Key Points Costco has 81 million paid memberships. Membership helps power Costco's low-cost strategy. With only 914 stores worldwide, Costco’s subscription-like growth story is far from mature. 10 stocks we like better than Costco Wholesale › When most people think about Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST), they picture oversized shopping carts, pallets of bulk goods, and weekend crowds hunting for bargains. It's an easy image to latch onto: Costco is a big-box retailer, through and through. However ...