Costco to accept food stamps at N.Y. stores in pilot program

ISSAQUAH, Wash. Costco will accept food stamps at the new store it is building in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, the mass merchandiser said Friday.

The chain said it would implement the pilot program at the new store, which published reports have indicated will open in October and the company said will open “within the coming year,” as well as two stores in Queens and Brooklyn. The company said that if the test proved successful, it would be implemented throughout the chain.

“In the past, we have not been convinced that there was sufficient demand among our membership to justify the expense and possible inefficiencies associated with accepting food stamps,” CEO Jeff Sinegal said in a statement announcing the pilot program earlier this week. “However, we are mindful that many of our fellow citizens are facing unprecedented economic challenges at this time, and it seemed to us that it was worth reconsidering our position in that light.”