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Costco (COST) reported another solid month of sales growth in September, underscoring the retailer’s continued momentum heading into the holiday season. Comparable sales rose +6.0% when excluding gasoline and foreign exchange impacts. While slightly below August’s +6.9% and July’s +7.0%, last September’s sales were boosted by roughly 2% in the U.S. and 1.5% worldwide due to hurricane-related buying and port strikes.

• Extended Executive hours and higher traffic/average spend supported sales.
• COST is seeing broad category strength. In Q4 (reported on September 25), fresh foods were up high-single digits, while standout non-foods included gold & jewelry, electronics, toys, gift cards, and men’s apparel.
• E-commerce surged +26.3% in September, driven by faster delivery, expanded online assortment, and improved digital integration.
• COST's strong September sales indicate that Amazon’s (AMZN) same-day delivery hasn’t impacted its market share yet.
• Strong momentum sets COST up well for the upcoming holiday season.

Briefing.com Analyst Insight:

COST’s September results reaffirm its position as one of the most reliable retail performers in a still-choppy consumer environment. While the month’s comps showed a mild sequential slowdown, the underlying trends -- strong traffic, healthy ticket growth, and robust e-commerce -- remain highly encouraging. The company’s blend of value, quality, and member loyalty continues to buffer it against macro and competitive pressures, including AMZN’s latest delivery push. With category strength broad-based and digital engagement accelerating, COST enters the holiday quarter with strong operating momentum and renewed pricing power.