The Rise of Costco: How Costco Became A Massive “Members Only” Retailer

[stewie_e]

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Costco makes billions doing what in retail might once have been thought unthinkable: charge people to shop there. The company draws most of its income from membership fees, and has a nearly 90 percent membership renewal rate. It charges very low prices on goods, rotates its inventory, and pays employees better than the retail average. But how long

Comments

[tucker]

I had a Costco membership for maybe a year or two but it wasn’t worth it for me

There were probably only like ten things I ever got from them on a regular basis

[delaglaciere]

I fucking love Costco, especially when they get random designer products, usually in a limited supply-I bought a bottle of Creed Green Irish Tweed from there online for $280 (Nordstrom sells the same one for $670). Their alcohol selection is also ridiculously cheap.

[genbu_no_miko24]

I’ve mostly gone to Sams more but I remember going into Costco a few times as a kid.

I remember cracking up last year cause we had a Costco post where Anna Kournicova buying a lot of booze for New Years

[dumpweeds]

I don’t have a Costco membership but there’s only two of us so we don’t need Costco amounts of food

But I do like their churros

[xellabelle]

What do y’all get at Costco? I’m curious.

I don’t get the appeal of Costco lol. Idk I’m a minimalist so I don’t like to bulk buy anything and feel it actually wastes money. I think I’m also a bit of a shopping snob and I enjoy the ~experience~ of shopping in nice stores with a nice atmosphere even if I don’t buy that much or expensive things there.

[levenah]

We get chicken, salmon and then produce. I also get some other random things in larger quantities like peanut butter. Sometimes they have random items that we've tried that are good (some stuffed spinach and cheese noodles) Sometimes I buy stuff for work (granola bars etc) because middle schoolers are HUNGRY and they made us get rid of our mini fridges where we could store produce for them.

I see a lot of people spend hundreds a week and I don't get THAT. We go once a month, but it really has been a good deal for us and my in-laws pay for our membership, so no cost to me!

[syphilisdiller]

the only tings i get on a regular basis are TP, bread, lunch meat, and this bag of tortilla strips that's about the size of a toddler

my parents gave me their extra membership card, it wouldn't be worth it for me to pay to be a member

[elderpricely]

Alcohol, fruit, frozen food, coffee, yogurt, chia seeds/flaxseed/protein powder for smoothies, bread, oil, rice, paper goods, cleaning products, snacks, vitamins/ibuprofen, sudafed, prescriptions, leggings, a kitchen mat, rugs, a phone case, a vacuum, an outdoor space heater, plants, airpods, water bottles, my friend got a macbook, I get my glasses adjusted there when they get loose, etc.

oh yeah, I also bought my winter tires there.

there's a lot of stuff that isn't in bulk and a lot of the stuff that is can be easily stored for as long as needed. unless you're buying perishable stuff you won't use before it goes bad, I don't see how it can be a waste of money.