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Current news for Costco members

PRACTICAL TIP

Don’t be left out in the cold

ARTVILLE

YOUR INSTINCTS protect you from cold winter weather.

Sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves and flu shots are automatic responses to the change of seasons. Why not extend similar protection to one of your most vital possessions—your car?

Winter can be tough on a car, and it’s also when you depend on your car to be at its most reliable. You might be handy enough to address many of the following checkpoints, but a trip to your local auto service provider will be the answer for many others.

Tune-up: A full-service tune-up is usually recommended every 30,000 miles, and should cover hoses, plugs, ignition, belts, water pump, brakes and all engine fluids.

Fluids: Antifreeze, oil, washer and brake fluid levels are pretty easy for you to check in between major service.

Wiper blades: Winter snow and rain put heavy demands on those thin rubber blades that bake all summer in the hot sun. Consider purchasing blades specially designed for winter performance.

Battery: Don’t be caught on a cold day with a dead battery. Have a professional evaluate the life expectancy of your battery. Many service centers do this for free. If you know your battery is four or five years old, replace it before the cold weather hits. New batteries are available at all Costco locations.

Tires: Traction in snowy extremes might be aided by snow tires or chains. Maintain the air pressure in your tires by using a simple tire gauge. The owner’s manual is where you’ll find recommended tire pressures. New tires are available at all Costco locations.

Emergency kits: Be creative with

JUPITER IMAGES

SERVICE UPDATES

Jobs to fill? Start
search with Costco

COSTCO MEMBERS in Illinois and Oregon can now take advantage of a new online job service being tested in those states. Provided by CareerBuilder.com, this new service gives members tools to qualify prospective employees for their businesses, with savings of up to 40 percent off retail prices.

CareerBuilder.com has ranked number one among job sites for traffic and popularity for the past two years, and sustains the largest number of online job listings.

Features of this service include online job postings, résumé database searches and Smart Job—a way of matching the 25 most qualified candidates with a job posting.

See “Services” at costco.com for details, or call toll-free 1-800-561-5929.

your winter emergency supplies. A snow shovel could prove useful. Jumper cables, flashlights, extra gloves, boots, blankets, ice scraper, a first-aid kit, lock de-icer, bottled water, high-energy snacks, flares and a tool kit would leave you well prepared for most winter needs. Check the Costco aisles for other ideas.

Beyond mechanical help?

Maybe you already know or will soon learn that what you really need this winter is a new car. The Costco Auto Program can steer you into a painless prearranged deal on the new car of your choice. No haggling, hassle free.

Top that with great auto-financing rates through Capital One Auto Finance, with their effortless Blank Check^® approach to closing the deal.

And don’t drive away without reviewing your auto insurance needs through Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance, available in most states. See “Services” at costco.com for details.

QuickBooks new to
credit-card service

COSTCO MEMBERS using the merchant credit-card-processing service provided by NOVA Information Systems now can add a new option. SmartPayments Plug-in is a software utility that allows merchants using Intuit QuickBooks^®accounting software to process transactions through the NOVA Network at preferred member rates.

This utility allows processing of face-to-face and mail-order/telephone-order transactions through the payment module within the QuickBooks program.

For many users, this means eliminating duplicate data entry for accounting reconciliation and separate stand-alone terminal or payment software systems.

Installation is quick and easy. For information about setting up an account with Nova using QuickBooks, please call toll-free 1-800-848-6705 and mention priority code 83106.