An employee was interrogated for hours over $10,000 of expired meat, but it's Costco's own safety policies that ended up on trial.

Culture, like brand, is misunderstood and often discounted as a touchy-feely component of business that belongs to HR. It's not intangible or fluffy, it's not a vibe or the office décor. It's one of the most important drivers that has to be set or adjusted to push long-term, sustainable success.

Greenpeace hopes that Costco's decision to halt sales of unsustainably farmed fish will impact the industry.

Swatch wants to clean Costco's clock over U.S. copyright infringement. Medical schools want the IRS to categorize residents as students to skirt Social Security and Medicare taxes. In other words: business as usual for this year's docket. Sure to garner national attention is Chamber of Commerce v. Candelaria, a case challenging the Legal Arizona Workers Act, which requires businesses to verify workers' documentation and punishes employers for "knowingly or intentionally" hiring undocumented immigrants (an estimated 10% of the Arizona workforce). -- RA

Greenpeace gets a lot of flack for its aggressive, embarrassing campaigns against corporations, but the simple truth is that they often work. That's why we have some hope that the organization's most recent campaign, which derides Costco's lack of sustainable seafood policies, could result in real changes.

To ring in the new year, Target has launched the Great Save, a sales event offering slashed prices and bulk-packaged items, creating a warehouse club-like atmosphere--but without the membership requirement or fees.

Now you can pull off the road, pop into 7-Eleven and grab a chardonnay with stone fruit tones or a plum-like cabernet sauvignon, both of which pair perfectly with Go-Go Taquitos or a 1/4-pound Big Bite.