Although Costco's comparable sales numbers for the third quarter look far from pleasing, it must be noted that a fall in gasoline prices and the strengthening dollar had a significant negative impact on the company's growth. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, this growth amounted to 7%, reasserting the fact that despite lower than expected reported numbers, Costco's business continues to show no signs of concern for investors. However, excluding the impact of gasoline prices, overall SG&A witnessed a drop of 10 basis points despite incremental technology expenses due to effective cost management.