>And why Costco, a public company that has investors watching every penny and questioning every management decision?
I guess the author doesn't know that Costco is one of the few companies out there who famously give the middle finger to Wall Street analysts (who want them to reduce wages and benefits, and increase the price of goods sold)
Costco is still subject to economic reality. They make money by reducing overhead as much as possible and exercising monopsony power over brands (Walmart does this also for certain vendors).
I haven't looked enough into the issue to answer decisively, but I suspect they probably can't cut much more than they already have, unless their food is a cost center.
I guess the author doesn't know that Costco is one of the few companies out there who famously give the middle finger to Wall Street analysts (who want them to reduce wages and benefits, and increase the price of goods sold)