
	Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates membership warehouses. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories. It offers candy, snack foods, tobacco, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and cleaning and institutional supplies; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, office supplies, cameras, garden and patio, sporting goods, toys, seasonal items, and automotive supplies; dry and institutionally packaged foods; apparel, domestics, jewelry, house wares, media, home furnishings, and small appliances; and meat, bakery, deli, and produce. The company also operates gas stations, pharmacies, food courts, optical dispensing centers, one-hour photo centers, and hearing aid centers; and travel businesses. In addition, it provides business and gold star (individual) membership services. As of March 6, 2014, it operated 649 warehouses, including 462 warehouses in the United States and Puerto Rico, 87 in Canada, 33 in Mexico, 25 in the United Kingdom, 18 in Japan, 10 in Taiwan, 9 in Korea, and 5 in Australia. Costco Wholesale Corporation also sells its products through online. The company was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
