"Costco said it would accept food stamps nationally, in an expansion of a New York City program that was announced in May after local politicians placed pressure on the company. Food stamp enrollment has soared nationwide, and in New York it has surged to 1.6 million. Company executives hope to have food stamp acceptance in place in half the company’s 407 warehouse-style stores by Thanksgiving, including the new East Harlem Costco, according to Richard Galanti, chief financial officer of Costco, which is based in Issaquah, Wash. “Even though it impacts a very small percentage of our members, we believe it’s the right thing to do,” Mr. Galanti said." - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet