Costco Comment on Department of Justice Release


ISSAQUAH, WA--(Marketwire - February 12, 2009) - Costco Wholesale Corporation ("Costco") (NASDAQ: COST) ("the Company") released the following statement: In connection with the announcement today by the United States Attorney's Office in Seattle that it has concluded its investigation of the company's stock option practices, Costco Wholesale's President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Sinegal stated: In the Fall of 2006 we voluntarily brought to the attention of regulators issues concerning our option grants and took an accounting charge to correct for errors. We have cooperated with the US Attorney's investigation and have notified them of Costco's commitment to enhancing its compliance program as posted on their web site.

Contact Information: Contact: www.costco.com