First, there was a lot of fear by the current gas stations in the region that this station might take a significant amount of business in the region. I might agree because Costco members are pretty strong in terms of membership in the region.
Second, yes it is next to a housing district and a community pool. There was a silly suggestion that gas could seep out and possibly get into the pool by some mysterious method. No one could really explain that logic but it was used for a while in fighting off the Costco add.
Third and final...I get the impression that Costco really didn’t go in and bribe up the local political figures like they are used to be handled. A $3k donation to this campaign fund of some guy, and a $20k donation to some community group, and you could have lined up support real quick. Remember, this is Maryland....”land of the free and campaign donations”.
I wonder where/how “monkey “ became a nickname for “Montgomery?” My grandmother, born in the 1890’s, used to call the old retailer Montgomery Ward, “Monkey Ward’s.”
Gas stations causing cancer. That’s a new one on me.
I have to drive 15 mi. to the nearest Costco. Probably a good thing.
There is one on the drawing boards much closer but the neighbors are fighting it.
We’ll see which side comes up with the biggest bribe.
More zoning abuse and you can see just how dumb the people making these decisions are.
Fairfax County managed to do the same thing to Costco but BJ’s has a gas station. Doesn’t make sense. Costcos in surrounding Loudoun and Prince William counties have gas stations.
Here in Indianapolis their gasoline is always the lowest price in a given area. They maintain the lowest markup over wholesale.
Costco is on the FR “do not shop” list, I can’t remember why.
Of course so is nearly every other retail chain in the US.
Received the following email yesterday:
Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jim Sinegal, recently retired CEO and co-founder of Costco.
When my partner Jeff Brotman and I opened our first warehouse in Seattle in 1983, we started with nothing but our own initiative and our personal credit cards that we used to pay for our startup expenses.
Almost 30 years later, we have 605 stores and 160,000 employees. Costco is America's second largest retailer, and as you probably know, the foundation of our business is serving small entrepreneurs -- people like you -- with the everyday products you need to run your business.
You might be seeing some ads or hearing some folks say that President Obama doesn't support small business owners. But he understands that small businesses grow and prosper because of individual initiative -- because entrepreneurs like you and me do the hard work it takes, and we can't do it alone.
My own story is proof -- I come from a very humble background, and I truly believe that I couldn't have succeeded in any other place but America. I got a good, affordable education from a state university. I had the chance to pitch my business plan to investors, and they heard and supported me. Thanks to a strong nationwide transportation system and internal infrastructure, we've opened warehouses across the country and around the world.
Watch this video to get the facts -- then join Small Business Owners for Obama to get the President's back.
President Obama is focused on creating an environment where small businesses can succeed, with the support of our government, our communities, and each other. That's why he's cut taxes for small business owners 18 times, and signed into law $200 billion in tax relief and incentives paid out over the past three years to encourage businesses to create jobs, invest, and grow. I'm proud to support him in this election.
Don't let Mitt Romney's misleading ads or false attacks tell you otherwise -- President Obama's support for small business owners is unwavering.
Find out the truth, and join Small Business Owners for Obama today to fight back:
http://my.barackobama.com/Small-Business-Owners-for-Obama-Video
I truly believe there's no other country in the world where we could have been as successful.
Thanks,
Jim
Jim Sinegal Co-founder, Costco
So, ex post facto laws are okay now. Got it.