Page 8 - IAV Digital Magazine #579

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Costco Says Its 1-ounce Gold Bars Are Real & Selling Out In Hours
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U06B6CWjssQ
Siblings, Ages 10 & 11, Stopped While Driving Mum’s Car 320km From Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbrTcMWdeGQ
A 10-year-old Florida boy and his 11-year-old sister who were running away to California drove 320km in their mother’s car before they were stopped by sher- iff’s deputies on an inter- state highway, authorities said.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office says deputies spotted the sedan on Interstate 75 near Gainesville in north Florida just before 4am on Thursday. The children’s mother had reported it stolen and her children missing four hours earlier in North Port, a city in south- west Florida.
The deputies, thinking that they were dealing with car thieves, drew their guns and ordered those inside the car to step out.
“Much to their surprise, deputies observed a 10- year-old male driver exit the vehicle along with his 11- year-old sister,” the depart- ment said in a statement.
The children told deputies the girl had been upset that their mother had taken away her electronic devices for misbehaving, so the boy was driving her to California. The children were interviewed by detec- tives, who said there was no indication they had been mistreated by their mother or anyone else in the home.
The mother declined to press charges and the chil- dren were released to her.
The names of the mother and children were not released.
By Grace Dean
Costco has been selling one-ounce gold bars that it says get snapped up in hours.
"I've gotten a couple of calls that people have seen online that we've been sell- ing one-ounce gold bars," CFO Richard Galanti told investors Tuesday at the retailer's fourth- quarter earnings call.
"Yes, but when we load them on the site, they're typically gone within a few hours and we limit two per member."
Costco's website shows that the company sells one-ounce bars of 24-karat gold from South Africa's Rand Refinery for $1,949.99 and from Swiss sup- plier PAMP Suiss e for $1,979.99. Both products have been given average 4.9-star ratings on Costco's website.
The products include insured, signed-for air shipping via UPS. The listings for both products say they can't be returned or refunded. As Galanti said, cus- tomers can only buy two of each item per member-
ship.
At the time of writing, an ounce of gold on the open market was worth just under $1,890.
Some Reddit users have spo- ken about strug- gling to get their hands on the bars.
Customers with an executive membership are still eligible
for 2% cash back, Reddit users say.
"It's heavier than I thought," one TikToker said in
a video unboxing two bars of gold she bought from Costco."
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine