Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) may not be the most direct competitors. Costco, after all, focuses on buy-in-bulk bargain-priced goods in its warehouse stores, while Amazon is best known as the "everything store," stocking millions of items online for easy delivery. Amazon has spent years trying to elbow its way into the grocery space with its acquisition of Whole Foods, its opening of Fresh grocery stores, and a range of efforts online to become its customers' first stop to fill up their pantry.
If you're trying to save on Halloween expenses this year, Dollar Tree and Costco could help you save. Find out which is cheaper for your budget here.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) members are used to scoring deals at the warehouse, but right now they're also getting a break on their subscription fees. Most of Costco's annual earnings come from fees, after all. With that key risk in mind, let's look at why Costco's management might be reluctant to announce an increase today and what that could mean for the business.