Book selection at Costco: what the heck?

[Lesleymo]

I just got back from stocking up on Charmin and Bounty at the local Costco. Their book selection was completely, totally far right-wing. They have stacks and stacks of Going Rogue, Atlas Shrugged, and The Overton Window.

I finally spotted a book with President Obama on the cover. It was "Culture of Corruption" by Michelle Malkin.

What the heck? Does Costco have a right-wing agenda? Or is it just because I live in Texas?

[Steely_Dan]

1. It's Because You Live In Texas

Costco has a track record of contributing to the Dem Party (for the most part).

[Fire1]

10. Ditto. n/t

[Donnachaidh]

11. Not just Texas -- Georgia too

ALL the warehouse stores have huge amounts of rightwing nonsense in their book selections.

[Liberal Gramma]

19. Costo headquarters are in liberal Washington State

And I believe the founders are two Dems. I don't think the founders examine every book choice, and as they are a retail outlet, they're going to stock what sells in their area. I prefer to think that stacks of conservative books means that they're not flying off the shelves and into the hands of avid readers. I mean, lots of tea partiers can't, or don't, read.

[jmowreader]

47. Not all of Washington State is liberal

I print the paper from Moses Lake, which is in Central Washington; that place is extremely right wing. Alabama-level right wing.

Spokane is somewhat liberal (the last two Spokane mayors were a gay guy--who was a really good mayor but he was a cougar--and a hippie woman), Seattle is extremely liberal; it's a good thing those are the two places that have most of Washington's population because that state would be red as Santa's suit if they weren't.

[Liberal Gramma]

49. That is true.

From a geographic standpoint, WA is red. From a population standpoint, it's blue. Luckily, we count votes by persons, not acres.

[Initech]

26. The book selection at my Costco is all right-wing trash. And it's in California.

[phantom power]

2. well, you know, they get the overstock stuff :-)

:evilgrin:


Also, they may assume that Liberal Elitists don't buy their books at Costco.
:shrug:

[cleanhippie]

17. Exactly, they get a lot of the shit that doesn't sell elsewhere...

[alphafemale]

32. That's what I was going to say

Stuff that didn't sell someplace else

[ejpoeta]

3. maybe they have a whole bunch because they thought they would sell

but aren't and that's why there are plenty.

[YvonneCa]

4. I saw the same thing at several Costco stores...

...in California. As much as I love Costco, it almost makes me want to stop shopping there.

[Abq_Sarah]

5. They're buing what they think will sell

They're not a book store so they're not really concerned about having much diversity in their selection.

[jtuck004]

6. Same in Spokane n/t

[Diane R]

25. And I go in to that Spokane store and flip them over when I can!

[jtuck004]

48. I will laugh when I see that ;) n/t

[eugeneliberal]

50. I do the same thing...

flip them over or bury them beneath the novels.

[Hawkeye-X]

7. I'd complain with the store manager that there are too much right-wing crap

on the book selection, and need to be balanced out.

Remind the idiot that Costco, his boss, contributes to the Democratic Party and has a living wage, bennies and everything, because Costco treats their employees right, and they should pay it forward, and to do that, is to hold a book burning of all right-wing crap (entire stock valued at $0.01) monthly when they get fresh shipment of the same crap.

I think Costco should modify their book purchasing policy and buy 1/4 of the right-wing crap and buy more liberal stuff and spread it out.

Hawkeye-X

[Lesleymo]

16. Yup, I think I'll say something

I'd hate to have to stop shopping there. Their frozen tequila-lime tilapia is to die for. But the imbalance on that book table was just ridiculous.

[Puregonzo1188]

8. I was wondering about this myself. I go to school in New York where there's no Costco around,

but at home in Maryland I've noted the Costco has a pretty atrocious book selection (Sean Hannity even came and did a book signing once). I wasn't sure if it was a national policy, or local--as it is somewhat of a conservative area. But then when they opened up a second Costco in my general area I felt the new one was in less of a conservative area, but still the book selection was terrible. I was somewhat under the impression Costco was a "blue company" which is why I would be surprised to learn it was a national thing.

[ShamelessHussy]

9. That's were books go to die

Maybe, the ones that aren't selling well that bulk retailed can get cheap.

[taterguy]

12. Publishing companies pay for product placement

What you're seeing is that 'right-wing' publishers spend more on marketing than 'left-wing' publishers.

The "agenda" of Costco is to make money.

[Warpy]

13. It's because you live in Texas

The Costco near me next door in NM also has those books but I notice the stacks are large. The stacks of Obama's books are considerably depleted.

I think a lot of people are buying "Atlas Shrugged" out of curiosity, but I doubt many of them will manage to finish the ridiculous thing. It's certainly not the most accessible of a body of bad work.

Personally, I don't know of anyone around here who'd buy the right wing stuff unless it's as a gag gift. However, Costco does stock books they get deals on, so the right wing stuff that relies on bulk buying is a natural for them. You can bet they got a great deal on it.

[DrDan]

14. Not just Costco - I noticed the same thing in SAMS last week

[stray cat]

15. DU is a minority group who often seems to thinks it the majority

[K8-EEE]

22. Well, Obama did win the election

So it would seem we at DU are not the only ones who voted for him?

[tularetom]

18. What you do is

you just take a book from the next pile and gently place it over the top of the pile of right wing crap. Then you do the same for each volume of garbage you find. Sometimes it's a good idea to put two books on each pile, that way when someone picks up the top book they won't notice the wing nut shit underneath. I once buried a whole stack of sarah palin books at the bottom of the adjacent piles.

Childish? Bet you ass. But I had fun doing it.

[taterguy]

23. Then some poor employee has to come back and undo what you just did

If you're really bothered by a store's selection then go shopping at a progressive bookstore.

[tularetom]

30. Progressive bookstore? You're kidding, right?

This is California cattle country. There ain't a progressive bookstore within 200 miles of this place. It takes an hour to even get to Costco

Lighten up. I admitted it is childish, but today is my 69th birthday. I doubt if covering up right wing books is even in the top 100 of the most childish things I've ever done. Maybe you're more mature than me.

Incidentally have you ever taken a look at the book section of Costco at the end of a busy day?

[taterguy]

31. Only been in Costco once, just glanced at the books

Maturity has nothing to do with it.

I'm just sympathetic to people that have shit jobs and don't go out of my way to make their jobs shittier.

[LostinVA]

35. Order from Powells.com

[Synicus Maximus]

37. Then buy your books off of Amazon.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

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[704wipes]

39. so, he just provided job security in a depression environment

nt

[Doremus]

41. I used to think that way. Then I wised up.

If everybody were to put their shopping carts back when they were done, instead of stowing them in the parking lot, employees whose job it is to round them all up would be out of work.

Less work to do = less need for employees. Applies to every job needing done by an employee.

Keeping the shelves tidy is part of retail. If it rankles someone to have to do it they're in the wrong line of work.

[taterguy]

42. Do you pour out food and drinks in the aisles?

Just to provide full-employment for mop guys?

[Donnachaidh]

36. I do that all the time - and not just at Costco

Borders and Barnes and Nobles in my area has all sorts of RW nonsense showcased in the politics/history section. I pull out progressive books and put them in front of the RW books that are placed face out in the shelves.

Yeah, some employee will eventually do something, but at least the customers going through will see something other than Beck/Limbaugh/Hannity/Coulter crap for awhile.

[Name removed]

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[and-justice-for-all]

20. It is not much better at Books-a-million either...

a plethora of books I would not use to wipe my ass with.

[Donnachaidh]

40. we just discovered that store and I was so pissed at the displays

I started ranting about rightwing propaganda etc., and at least two employees looked startled. I'm so sick of going into bookstores to get assignment books for my kid and seeing this CRAP displayed like they were freaking bibles!

[K8-EEE]

21. I have to say here in L.A. they have a better selection

They still have the wingnut crap but for instance, I remember a couple of years ago buying Al Franken's last one there....and I think I also bought "What's The Matter WIth Kansas" there.

[L0oniX]

24. It's corporate influence ...profit based influence. It knows no political bounds.

Money and the power it gives is the bottom line.

[WolverineDG]

27. it won't sell in bookstores

so they remainder that crap at places like Costco & the Dollar Store.

dg

[flvegan]

28. You should have thrown a tantrum, assailing the clerks with foul language

demanding that they change out their right wing propaganda right now!

:hide:

[Cleita]

29. Remainders?

Remainders are books that are sent back to the publishers because they didn't sell in the retail bookstores to begin with. The publishers then put them back on the market for about a few dollars a book. The bookstores and discount stores then buy them at this considerably reduced price and can resell them as bargains. Many coffee table books end up as remainders and it appears that RW diabtribe is also sharing their fate.

[Stinky The Clown]

33. Overprinting and no demand

Right wing books get printed by the gazillion. No one buys them. They get given out as favors at fund raisers. When even that fails to unload them, they show up at Costco and at Overstock dot Com.

Hi Lesleymo! :hi:

[LostinVA]

34. Costco is an extrememly Blue company

[Curmudgeoness]

38. I think this is hilarious. It just means that no one wants these books.

Costco only gets the book that don't sell.

[WCGreen]

44. Ours had the 50th Aniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird...

I think that since Costco only sells about 25-30 books at a time, they tend to get the books that sell in that area.

They had one stack of Overton, no Going Rougue and all the The Girl With... Books beside Mockingbird...

[liberalhistorian]

45. Look at it this way. Maybe they had a huge inventory

of such books that just weren't selling and they needed to clear them out? At least, one would hope that's the case.