For the first five weeks of its reporting period ended October 5, 2008, the five-week retail reporting month of September, the Company reported net sales of $6.67 billion, an increase of 10 percent from $6.05 billion during the similar five-week period of the prior year. Comparable sales were as follows:
5 Weeks
US: 8%
International: 2%
Total Company: 7%
The five-week U.S. comparable sales figure includes, among other things, the effect of gasoline price inflation, with the average sales price per gallon of gasoline up 31 percent, as compared to the year-earlier September. Excluding gasoline price inflation, U.S. comparable sales would have been up 6 percent. In addition, foreign exchange rates negatively impacted international comparable sales results. On a local currency basis, international comparable sales increased 8 percent in September.
Costco Wholesale Corporation