Costco Posts 13% September Sales Growth as Cramer Gains Confidence

Costco’s September sales rose sharply from a year earlier, giving Mad Money host Jim Cramer more confidence in the warehouse retailer despite investor concerns about valuation, membership growth and renewals.

Net sales reached $30.02 billion for the five-week retail month ended Oct. 4, 2026, up 13.0% from $26.58 billion a year earlier. Total comparable sales increased 11.4%, while comparable sales excluding gasoline-price and foreign-exchange effects rose 7.6%.

U.S. comparable sales climbed 12.5%, or 8.0% excluding gasoline prices and foreign-exchange effects. Digitally enabled sales rose 19.0%, or 19.1% excluding foreign-exchange effects.

“If you strip out gasoline, you got 8% growth [in the U.S.], and that's really terrific,” Cramer said.

Costco said the later timing of Labor Day in 2026 added slightly more than 50 basis points to September total and comparable sales. The company’s comparable-sales measure covers existing warehouses and related channels, while its adjusted figure removes gasoline-price and currency effects to show underlying demand more clearly.

The September figures followed Costco’s fiscal fourth-quarter results for the 16 weeks ended Aug. 30, 2026. Net sales reached $93.9 billion, up 11.2% from a year earlier. Comparable sales increased 9.4%, or 6.7% excluding gasoline prices and foreign exchange.

Digitally enabled sales rose 19.5% during the quarter, or 19.8% excluding foreign-exchange effects. The quarter also included a $184 million tariff refund, producing a nonrecurring benefit of $0.15 per diluted share. Costco said that benefit was partially offset by reinvestment in member value.

Cramer also framed Costco as a value-oriented retailer for consumers under pressure. “When times get a little tougher, you go to Costco, and you save a lot of money,” he said.