Saturday, April 15, 2006

Some Final Thoughts on Costco and the Activists

My letter to Costco and their reply. Long story short - This hateful and hypocritical animal right's group is full of poo. If that comes as a surprise to you, we should also talk about Santa and the Easter Bunny...

I am a Costco Member in St. John's. Please answer for me simply
if this statement is true:

"After discussions with *** ******* Conservation Society, Costco's
senior management team have decided to remove seal oil capsules from the shelves of their St. John's location, their only store in Canada where the capsules were available."

Please answer my inquiry.


***

Thank you for emailing Costco Wholesale.

From time to time over the past few years, Costco has carried an over the counter product in its pharmacy in the St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, location that is a byproduct of oil derived from Canadian seals. It is a product that is requested by members in that one location.

Costco has been urged over the years to discontinue the product by various parties, notably by the *** ******** Conservation Society, who are opposed to the seal hunt in Canada.

Costco has never taken a position on the controversy between various parties and the Canadian and Newfoundland and Labrador governments regarding the seal hunt. We have consistently made it clear to all parties that we do not take political positions, and our actions should not be misconstrued as such.

On March 1, recognizing that the sale of the seal oil capsule product was limited to a single location in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and in light of the very small dollar value of the sales in a single location, Costco made a business decision to discontinue the item. The item has not been carried in any of Costco's 346 locations in the United States.

While there were conversations with the *** ******* Conservation Society, the decision to discontinue the product had nothing to do with the *** ******* Conservation Society. Our decision to place or pull a product from our shelves is never based on politics. Each item must stand on its own commercial merits.

In its March 30 press release, the *** ******** Conservation Society falsely stated that Costco had removed the product from its shelves across Canada (it had been carried in only the St-John's location) and that this action was intended by Costco as a statement of its opposition to the seal hunt (Sea Shepherd knew that we were intending no such statement).

As a direct result of the *** ******* Conservation Society's actions, Costco has been made an unwilling participant of the media blitz surrounding the Canadian seal hunt, and has faced a firestorm of protest from its members in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, protesting the removal of the product.

As a result of member demand in the only Costco location where Omega 3 seal oil capsules were sold, we informed the appropriate governments and our members of our intent to restore the product to that single location. We recognize that some outside of Newfoundland and Labrador may wrongly construe this as a political statement; however, our decision to restock the product in St. John's is consistent with our company policy of being guided solely by the commercial merit of an
item.

Sara M
Customerservice@Costco.com

4 comments:

Charlie said...

Interesting letter. It's good to see that places like Costco do recognize the methods the *** ******** Conservation Society use to prompt a false public perception. However, the timing of the capsule removal could have been better.

BornandBred said...

I have to agree with you there for sure

NL-ExPatriate said...

LOL you give the *** ******* conservation society more exposure than I am willing to.

I refuse to give them any free publicity and now only refer to any Seal Fishery Protesters simply as ARA's Animal RIGHTS Actiist's. This way they aren't given any publicity and are all tarred with the same brush. IE: PETA no bad can come out of associating these other ARA's with that terrorist group.

Personally I am still disturbed and somewhat confused by the whole scenario of press releases and counter PR's. I seem to remember one that was supposedly released by Costco that they called the Seal Hunt dispicable or was it the product I could never find the PR?

Why didn't Costco issue a PR distancing itself from the ARA in question and declaire thei PR as false and a lie. Follow up with legal proceedings.

Anyway I asked at the Costco up here in Moncton and they don't carry Seal Oil Omega 3 capsules. FYI.

Thanks for the update and your efforts of Newfoundland and Labrador Solidarity!
I never received a response to my inquiry.

BornandBred said...

I received this reponse and also a Press Release in PDF. Pretty much the same song and dance, but if anyone is interested e-mail me: tdbreen@yahoo.ca