopping sends personalised leaflets toUK residents, falsely informing them that they have won sums in excess of £20,000. The recipient is told that in order to receive their “winnings” they must purchase an item for £25 from an accompanying catalogue. They are instructed to send the order along with the money to a PO Box address in Clonshaugh, Dublin 17.
The item from the catalogue tends to be worth a fraction its price and, following purchase, the prize money is never forthcoming.
Elderly people in particular are being targeted by the company which appears to work off a mailing list system. As well as being defrauded out of the £25, personal details which have been included in the return correspondence are also used by the company for the purpose of identity theft.
The Office of Fair Trading has received a number of reports in relation to Star Shopping but a spokesman was unable to clarify the status of any complaints. Previously the OFT took legal action against a Star Shopping holding company, but now the office suspects the company has re-emerged.
In 2004 the OFT received reports of direct mail fraud. Following a cross-border investigation, the organisation took court proceedings against Best BV, a Dutch company which traded as Best Of, Oliveal, and Star Shopping.
On appeal the OFT won an injunction against Best BVto prevent it from “sendingUKconsumers misleading mailings.” The court ruled that Best BV would be fined €1 million for any subsequent piece of misleading piece sent and also forced them to place an agreed statement in two national UK newspapers apologising for having misled UK consumers.
According to the OFT spokesman this court case crippled the company and shut it down.
“As far as we’re concerned this investigation is closed,” he said. “If the company is doing it again it’s doing it as a phoenix company. It does occasionally happen. So, the holding company has been dismantled, but they just set themselves up again under a slightly different name and they have a different universal beneficial owner and they can do a very similar thing but if they get taken to court they won’t be found guilty twice.”
He continued: “We have received complaints. We get these kinds of complaints quite regularly but the question is whether or not there is sufficient concern to action them.”
The Advertising Standards Authority has also received complaints since the company’s apparent crippling in 2006. But the authority is powerless to take action because, although the company is targeting UK residents, its base of operations is outside of Britain.
An ASA spokesman said: We have obviously heard of Star Shopping and we’ve had 17 complaints since 2006, so we’ve not been bombarded, but in all these instances it has been outside of our remit… the most recent one we’ve had is registered Dublin 17.”
The Irish World contacted the Irish Consumer Protection Agency which also said it had received a number of complaints in relation to Star Shopping. However, despite the Irish PO Box address, the agency said: “Star Shopping have no geographic location/base in Ireland and is not registered as a business in this jurisdiction. A Dublin PO Box is used for correspondence, which is then forwarded by a mail forwarding service to a handling company based elsewhere in the EU.”
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