FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
EACH YEAR Costco sells more than ;; million hot-dog-and-soda
combinations in the Food Courts. You probably know about this
famous deal: It’s ;;.;;—the same price it’s always been—for a hot
dog that is a meal in itself and you even get a re;llable soda.
A member named Isaac Brownstein of Lantana, Florida, certainly must be among the all-time top Costco hot dog eaters. Mr.
Brownstein, known as Itzy, has been going to his local Costco for a
hot dog every Tuesday since the ;;;;s. This past month, he turned
;;; years old.
Mr. Brownstein is one of a group of retirees who started meeting
at the Lantana warehouse some ;; years ago for Tuesday lunch. Over the years, this
became a don’t-miss standing date for about ;; men; at one point they created the Costco
;;; Club and had T-shirts made (and took photos to prove it). But over the years, their
numbers dwindled with age, and about ;ve years ago the weekly get-together ran out of
steam altogether. However, Mr. Brownstein and his wife, Anne, still go for a hot dog once
(or twice, I am told) a week. She’s a little younger—;;.
The information all comes from Art Lopatin, one of the original Costco ;;;s. I couldn’t
contact Mr. Brownstein directly because, as of The Connection’s press deadline, the Costco
bakery in Lantana was preparing a special cake with an artistic rendering of a hot dog in
icing for his birthday party on March ;;, and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. Besides,
I got the impression that Itzy wouldn’t be comfortable talking too much about himself.
He and Anne met while both were serving in the Paci;c during World War II and
married right after the war. He had a long career in the industrial equipment business
in Connecticut, and the couple have two children, three grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren. Art came up with the idea for a surprise birthday cake to honor his
friend, whom he calls “a special man who is likable, knows everybody, always has concern
for all of us and is fun to be with, with a good sense of humor.”
By my rough calculation, Mr. Brownstein may have eaten about ;,;;; Costco hot
dogs in his long life. We hope he enjoys many more. C
FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK
HAVING BEEN involved with the Costco Auto Program since its
inception, I am keenly aware of how the program has grown and
evolved over the years. When it was ;rst introduced, most dealers
didn’t know quite what to make of the “we want to save our members
money and make the process as simple as possible” approach.
Happy to say, over the last ;; years, more and more car dealers
have come to see the advantages of this program—so much so that
we often have more dealerships wanting to participate than we need.
This gives us the opportunity to carefully vet and select only the best
of the best, to ensure that each Costco member’s straightforward,
hassle-free experience at a dealership is exactly how it should be. You
can read more about this selection process in our Member Services
story on page ;;;.
This month’s cover story features GM CEO Mary Barra, who explains the company’s
vision of the future for itself and for the automobile industry (page ;;). GM is one of the
car brands that the Costco Auto Program has developed a special relationship with,
resulting in some exclusive deals for Costco members.
More car-related stories abound in this issue’s automotive special section. You’ll
meet the Chemical Guys, a Costco supplier of high-end car-cleaning products (page ;;),
a few Costco members who have converted their garages into a mechanic’s dream space
(page ;;), buyers’ picks that o;er ways to accessorize your ride (page ;;) and a full range
of expert tips for how to breathe new life into your well-loved automobile (page ;;).
Other stories might inspire you to get in your car and drive to Costco, whether it’s for
blueberries (page ;;), books (page ;;), the highly rated Kirkland Signature™ Aged
Balsamic Vinegar from Modena (page ;;;) or to pull together the ultimate graduation
party (page ;;;).
You know, talking about the Costco Auto Program has got me thinking. Now that my
husband and I are empty nesters, we can get rid of our large vehicles and start looking
for something a little more sporty. Maybe something red? C
FRONTEND
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
Connection is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but
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
© 2017 Costco Wholesale.
PUBLISHER Sandy Torrey
storrey@costco.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Tim Talevich 425-313-6759 ttalevich@costco.com
EDITOR, U.S.
T. Foster Jones 425-313-6748
tod.jones@costco.com
EDITOR, CANADA
Stephanie E. Ponder 425-427-7134
sponder@costco.com
EDITOR, UK
Will Fifield 425-313-6988
wfifield@costco.com
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Lorelle Gilpin, Canada
lorelle.gilpin@costco.com
Sue Knowles, UK
sknowles@costco.co.uk
Heather Seoyoung Lee, Korea
hsylee@costcokr.com
Yuko Nakagawa, Japan
connection@costco.co.jp
Abelardo Navarrete, Mexico
anavarrete@costco.com.mx
Nora Wang, Taiwan
norawang@costco.com.tw
ONLINE EDITOR David Wight david.wight@costco.com
REPORTERS
Steve Fisher steve.fisher@costco.com
Christina Guerrero cguerrero2@costco.com
Hana Medina hanamedina@costco.com
COPY EDITOR Miriam Bulmer
CONTRIBUTORS
Rhonda Abrams, Jennifer Babisak, Mary Barberio, Tom
Beaman, Laura Bode, Joana Breckner, Beverly Burmeier,
Elaine Chao, Nancy Dunham, Judy Gelman, Mickey
Goodman, Peter Greenberg, Jacob Haqq-Misra,
Amanda Horowitz, Vicki Levy Krupp, Bryan Reesman,
Vicki Shanta Retelny, Don Sadler, Marc Saltzman, Seth
Shostak, Jeff and Rich Sloan, Gary Strauss, Claire Sykes,
Susan Johnston Taylor
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
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
Nico Cordero 425-313-2558 nmcordero@costco.com
Kirsten Neubrech 425-313-2549
kneubrech@costco.com
ADVERTISING COPYWRITER Bill Urlevich
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
West; Texas/Northeast: Frank Colonno 201-962-2759
fcmediapartners@optonline.net
BUSINESS MANAGER Jane Johnson
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Rossie Cruz 425-313-6715 rcruz@costco.com
PUBLISHING ANALYST
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
®
Sandy Torrey
is Assistant Vice
President of Corporate Marketing,
Packaging, and
Publisher of The
Costco Connection.
Tim Talevich
is Editorial Director
of The Costco
Connection.
