Costco Wholesale, a U.S. retailer, is taking many steps to prepare for a possible strike next week in U.S. port cities on the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. The company's CEO said this on Thursday.

Costco CEO Ron Vachris stated that the company has contingency plans to prepare for any eventuality. These include pre-shipping certain products in order to arrive at holiday goods earlier and preparing different ports.

The companies that depend on ocean shipping are growing increasingly concerned that the International Longshoremen's Association's members, who number 45,000, will go on strike on October 1 and shut down 36 ports, which handle more than 50% of U.S. Ocean Trade of products like bananas, meats, prescription drugs and auto parts as well as construction materials, apparel and other goods.

In that case, costs and delays could cascade quickly, endangering the U.S. economic system in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. They would also burden the already overtaxed ocean shipping networks, and eventually increase prices for consumers.

We've cleared ports and pre-shipped. Vachris stated that they had done everything possible to ensure that holiday goods were delivered ahead of the deadline. They also looked at alternative plans, such as moving goods across the country or to other ports.

When asked about bringing goods in early, he replied, "We've done a bit of everything that you mentioned." He added, "I can't say how disruptive it will be, until I know what might happen out there."

A long-term strike may result in a shortage of staples such as coffee, cocoa and bananas. This could lead to higher prices for groceries.

Exports of important agricultural products such as beef, pork and chicken, or eggs, could be affected.

(source: Reuters)