Mormons are encouraged to keep at least a one year supply of food on hand so perhaps this is, in part, Costco serving a constituency that is concentrated out west - where Costco is based. If one's theology prioritized such preparedness then the Costco offering would be very attractive for allowing one to check-the-box, so to speak, with a single purchase.

$3200 to feed a family of four for nine months seems to me to be pretty economical. And the Costco deal covers the storage containers, necessary dessicants, etc.

The Costco offering would also appeal to those who would like the assurance of a large food stockpile but have more money than time or simply do not want to research and do the laborious work of assembling one themselves.

Reuters recently ran a survey showing that 22% of Americans believe that TEOTWAWKI is going to occur during their lifetimes. That is a lot of people for whom the Costco stockpile could be alluring.

Costco has always been a favored shopping destination for those buying bulk, for whatever reason. They probably are more attuned than most retailers to the preparedness phenomenon.