The Facebook page that created a wave of international media scrutiny is apparently being shut down.
The administrator of the page “Bellingham Costco needs a special time just for Americans” wrote a post stating it was time to take the post down. The page, put up in July, has garnered attention from media outlets around the world, particularly in Canada.
Here’s a (link) to the Facebook page that stirred up the controversy (link may not work if the page is taken down).
Below is the unedited post on Facebook:
Well. this has raised the awareness of the problem. hopefully city/county officials see its a problem and will allow Costco and other companys to expand if needed. Really bad this turned into a bashing of Canadians and Americans. Some of you Americans should be ashamed of yourselves with the really bad things you have said, along with you Canadians saying some way off topic very hatefull things. Americans I think would be more receptive to this and Canadians I would think you were more loving and empt to help our problem of just trying to live life, but I guess im naive in the fact. To the hoards of radio/tv stations trying to contact me, sorry all I have to say is that I just want a better quality of life for everyone, including our wonderful Canadians visiting our very beautiful city. What really gets me is that there hasnt been any city/county officials on this page making actual facts or offering any reinsurance that they are working on trying to solve this issue. I am shutting this page down for many reasons. No, its not legal reasons, for I live in a country that protects my freedoms. I am shutting it down primarily because of the ignorant press/canadian/american negative connotations it has received. It has done what it was intended for but some people took it way overboard. By the way, yes the title was offensive, it was meant to get your attention, but don’t judge the book by its cover please.
I visit from BC frequently. I still go to Bellingham to enjoy lunch at the waterfront or shop at Trader Joes. But I’ve been avoiding Meridian and Costco like the plague. It’s a bad scene and I get bad vibes there now. If I want to go to Costco, I drive to Burlington.
Hope Costco in Bellingham takes notice from this. There is a customer service lesson somewhere here. At least expand your hours of business Costco. I think you can certainly afford to do at least this much.
I am glad this is coming down. The only thing it served was to enable Canadians and Americans to launch posts like missiles across the border in a back and forth that serves nothing.
As a Canadian who is a permanent resident of the US and is completely in love with Bellingham I have a unique perspective. I understand what drives shoppers south. It is not a recent phenomenon and not as related to the value of the dollar as you might think. It does have a lot to do with gas price, and the fact that even without a favorable exchange rate certain things are sooo much cheaper here.
As a person who has to live and shop in the city and time my excursions to avoid the worst of the traffic I am totally with my fellow B’ham residents, muttering under my breath about “darned Canadian shoppers.” But then I remember that because of the Canadian shoppers we were able to employ 12 people at out holiday season mall calendar kiosk last year and in the next month we will start hiring again.
I think it’s important to note that any time you have a lot of people in one place behavior will sometimes slip. Let’s just all try to take a breath and smile at each other a bit more and hopefully we can get through our day without launching another cross border flame war.
Costco has the power to limit quantity on products purchased and has chosen no to do so.
Safeway has the power to limit quantity of products purchased and has chosen not to do so.
The stores that we shop a do not care if people that live here can buy there own food locally.
I do not blame the Canadians for finding better deals, I blame our local stores for not providing for the local customers who will still be here when the Canadian dollar drops.
Wish Lynden would let costco build, even if they just sold milk, butter and gasoline.
@Limits: Costco, Safeway, et al. are private businesses and can sell whatever they want at what ever quantities they choose.
You said around the work instead of around the world.
So glad to hear it is coming down. To have a debate about box stores and building a bigger Costco is fair, but the title of the page, and what that led to didn’t do that. Let’s take this as a chance to learn that what we type online has real world implications. On the comments section in the Herald we see the exact same type of horrible comments day in and day out. Remember there are real people you are talking to, and it can have negative impacts. How about some follow up coverage on the new facebook page “Bellingham Businesses and Residents Welcome Canadian Shoppers”. It would be a great story on us responding with kindness to our visitors, and that not every bellinghamster feels like the people on the now defunct facebook page.
Every border I’ve ever been to had some variation of chickens & booze on one side,
fireworks & cigarettes on the other. Anybody wanted to go to the trouble to make a run,
could come home with a carload. It’s a good system, not only allows entry-level smugglers a foot in, but, there’s poetic value there. Only thing is, I think they ought to go back to if you make it to the line, you’re home free. ~Z~
As a Canadian, I ask you to not confuse these people as Canadians, they invaded our country and have pushed our values right out the door. I will embrace anyone who comes to Canada to be Canadian and take up our values but they don’t. Our kids don’t have the Loads Prayer anymore, they want us to honour their values and laws, the same ones thet escaped from? Unfortunatly it is far too easy to get into Canada and way to hard to get rid of them and soon they will out number the real Canadians. I am sorry for trouble these so called Canadians have caused, but please don’t paint us all with the same brush.
Jim, as another Canadian, I disavow your discriminatory remarks. “These people” are absolutely Canadian no matter how uncomfortable ol’ Jim here feels about it. If you’re referring to people of Indian and Asian origin then you can stop right there. These groups have been in Western Canada about as long as any white Canadians with British origins have been. They have not “invaded” our country. Also, my values have never included forcing kids to recite the Lord’s Prayer in public schools and I’m a white, third generation Canadian, so don’t try and act like we’ve been robbed of our values and laws. This whole game of “real” vs. “fake” Canadians is divisive and should not be welcomed in a multicultural society.
The host of the Facebook page is unfortunately very uninformed. Costco gets the problem and *is* looking to build a new store, and the City is bending over backward to help it! Thousands of tax payer dollars will go to help this private business thrive on Bakerview through street and infrastructure improvements. In addition, the big box ban has been revised so much that it basically doesn’t exist at all and businesses are able to develop huge box stores by meeting some simple requirements.
I would have thought by now the page would have had some truth injected in it by the owner, but apparently not. Even the first Herald article on the subject cleared those common misconceptions I am still reading on the page. I’m glad it’s coming down, if for no other reason than the owner doesn’t seem to even want to try and learn the facts. Missed opportunity.
@Jim your comment is inappropriate to say the least. As a Canadian I would much rather call any immigrant my fellow citizen than a person like yourself. And I don’t think any residents of Bellingham will welcome your racist comment with open arms. They are good people down here.
@donkeyboobie, Thanks for pointing that out, it should be fixed now. I guess it was a long day at work!
At the very least, Costco could open earlier then 10am! They are losing business. Put some pressure on Costco – where it belongs.
Hey, at least we made FARK.
My husband and I are retired. We enjoy frequent trips to Bellingham. We went down on Tuesday after all the hoopla about Canadians. I must say that I felt very uncomfortable being there and our $200 a trip down will now be spent in Burlington. We made a point not going to Costco and were concerned about our vehicle being parked at the mall and at Freddies. Needless to say we did not stay long. We purchase things that we can not get in Canada like Tillimook products etc, no milk. I worry about something happening like in Wisconsin, so on that note our trips will change.
Our city money should not go to huge corporations which compete with local merchants and small businesses.
Money gained by destroying the trees and beauty of Bellingham to create an ugly box store, congestion, noise and big acres of cement does not compensate for the damage to the environment and the destruction of our quality of life.
As to the Facebook page it is obvious that it was put up to have the easy to fool believe that the right thing to do is to give approval for the new Costco to be put in.
As to who put it up; it probably was by someone who had money to gain in getting approval for the new store. As to how this story got national attention it was no doubt part of this propaganda to sell the notion of the huge box store. Propaganda works and the public is sold bad things each day.
The fight is not Americans against Canadians. The battle is against the huge companies that control our politicians at every level of government. Did Costco contribute to Linville’s campaign fund? If so how much was given?
Do not fall for this trick. We can say no to the huge store without offending our Canadian neighbors. We can say no to Kelli the supposed hometown girl.
Have you heard the expression, “let’s you and them fight”? Ignore the grammar but get the point, please. The issue, for Canadians, for Americans and every living creature, is not about garnering dollars for big monies offshore accounts but giving away your children’s and grandchildren’s wellbeing.
What good is Costco to you? Do you really need that thing made in China with built in obsolescence? The thing made by stripping our natural resources in some ungodly way that most likely sent pollutants into the air and water; next, that material was shipped in an oil consuming CO2 producing diesel vessel to China, constructed by unhappy workers or slaves; then it is equally wastefully painted with more toxins, packaged wastefully and shipped back here, and trucked and trained to our big ugly stores. If you have the money, you buy it. In your purchase you have cheated yourself and your grandchildren. Now the mayor and all of her developer, contractor and Costco CEO friends would like to ding you some more by charging you to build their roads etc. Will you be so easy to fool?
The thing I find most amusing about all of this is the arguing it has created between Canadians!
First, THANK YOU Canadian friends for shopping in Bellingham. Yes, sometimes traffic can get a bit overwhelming. Please excuse the few local cry babies that can’t adjust their schedule to shop around the peak travel periods – they are the minority of those of us that live as your neighbors to the south.
Thank you to the person(s) that built the Facebook page for having the sense to shut it down. You made your point, though it no more than a whiner’s point of view. At a time of great economic peril in our country I will take every dime, nickel and penny in taxes and sales in Whatcom County that we can get. We are fortunate to have the border so close, and the vast majority of locals are very GRATEFUL for Canadians that travel to shop at our stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc.
Lastly, I think Costco could look at their sales volumes and post “best times to shop”, just like WSDOT posts “best times to travel” during the various holidays (like going over the passes at Christmas and Thanksgiving). I think if they put a graph on their local webpage when the lower volume times are, locals could find better times to hit the Guide and Costco. This does two things:
A. It levels out the high and low congestion peaks of the day, allowing for better traffic flow on the Guide AND in the store. This information Costco should easily have, likely based on staff scheduling. All they need to do is turn it into a graphic and post it.
B. It shows initiative by the store to try and help customers and travelers, and will ultimately help them provide better customer service and get more customers in and out of the store smoothly.
Dave
….as usual this thing has been totally overblown by the Press. Tempest in a Teapot, but grist for the BH blogs….As I sit here in Canada, the reaction has either been “huh”; “so what, who cares”; or “what’s a Bellingham?”.
Shows you the media will run anything that gets attention and sells copy…
Dave, another solution is to not shop at Costco.
O. K. kiddies, here is what is happening.
It is called “manufacturing consent.” Ever wonder how a miniscule story like a facebook rant against Canadian shoppers got on national news in the first place – versus some more relevant story about Whatcom County – like say the global environmental and health disaster we will face if GPT happens?
Here are the steps:
1) Stark exposes the fact that the City is in bed with Costco
2) Many citizens get angry. They do not want another box store!
3) The current mayor, the current pied piper of the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce, and Costco take immediate action to force a new Costco on you by reframing their argument and getting it on national news.
4) All media is owned by four or five multi-national corporations who only dish out propaganda for big business so it is easy to get this ridiculous straw dog out there. NPR and Fox News (one and the same) immediately broadcast the story.
5) For the few of you who look, you can find the spin on it that you need to swallow from “Kimberly.” Her blog called Addicted to Costco” posted today says “To me it seems like the store…built in 1991…is probably small and needs to expand…” and, if you can choke the rest of it down go to the site and read on.
Is there a moral to this story, kiddies?
Yes! You must take anything you are being forcibly feed with a healthy grain of salt, if you want to remain free.
American Costco shoppers in Bellingham, WA are 100% justified in being fed up with the onslaught of Canadian license plates. These ‘Canadians” are Asian convenience store owners down there to buy perishable merchandise, like dairy, and resell to BC store patrons at markup. These entrepreneurs shouldn’t be construed for ‘Canadian’ because Canadians don’t pile across the border and shove Americans into the corn flakes for cartons of butter. The problem here is the wholesale prices in BC for these products are much too high. If BC forced a price reduction, would spell great relief for American Costco shoppers in Bellingham.
I’m very sad that the site is being taken down, though I understand why the creator is doing it. The simple idea of creating a site for fellow Bellinghamsters to express their frustrations with the over-crowding and rudeness at our Costco fell into the hands of ignorant and disrespectful idiots hell-bent on throwing out insults they wouldn’t dare say outside the anonymity of Facebook. It certainly didn’t help that the media misrepresented the point of the site and inflamed those who blindly took the reports as truth.
The fact that the site is being taken down rather than Costco and local council members acknowledging this years-long problem and searching for solutions makes me VERY sad. It may be easier to shut down the page, but the frustrations and anger have been here for years and will continue to grow into something potentially violent until the situation is resolved (note that Costco already has/needs a police presence).
A second Costco in NW Whatcom County is the solution!
This story did get on national news and as a result I got an inquiry from a friend who lives in Pennsylvania wanting to know why the Americans did not want the Canadians to shop in Bellingham.
I explained that this was a made up story, an invention to sway public opinion away from inquiring into a recent news story concerning our mayor and her dealings with Costco. When politicians and people with vested interest have bad publicity they put a spin on the issue or reframe the story. We are not fighting with the Canadians. Bellingham has many other fine grocery stores and Canadians shop there and are welcome.
The side step and spin may work but then again the general public may be smarter than the politicians think.
…wondering if anyone has taken the time just to ask one of the shoppers why they are buying so much milk and other items? My take is that given the price of gas across the border, its entirely possible that some of these folks are simply making a shopping run not only for themselves but neighbors and extended families.
Although the premise that some of the people are buying items for resale is possible, the resale margin would be pretty slim. It seems more likely to me that the multitudes of shoppers we see with 4 carts all lined up in a row are shopping for others as well…
“American only” hours at Costco would be just as crowded. It wouldn’t solve any problems.
It’s disappointing that Bellingham is being perceived in this light. A few thousand people on facebook do not speak for the 80,000+ people who live in Bellingham. We are a friendly town and we are happy to share this beautiful place with anyone who visits!
This person is either 14 years old or hasn’t cognitively developed since that age. We live in a world chock full of dimwits. Why do we act so amazed, with accompanying media bombardment, when we come across yet another?
This just in: a dumb person put up a dumb facebook page that had the dull August news season all a-twitter. End of story.
It is sad that this is all over a multi-million dollar business that is taking our money. We need to concentrate on local business and helping those around us make a living and have a better life! I am sure that Costco, Fred Meyer’s and other stores serve a purpose with giving people jobs but we really need to start looking at how we are spending our money and who we are giving it to. I would much rather give it to a small business owner that a big box store.
Wow, it is so sad to see the majority of the folks here sucking up to not offend the Canadian shoppers. It is not only Costco, they have plugged up I-5 and all of the major roads and stores. Bellingham has become addictied to these folks and need to get some serious help. They also seem to be contempt to retail jobs instead of industry. Being born and raised in Bellingham and spending the last 50 + years here. I can not stand it. I am giving up a very good career in an industrial job to retire early and move out of the area. To have to live here and be dependent on these folks taking over our city drives me nuts. I cannot live in this once great place anymore. Good bye Bellingham and Whatcom County.
What is really sad, is the complete grammatical failure of the poster. Evidently, this Facebook page was created by some hung-over teenager whos command of the English language extends only to what he learned watching “Blue’s Clues.”
I am not trying to pick on a couple misspelled words, but some of what was posted is difficult to read. English isn’t even my frist language, so what the fvck is this guy’s excuse?
After shopping at numerous Costco’s in WA, OR, and CA I am seriously disgusted by the lack of goods offered here in Bham. (not just temp. out) The one next to my sister’s in CA has 4 sushi chefs working during the day. The store in Tukwila has a cooking theme and offers the great items.
As for buying and selling higher, come to Maple Falls and get robbed. Starvin Sam’s sells the deli meat packages for 7.99 each. (3 for 10 at costco) Crossroads grocery just doubles the price they paid from Costco. Even the dairy from Everson/Sumas has a store in Sumas and sells Costco milk instead of their own.(they take credit cards) In Seattle, 3 cruise ships dock and folks buy all the vitamins that they can haul home.
I wonder how many people get sick from all that milk that sits out for hours. Not all use a cooler…
A local resident left the local Costco fuming and decided to make a page about it. They didn’t intend for all the negative comments, however, what did come out of it was that the world saw that there is an issue. It’s sad that you have to be so politically correct now a days. This was free speech, and if you were offended, leave the page. If you offended by the comments or disagreed by the comments then you could fight back. There are a number of Canadian pages that popped up in response, will they be taken down? Probably not.
I am disabled and have a disabled sticker, and it infuriates me that the spaces are filled with Canadians. I silently cheer when I see a WA plate in a handicap place because I know they got it easier, where I have to walk a bit.
Speak your mind, raise your voice…just look at the Anti Coal, Tea Party, Occupy groups, no one is complaining they should take down all their webpages (facebook and other). People should just buck up and let things roll off their shoulders while others should be allowed to vent.
As Jim said, this is not about Canadian citizens who have always come down here and acted pretty much like us. Forget Poliitcally Correct with the type of Asian non-Canadian that we are getting at Costco. They are not Canadian Citizens and are pigs who throw their trash on the ground, are rude, crude and do not bother with obeying traffic laws, just like in Hong Kong or Delhi! This is not racism, just sick of rudeness, boorish behavior and lack of any manners!!
Way to go, Bellinghammer’s! Your true colors have shown through. After all the talk about diversity, tolerance, blah, blah, blah, you have shown the entire nation who you really are. Selfish and ignorant!
One last thing, no need to worry about all the Canadians for much longer. Come 2014, we will be going up to Canada to shop at their Costco once Obama-care hits as prices will rise by 15%. Think our economy is down the tubes now? You aint seen nothing’ yet!
That web page was based on lies and the statement on closure was a cynical lie.
That person has done a lot of damage to your town’s reputation and to your businesses. I hope you will hold her responsible.
Amazing issues here. I am very glad to peer your post. Thank you a lot and I’m looking forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?
For all the previous “Bellingham Costco needs a special time just for Americans” Facebook page fans, Just “Like” the new page, It will not be taken down due to scrutiny by media or other outlets. It’s Called FREE SPEECH! DEAL WITH IT!
For all the previous “Bellingham Costco needs a special time just for Americans” Facebook page fans, Just “Like” the new page, It will not be taken down due to scrutiny by media or other outlets. It’s Called FREE SPEECH! DEAL WITH IT!
http://www.facebook.com/bhamcostco