Partisan weirdness at Costco

I found myself at the Marina del Rey Costco today (west part of Los Angeles.)  The endcap of the books section, pretty much thrust in your face as you walked down the aisle, was a huge display of Bankrupt, David Limbaugh's pea-brained diatribe against the Dems (#613 Amazon ranking), and John Ashcroft's book Never Again (#1,745). The Frank Rich book The Greatest Story Ever Sold (#40), and State of Denial (#1) were buried deep in the aisle. There were less than ten copies of State of Denial left even though it was practically hidden away.  I thought hmm that is very weird, well maybe I am making too big a thing of this, until the demonstrator for the karaoke machine nearby (around $500) started on his warbling rendition of "Bless the USA" or whatever the heck it was, I kid you not, this very syrupy anthem-like song.  For delivery and lyrical content, it might as well have been "Let the Eagle Soar", John Ashcroft's thrilling contribution to our musical heritage.  Lawks.  

Just wondering if anybody else's Costco has got a similar marketing/editorial policy.

•  Not here in Seattle

  but I'm not convinced that the incessant backup beeping from the forklifts isn't some crude form of mind control.

  by Many Dogs Barking on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:40:42 AM PDT

  •  Ha! :)

    by Pandoras Box on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:45:18 AM PDT

  •  Big end-of-table display

    for State of Denial here in Seattle, as of last Friday.

    by Joan in Seattle on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:03:09 PM PDT

    •  Same in Portland, OR. (n/t)

      by Reel Woman on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:09:04 PM PDT

  •  lol hilarious

    But this weird book thing made me quite a bit jumpier, I tells ya.

    by superba on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:13:01 PM PDT

•  Could be "pay for placement"

  Generally, large retailers charge fees for favorable product placement--standard operating procedure.

  Costco generally has a good record of supporting its workers and the owners often give to Democrats.

  by John Carter on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:41:12 AM PDT

  •  Quantity stocked also paid for

    Publishers also pay for the quantity stocked:

    A less publicized factor behind the uptick in returns was that publishers had begun paying the
    bookstore chains to stock certain titles in large quantities. That money, which can amount to a dollar a
    copy and is officially a promotional subsidy, further eroded the discipline in print runs by giving
    booksellers a financial incentive to place unrealistic orders.

    by silence on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:48:19 AM PDT

•  There's a good reason

  Actually.

  Costco buys things in large "lots" and then sells them at discounts. The reason being they are oftentimes buying "lots" of items that were not selling elsewhere. They do this with food as well but on a lower scale, it's mainly the case with their gadgets and even books.

  As a result these wholesale warehouse clubs pick up large "lots" of books and resell them at a lower price.

  The point? These books' sales were so shitty they've been relegated to a table at CostCo, and may even be on sale at your local Big!Lots.

  by Dreggas on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:41:20 AM PDT

•  Not on the corporate leve, at least...

  Costco is a blue company.
  Sam's Club is red.

  Check buyblue.org.

  by lander on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:54:01 AM PDT

  •  Sam's

    Is "Sam Walton" as in WalMart, just in case anyone else didn't know that. I mean I didn't know it. Until I did. Not that it changed anything for me personally. Ho hum. Trivia.

    by NewDirection on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:23:01 PM PDT

•  Costco Is Blue

  Slate article

  by treehorn on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 11:54:53 AM PDT

•  Something similar at the Brooklyn Costco

  Last weekend I noticed there were about 40 stacks of Bill O’Reilly’s new screed front and center and only about four stacks of the Woodward book beside it.  Two short stacks of Frank Rich’s book were hiding behind a column.

  The funny thing is, almost all the Woodward and Rich books were gone but the O’Reilly stacks were nearly untouched.

  by melodynelson70 on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:01:48 PM PDT

•  They actually treat their workers alright

  They were closed on Labor Day. Did any other national chain give the day off to their employees on the holiday designed for such?

  by beetsnotbeats on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:04:21 PM PDT

•  State of Denial is selling

  even when hidden away.  They have to put the crap out in plain sight in hopes of selling the volume they purchased.

  by clonecone on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:10:50 PM PDT

  •  Good point

    And I had read that they were a 'blue' company, too ... well, all this is a great relief. Thanks to all for comments.

    by superba on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:15:12 PM PDT

•  Woodward's book is selling briskly

  I bought both Rich's book and Woodward's last week at Costco in Lynnwood, WA. I saw the Ashcroft book (don't remember Limbaugh's) in a huge heap, looking untouched.

  Costco ONLY stocks books they know will sell. If a book doesn't sell, they will probably pull it. And if a book does sell, they will probably restock it. It would be interesting to see what the book tables look like next time you go there.

  by Lefty Mama on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:11:09 PM PDT

•  Probaly some right-wing assistant manager

  isolated to that particular store, who has the decision-making pwoer to place titles or merch in particular places. I wouldn't make too big a thing out of it. He may be on the hook for bad inventory decisions and is desperate to get rid of the garbage he bought. If so, he's hoping he gets canned.

  by The Lighthouse Keeper on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:32:02 PM PDT

  •  They rotate merchandise regularly

    My SO works at a Costco.  They constantly reset displays to keep the appearance fresh.  New items are given priority on endcaps and the massive presence of such item is not neccessarily an indicator of ideological alignment.

    Don' sweat it.  There's a reason Wall Street hates Costco and that's because Costco won't bow to their demands to treat their employees like Wal-Mart treats theirs.

    by lapin on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:57:52 PM PDT

•  I think I'll hold back judgement

  on this.

  I used to work at a bookstore in Montana and no matter what side of the aisle people were on they would complain that we were hiding their books.

  People would complain that they had to order "their" book while someone like Coulter had tons of them on the shelf. It was difficult to explain that it was because Coulter's book wasn't moving and we hadn't received a new shipment of the other yet. We were constantly accused of being biased.

  Granted the manager was a Conservative but we were there to sell a product and she never kept something from being on the floor.

  Costco has a pretty good rep in Democratic circles. Your store may be an exception.

  by SeattleLiberal on Thu Oct 12, 2006 at 12:54:31 PM PDT