Costco Connection - June 2005

Sweet dreams: Costco’s Special Order Kiosk can help you add an elegant touch to your home.

advice, present a plethora of samples and provide a written quote that includes window and/or fabric treatment, shipping and installation if applicable. (Full payment by check, cash or American Express is required at ordering.)

Costco savings can be as much as 20 percent over retail, with delivery time usually running from four to six weeks for blinds, eight to 10 weeks for drapes.

For those who are willing to do the work—and save as much as an additional 20 percent—Graber is perfect. The brochure and purchase form for custom window coverings can be found at any

NATIONAL HOME-IMPROVEMENT NATIONAL STORE RETAILER

Duette^®3/4" honeycomb blind 58" x 33" 2" Silhouette^®window shading 58" x 33" Vignette^®window shading 58" x 33" Country Woods^®blind 58" x 33"

*Prices based on a survey taken in early April 2005 in Portland, Oregon. Note: This price comparison is not for the bedroom shown in the photograph.

Special Order Kiosk that offers Graber. Shipment is Costco members, www.memberblinds.com. Or, if you within one week after the order is received. (Note: prefer, call 1-800-538-9419.)

Graber has created an instructional Web site for PV: An exciting development is interior sun screens. Tell us about them.

SS: Costco also offers Phifer do-it-yourself interior SunScreen shades, a nice fit with the rest of our window-treatment offerings. They cut glare , reduce heat transfer and provide UV protection for furniture and carpets. You really should check them out at participating Special Order Kiosks.

If you want to keep as much view as possible, choose a dark sun-screen fabric, as lighter fabric reflects light. Also, if privacy is a requirement, add other window coverings, such as honeycombs, on top of the sun screens.

PV: As my family will attest, I’m as passionate about safety as Costco. Are there any new safety features for window fashions?

JIM FAGIOLO

SS: As of 2001 the entire window-coverings industry improved the safety of blinds and shades.

Families with small children or pets should consider purchasing new window-fashion lifting and operating systems that virtually eliminate risky cords, or retrofitting existing window treatments with new safety-cord stops, tassels or tie-down devices. (For more information on window-cord safety, go to www.win- dowcoverings.org or call 1-800- 506-4636.)

PV: I know Costco backs all products, so I’m assuming the guarantees on all of these products are topnotch.

SS: You’ve got that right. Hunter Douglas and Graber stand behind their products to such a degree that if anything should go unexpectedly wrong (besides normal wear and tear), they’ll take care of the repairs and, if necessary, find replacement parts for as long as the member owns the product.