Costco Caught Again… Removing D’Souza’s ‘America’ From Shelves… Now Re-Ordering After Public Pressure

This is not the first time COSTCO has been caught removing bestselling books from their shelves that fall into the Conservative or Christian categories.

President Obama visiting a Maryland Costco store in January 2014

By Marion Algier – Ask Marion

WND: Please contact and call out COSTCO and their founder for removing this excellent book, America: Imagine a World without Her, from their shelves!! Please call COSTCO and give them your two cents worth… or better yet, go to your local store and speak up, loudly at customer service, so everyone can hear you!!

Costco’s founder is a Liberal who has given large sums of money, money they get from you, to the Obama campaigns!! Their main phone # is 425-313-8100 and here is the e-mail to their founder: jsinegal@costco.com ! Thanks

Costco removing D’Souza’s ‘America’ from shelves

Bestseller disappearing as companion movie hits theaters and is a large success

books-costco

NEW YORK – The retail giant Costco Wholesale has issued an order to remove all copies of Dinesh D’Souza’s bestselling book, “America: Imagine the World Without Her,” from the shelves of its stores nationwide, WND has confirmed, just

The book, in this midterm election year, is a strong rebuttal of the progressive ideology behind President Obama’s policies, which have been supported by Costco co-founder and director Jim Sinegal, a major Democrat donor and a speaker at the 2012 Democratic National Convention that nominated the president. A Washington Post political reporter has noted Obama’s “romance” with the nation’s second-largest retailer.

At Amazon.com, D’Souza’s book, released June 2, is ranked No. 43 overall and is the No. 3 hardcover book in Amazon’s Politics and Government section and No. 1 in the Commentary and Opinion subsection of Politics and Government.

Copies of “America” at a Costco store Monday (WND photo)

Costco has sold more than 3,600 copies of “America” nationwide, with about 700 copies sold last week as D’Souza’s film by the same name opened at more than 1,000 movie theaters nationwide.

But Costco’s book department issued the “pull-order,” requiring all Costco stores nationwide to remove the book, confirmed Scott Losse, an inventory control specialist in the book department at the Costco Wholesale corporate office in Issaquah, Washington, a suburb of Seattle.

The July 1 order required all copies to be removed by July 15.

Contacted for a reaction, D’Souza was surprised to learn of the Costco decision.

“If true, this would be very odd,” D’Souza said.

“We’re in the process of finding out what’s happening. I look forward to getting to the bottom of this and continuing the strong relationship my publisher and I have always had with Costco and their millions of shoppers.”

Most Costco stores WND contacted Monday had already pulled “America” from the shelves, with others scheduled to remove it with their regularly scheduled inventory changes Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

A few Costco stores told inquirers Monday they were “in luck,” because a handful of books were still available and a few copies remained in the warehouse waiting to be returned. Staffers offered to put aside a book so it could be purchased before all copies were shipped back to the vendor.

WND contacted by telephone and email Costco’s national book-buyer, Pennie Clark Ianniciello, at Costco’s headquarters, but received no response to WND’s questions regarding why D’Souza’s book was being pulled from the shelves just as the companion movie was opening in theaters.

WND was unable to reach by phone or email Marji Ross, the president of Regnery, which published D’Souza’s book.

Missing from the New York Times list

Amazon readers have given “America” an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.

The Washington Examiner reported June 20 that the book sold 4,915 in the first week and 5,592 in the second week but mysteriously was kept off the New York Times bestseller list, where it would have ranked No. 8 and then No. 11 on the June 29 list.

D’Souza told the Examiner: “It’s their newspaper, and they have a right to rig their list anyway they want, but if they are doing it, people should know.”

He said the New York Times list is important to boosting sales.

“It matters to be on it,” he said.

The book will be on the Times July 13 list, however, at No. 17.

The movie “America,” which has been given a rare “A+” CinemaScore by audiences, opened in 1,105 theaters nationwide to roughly $4 million over the five-day July 4 holiday weekend.

It didn’t do as well as D’Souza’s 2012 breakout hit, “2016 Obama’s America,” which enjoyed a remarkable $6.5 million debut on its way to $33 million, but the November election between Obama and Republican Mitt Romney was clearly a factor, noted TheWrap, a website that covers Hollywood.

“We didn’t expect to open as well as that film for that reason,” co-director John Sullivan told TheWrap. “But the word of mouth on ‘America’ is tremendous, even better than on ’2016,’ and we think it’s going to build in the coming weeks.”

Sullivan commented that for a documentary “without Justin Bieber or animals in it, I think we did pretty darn well.”

Obama’s ‘romance’ with Costco

In January, Obama paid a visit to a Costco store in a Washington, D.C., suburb, “proving,” as Jaime Fuller of the Washington Post commented, “that his administration’s romance with the second-largest retailer in America is stronger than ever – and might just be the most successful union of a politician and a supermarket in American history.”

Sinegal spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2012, which nominated President Obama for a second term.

Sinegal, who retired as Costco CEO in January 2013, said Obama’s re-election would be better for businesses than a country led by Mitt Romney.

American companies, he said, need “a president who takes the long view and makes the tough decisions,” said Sinegal.

“That’s why I am here tonight supporting President Obama, a president making an economy built to last,” he said.

Vice President Joe Biden with Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal at the Washington, D.C., Costco store in 2012.

Fuller said that in the 2012 campaign, Costco played “an important role in countering Walmart’s support of Republican candidates and issues while also proving an easy way for Obama to mention income inequality and smart job creation on the campaign trail.”

In total, Costco has given $100,000 to Obama and another $100,000 to Priorities USA, the pro-Obama super PAC.

Sinegal was the author of an email blast sent out by the Obama campaign in July 2012. Obama also held a fundraiser at Sinegal’s house in Seattle, during which the incumbent president said “the story of Costco and everything that you guys have done I think is representative of what America is all about.”

*The power of the purse is one of greatest tools we have and unfortunately a tool that too few Americans use. China poisons our kids with led toys and our pets with poison dog treats, while continuing in the dog and cat meat trade, yet we keep buying from China. Wal-Mart pulls Glenn Beck’s books from the shelf and we keep shopping there. Mexico has imprisoned one of our Marines, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, for months for making a wrong turn, as well as serving as a safe corridor for an endless stream of illegals from Guatemala, Honduras, etc., yet Americans keep vacationing in Mexico. And Costco pulls Bibles and re-labels Christian books (in the past) and now pulls America: Imagine a World without Her off the shelf… and the question is: Will conservatives keep shopping there?

Bill O’Reilly’s Factor Talking Points on standing up:

Update (theBlaze):

Costco Wholesale, the second-largest retailer in the United States, has apparently decided to remove all copies of Dinesh D’Souza’s bestselling book, “America: Imagine a World Without Her,” from its stores nationwide, WND reports. The decision to yank the book, if true, would coincide with the theatrical release of D’Souza’s new film of the same name last week.

Scott Losse, an inventory control specialist in the book department at the Costco Wholesale’s Issaquah, Washington, corporate office, reportedly confirmed that a nationwide “pull-order” was issued for D’Souza’s book. All copies are now reportedly required to be removed by July 15.

Costco has sold about 3,600 copies of “America” nationwide.

Concerned individuals may contact Costco President and CEO W. Craig Jelinek by email or by calling (425) 313-8100 and/or Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Richard A. Galanti by email or by calling (425) 313-8100.

Video: Inside Look At Dinesh D’Souza’s Film ‘America’

Update: July 8, 2012 7:30PM PT – Dinesh D’Souza appeared this evening on Hannity, who had reached out to Costco.

Costco sent Hannity a statement tap dancing and denying that they react to politics when making product choices… Really? And miraculously after a lot of public fallout and pressure after the news of their pulling the book surfaced, they are now reordering and restocking “America”

The book, heavily critical of Barack Obama, was officially released June 2. A corporate decision to return the books was issued July 1, just as it is about to debut on the New York Times bestseller list.

Galanti confirmed to WND the “pull order” was in effect and that D’Souza’s book is in the process of being removed from Costco stores this week, with the goal to have all copies of D’Souza’s book out of Costco stores nationwide and shipped back to the vendor no later than July 15.

He said the decision to pull D’Souza’s book was not political but was based solely on sales, arguing Costco’s national goal is to market books that show up on the New York Times bestseller list.

Dinesh D’Souza’s Response to his books being pulled from Costco:

Appearing on Hannity, Dinish verified that “America” is on the Amazon best-seller list, and number 1 in at least one category, plus last week newly released “America” overtook Hillary’s stinker, Hard Choices, in total sales… but it is still on the Costco shelves. The movie, just released over the 4th of July Weekend is getting rave reviews which will only up the sales of the book!

Dinesh D’Souza, in response to the news of Costco removing his latest book,America: Imagine a World without Her, from its shelves, made the following statement on July 8th.

Today, I was stunned to learn that Costco had pulled my latest book, America: Imagine A World Without Her, from all of its stores. This was despite the fact that the book had sold very well at the chain and that my movie of the same name was releasing on over 1,000 screens the very next day. Today, I am disappointed to learn that this news has been confirmed by Costco. This action confirms the suspicions of all freedom-loving Americans and is a direct attack on my livelihood which I take very seriously.

In a free society, Costco is free to ban my book, but their customers are also free to shop at other stores which don’t censor books. In the book and the movie, I talk about the shaming of Americans and a culture of intimidation and censorship that has been spearheaded by the President himself. It’s one thing for Costco executives to pal around with President Obama and donate almost exclusively to Democrats. But to turn their company into a tool for suppressing dissent against the government is another matter.

I urge all Americans to watch our film in their nearest theater and buy the book from an establishment that honors freedom of speech. Once they do that, they will understand why the President and his allies are so afraid of this message and determined to keep it from reaching the American people.

To leave Costco a message on their Facebook Page about their actions, click here.

Message Costco

America took the #1 spot on Amazon’s best seller list today, surpassing Hillary Clinton’s memoir and all other books on Amazon.

Video: Megyn Kelly – Costco Reverses Itself on Dinesh D’Souza’s book “America”

O’Reilly Video: Megyn Kelly – Costco Reverses Itself on Dinesh D’Souza’s book “America”

Not that Costco nor their co-founder Jim Sinegal should get a pass on all this, but as Rush said Costco has done more to Spread the word to sell Dinesh D’Souza’s Book and buy tickets for his movie than anyone or anything else; both book and ticket sales are up!!