Costco Has a Magazine and It’s Thriving

Each month, 15.4 million copies of Costco Connection are mailed out to members. Another 300,000 are distributed via Costco warehouses. It is now the nation’s third largest magazine.

Jimmy Kimmel swears he has never once asked his team to land him a lick of press — except for the time when he begged for the chance to be featured on the cover of Costco Connection.

The host and comedian pleaded with his publicist to get him a feature. “His first question was, ‘Why?’” Mr. Kimmel said. “And I told him, ‘Because I love Costco.’”

Mr. Kimmel has been a Costco obsessive for so long that he remembers when it merged with Price Club, a fellow wholesaler, in 1993. He does not visit for the samples. He does not go for the deals.

“I go there for relaxation,” he said, describing the deep happiness he experiences when he comes home with 20 pounds of ground beef. “I don’t like to run out of things,” he said.

Mr. Kimmel’s publicist was baffled, as was top Costco brass. “They were very confused because typically, they’ll have Famous Amos on the cover of the magazine,” he said.

Mr. Kimmel has led his own late-night show since 2003. He has hosted the Oscars four times. GQ and Esquire have profiled him. Still, Mr. Kimmel claims, to date, no career highlight compares with his December 2009 Costco Connection cover.