"Pete C." > wrote in message
...
>
> Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> I was once in a hurry and picked up a loaf of bread at Costco without
>> checking any more than the date on it. Thankfully the checker noticed
>> the
>> hole in the bag and got me another one. And now I know why!
>>
>> Two of the Costco's where I shop are overrun with grackles. For those of
>> you who are unfamiliar with them, they are birds that are similar to
>> crows
>> but smaller. They might look black but in the light, they have pretty
>> purple and green iridescent accents to their feathers.
>>
>> Anyway... I watched as a grackle stood in the bread aisle, stopping all
>> traffic for a few seconds. Then it walked under the bread racks and
>> began
>> pecking the bags open. Yep!
>>
>> At first I felt sorry for it, thinking that it had gotten trapped in the
>> store and was just hungry. But maybe not. As I was leaving, I saw many
>> of
>> them flying out the door.
>>
>> Because of the design of most Costco's, they have big wide entrance and
>> exit
>> doors that do not close unless the store is closed. So very easy for
>> those
>> birds to get in and out.
>>
>> When I worked at K Mart, we sometimes got birds in the store through the
>> receiving doors and they would often get trapped if they made their way
>> into
>> the store. Usually we were able to get them back out but by then they
>> were
>> often rather weak and battered from flying and flying and hitting the
>> glass
>> windows.
>>
>> So be cautious of bread that you buy at Costco, particularly if it is on
>> the
>> bottom of the rack!
>
> They need air curtains at the doors. They are mostly intended for bugs,
> but good ones will tend to discourage birds from crossing the strong
> down draft as well.

Are those the plastic things? And now that I think about it... Winco has
similar open doors but the door to the entrance has some extreme blowing
air. Cold in the summer, hot in the winter. I wonder if it discourages the
birds?