Costco Is Quietly Becoming a Digital Player

In its 2017 first fiscal quarter, which covered the 2016 holiday season, Galanti noted that while overall digital sales had risen by 7% year-over-year, the numbers during the Black Friday period were much better. During the week of Thanksgiving and the two that followed, he said, digital sales had risen by the low-to-mid teens.

Costco Wholesale Corporation’s Worst Move in 2016

Costco had a decent fiscal 2016, with comparable-store sales up 4% globally and 3% in the United States when the impact of falling gasoline prices is factored out. In addition, net income for the year was roughly the same as 2015, coming in at $2.35 billion, or $5.33 per diluted share, compared to $2.38 billion, or $5.37 per diluted share last year.

2 Ways Costco Is Beating the Competition

While both of those chains have lost sales and closed stores, largely due to customers moving to the internet, the warehouse club continues to add locations. Costco is not a massive growth story, but it is reliable at a time when many retailers — not just Sears and Macy’s — have struggled to find a way to keep customers coming in.

American Express Profit Falls 8.2% as Expenses Top Estimates

American Express Co., the largest U.S. credit-card issuer by purchases, said fourth-quarter profit fell 8.2 percent as expenses exceeded analysts’ estimates and the firm set aside more money to cover bad loans. Net income dropped to $825 million, or 88 cents a share, from $899 million, or 89 cents, a year earlier, the New York-based company said Thursday in a statement.

Walmart C-Suite Takes Another Hit as Uphill Battle with Amazon Rages On

Walmart Stores will reportedly promote several executives from its recently acquired Jet.com e-commerce business, as it continues a push to bolster its e-commerce offerings and compete with Amazon.com . According to an internal memo first obtained by Bloomberg, Walmart’s e-commerce CEO, Jet’s Marc Lore , announced that Jet’s chief revenue officer, Scott Hilton, will become the chief revenue officer for all of Walmart’s e-commerce operations.

4 Things Costco’s CFO Wants Investors to Know

Instead of changing to meet the new reality, the warehouse club has doubled down on what makes it popular in the first place. The company has focused on its warehouses and offering value for its customers while remaining a destination shopping experience.

Better Buy: Costco Wholesale Corporation vs. Target

In a brutally competitive industry, they each stand out by generating over $2 billion of annual earnings and handling millions of transactions per year. There are major differences between these two companies that could make one a better buy over the other for long-term investors.

Is a Costco Executive Membership Worth an Extra $55 a Year?

Taking the next step and spending $110, a full extra $55, on an Executive Membership seems like an added risk, but it may actually be a safer choice. That sounds counterintuitive, but the more expensive membership comes with a major perk that may actually make it a better deal than the cheaper $55 Gold Star offer.