Costco's 9% U.S. and Global Core comp growth in September demonstrates the strong attraction of its members to the company's exceptional value, merchandise variety, and multichannel convenience. Even when considering adjustments for external factors such as Hurricane Helene and port strikes, which contributed approximately 200 basis points to U.S. growth, the core growth figure of over 7% significantly outpaces the broader U.S. retail sales expansion rate.

Following Costco's announcement of a September adjusted U.S. comp increase of 9.3%, which was influenced by approximately 2 percentage points from unusual consumer behavior due to port strikes and Hurricane Helene, the company's performance aligns with positive observations from store assessments. The continued strength in non-food categories, especially jewelry and gift cards, which saw low teen increases, reaffirms the expectation that robust top-line growth will continue through the remainder of the year. This outlook is supported by Costco's outstanding merchandising capabilities and its compelling value offering. Additionally, there is an anticipation of a potential rise in memberships in the near term as a result of more rigorous checks of membership cards.

Costco reported robust total and U.S. core September comparable sales growth, surpassing consensus estimates. This performance includes a notable boost from circumstances such as Hurricane Helene and port strikes. Furthermore, traffic growth remained strong both globally and in the U.S., suggesting that Costco's value proposition is effectively attracting customers, leading to increased shopping frequency and market share expansion.