You would think that executive pay would’t be all that different between Costco and McDonald’s, would you?  You might even think that Costco might pay a little better.  But you’d be so wrong.  It turns out that McDonald’s doesn’t think Costco pays executives enough anymore.  That’s right, you read that correctly, McDonald’s is basically calling Costco cheap!

Think this is what it looked like as McD’s old CEO was leaving on his last day?

To assess their executive pay levels, McDonald’s uses a selection of around 24 different companies that fall into their competitive niche of consumer product companies and retailers.  A lot of analysts and even the SEC is not fond of the practice of using peer groups to determine executive pay because they feel like it is creating artificially high executive pay packages.  And that might well be the case.  Not to mention, it doesn’t seem that they use this same method when determining pay levels for the rest of the workers.

McDonald’s didn’t come right out and say that Costco is a bunch of cheapskates, but they just played it off as different pay and compensation philosophies.  Um, yeah.  What that really means is that the CEO at Costco made what would seem to be a very decent salary of $4.8 million in 2012. While in the same year, McDonald’s CEO made a whopping $17.1 million in total compensation (salary, bonuses, and equity), and in addition they paid him another $10.6 million to step down in July.  Who wouldn’t like that kind of payout just for leaving?  In the previous five years, McDonald’s CEO pay averaged around  $13.4 million, while Costco paid their CEO on average just $3.4 million.

As HuffPo points out the difference in CEO pay could have allowed McDonald’s to buy a dollar-menu breakfast burritos for every child in New York City’s public schools, every month of the school year.  Or, alternatively, just think of all the workers that they could pay better if they weren’t paying so much to their executive team.  Maybe they could even be like Costco and pay good wages to the average worker and provide decent benefits.

It doesn’t seem like the McDonald’s CEO is worth 3.5 times as much as Costco’s CEO, does it?  I mean, their revenue and gross profits in 2012 weren’t 3.5 times better than Costco, they actually weren’t even as high as Costco’s revenue or gross profits for FY2012.  I guess they’re using some new math.

For further reading:

• Huffington Post: McDonald’s To Costco: You’re Too Cheap For Us

The new Costco UK coupon book starts on Monday, 20 May, and runs through 9 June; the usual three weeks.  There are £550.00 in savings, which is about the same as the previous coupon book.  It seems like all of my favourite cleaning products are on offer in this latest coupon book.  Of course, since we won’t be back in the UK yet.  Oh well, when we first get back I won’t have a flat to clean anyway, I guess.

Costco UK Coupon Book: May 20 – June 9, 2013

I’ve uploaded the new Costco UK Coupon Book PDF (or view it in the Google PDF viewer).  If you didn’t get your book or never do, you should stop by Customer Service and make sure that they have all of your mailing information correct and that you have allowed them permission to send you things in the mail.  Also, while you’re there, ask them for a copy of the latest book if they didn’t hand you one when you walked in the store.  In the UK they print the coupons on both sides of the pages and without the codes, so they clearly do not want you to clip the coupons out and give them to your cashier; they just automatically deduct them after they ring up your items.  I love this method of couponing and wish that all of the Costco locations in the US would follow suit.  Though, I still find it useful to have a copy so I know what to look for because I don’t always notice the signs that they’ve posted to let you know what has a coupon.  I usually download a copy of the PDF to my phone before I go to the store so that I can easily reference it while shopping.  If you sign up to receive emails from Costco.co.uk, they will send out an email that lets you know that the new coupon book is available online.  Since they now post the coupons on the Costco UK website, you can always download a copy of the latest coupon book from there; you can also find a link to it on the Warehouses webpage.

As I mentioned above, several of my favourite cleaning products have coupons this month.  I pretty much exclusively buy my cleaning items at Costco,  because the prices are so much better and it also means I pretty much always have a backup on hand and don’t have to worry about running out.  It is amazing, even to me, how much of a deal Costco can be on cleaning and laundry products when compared to a regular supermarket.  A lot of the cleaning products I’ve already talked about or reviewed on my blog at some point, so if you’re curious about any of them, just do a search on my blog for the latest post about the item.  So, here’s my list of favourite cleaning products on offer this month:

• Finish Quantum Tablets, 2, 40 tablet packs (80 tablets total), with the half price coupon they are just £11.86 (with VAT).  These are incredible on even the hardest to clean items, and will even make glassware that has gotten a little dull looking get their sparkle back after just a single wash.
• Fairy Non-Bio Laundry Liquid, 6.2 litres for £11.74 (with VAT) after you factor in the £2.60 off coupon.  I really prefer the non-bio laundry detergents  and vacillate between the Fairy and Persil brands, depending on what has the better deal or is available at Costco.  They both do an excellent job at cleaning without causing a problem for either my delicate clothing or my skin.  I also get the laundry pods sometimes because I like to change it up and do find them convenient and mess free.
• Comfort Concentrate in either Pure or Sunshine, 5 litres for £4.78 (with VAT) after half off coupon.  I love the Comfort Pure, it smells lovely and fresh and things like my towels and sheets feel so nice after a wash with this.  Not to mention, with this giant amount you can do something around 110 loads of laundry.  That will definitely take a while to get through and the price is fantastic at Costco.
• Vanish OxiAction in either Pink or Crystal, 1.5 kilograms for £5.86 (with VAT) after £2.00 off.  I always have both the Pink (for colours) and the Crystals (just for white) in my laundry cabinet.  It really does a great job on keeping whites and colours looking their best.  If you don’t have space for both giant containers, the Pink version works very well on white laundry too and seems to keep it just as white as the Crystal version.
• Dettol Floor Wipes, 4, 15 wipe packs (60 wipes total) for £6.46 (with VAT) after £2.00 off coupon.  If you have a hard surface floor in your bathroom or kitchen, you’ll love these.  They’re basically like a giant wipe similar to what you would use on your countertops or your hands if you dine at KFC, except that they are thicker and have a more textured cloth.  That thickness and extra texture allow them to pick up even the tiniest bits of yuck from your floor with so little effort and so quickly that you’ll be amazed.  They make cleaning floors much faster and your floors look better too.

So, if you take advantage of all of those coupons you’ll have fresh, clean laundry, squeaky clean dishes, and a floor that sparkles.  What more could you ask for?  There’s also a coupon for £20.00 off a Dyson DC50 Pet Hair Vacuum (£287.98 with VAT) if you’re looking for a top notch vacuum.  I’ve not tried one but everyone I know that has one loves their Dyson.  Also, if you need a place to use all of your laundry products you bought at Costco, there’s also a deal for £50.00 off a Maytag Washing Machine and/or a Maytag Condenser Dryer.  After the £50.00 off each appliance is £419.98 (with VAT).

Aside from the multitude of cleaning products, there are other great deals in this latest coupon book.  For instance, I love love love the Mariani Ultimate Dried Apricots that are 25% off (1.36 kilograms for £3.74) and so delicious.  They are some of the best dried apricots I’ve had because they are still plump and juicy somehow and have a great flavour.  I love to just eat some plain, or with some cheese and crackers, or cut them up and add them to granola or muesli for an extra fruity punch.

This latest coupon book also points out a selection of eight items that you can find on sale at Costco.co.uk.  If you haven’t taken a look at the somewhat new Costco UK online shopping site yet, you really should.  They have so many items that you’ll never see in the warehouses, including big things that you wouldn’t want to have to transport home anyway, and all at very good prices.  I think you’ll be amazed at the variety of items that you can get on the website, everything from the Taste Tradition Fresh Mixed Steak Parcel (£69.99 with delivery for 4.95 kilograms of free range, rare breed beef) to a Whirlpool Mircrowave with Grill (£199.99 with delivery).

Happy shopping and saving!

I have been meaning to write about the new and improved Costco.co.jp for quite a while now, definitely over a month though.  Over the last year it seems like the majority of Costco websites around the world have been updating their look and information.  As a usability person (in my former life), I totally applaud this since the sites were pretty basic and had limited usefulness really since the information was very static and sometimes out of date.  As many of you know, Costco US and Canada got major design overhauls a while ago that really made some huge leaps forward in the ability for people to have a better shopping experience.  And of course, Costco UK thrilled many a UK Costco lover with the unveiling of their full online shopping site a few months ago.  All of that has been great and really improves the Costco brand.  But even the countries that don’t offer online shopping (yet, I hope) have been making some improvements to their sites.  Sure, their improvements and design changes might be on a smaller scale but it is all important since so many people look online first for information about stores now.

Costco.co.jp has a new look!

The newly designed Costco.co.jp site is a huge step up from the previous site.  I think the thing that makes the biggest impression is the new, clean look of the site with links right from the homepage to a wealth of information about Costco Japan.  I’m also a fan of the store images running as a bit of a slide show on the page; love the one with the bevy of roasted chickens!  Aside from the pictures, there are links to the main areas across the top of the page for areas like Membership, Locations, and Careers.  However, they also have several graphic, ad style links to other information (though in some cases it is the another link to the same information in the main menu).  I like that they quickly direct people to the two membership types of Business and Individual right from the homepage now and do it with an image which is likely to get the most notice.  Down at the bottom of the page they have text links to all of the pages on the site in a site map directory.  There is a wealth of information on the site that you could have easily missed before but now it is very easy to find and go right to the page that fits your needs  Also, at the very top of the page in small text to the right, you will find links directly to the FAQ, Photo Center, Event Information.  But also up in that same bunch of text links is the exciting Expansion Plans link.  This is also where you can find the link to toggle from Japanese to English.

I think the best improvement though has to be the addition of the “What’s New?” and “Event Information” sections right on the homepage.  The “What’s New” section is an excellent use of the website since it highlights all of the important news in easy to read bulleted lists and does actually change.  It’s so handy that they list the stores that will be opening this summer and have deals for early membership registrations for residents in those areas.  That is a great way to generate lots of interest and give new customers a little more incentive to join early.  The other part of that section that is a perfect update is the list of career opportunities.  This information is nice to have so easily found on the homepage, but it is also a good improvement since it gives visitors a possible reason to keep checking back to the website.  I think Costco Japan is making really good use of their website now since all of the information in the “What’s New” and “Event Information” sections appears to actually change and keep up to date with timely information and not just languish there for forever until it is tragically out of date.

I also noticed that there’s a sign-up for an email magazine for Costco Japan members.  From the little tiny picture this looks like they mail out coupon information, as well as other useful Costco Japan news, if you sign up.  I was going to try to sign up but since I don’t have a Costco Japan membership, I am excluded from being able to receive this information.  Of course, since it is only available in Japanese I’m pretty sure that would exclude me from getting the full benefit out of the magazine too.  Naturally, I wish that they would have any coupons available as a PDF right from the website, just because I know that people are still reluctant to sign up to get even more email when they’re not sure of how much benefit there will be and more importantly, how often they get email from signing up for something.

I’ll be in Japan for a holiday at the end of June and I can’t wait to check out a Costco or two, if I can find one that I can get to without driving (I’m not sure I’m up to driving in Japan).  Trying to find the right location though has made me realize that they really need to have a way to search for a location that is nearby a certain address or city, like you can on the Costco US website.  I had to look at the Expansion Plans page to see a map of all the locations so that I would have a rough idea of where they were.  I don’t understand why if I can perform a search for a nearby location on the Costco US website I can’t do it on any of the websites for Costco in other countries.  I guess I’ll just have to go to continue to use the Costco US website for this information still.  Maybe this is something that Costco Japan could work on improving in their next website update.

Costco Japan currently has 15 different warehouses open in Japan with another three set to open this summer.  It’s wonderful that their website is maturing as their membership base grows.   Wonder when they’ll start having online shopping?

Everything you need for your closet

This time of year, when the seasons are starting to change, is normally when I go through my closet and determine what to keep and what to give to charity, as well as what just needs to go in the bin.  This is also the time of year when I almost always start thinking about reorganizing my closet and trying to make it more efficient and organized.  I love an extremely organized closet!  Though, sometimes it is just about “how can I fit more stuff in here” so I have an excuse to go buy some new clothes.

No matter whether you are a little crazy about closet organization or just want an excuse to buy more shoes, Costco.com and Cedar Green closet kits are here to help this year.  Right now, you can save $150.00 off a 96″ complete cedar closet kit from Cedar Green on Costco.com.  With that savings you can get the complete kit for $399.99 through May 31, and naturally that includes shipping and handling.

The set includes everything you need to organize a 4 – 8 foot wide closet with beautiful cedar wood.  Cedar is great for keeping away pests and mildew, not to mention it has that great fragrance too.  This would be an excellent way to store your seasonal clothes, like sweaters and woollen items in particular.  No one likes to see a beautiful wool sweater chomped on by a moth.  However, it is so nice it is perfect for your regular, everyday closet as well.  I like that the 3/4″ thick cedar shelves are 14″ deep because that is actually deep enough to store things like sweaters on without them hanging over the edges or being squished up getting wrinkled in them.  Or, it is also deep enough for Dave’s giant shoes, just barely but they’d work.

Deep shelves in fragrant cedar

It’s a great kit though with enough pieces to make an excellent closet that gives you plenty of options for organizing your clothing, shoes, and accessories.  So here’s what you get in the kit:

• All fasteners, screws, supports, needed for installation
• Two Wall Rails: 44” and 18” and Decorative Covering Strips
• Three Wardrobe Tubes: 24”, 24”, and 51”
• 2 Wall Panels
• 2 Tower panels
• 2 – 24” shelves
• 5 – 18” shelves
• 1 – 51” adjustable shelf
• All US grown cedar
• 14″ Deep shelving
• ¾” thick material

This sounds like a perfect way to update your closet without having to make it too complicated.  I will also point out that the reviews on Costco.com are quite good with the kit getting a very solid 4.4 out of 5 stars from seven reviews.  If you’re looking for more closet ideas in cedar, be sure to check out the Cedar Green website where you can take a look at their catalog.  Of course, in their catalog they have cedar closet items galore, but you could also use their ideas to organize your closet with something less cedary too.  But now is the perfect time to cull your clothing herd and whip your closet into shape!

If you’re in the US or Australia, don’t forget that tomorrow is Mother’s Day.  If you’ve been a bit of a procrastinator this year, you can always run by Costco and get a lovely bouquet of flowers and maybe a box of chocolates for your mom.  The flowers at Costco are always so fresh and beautiful.  Though I will warn you to get there early if you go on Sunday because the flowers are quickly picked over and running out on Mother’s Day, just like on Valentine’s Day.  Also, if you’re in the US, Costco’s latest coupon book started on Thursday, so be sure to check it out before you go shopping.

Colgate Alcohol-Free Plax Mouthwash

Colgate Plax Non-Alcohol Mouthwash –  My ability to floss well has certainly gone downhill as a result of arthritis problems with my hands (RA can really suck sometimes), so this is a firm part of my dental care routine to keep my teeth squeaky clean.  My UK dentist recommended it to me over a year ago now and I’m so glad she did because it is amazing how much cleaner it keeps your teeth and how much fresher your breath is all day long and even the next morning when you wake up.  When my dentist told me I need the Plax she was quick to point out that  I should only use the alcohol-free mouthwashes because the alcohol containing washes can lead to a higher risk of mouth cancer.  The alcohol-free Plax is great!  I would highly recommend it for anyone that likes to use a mouthwash or can’t floss as well as their dentist would like.  It doesn’t burn or sting when you’ve got it in your mouth so you can actually stand to use it for the whole suggested 30 seconds.  It also does an excellent job of keeping my teeth and breath clean and fresh all day long.  Colgate says that it works for 12 hours and I really think it does.  That amount of time also means that if you use it before bed, you are good all night long, and will wake up with your teeth and breath not feeling so yucky in the morning.  Of course, I’ve also noticed that even if I use it in the morning that my breath and teeth still feel pretty decent the next morning when I wake up.  In the UK I always got the Cool Mint (blue) flavour because it doesn’t seem quite so overwhelmingly minty (of which I’m not a big fan).  Of course, I was just glad to see that Costco Australia has the good, alcohol-free Plax.  Unfortunately for me though, they did only have it in the Freshmint (green) flavour.  After using it now for the past few months, I’m okay with the freshmint flavour.  But no matter what flavour you prefer, you will be amazed at how super clean and plaque free your teeth will remain, and how fresh your breath will be using the Plax.  And if you team this up with the Oral-B ProExpert toothpaste (recent arrival to Australia), your dentist will never give you the flossing lecture again.  I’ve been using this combo for over two years now, and my dentist barely had any cleaning to do on my most recent checkup.  In comparison to Coles, Costco’s pricing is really quite good too.  At Coles you get a 500 mL bottle for $2.99 (though it is usually a whopping $6.49) or $0.60 per 100 mL.  At Costco, you get two, one litre bottles for $7.99 or $4.00 per 1 litre bottle ($0.40 per 100 mL), which as you can see is going to be much less expensive than at Coles since you are getting twice as much in each bottle.  Just for math’s sake, that means that each 500 mL is just $2.00 at Costco, or $0.99 less expensive than Coles.  In other words, for the same amount of Plax at Coles you would pay $11.96 instead of the $7.99 at Costco.  2, 1 litre bottles for A$7.99 (UK: £5.21; US: $8.05).  Item #: 10039.

Dofino Havarti Cheese

Dofino Sliced Havarti Cheese –  I like cheese and I’m not ashamed to admit it, as I’m sure anyone reading my blog for a while has figured out.  You’d think I grew up in Wisconsin instead of Kansas, huh?  Cheese of all types is one of the things we buy a lot of at Costco.  They have so many great cheeses, it’s hard not to take advantage of that kind of selection, especially with the great Costco prices.  When it comes to sliced cheese we like almost any of the ones that Costco carries (except the low-fat Swiss, I’m not a fan).  This Havarti though, has such a great texture and taste that it’s certainly our favourite.  It goes with any deli meat we pair it with, plus it works perfectly on a burger and makes one heck of a grilled cheese sandwich too.  To be honest, it is also excellent just on a cracker by itself and that makes a nice little lunch or snack when combined with some fruit or vegetables.  Since it is a semi-soft cheese, it is awesome for melting, so any place you are wanting a little melted cheese, this would be a good choice.  The Havarti has a nice subtle buttery flavor with just a hint of sweetness.  As a result of its buttery taste it’s a little lighter and less pushy than other cheeses can be (you know the ones, they don’t play well with others but are still delicious) and that’s what makes it so great for sandwiches and burgers.  Though truthfully, a grilled cheese sandwich is still my favourite way to go with this cheese because it melts so nicely and gives you such pure cheesy goodness.  Costco used to have a resealable zip-top bag that was made out of something like waxed deli paper, not the regular plastic and that really  helped the cheese it stay fresher longer, even after opened.  That was great because it made sure that there wasn’t moisture in the package which is, as I’m sure we all know, not good for your cheese.  However, when I bought this here in Australia, it was in a resealable plastic bag, which is okay but not as good as the waxy packaging.  If you accidentally tear or maim your bag, or if you just want to make sure it stays moisture-free, you can always wrap your cheese in a paper towel and place it in a Ziploc bag or sealed container.  2 pounds for A$10.79 (UK: £7.04; US: $10.87).  Item #: 406340.

Wattle Valley Chunky Dips

Wattle Valley Chunky Dips –  We recently picked these up at Costco because they sound so delicious.  At Costco you get two containers of dip packaged together, with one each of the Basil and the Chili flavours.  The dips are really thick and chunky, thus the name.  The Basil dip is made with cashews and Parmesan and seems an awful lot like pesto.  I will admit that I actually did think it was pesto originally and was what drew me to it.  I figured it would be really great, and quick, to use on pasta for an easy sauce or topping.  But it is really really thick and clearly more like a dip.  However, I have used it on pasta and it works quite well and gives a nice depth of flavour.  The Chilli dip is also made with cashews and Parmesan.  I like that you can actually see big chunks of cashews and the dips have a really rustic texture to them.  That thick, chunky texture makes them great for putting on crackers or crisps/chips of some variety.  Both of the dips are really yummy on crackers, I must say.  The Chilli dip isn’t really spicy hot but there’s a bit of bite to it.  As I mentioned, I’ve used both of these to liven up pasta dishes, as well as a little scoop on a baked chicken breast to give it a little more pep and flavour.  It’s also a pretty amazing sandwich spread.  I just realized that these might be a perfect little spread for a grilled cheese sandwich; I’ll have to try it and see what that tastes like.  So far I’ve only used it on regular, non-heated sandwiches and it worked really well because it has so much flavour.  Though, because of the chunky texture you have to make sure that your bread is hearty enough to stand up to it, and that pretty much means that you need some variety of roll.  It really did a number on my sliced white bread that was thick cut, so I can’t even imagine the carnage on a thin sliced soft white bread.  The dips also make great bruschetta topping.  Both of them are really tasty and I don’t have a favourite because they have such different flavours that it really depends on what you are eating them with, I think.  2, 350 gram containers for A$10.99 (UK: £7.17; US: $11.07).  Item #: 16909.

Brown & Haley Almond Roca

Brown & Haley Almond Roca – I just can’t help it, I have a total weak spot for Almond Roca and have since I was a kid when my mom would buy it for me for Chritmas.  The first time I tasted that buttery, crunchy almond toffee center that was wrapped up in delicious milk chocolate rolled in little ground chunks of almond, I was hooked.  How could you not be?  Dave’s not a fan and I just don’t understand how he doesn’t love it too.  But that just means that I get the whole can to myself then.  Yes, I realize I probably don’t need the whole can but it isn’t like I sit down and eat it in an hour or anything.  Each little log of the butter crunch toffee is individually wrapped in gold foil and they come in a nice tin, so you don’t have to worry about eating them quickly or anything.  Actually, Almond Roca is the first confection to be sold in a tin to ensure a long shelf life, and making it perfect for buying at Costco.  Since 1927 Almond Roca has been sold in its signature pink tin with J.C. Haley, the creator, thinking that if a tin was good at keeping coffee fresh then it would certainly be able to do the same for his Almond Roca.  Packing in the tins also made it perfect to send to troops during World War II.  Unfortunately, it does seem that most Costco locations only carry the Almond Roca around the Christmas holidays, though I noticed there was still some on the shelf when we were last at Costco here in Sydney. I wish they would sell it year round so that I could always have a nice tin of it ready for a quick nibble.  I really like to have two of them as a little treat and that keeps me happy until the next day.  It’s totally not healthy, well maybe the almonds are, but the rest of it is all the bad stuff like butter and sugar.  Of course, that is what makes it so delicious.  Did you know that Almond Roca has been to the top of Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary?   Though here is my favourite Almond Roca fact pulled from the Brown & Haley website:  ”In one memorable event (during World War II), American generals would not turn over responsibility for an occupied country to other Allies until three railroad cars of Almond Roca confection could be taken with them”.  How awesome is that?  Clearly, I’m not the only one that loves their Almond Roca everyday. Oh yeah, if you’re Jewish and have a bit of a sweet tooth for this kind of thing too, you’ll be happy to know that Almond Roca is certified Kosher!  I bought this a while ago, like January or February, and have just gotten around to writing about it, sorry for the delay.  822 gram tin for A$9.59 ($11.59 – $2.50 coupon) (UK: £6.26; US: $9.66).  Item #: 343405.