Costco Connection - April 2012

PUBLISHER Ginnie Roeglin
EDITOR David W. Fuller 425-313-8510 dfuller@costco.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Anita Thompson 425-313-6442
athompson@costco.com

MANAGING EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL

T. Foster Jones 425-313-6748 Tim Talevich 425-313-6759 Tod.Jones@costco.com ttalevich@costco.com

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Lorelle Gilpin, Ottawa 613-221-2009 Lorelle.Gilpin@costco.com
Sue Knowles, London 011-44-1923-213113 sknowles@costco.co.uk
Sungwon Pae, Seoul 82-2-2630-2700 swpae@costcokr.com
SENIOR EDITOR

Stephanie E. Ponder, Seattle sponder@costco.com ONLINE EDITOR

David Wight David. Wight@costco.com REPORTERS

Will Fifield wfifield@costco.com
Steve Fisher Steve.Fisher@costco.com

COPY EDITOR Miriam Bulmer CONTRIBUTORS

Rhonda Abrams, Craigh Barboza, Lysa Christopher,
Hope Katz Gibbs, Maria Bellos Fisher, Lee Fuller, David Horowitz,
Susan Hirshorn, Robert Howarth, Suze Orman,
Phyllis Ritchie, Don Sadler, Eva Shaw, Irene Middleman Thomas,
Sarah Tieck, Sarah Torromino-Bastié, Pat Volchok

ART DIRECTOR Doris Winters dwinters@costco.com
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Lory Williams lwilliams@costco.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Ken Broman, Bill Carlson, Susan Detlor,
Chris Rusnak, David Schneider, Brenda Shecter
PRODUCTION MANAGER

Pam Sather, Seattle psather@costco.com ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER Antolin Matsuda amatsuda@costco.com

COLOR TECHNICIAN MaryAnne Robbers mrobbers@costco.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER

Jane Klein Shucklin 425-313-8277 jshucklin@costco.com ASSISTAN T ADVERTISING MANAGER

Kathi Tipper-Holgersen 425-313-6581 ktipper@costco.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Melanie Woods 425-313-2558 mwoods@costco.com
SENIOR ADVERTISING PROJECT COORDINATOR
Steve Trump strump@costco.com
ADVERTISING / PROMOTION COPYWRITER

Bill Urlevich

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
West: John McCarthy 818-706-8066 johnmccarthy1@sbcglobal.net
Texas: Nuala Berrells 214-660-9713 nuala@sbcglobal.net
Northeast: Frank Colonno 201-962-2759
fcmediapartners@optonline.net
Midwest: Stu Opfer 630-832-3600 stu@opfermedia.com
Southeast: Carl Mischka 252-626-8199 CarlMischka@aol.com
BUSINESS MANAGER

Janet Burgess

CIRCULATION MANAGER
Rossie Cruz 425-313-6715 rcruz@costco.com
CIRCULATION / EDITORIAL ASSISTAN T
Dorothy Strakele 425-313-6899 connection@costco.com
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

D. Ted Harris 425-313-2937 dtharris@costco.com

COSTCO WHOLESALE
P. O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088
999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, Washington 98027
Fax: 425-313-6718
Email: connection@costco.com

For information on warehouse hours and more: 1-800-774-2678 or visit Costco.com

The Costco Connection is published by Costco Wholesale. All editorial material, including editorial comments, opinion and statements of fact appearing in this publication, represents the views of the respective authors and does not necessarily carry the endorsement of Costco Wholesale or its officers. Information in The Costco Connection is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed. The publication of any advertisements is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or service offered unless it is specifically stated in the ad that there is such approval or endorsement. Products advertised may not be available at all locations at the time of publication. Publishing offices are located at 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, WA 98027. Copyright © 2012 Costco Wholesale.

FRONTend from the publisher’s desk

Ginnie Roeglin

GENERATION AFTER generation has enjoyed the Muppets since Jim Henson created them back in 1955.

Although their creator has passed on, the Muppets live on in the hearts of fans from grandparents to preschoolers.

You can learn more about their ongoing legacy and new movie, co-written by and starring Jason Segel, in our cover story on page 24.

In preparation for the upcoming vacation months, we’ve included a special automotive section in this issue. If you are planning a driving vacation with your family this summer, you’ll want to first check out your tires. We all know that good tires are a necessity for safe travels. Did you also know that new tire technology will help you save on fuel? You can learn more about tires on page 41. If it is time to replace your tires, you can save $70 on a set of four Bridgestone tires with the coupon in this month’s coupon booklet.

Are you a pet lover? You will also be pleased to know about our new pet prescription program at the Costco Pharmacy. Now, Costco carries many of the top pet medicines at the same savings we offer for human medicines. You can learn more about our new pet med program on page 67. Also, if your dog or cat happens to be the cutest, send us your favorite photo for our pet photo contest! You will find contest details on page 89.

How is your hearing? Many people are reluctant to get hearing aids because they feel there is an old-age stigma to them. The fact is, 65 percent of hearing aid wearers are under age 65. We invite you to come to one of the 379 Hearing Aid Centers in our warehouses for a free hearing test. We offer the latest digital technology on tiny, discreet open-ear hearing aids at a third to half the price of other national, comparable products. Hearing aids require some initial adjustments. We offer unlimited free adjustment appointments and a 90-day trial period with a 100 percent money-back guarantee. You may be surprised to hear what you have been missing.

Ginnie Roeglin is Senior Vice President, E-Commerce and Publishing, and Publisher of

The Costco Connection.

from the editor’s desk

David W. Fuller

THIS MONTH’S issue has given me pause to remember that we human beings are just one part of the earthly equation. No great insight there, I know. But when you are in a business like Costco, you are constantly aware that it is all about the people: your members, your fellow employees, the people you buy products and services from, your shareholders, the people in the community.

But aren’t frogs people, too?

Cover boy Kermit the Frog, of course, is known
for making the point that they are. And what about dogs,
So although we feature a frog, a pig and—Fozzie’s a bear, right?—on this month’s
cover because they have a great new movie going into DVD release, they are appropriate
also because our Member Connection department looks at Costco members who are
supportive of pets (page 88) and we are also introducing our new pet medicines pro-
gram (page 67).

My wife and I have had our share of four-legged friends in the house over the years, especially when we had kids at home. After years of being petless, we are now considering re-petting. Why might this be? We know pets require constant attention. We know they might tie down an empty-nest couple. We know we could be in for the heartache of pet illnesses and deaths that we could avoid simply by not having them.

Yet there are, I believe, deep psychological benefits that result when people have a pet. Science increasingly is finding medical benefits, as well. One scientist asserts the “feel-good” hormone oxytocin increases from merely petting a dog. So, we are considering.