A：Recent club openings such as Kertag, Tessa, penango, and La roanna are not yet included in the comparable sales numbers. However, in the first nine months of the fiscal year, net merchandise sales reached almost $4.3 billion with total revenue of almost $4.4 billion, indicating a 11% increase in net merchandise sales (8.6% in constant currency).

A：The timing of Easter in the third quarter fell earlier than in the prior year, which impacted sales comparisons. For a more accurate comparison, the company looked at the eight-week period that captured Easter in both years, and during this period, comparable net merchandise sales increased by 11.2% or 7.5% in host currency.

A：In the third quarter, Central America had an increase of 10.6% or 7.7% in constant currency in net merchandise sales, with comparable net merchandise sales increasing 7.9% or 5.2% in constant currency. The Caribbean's net merchandise sales increased 6.8% or 6.2% in constant currency, with comparable net merchandise sales up 6.2% or 5.6% in constant currency. Colombia had an increase of 35.3% or 18.6% in net merchandise sales in constant currency, with comparable net merchandise sales up 35.7% or 18.9% in constant currency. Colombia's growth was driven partly by the depreciation of the Colombian peso.

A：In the third quarter, the food category grew by approximately 11.1%, and the non-food category increased by approximately 12.3%. The non-food side saw improvements after reconfiguring the sales floor to enhance the visibility of soft goods offerings, leading to improved sales performance. New product innovation and seasonal events also contributed to sales growth.

A：The company is in the process of developing a new membership platform internally named 'the membership omnichannelity Mot'. This platform will manage the full membership lifecycle across all channels, serve as the central system of record for member identity, transactions, and interactions, and is expected to replace several legacy processes.

A：In the third quarter, digital channel sales reached $6 million, an increase of 26.2% year over year, representing 6.9% of total net merchandise sales. The number of members who have created an online profile and made a purchase on the website or app have increased. The company has implemented a new point sale system, Alera, across all English-speaking and some Spanish-speaking markets, with early indicators showing faster checkout times and improved productivity. The rollout is continuing across remaining Spanish-speaking markets. Additionally, meaningful progress has been made in the implementation of the workpad human capital management system, with phase one rolled out.

A：The company is observing several political transitions such as Colombia's recent presidential elections and leadership changes in Chile, Costa Rica, and Honduras. There is a shift towards a more market-oriented and business-friendly approach in these countries, but the full implications for the operating environment are still uncertain. Global trade policy uncertainty and tensions in the Middle East are affecting cost drivers and contributing to inflation, which impacts consumer purchasing power and price sensitivity.

A：The total growth margin for the quarter as a percentage of net merchandise sales increased 20 basis points to 16%, which is from Q3 last year. The increase is attributed to improved margins in non-food categories. Total revenue margins improved 30 basis points to 17.7% of total revenue from the same period last year, driven by the increase in total cost margin and a membership sales increase.

A：The company ended the quarter with cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash totaling $204.6 million, and approximately $113.7 million in short-term investments. Net cash provided by operating activities was $192.2 million, an increase of 13.1 million from the prior year. The company also entered into non-deliverable forward foreign exchange contracts to mitigate foreign currency risks.

A：While Colombia is multi-CLA from a city standpoint, Chile has multiple cities with the majority of population in Santiago. Chile is further from the Caribbean and closer to the Pacific, several thousand more miles away than Colombia. The company is approaching Chile's expansion by considering these differences and the specific market conditions of Chile.

A：A significant devaluation of the peso, where it got over 4000 to 1, was a big hit to consumers and multinationals in Colombia, along with the exit of most multinationals from the country.

A：Factors to ensure success include building up the local team with the right management and buyers, a mix of local and imported goods, focusing on pricing and value proposition for members, and the scale and volume which will be helped by having multiple locations.

A：While Chile does not currently have a membership warehouse club, many Latinos, especially those of middle, upper, or upper-income, are familiar with paying a membership fee for subscription services, like Costco. The company has not announced when it will start selling memberships, but it will start selling them in several months, at least three months before the store opening, and possibly sooner if it is the first club in a new area.

A：The company is being strategic and opportune in sourcing products, buying only what it believes it can sell at a good profit. There are no changes in policy or strategy regarding currency transaction costs, and the company continues to evaluate options for accessing dollars.

A：Colombia has higher operating costs compared to other markets and the decline is a mix of increased warehouse fees and policy changes such as the minimum wage increase and a reduction in allowable work hours without overtime. The company is working closely with local operations to address these challenges.

A：The impact of Chile on warehouse profitability is not quantified, but it is mentioned that Chile is contributing to expenses like preopening costs. For the quarter, the preopening expenses in Chile amounted to about 10 basis points of the total expenses.