Why should Costco Accept Food Stamps?

Nation: Via Consumerist comes this NYTIMES blog piece about how mean it is that Costco doesn't take food stamps.

“Costco in general has a reputation of being a socially conscious company,” said Eric N. Gioia, a city councilman from Queens who last year began a campaign asking Costco to accept food stamps after discovering it did not during the “live on food stamps for a week” stunt. “There is no logical reason for someone not to accept food stamps. It is not only compassionate, but it’s good for their bottom line.” Specifically, Mr. Gioia points to the Costco on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens, in his district. First opened in 1996, the store is within walking distance for nearly 30,000 residents of three public housing projects: the Queensbridge, Ravenswood and Astoria Homes. “This is their best chance of eating healthy wholesome food at deep discounts,” Mr. Goia said. “And so in this particular case, it’s an especially glaring omission not to accept food stamps.” ....And at a time when many New Yorkers are finding it more difficult to find fresh food within walking distance because of the decline of the neighborhood supermarkets (in part because of competition from the big-box retailers that can offer lower prices), the idea of a Costco within walking distance is appealing. “It is inexplicable why Costco clings to a policy that is against both their public interest and the company’s own self-interest,” Mr. Berg said. “More than one million New Yorkers a year use more than one billion dollars worth of food stamps benefits. I can’t understand why Costco is essentially placing a sign in their window that says ‘Your Business Not Wanted.’ ” The government pays dollar-for-dollar for the food stamp use, so it is not as though Costco has to discount their margins. Costco, which has created an image that has both upscale and downscale appeal, has been known for attracting the elite (at least in Washington). But perhaps Costco is more wary of the other end of the spectrum, finding western Queens appealing for its real estate, but not for its customer base.

How about Costco just making a smart business decision to not take food stamps? They are there to make money, if they refuse to take welfare stamps why try to pressure them into altering their successful business practices?

As for Gioia he is just some local politician looking to get his 15 minutes. WHat is more disgusting is that over one million people in New York are on welfare stamps at a cost of a billion dollars and now sees a problem with it.

In case he has forgotten, what he is saying is taxpayer money should be used to force a private company to do something it does not want to for business reasons.

Plus lets face the social aspect of the situation, they possible would not want a bunch of poor people in their stores creating a scenario where their better off clients would not look kindly on this new group of members.

But this looks like a push by the Times and this politician to force Costco to take food stamps.