October 2004
®
VOLUME 19 ■ NUMBER 10
A lifestyle magazine for small business
FEATURES
4COVER STORY
Nifty after 50
BY PAUL AND SARAH EDWARDS
Whoever said life begins at 50 was right on the money. The golden
years have produced lots of green for many wise, experienced and
ambitious entrepreneurs. The Connection profiles “mature” Costco
members who are leaving retirement in the dust.
2The Consumer Connection
BY DAVID HOROWITZ
Late credit card payments are triggering interest rate increases from many banks.
3Bucking business tradition
BY PETER J. MALCOLM
Do you manage your business by the book? Management consultant and
Costco member Wolf Rinke offers new—and unorthodox— methods for
maximizing employee performance and ensuring business prosperity.
8The Wine Connection
Beautifully blended wines from Chile are becoming an American
favorite.
14And baby makes three
BY STEPHANIE E. PONDER
Novelist Jennifer Weiner’s experience of having a baby triggered the subject of her third
novel, Little Earthquakes, this month’s Costco Book Club pick.
AUTOMOTIVE,
PAGE 15
15Automotive news travels fast!
Ford’s new Escape Hybrid SUV offers clean-running performance and economy; plus
Costco’s Tire Centers are now using nitrogen for precise and longer-lasting tire inflation.
INSIDE COSTCO
9Member Services Update
In this month’s expanded Update, members offer their two cents on merchant credit-
card processing, small-business loans and lines of credit and payroll processing.
11Buying Smart: A bevy of baskets
BY PAT VOLCHOK
Somewhere in the vast selection of Costco’s spectacular seasonal spa and food baskets are
GIFT BASKETS
PAGE 11
the perfect baskets for everyone on your list.
13There’s no place like home
BY STEPHANIE E. PONDER
The Costco Connection is published by Costco
Wholesale. All facts, opinions and statements
appearing within this publication are those of the
writers and editors themselves, and are in no way
to be construed as statements, positions or
endorsements by Costco Wholesale or its officers.
Publishing offices are located at 999 Lake Drive,
Issaquah, WA 98027. Information in The Costco
Connection is gathered from sources considered
to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information
cannot be guaranteed. Copyright © 2004 Costco
Wholesale. Products advertised may not be
available at all locations at time of publication.
Discovering Costco Home, a new concept in selling home furnishings.
17Book Club Picks
Biting satire, grisly true crime and Old Blue Eyes—Francis Albert Sinatra—fill out
this month’s picks.
17’Tis the season
Establishing a new holiday tradition with photo greeting cards from 1-Hour Photo.
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