In this changing landscape, retailers like Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) have faced a difficult challenge of maintaining market share in the face of competition from Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), TGT, WMT, and COST - all which were not the threat they are today only three years ago. Though in a different vein than the aforementioned, Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) has had to face harder competition from its major competitor Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) and has faced volatility in sales as the economy has changed due to the business's reliance on the housing sector. Costco has three major points of strength that make it a long-term buy. These strengths have the potential to provide investors with both security along with a platform for continued growth and expansion.