member
connection
Flying in bulk:
Air Tahiti Nui flight
attendants stock up at
Costco’s Hawthorne,
California, warehouse.
GLENN MARZANO
Air Costco
DVDs, chocolate, cereal, beverages and clothing, and transport them
back to their homes in Tahiti on their return flight. “We get incredible deals on the products we purchase at Big-box cat
WHEN FLIGHT ATTENDANTS for Air Tahiti Nui touch down at Los
Angeles International Airport after an eight-hour flight from Tahiti or
a 12-hour flight from Paris, the first thought on their minds is sleep.
DOROTH Y REMSN YDER
But after they get their 40 winks, a trip to Costco is usually part of
their to-do list.
When it’s time to shop, the flight attendants pile into a hotel van
they call the “Costcomobile.” They purchase items at Costco such as
Costco,” says Moea, a flight attendant at Air Tahiti Nui for six years. COSTCO MEMBER Dorothy
“Their prices also beat many of the other stores in Los Angeles Remsnyder of Polk City,
as well.” Florida, gets the cold shoulder
Moea says many of her friends are hoping a Costco warehouse from Sylvester, her 11-year-
will someday be built in Tahiti. Until then, she’ll have to settle for old, long-haired c at, if
transporting items through the friendly skies. she comes home
PHOTODISC
“Everybody knows about Costco in Tahiti,” Moea says. “Even our from Costco
Tahitian passengers. It has become a favorite ritual to go to Costco.” without a card-
—Mark E. Stroder board box. “We
have tried buying
him fancy, padded
Adam@Home by Brian Basset cat beds,” says
Remsnyder, “but
the only ‘bed’ he
will sleep in is
a Costco box.”
SPECIAL TO THE CONNECTION. ADAM IS © B Y BRIAN BASSE T, UNIVERSAL PRESS S YNDICATE
It’s all in
the cards
A LITTLE BIT of luck never
hurt any small business.
Howard Schwartz’s business is boosted by the luck
of the draw, the point
spread and the finish line.
Schwartz, a Costco member, owns Gambler’s Book
Shop, in Las Vegas.
“My job is unique
because I meet a microcosm
of the world,” Schwartz
explains. “Doctors, lawyers,
writers, actors, Damon
Runyon–type characters—
they all shop with us.”
Gambler’s Book Shop
is crammed with gambling
books, videotapes and software on subjects ranging
from blackjack to horse
racing to professional sports
betting. Customers can
also visit the Web site
( www.gamblersbook.com)
and order online from the
extensive library.
Schwartz, who has
been the marketing director for Gambler’s Book
Shop since 1979, has
edited more than 100
books published by GBC
(Gambler’s Book Club)
Press and writes weekly
reviews of gambling books
for several gaming-indus-try publications.
“It’s never boring,”
he says of his business.
“New [gambling]
books are
there to be
discovered;
unknown writ-
ers are waiting
to be helped
with their
ideas…. I
never know
who I am
going to meet.”
—Bill Urlevich
We want to hear from you
IF YOU HAVE a note, photo or story to share (it should be about
Costco or Costco members in some way), you can send it to “The
Member Connection,” The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088,
Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or e-mail to connection@costco.com
with “The Member Connection” in the subject line. Submissions
cannot be acknowledged or returned.
