1. Explain what the information in Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 says about the company's performance.

(Notes: a. it is expected that you use, present and analyze critical financial ratios to validate the argument;

b. Answering 'How well is Costco performing from a financial perspective?' is just a start. It is expected that the answer will go beyond that.)

EXHIBIT 1 Selected Financial and Operating Data for Costco Wholesale Corp. Fiscal Years 2018-2021 (\$ in millions, except for per share data) Total cardholders (000s) Sources: Company 10-K reports for fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Vote: Some totals may not add due to rounding and to not including some line items of minor significance in the company's income statement. How Costco's Membership Fees Contributed to Costco's Higher Overall Profitability, Fiscal Years 2018-2021 (in billions of dollars, except for percentages)