While I’m generally skeptical of boycotts, BDS scares the shit out of Israel. Because I do believe if BDS becomes a global movement it really could change things. I’ll start with the list from bdsmovement.net and then add to the list as people list other companies to boycott in the comments:
Hewlett-Packard (computer hardware)
Siemens (tech conglomerate)
AXA (banking & insurance)
Puma (clothing)
Israeli fruits and vegetables (usually labeled)
SodaStream (idk that garbage home soda)
Ahava (cosmetics)
Sabra (hummus)
Yeah it seems odd to add Costco and not basically every other grocer because the amount of Israeli stuff they sell seems pretty similar to what other large stores sell.
My local faux granola market sells Sabra, sodastreams, and Carmel stuff
I think it’s because Costco sells shit in bulk, so people tend to be buying a lot of it and frequently. Not to mention local restaurants source their stuff from Costco often, so it starts to infiltrate your community
It’s true they sell stuff in bulk but I don’t think that really changes the consumerist side of the equation much. One big packet of dates vs. a smaller packet you buy twice as often.
For restaurant supply, that’s definitely another market, but I don’t think the alternatives are better. Bulk dates at both restaurant supply stores I go to are Israeli, for example.
With that said, I think it would be a good idea to do targeted campaigns to get stores to drop BDS items one store at a time, which could include boycotting that store. I just don’t think Costco is a standout, they all suck at very similar levels.
America is very small business brained. I think it’s easier to shame a bruncher into dropping their favorite restaurant and that restaurant doing damage control and dropping Israeli products (assuming it’s not illegal, because otherwise they’ll use that as an excuse).
BDS is one of the few boycotting movements that work, otherwise Israel wouldn’t be spending tens of millions of dollars to criminalize it in a foreign country. But because of the lobby it could be difficult to convince petite bougs to go along. But the shame factor is still important