Strong labor market, rising disposable income, elevated consumer sentiment and strategic efforts are working in tandem for Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST . While major chains are grappling with sluggish store and mall traffic as consumers switch to online shopping, Costco seems somewhat resilient to the tough retail landscape. Excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and gasoline prices, Costco's comps for the month under review rose 8%.