Everyone’s favorite newly septuagenarian Vice President paid a visit to Costco Thursday to shop for pies and flash his famous grin. Oh, and also to urge Congress to act now to avoid the potential doom brought on by the impending fiscal cliff. He displayed his store membership card as he waltzed into Washington D.C.’s first Costco store on its opening day, and, naturally, was ready for plenty of photo ops.
But while Biden certainly appeared to enjoy his shopping spree, he also made sure to talk business. He called for Congress to enact middle-class tax cuts by Christmastime to boost consumer confidence — and then duke it out later over tax cuts for wealthier families, the Associated Press reports.
(MORE: Would You Buy Health Insurance at Costco?)
“We have a lot we have to settle, but there’s one thing we should all agree on and that’s the middle-class tax cut should be made permanent. I think it’s important Congress acts now, I mean right now,” the VP said at the store. But enough shop talk — and on to the shopping! “I’m looking for pies,” Biden soon announced to the crowd of employees and patrons who had gathered around him.
Employee Ivey Stewart assisted Biden by guiding him around the large warehouse store, later asking him to place a call on her cell phone:
Susan Walsh / AP
Stewart was also kind enough to handle Biden’s cart, freeing him up to munch on some tasty free samples:
Susan Walsh / AP
But it wasn’t all about food for Biden. After all, he’s married to an educator, so he had to check out the book selection too:
Susan Walsh / AP
In the end, Biden’s purchases included flowers, fire logs, several children’s books, a 32-inch TV and, just like he hoped, an apple pie. Now, if only Costco sold pre-packaged solutions to the fiscal cliff.