K
klankford2002
Guest
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Hawaii
I will try to make this as short as possible.
On Saturday June 12th 2004 my wife (16 yo) and I (19 yo) went to our local Costco to join. We were surprised to find that I could be a member but my wife at age 16 could not be. The manager at Costco said that under no circumstances could a person under 18 be allowed to join. I then asked if Costco was a private or public company, and was told that the company was a private company. I was then told by the management that my wife was not a legal adult. I then e-mailed Costco, and found out that my wife was a legal adult, and that Costco is actually a public company with private membership. The woman that e-mailed me back said that even though my wife has been emancipated, she does not have the right to be a Costco member.
Ok, here is state law:
When a minor is married in Hawaii, the minor immediately becomes a legal adult, with the same rights as an 18 year old except:
1. The minor cannot vote
2. The minor cannot purchase or use tobacco products
Here is my arguement:
Costo, no matter what the morons I have communicated with have said, is a PUBLIC company. The private membership only means that you have to pay to be a member. This means any legal adult must be allowed to become a member, or else Costco is discriminating. Obviously if Costco was really a private company they would be able to have as private of membership as they please, but since they sell their stock on the New York Stock Exchange, they cannot claim to be a private company. The company has essentially tried to add their membership to the list of things emancipated minors cannot do. This is obviously a violation of her civil rights, as she is being discriminated against because of her age. Costco holds fast to the claim that they are a private company, this is what the company representative has to say:
I must also clarify a misconception about Costco's business status. The stock of Costco Wholesale Corporation is publicly traded in the stock market, however, Costco Wholesale Corporation's warehouse stores are private membership clubs. Our warehouse stores are not open to the general public. Further, Costco's warehouses stores are not "mass merchant discount"
stores like Target and Sears.
This is so false, as the definition of a public company is:
A company which has issued securities through an offering, and which are now traded on the open market. also called publicly held or publicly traded. opposite of private company.
This definition is according to investorwords.com.
Obviously this means that Costco is a public company. Although they are allowed to make patrons purchase memberships, they are still public company who cannot keep legal adults from becoming members. The state has already defined what a legal adult is, therefore, how can Costco redefine who is a legal adult inside their warehouse? Are they not bound to follow what the state says is a legal adult if they want to continue comerce in this state. What can I do to get them to let my wife to be a member, and are all my points correct and valid? If not, what law says otherwise, and where can I find more information about these kinds of laws. Thanks in advance for any advice or corrections to my arguements.
I will try to make this as short as possible.
On Saturday June 12th 2004 my wife (16 yo) and I (19 yo) went to our local Costco to join. We were surprised to find that I could be a member but my wife at age 16 could not be. The manager at Costco said that under no circumstances could a person under 18 be allowed to join. I then asked if Costco was a private or public company, and was told that the company was a private company. I was then told by the management that my wife was not a legal adult. I then e-mailed Costco, and found out that my wife was a legal adult, and that Costco is actually a public company with private membership. The woman that e-mailed me back said that even though my wife has been emancipated, she does not have the right to be a Costco member.
Ok, here is state law:
When a minor is married in Hawaii, the minor immediately becomes a legal adult, with the same rights as an 18 year old except:
1. The minor cannot vote
2. The minor cannot purchase or use tobacco products
Here is my arguement:
Costo, no matter what the morons I have communicated with have said, is a PUBLIC company. The private membership only means that you have to pay to be a member. This means any legal adult must be allowed to become a member, or else Costco is discriminating. Obviously if Costco was really a private company they would be able to have as private of membership as they please, but since they sell their stock on the New York Stock Exchange, they cannot claim to be a private company. The company has essentially tried to add their membership to the list of things emancipated minors cannot do. This is obviously a violation of her civil rights, as she is being discriminated against because of her age. Costco holds fast to the claim that they are a private company, this is what the company representative has to say:
I must also clarify a misconception about Costco's business status. The stock of Costco Wholesale Corporation is publicly traded in the stock market, however, Costco Wholesale Corporation's warehouse stores are private membership clubs. Our warehouse stores are not open to the general public. Further, Costco's warehouses stores are not "mass merchant discount"
stores like Target and Sears.
This is so false, as the definition of a public company is:
A company which has issued securities through an offering, and which are now traded on the open market. also called publicly held or publicly traded. opposite of private company.
This definition is according to investorwords.com.
Obviously this means that Costco is a public company. Although they are allowed to make patrons purchase memberships, they are still public company who cannot keep legal adults from becoming members. The state has already defined what a legal adult is, therefore, how can Costco redefine who is a legal adult inside their warehouse? Are they not bound to follow what the state says is a legal adult if they want to continue comerce in this state. What can I do to get them to let my wife to be a member, and are all my points correct and valid? If not, what law says otherwise, and where can I find more information about these kinds of laws. Thanks in advance for any advice or corrections to my arguements.