Costco NEVER Sold Mifepristone
You can't "stop selling" a thing you didn't sell in the first place
Every single news outlet that hasn’t mentioned that Costco NEVER SOLD “the abortion pill” in the first place ought to be ashamed of their really shitty reporting.
That said, Costco didn’t do itself any favors by not stating that fact either.
They didn’t even put out a press release. Now they’re on their heels and the media and rightwing MAGA groups are giddy over the “liberal Costco” deciding to “stop selling abortion pills.”
(By the way, Costco does sell the Plan B pill.)
Good grief.
Backstory:
From what’s been reported, Costco didn’t put out a formal press release. They essentially responded to media inquiries with a short statement saying there was “no demand” and that they wouldn’t be selling mifepristone—without clarifying that they never sold it in the first place.
That’s the PR equivalent of dropping a “We’re not doing this thing” bomb without the all-important “…and we never have” context. Which, predictably, let headlines and social media run wild with “Costco stops selling abortion pill,” even though nothing changed.
How they could have communicated better:
Lead with the history: “Costco has never dispensed mifepristone at any U.S. location and has no plans to do so.”
Then explain the why: “Given the low demand from our members and the availability of the medication at other pharmacies, we have not pursued certification to dispense it.”
Stay ahead of the spin: Proactively put that statement on their website or in a formal press release, rather than letting reporters frame it first.
Instead, Costco’s low-key response made it look like they were ending a program—which gave both political sides something to pounce on.
It’s amazing to me that Costco didn’t handle this well. This fight has been going on for over a year now to get more pharmacies to sell Mifepristone by the left and more to drop it by the right. They had plenty of time to get the messaging right.
But they done fucked it up BIGLY.