The Costco Connection is published by Costco Wholesale. All
editorial material, including editorial comments, opinion and statements of fact appearing in this publication, represents the views of
the respective authors and does not necessarily carry the endorsement of Costco Wholesale or its officers. Information in The Costco
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the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed. The publication
of any advertisements is not to be construed as an endorsement of
the product or service offered unless it is specifically stated in the
ad that there is such approval or endorsement. Products advertised
may not be available at all locations at the time of publication.
Publishing offices are located at 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, WA 98027.
Copyright © 2014 Costco Wholesale.
®
PUBLISHER Ginnie Roeglin
groeglin@costco.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Tim Talevich 425-313-6759 ttalevich@costco.com
DEPUTY EDITOR, U.S.
T. Foster Jones 425-313-6748
Tod.Jones@costco.com
DEPUTY EDITOR, INTERNATIONAL
Stephanie E. Ponder 425-427-7134
sponder@costco.com
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Lorelle Gilpin, Ottawa 613-221-2009 Lorelle.Gilpin@costco.com
Sue Knowles, London 011-44-1923-213113 sknowles@costco.co.uk
Sylvia Youngsun Yoo, Seoul 82-2-2630-2606 sylviayoo@costcokr.com
Nora Wang, Taipei 886-2-8791-9988-216
norawang@costco.com.tw
ONLINE EDITOR
David Wight David. Wight@costco.com
REPORTERS
Will Fifield wfifield@costco.com
Steve Fisher Steve. Fisher@costco.com
Hana Medina hanamedina@costco.com
COPY EDITOR
Miriam Bulmer
CONTRIBUTORS
Annette Alvarez-Peters, Wally Amos, Karen J. Bannan,
Fran Childress, Deborah Herlax Enos, Peter Greenberg,
Joseph Hanna, Susan Hirshorn, Amanda Horowitz, David Horowitz,
Deborah Huso, Susan Johnston, Margaret Littman, Erik J. Martin,
Jordan Maughan, Christine Medina, Harvey Meyer,
Sherrie Newman, J. Rentilly, Peter Sacotte, Marc Saltzman,
Ellen Schwartz, Eva Shaw, Jonathan Wells, Sarah Zobel
ART DIRECTOR Doris Winters dwinters@costco.com
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Lory Williams lwilliams@costco.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Ken Broman, Bill Carlson, Susan Detlor, Steven Lait,
Chris Rusnak, David Schneider, Brenda Shecter
DIGITAL ASSE T COORDINATOR
D. Ted Harris
dtharris@costco.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Pam Sather
psather@costco.com
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER
Antolin Matsuda amatsuda@costco.com
COLOR SPECIALIST
MaryAnne Robbers mrobbers@costco.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Jane Klein Shucklin 425-313-8277 jshucklin@costco.com
ASSISTANT ADVERTISING MANAGER
Kathi Tipper-Holgersen 425-313-6581 ktipper@costco.com
ADVERTISING COORDINATORS
Jordan Maughan 425-313-2558 jmaughan@costco.com
Melanie Woods
mwoods@costco.com
ADVERTISING COPYWRITER
Bill Urlevich
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESEN TATIVES
West; Texas/Northeast: Frank Colonno 201-962-2759
fcmediapartners@optonline.net
Midwest: Harold Leddy 847-446-8764
harold@leddyandassociates.com
Marshall Leddy 763-416-1980
marshall@leddyandassociates.com
BUSINESS MANAGER
Janet Burgess
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Rossie Cruz 425-313-6715 rcruz@costco.com
CIRCULATION / EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Dorothy Strakele 425-313-6899 connection@costco.com
COSTCO WHOLESALE
P. O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088
999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027
Fax: 425-313-6718
Email:
connection@costco.com
from the publisher’s desk
Ginnie Roeglin
APRIL IS THE perfect time to get your car in tiptop
shape before the summer travel season. Costco has more
auto-related products and services than you may be aware
of, so we’ve rounded them all up in a special automotive
section, beginning with our cover story on page 27.
More than 1 million Costco members have purchased
a car through our Costco Auto Program, each saving an
average of $1,000 per transaction. More than 300,000
Costco members insure their cars and homes with our
Ameriprise insurance program, and they report saving an
average of more than $500 in just the first year.
When we put our Kirkland Signature™ name on any
product, it has to be the absolute best quality and value. Such is the case with our
Kirkland Signature Gasoline. Our gasoline is certified T;; T;;; and sold at the consistently low prices our members expect. On any given day in 2013, Costco priced gas at
more than 14 cents per gallon less than our competitors. You’ll find out more on page 34.
After a particularly brutal winter, everyone is eager to get outside. Our warehouses
and Costco.com have a great selection of stand-up paddleboards (page 65), outdoor play
sets (page 66), and camping and golf equipment to help you enjoy the great outdoors. If
you’re seeking more extended time off, Costco Travel (pages 69 and 71) can help you
plan a great family vacation this summer. Our new Costco Travel brochure will be available this month in our warehouses. Or, just click “Travel” on Costco.com.
Passover begins on April 14 and Easter follows on April 20 this year. Our warehouses are stocked with many of your favorite items for your holiday meals. This Easter,
I will be serving the delicious leg of lamb dish featured on page 51, paired with the
Kirkland Signature Malbec wine that Costco wine buyer Annette Alvarez-Peters suggests
on page 53. For dessert, one or two Belgian chocolates from our beautiful, gift-wrapped
Kirkland Signature Spring Belgian Chocolate gift box (also on page 53) will be a perfect
ending with that last sip of wine.
Happy Passover and happy Easter from all of us at Costco. C
Ginnie Roeglin is Senior Vice
President, E-Commerce and
Publishing, and Publisher of
The Costco Connection.
; FRONTend
from the editor’s desk
Tim Talevich
I REMEMBER THE details clearly, though it was decades
ago. There it was in the used-car section of the classified
ads in my local newspaper: “F;; ;;;;, VW ’;; K;;;;;;
G;;;. ;;;;. N;;;; ;;;;;;.”
My first car. A little touchup and a little paint (and an
engine), and I was on the road with one of life’s essentials.
I think of that old car now (and the line of great rides and
lemons that followed) as we present this issue’s cover
story, “Costco for your car.” It’s commonly said that cars
are our second-largest investment, behind houses, which
certainly explains why they’re so important to us. But
I think there’s more to it than that. Cars are somewhere between pets, machines and
family members in how we feel about them.
For example, many people name their cars. In high school, my friends had the Rivvy
(a sleek, black 1967 Buick Riviera), the Duster and Darty. We used each depending on
parental allowance and occasion, with the Rivvy considered the most upscale. In my family, Little Red, a 1996 Toyota Corolla, survived three teenage drivers and was my commuting car for years. Finally, when it was dragging along on three of four cylinders and
had covered some 250,000 miles, I gave it to my mechanic. He was ecstatic.
Cars play different roles at different times of life. Our Plymouth Voyager minivan
hauled countless soccer teams and groceries. My friend Dave leased an Audi TT sports
car for two years to abate his midlife crisis, and let us all drive it. Wow: a rocket ship on
wheels! Another friend recently invited me to his garage to show off his latest “baby”: a
big Harley-Davidson (technically not a car, but definitely a vehicle).
My family now has three cars (all equipped with Costco tires, windshield wipers,
floor mats and more): a daily driver, a backup/snow car and, in the garage, my 1988
Volkswagen camper van. Her name is Cinnamon Girl. C
Tim Talevich is Editorial
Director of The Costco
Connection.
