usually, most publishers like to have their books in the regular large bookstores FIRST, at or near full retail price. and only later put the remainders into discount stores at half price or whatever
this is also because the book stores are under enough economic pressure these days and they yell like hell when books are sent directly to discount outlets
(this undercuts the regular bookstores badly)
yes, the book was clearly headed to costco but SO SOON?
and... it is unusual for the publisher to have an author
actually flogging a book in a discount place, they usually only do that at regular bookstores and other full-priced outlets
especially since, when you come right down to it, Costco does NOT sell very many titles to begin with.... I’ve never seen any costco store with more than a hundred or two book titles, total. books do sell at costco yes, everything sells at costco it seems, but costco sells more kinds of bread than it does book titles
I’ve seen a row across the middle of the store with books on tables on each side of the aisle. 100 seems about right.