Trump's Tariffs:  There’s a major new challenge to president Donald Trump’s tariff policy, and it’s coming from one of America’s biggest retailers. Costco has filed a lawsuit against the administration, demanding a refund for tariffs it says were illegally imposed on imported goods.


Trump's Tariffs: Costco Sues Trump Administration Over Tariffs 

UN: During the United Nations General Assembly session, the US has restricted Iranian diplomats from shopping at Costco stores across America. The move comes amid heightened tensions and diplomatic measures targeting Iran’s representatives in the country.

UN: Iranian Diplomats Restricted from Shopping at Costco Amid UN Session

Cost-conscious shoppers at Costco will now have to fork over an extra $5 to $10 per year as the popular warehouse chain said it will raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years.

In a monthly sales report on Wednesday, the Issaquah, Washington company said that it would increase the fee to gain entry into its more than 700 warehouses in the US and Canada by 8 per cent.

The new fees — which are effective Sept. 1 — will boost the price of Costco's basic Gold Star membership from $60 to $65 per year and the premium Executive membership from $120 to $130 a year. The annual fee hadn't budged since 2017, &nbsp;while several years of unusually high inflation rates—now finally cooling off in recent months—held sway.

No wonder, with inflationary pressures squeezing household budgets for many families lately, people appreciate more than ever Costco's promise to sell just about everything at rock-bottom prices. Of course, that phenomenon has worked for the company's bottom line and made its stock quite a commodity among investors. In merely the last 18 months, shares of Costco nearly doubled, adding some $180 billion to the company's market value.

The fee increase and Costco's newest sales gains pushed its shares up over 2 per cent following the news release. If the stock moves similarly in the regular trading session on Thursday, the shares will blow past a record.

In addition to the higher fees, Costco said that its total sales for the five-week period ending July 7 were $24.48 billion, a jump of more than 7 per cent from the same period a year ago.

The Costco membership fee increase simply underscores the tightrope businesses walk navigating a precarious economic climate. With the policy of low prices and incrementally higher membership fees, Costco strikes a fine balance between being attractive to value-minded consumers and keeping the company financially healthy. It is a move that will bring better customer loyalty and set it on one of long-term growth and market leadership.

Cost-conscious shoppers at Costco will now have to fork over an extra $5 to $10 per year as the popular warehouse chain said it will raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years.

Cost-conscious shoppers at Costco will now have to fork over an extra $5 to $10 per year as the popular warehouse chain said it will raise its membership fees for the first time in seven years. In a monthly sales report on Wednesday, the Issaquah, Washington company said that it would increase the fee to gain entry into its more than 700 warehouses in the US and Canada by 8 per cent. The new fees — which are effective Sept. 1 — will boost the price of Costco's basic Gold Star membership from $60 to $65 per year and the premium Executive membership from $120 to $130 a year. The annual fee hadn't budged since 2017, while several years of unusually high inflation rates—now finally cooling off in recent months—held sway. No wonder, with inflationary pressures squeezing household budgets for many families lately, people appreciate more than ever Costco's promise to sell just about everything at rock-bottom prices. Of course, that phenomenon has worked for the company's bottom line and made its stock quite a commodity among investors. In merely the last 18 months, shares of Costco nearly doubled, adding some $180 billion to the company's market value. The fee increase and Costco's newest sales gains pushed its shares up over 2 per cent following the news release. If the stock moves similarly in the regular trading session on Thursday, the shares will blow past a record. In addition to the higher fees, Costco said that its total sales for the five-week period ending July 7 were $24.48 billion, a jump of more than 7 per cent from the same period a year ago. The Costco membership fee increase simply underscores the tightrope businesses walk navigating a precarious economic climate. With the policy of low prices and incrementally higher membership fees, Costco strikes a fine balance between being attractive to value-minded consumers and keeping the company financially healthy. It is a move that will bring better customer loyalty and set it on one of long-term growth and market leadership.

Costco breaks 7-Year streak with membership fee hike: a strategic play on loyalty and growth

Several airlines, banks and technology websites were coming back online on Thursday afternoon after a brief outage, the third such widespread incident noted in just a span of two months, raising alarms across social media.

Websites of Delta Air Lines, Costco Wholesale Corp, American Express and Home Depot were down, displaying domain name system (DNS) service errors.

Cloud services provider Akamai Technologies had given an alert on its "Edge DNS" service incident, noting a "partial outage" on its website. "We have implemented a fix for this issue, and based on current observations, the service is resuming normal operations," it said later in a tweet.

Oracle Corp said it was monitoring the global issue related to a cloud-based DNS solution provider impacting access to many internet resources, including its own cloud services.

DNS is a service that translates readable domain names to machine-readable IP addresses, connecting it to a server and delivering the requested page on the user's phone or laptop.

In June, multiple outages hit social media, government and news websites across the globe, with some reports pointing to a glitch at US-based cloud computing service providers.

About 3,500 users reported issues with Airbnb's website, while nearly 1,500 Home Depot users reported problems, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.

Several airlines, banks and technology websites were coming back online on Thursday afternoon after a brief outage, the third such widespread incident noted in just a span of two months, raising alarms across social media.

Several airlines, banks and technology websites were coming back online on Thursday afternoon after a brief outage, the third such widespread incident noted in just a span of two months, raising alarms across social media. Websites of Delta Air Lines, Costco Wholesale Corp, American Express and Home Depot were down, displaying domain name system (DNS) service errors. Cloud services provider Akamai Technologies had given an alert on its "Edge DNS" service incident, noting a "partial outage" on its website. "We have implemented a fix for this issue, and based on current observations, the service is resuming normal operations," it said later in a tweet. Oracle Corp said it was monitoring the global issue related to a cloud-based DNS solution provider impacting access to many internet resources, including its own cloud services. DNS is a service that translates readable domain names to machine-readable IP addresses, connecting it to a server and delivering the requested page on the user's phone or laptop. In June, multiple outages hit social media, government and news websites across the globe, with some reports pointing to a glitch at US-based cloud computing service providers. About 3,500 users reported issues with Airbnb's website, while nearly 1,500 Home Depot users reported problems, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.

Websites of airlines, banks, tech companies back online after brief global outage

The snow was falling outside Ali Haberstroh’s apartment in late November when the idea came to her.

At the time, Canada was nearing a second lockdown to curb rising coronavirus cases. In anticipation, the owner of a vintage clothing store in Toronto who is a friend of Haberstroh’s had put together a list of other local vintage shops offering curbside pickup and deliveries in lieu of being able to open their doors.

“It was a wake-up call,” Haberstroh, 27, said of the list, which reminded her how enormous retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon had thrived during the pandemic while many smaller, local businesses had been shut. “I thought if there is one tiny thing I can do to help, then I should get on it.”

Inspired to build a more comprehensive list, Haberstroh promptly created an Instagram post, tagging independent businesses and shopkeepers across Toronto. Included was a new website, Not-Amazon.ca — a URL that she had bought for $2.99.

Introduced as a local list to help keep small businesses alive, Not Amazon was created “so you don’t have to give any money to Amazon this year!” the post read.

What began as a Google spreadsheet with more than 160 businesses collated initially from Haberstroh’s memory and research became a directory of hundreds that have a website and a high-quality photo and offer nationwide shipping, curbside pickup or delivery.

So far, the website has garnered more than half a million page views and grown to include 4,000 businesses across Toronto, Calgary, Halifax and Vancouver. The site is now submission-based, and thousands of businesses are awaiting Haberstroh’s approval.

“In a big city like Toronto, where it feels like most businesses are local, I think it’s so easy to think these things will be here forever,” said Haberstroh, who works as a social media manager at a marketing firm and plans to expand Not Amazon to even more cities. “You don’t think that they’re going to go anywhere.”

Small and medium-size businesses contribute more than 50% to Canada’s gross domestic product. But since the pandemic lockdowns, 40% of small businesses have reported layoffs while 20% have deferred rent payments, according to government data.

At the same time, Amazon and big-box retailers with more robust e-commerce platforms have far outpaced small competitors, turning online shopping from a convenience into a necessity for consumers worldwide.

Haberstroh’s attempt to even the playing field has been welcomed by small-business owners like Tannis and Mara Bundi, twin sisters who opened the Green Jar in Toronto last December. The store specializes in bulk items, like soap and honey, that customers buy to refill their own containers, reducing single-use plastics and household waste.

When the pandemic took hold in March, the sisters swiftly focused on their online operations and offered pickup and delivery, but even as restrictions eased, business remained touch and go. Since being on the Not Amazon site, the Green Jar has seen online orders rise 500% and has been “incredibly busy,” Tannis Bundi said.

“This type of initiative really gave an opportunity for small businesses to be seen and appreciated,” she said. “Large corporations, like Amazon, they’re making millions and millions of dollars, and there’s a disconnect and a detachment. As a small business I have a much smaller carbon footprint, I have a vested interest in my community, and I’m more likely to invest back into my community through charity and hiring locally.”

Amazon declined to comment for this article.

Local campaigns by independent sellers have also popped up in the United States, with bookstores in particular fearing that they won’t survive the pandemic. In France, there was a nationwide backlash against Amazon and other big retailers as “nonessential” businesses closed in November. In August, Canada’s competition watchdog started an investigation into the company’s business practices.

While there have been some shifts in consumer behavior, Daniel Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, estimated that 1 in 7 Canadian businesses, or 225,000, will close because of the pandemic.

“While I’m thrilled the movement is there, it’s competing against a pretty significant crosswind, and that is the business restrictions pushing newer customers into big-box and Amazon,” Kelly said. “I think coming out of this, the ‘buy local’ initiatives will have stemmed some of the losses, but it will sadly not be enough to help most small retailers survive.”

Not all is grim. One Toronto business, Stainsby Studios, was astonished by the threefold increase in pottery sales after being featured on Not Amazon. Another, Glad Day Bookshop, offering a variety of LGBTQ titles, said the initiative had increased holiday sales 30%.

Like many other store owners, Mary Oliveira was scared when the country’s first lockdown took effect in March. But her 5-year-old Toronto chocolate shop, Mary’s Brigadeiro, was fortunate to have an existing online presence that brought in steady income throughout the pandemic, she said.

In recent weeks, numerous new customers informed Oliveira that they had found her store through Not Amazon, which she had been added to but had never heard of.

“We noticed more people had the impetus to shop local,” said Oliveira, 30, who was surprised to find 27% of her online shoppers had come through Not Amazon. “With that, we sold out for the entire season a week ago. That’s never happened before.”

In November, she hired four more employees and now is considering opening other locations in Toronto. Oliveira, a native of Brazil, said the “buy local” initiative had brought a renewed sense of belonging, especially as she saw the numerous Amazon deliveries happening while local businesses struggled.

Oliveira said dealing with shipping delays as a small-business owner was frustrating while hearing customers say Amazon is much faster.

Her store’s success also coincided with more public awareness of and support for Black- and Indigenous-owned businesses, she said, after Black Lives Matter protests to address racism and police brutality in Canada this summer. Giving a boost to businesses with Black, Indigenous or queer owners is also one of the goals of Not Amazon.

“I think people realized that we are here as well, and we struggle with a bunch of things people don’t see,” said Oliveira, “being Black and being an immigrant in Canada.”

The snow was falling outside Ali Haberstroh’s apartment in late November when the idea came to her. At the time, Canada was nearing a second lockdown to curb rising coronavirus cases.

The snow was falling outside Ali Haberstroh’s apartment in late November when the idea came to her. At the time, Canada was nearing a second lockdown to curb rising coronavirus cases. In anticipation, the owner of a vintage clothing store in Toronto who is a friend of Haberstroh’s had put together a list of other local vintage shops offering curbside pickup and deliveries in lieu of being able to open their doors. “It was a wake-up call,” Haberstroh, 27, said of the list, which reminded her how enormous retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon had thrived during the pandemic while many smaller, local businesses had been shut. “I thought if there is one tiny thing I can do to help, then I should get on it.” Inspired to build a more comprehensive list, Haberstroh promptly created an Instagram post, tagging independent businesses and shopkeepers across Toronto. Included was a new website, Not-Amazon.ca — a URL that she had bought for $2.99. Introduced as a local list to help keep small businesses alive, Not Amazon was created “so you don’t have to give any money to Amazon this year!” the post read. What began as a Google spreadsheet with more than 160 businesses collated initially from Haberstroh’s memory and research became a directory of hundreds that have a website and a high-quality photo and offer nationwide shipping, curbside pickup or delivery. So far, the website has garnered more than half a million page views and grown to include 4,000 businesses across Toronto, Calgary, Halifax and Vancouver. The site is now submission-based, and thousands of businesses are awaiting Haberstroh’s approval. “In a big city like Toronto, where it feels like most businesses are local, I think it’s so easy to think these things will be here forever,” said Haberstroh, who works as a social media manager at a marketing firm and plans to expand Not Amazon to even more cities. “You don’t think that they’re going to go anywhere.” Small and medium-size businesses contribute more than 50% to Canada’s gross domestic product. But since the pandemic lockdowns, 40% of small businesses have reported layoffs while 20% have deferred rent payments, according to government data. At the same time, Amazon and big-box retailers with more robust e-commerce platforms have far outpaced small competitors, turning online shopping from a convenience into a necessity for consumers worldwide. Haberstroh’s attempt to even the playing field has been welcomed by small-business owners like Tannis and Mara Bundi, twin sisters who opened the Green Jar in Toronto last December. The store specializes in bulk items, like soap and honey, that customers buy to refill their own containers, reducing single-use plastics and household waste. When the pandemic took hold in March, the sisters swiftly focused on their online operations and offered pickup and delivery, but even as restrictions eased, business remained touch and go. Since being on the Not Amazon site, the Green Jar has seen online orders rise 500% and has been “incredibly busy,” Tannis Bundi said. “This type of initiative really gave an opportunity for small businesses to be seen and appreciated,” she said. “Large corporations, like Amazon, they’re making millions and millions of dollars, and there’s a disconnect and a detachment. As a small business I have a much smaller carbon footprint, I have a vested interest in my community, and I’m more likely to invest back into my community through charity and hiring locally.” Amazon declined to comment for this article. Local campaigns by independent sellers have also popped up in the United States, with bookstores in particular fearing that they won’t survive the pandemic. In France, there was a nationwide backlash against Amazon and other big retailers as “nonessential” businesses closed in November. In August, Canada’s competition watchdog started an investigation into the company’s business practices. While there have been some shifts in consumer behavior, Daniel Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, estimated that 1 in 7 Canadian businesses, or 225,000, will close because of the pandemic. “While I’m thrilled the movement is there, it’s competing against a pretty significant crosswind, and that is the business restrictions pushing newer customers into big-box and Amazon,” Kelly said. “I think coming out of this, the ‘buy local’ initiatives will have stemmed some of the losses, but it will sadly not be enough to help most small retailers survive.” Not all is grim. One Toronto business, Stainsby Studios, was astonished by the threefold increase in pottery sales after being featured on Not Amazon. Another, Glad Day Bookshop, offering a variety of LGBTQ titles, said the initiative had increased holiday sales 30%. Like many other store owners, Mary Oliveira was scared when the country’s first lockdown took effect in March. But her 5-year-old Toronto chocolate shop, Mary’s Brigadeiro, was fortunate to have an existing online presence that brought in steady income throughout the pandemic, she said. In recent weeks, numerous new customers informed Oliveira that they had found her store through Not Amazon, which she had been added to but had never heard of. “We noticed more people had the impetus to shop local,” said Oliveira, 30, who was surprised to find 27% of her online shoppers had come through Not Amazon. “With that, we sold out for the entire season a week ago. That’s never happened before.” In November, she hired four more employees and now is considering opening other locations in Toronto. Oliveira, a native of Brazil, said the “buy local” initiative had brought a renewed sense of belonging, especially as she saw the numerous Amazon deliveries happening while local businesses struggled. Oliveira said dealing with shipping delays as a small-business owner was frustrating while hearing customers say Amazon is much faster. Her store’s success also coincided with more public awareness of and support for Black- and Indigenous-owned businesses, she said, after Black Lives Matter protests to address racism and police brutality in Canada this summer. Giving a boost to businesses with Black, Indigenous or queer owners is also one of the goals of Not Amazon. “I think people realized that we are here as well, and we struggle with a bunch of things people don’t see,” said Oliveira, “being Black and being an immigrant in Canada.”

A Canadian ‘buy local’ effort fights Amazon on its own turf

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