Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is calling for Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club to waive their membership requirement to speed relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In a letter to the CEOs of each company, de Blasio urged them to open their doors to non-members for the next two weeks in the Tri-State area. The Public Advocate cited the urgent need of hard-hit families to purchase household essentials, and the need of charity and relief organizations to purchase large quantities of food, water and clothing. Costco and BJ’s Wholesale require shoppers to hold an annual membership, which costs at least $50.
Read the full letter below:
November 2, 2012
W. Craig Jelinek
President, CEO and Director
Costco Corporate Office
999 Lake Drive
Issaquah, WA 98027
Laura Sen
President and CEO
BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc.
P.O. Box 5230
Westborough, MA 01581
Dear Mr. Jelinek and Ms. Sen:
New York City is reeling from the damage and loss of life inflicted by Hurricane Sandy. In the storm's aftermath, we have experienced severe shortages of food, water and household essentials in hard-hit areas across our city. Meeting that need is our top priority. I believe BJ's Wholesale and Costco can help.
New Yorkers are greatly appreciative of the donations Costco and BJ's Wholesale have made in recent days, but there is another action that would provide critical relief for our neighborhoods. To help speed desperately needed supplies to the hardest hit areas of our region, I urge you to waive your membership requirement for stores in the Tri-State area from now until November 16th. In addition to helping residents and businesses rebuild, waiving these fees will enable more charitable organizations to secure the quantities of food, water and clothing desperately needed by people who have lost everything.
New Yorkers are coming together and we will recover. Your companies can play an important role in that effort. I urge you to waive membership requirements in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy for the good of all those in need.
I look forward to your prompt reply to this urgent request.
Sincerely,
Bill de Blasio
Public Advocate for the City of New York