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Core Insights - A recent PwC survey indicates that debit cards are the most preferred payment method for holiday spending at 55%, followed closely by credit cards at 52% and cash at 48% [1] Payment Methods - **Debit Cards**: Most favored payment method among consumers, with 55% preference [1] - **Credit Cards**: Preferred by 52% of respondents; experts advise using them only if the balance can be paid off in full to avoid overspending [5][6] - **Cash**: Chosen by 48% of shoppers; while traditional, it may not offer the same consumer protections as cards [1] - **Gift Cards/Prepaid Cards**: Preferred by 27%; they can help curb spending but may lose value over time due to fees [4] - **PayPal**: Also preferred by 27%; offers convenience for online transactions [1] - **Loyalty Points/Rewards**: Least preferred at 17%; can provide additional value but are not a primary payment method [1] Expert Recommendations - **Gift Cards**: Offer security and consumer protection but can expire or incur fees; tracking balances is recommended [4] - **Credit Card Usage**: Consumers should track spending to avoid exceeding budgets; credit cards provide expanded liability coverage and rewards [5][6]

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Summary of Costco Wholesale (COST) Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Costco Wholesale (COST) - **Market Cap**: $418.5 billion - **Enterprise Value**: $407.8 billion - **Industry**: Retail, Specialty Hardlines, Supermarkets, and Discount Stores Key Financial Results - **F4Q EPS**: $5.87, exceeding GS/consensus estimates of $5.85/$5.80 [19][20] - **Total Company Same Store Sales (SSS)**: +6.4%, in line with consensus but below GS estimate of +7.1% [19][20] - **Gross Margin**: 11.1%, above GS/consensus of 11.0%/10.9% [19][20] - **EBIT Margin**: 3.9%, compared to GS/consensus at 4.1%/3.9% [19][20] Membership Growth - **Total Paid Memberships**: 81.0 million, with a 7% year-over-year increase in membership income [13] - **Executive Memberships**: 38.7 million, representing 47.7% of all members, up from 47.2% last quarter [13] - **Incremental Sales from Extended Hours**: Estimated to contribute an additional +1% to U.S. weekly sales [13] Sales Performance - **Traffic Growth**: +3.7% contributing to SSS growth [2] - **Fresh Sales**: Up high single digits, driven by double-digit growth in meat [2] - **Non-Food Sales**: Up high single digits, with notable growth in gold, jewelry, and toys [2] - **Pharmacy, Optical, and Hearing Aids**: Continued strong performance [2] E-commerce Trends - **E-commerce Traffic Growth**: +27%, with significant increases in categories like gold, jewelry, and housewares [14] - **Delivery Improvements**: New delivery experience led to a +13% increase in items delivered [14] - **Personalized Offers**: Launched on the COST homepage, resulting in a +22% increase in traffic to product detail pages [14] Inflation and Cost Management - **Inflation Trends**: Remains in the low single digits (LSD) to mid single digits (MSD) range [14] - **LIFO Charge**: $43 million due to inflation impacts [14] - **Management Strategy**: Focus on changing assortments to mitigate inflation impacts, emphasizing high-ticket categories [14] Future Outlook - **12-Month Price Target**: Increased to $1,218 from $1,133, reflecting confidence in the company's value proposition [24] - **EPS Estimates**: Updated for FY26/27 to $19.68/$21.99, with a new FY28 estimate of $23.94 [22] Risks - **Competitive Landscape**: Risks from grocery, convenience, big-box, and e-commerce competitors [28] - **Macroeconomic Factors**: Potential headwinds from consumer demand and supply chain issues [28] Conclusion - **Investment Rating**: Reiterated Buy rating based on strong performance metrics and growth potential in membership and e-commerce [24]

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Core Viewpoint - Costco Wholesale Corp is facing challenges due to tariffs impacting apparel and home furnishings, with expectations of a slowdown in sales growth [1] Sales Performance - The company is anticipated to report a deceleration in total comparable sales (comps) for March to 2.5%, down from 7.7% last year [1] - Traffic is expected to increase by 2.5% compared to 7.2% last year, as consumers seek value [3] Digital Sales and Pricing Impact - Digital sales growth is projected to slow to 5%, a significant drop from 28.3% last year [3] - Gas prices have declined by high single digits in March, contributing to a headwind of approximately 80 basis points [2] - Strength in the U.S. dollar may add an additional headwind of around 170 basis points [3] Product Categories - Non-food sales are expected to outperform, particularly in discretionary categories like gift cards [4] - Food & Sundries and Fresh Foods sales are anticipated to remain solid due to favorable at-home consumption and a value-focused assortment [4] Stock Performance - Shares of Costco Wholesale declined by 2.73% to $942.91 at the time of publication [4]