Costco

[Questor]

^

You still can't see a huge percentage of the items they stock. For example, search for 'bread' and you get nothing, while they carry dozens of different kinds.

Try this trick... use the Instacart app. It seems to be integrated with their inventory system and the search feature actually works. Obviously no help with identifying what shelf something is on though.

[warreng88]

I was looking for something we usually get at Costco, found an employee and asked them about it. They said sometimes corporate decides not to carry something for the store anymore and they don't know about it until they don't have any more and someone like me asks about it. I also mentioned them moving things around, the employee said they call it the "hide and seek" method. It is a way to get customers to wander the store to try to find that one thing they always get in the same area in a different area and hopefully discover something else they want. It's like the rotisserie chicken being all the way at the back. They don't make any money off of it, but it's way to get you to walk past hundreds of items on your way to get it.

[scottk]

I was looking for something we usually get at Costco, found an employee and asked them about it. They said sometimes corporate decides not to carry something for the store anymore and they don't know about it until they don't have any more and someone like me asks about it. I also mentioned them moving things around, the employee said they call it the "hide and seek" method. It is a way to get customers to wander the store to try to find that one thing they always get in the same area in a different area and hopefully discover something else they want. It's like the rotisserie chicken being all the way at the back. They don't make any money off of it, but it's way to get you to walk past hundreds of items on your way to get it.

This has been discussed a few posts back as well.

I get it, Walmart has "Action Alley" as they move sale and seasonal items in the middle racetrack aisle, Target does the same and has really planned out planograms on end caps to motivate impulse spending.

Where Costco drops the ball (literally) is moving something like golf balls one week at the front with other outdoor items in the center, and the next week it's back by wine in the corner, and the next week It's next to the fresh meats near the deli. The logic doesn't make much sense and is frustrating. Costco seems very stuck in their ways on multiple things. Somethings are good like freezing price points on $5 chicken and the $1.50 hot dog/soda combo. The other thing about Costco is due to limited eye level shelf space, there are weeks I go searching for an item, only to find an un-open pallet of it three shelves up, but nothing on the floor.

[Pete]

I assure you, I was the biggest Costco fan around in the 90s and 00s but they have not updated their tech since then, and it was never good to start.

When your biggest rival that is just killing you with checkout options (self and Scan & Go), walk out without the silly highlighting of your receipt, home delivery, 98% of your items not listed on your website... Do something about it. But the gap just keeps widening.


I will say the biggest example of where Costco is just much better than Sam's is all their fresh baked or prepped foods, like croissants or cookies or even things like ribs. Sam's just leaves old stuff out at least from the day before because if you go in early enough, you'll find that most of the baked goods still are cold from having been refrigerated overnight. And just take a look at their fruit trays or similar... Old food, wilted lettuce.

I never, ever had that problem at Costco and that's a pretty big deal and IMO the biggest Costco advantage. They really pride themselves on quality which is also why the Kirkland brand is a lot better than Members Mark.

[Pete]

Try this trick... use the Instacart app. It seems to be integrated with their inventory system and the search feature actually works. Obviously no help with identifying what shelf something is on though.

Thanks for that tip! Very helpful.

Of course, the prices are marked up by Instacart, so you still don't know the warehouse price.


Also demonstrates it's not that hard to list all your items since Instacart does it.

[Ward]

^^^^ above post mentioned discontinued items at Costco.

I was in Costco a few days ago looking for more Famous Daves Pickles. Found none. Was disappointed.

Wondering if SAMS carries them. I have a SAMS card and Costco as well, I prefer Costco most all the time.

I understand how people prefer to see new items.

I've been a Costco member since 1011 and a SAMS member since 1990-ish.

[mugofbeer]

COSTCO and Sams differ in that Sams can satisfy your everyday grocery shopping. COSTCO can get you 3/4 way there but for some specialty items or normal sized packages, COSTCO probably isn't your place.

[Celebrator]

COSTCO and Sams differ in that Sams can satisfy your everyday grocery shopping. COSTCO can get you 3/4 way there but for some specialty items or normal sized packages, COSTCO probably isn't your place.

Disagree. You can do all of your everyday grocery shopping at Costco, too. At this point, arguments about all of this comes down to personal preference. I don't care about the tech aspect that Pete cares about, so for me Costco is superior to Sam's, but for some the tech aspect is a big deal and Costco loses points big time in their eyes. Thank goodness we have choices...we are so fortunate.

[Pete]

^^^^ above post mentioned discontinued items at Costco.

I was in Costco a few days ago looking for more Famous Daves Pickles. Found none. Was disappointed.

Wondering if SAMS carries them. I have a SAMS card and Costco as well, I prefer Costco most all the time.

I understand how people prefer to see new items.

I've been a Costco member since 1011 and a SAMS member since 1990-ish.

I have not seen those pickles (which I also love) in Sam's in a while.

Just did a search on their website and it looks like they are no longer carried.

[barrettd]

Disagree. You can do all of your everyday grocery shopping at Costco, too. At this point, arguments about all of this comes down to personal preference. I don't care about the tech aspect that Pete cares about, so for me Costco is superior to Sam's, but for some the tech aspect is a big deal and Costco loses points big time in their eyes. Thank goodness we have choices...we are so fortunate.

Agreed, completely. Lucky to have both.

[Ward]

I have not seen those pickles (which I also love) in Sam's in a while.

Just did a search on their website and it looks like they are no longer carried.

I've seen Famous Dave pickles in Walmart, not the exact same variety, but maybe close enough, and of course it will be a much smaller jar.

I need my fix!!!

[mugofbeer]

Disagree. You can do all of your everyday grocery shopping at Costco, too. At this point, arguments about all of this comes down to personal preference. I don't care about the tech aspect that Pete cares about, so for me Costco is superior to Sam's, but for some the tech aspect is a big deal and Costco loses points big time in their eyes. Thank goodness we have choices...we are so fortunate.

No, you are correct. I grew up in a household of 7 so COSTCO would have worked well for, as l said, 3/4 of our groceries. The other 1/4 or for items you don't want the mega size, you go elsewhere. Or if you are single, you need other choices, so you are right...... preferences, choices and need.

[scottk]

It really depends on what you buy and how much of a selection you want, to give some perspective:

-Costco on average has about 4000 SKU's in a store (different types of products) - But has a wide variety/diversified selection, especially one-time speciality products.
-Sam's Club on average has about 6500 SKU's in a store, so yes Sam's does carry a wider selection or more types of brands/items compared to Costco.

More perspective:
-Walmart has about 120,000 SKU's in an average store.
-An average grocery store like Crest or Homeland has about 30,000 SKU's
-Dollar General/Family Dollar will have about 10,000 SKU;s
-Trader Joe's has about 4000 SKU's
-Aldi has about 1300 SKU's.

...and I have family and friends that shop exclusively at Aldi for all their grocery food needs due to the store's size, prices, simplicity (one size only of many products) and convenience.

Family size, proximity, income, and many other factors all play into which store fits each household best.

[jn1780]

Well there is a reason why the Western store performs better than the Moore store. Moore is more working class and doesn't really value the speciality selection that Cosco offers. I don't really know how well Costco does in varying their inventory toward the population, but Walmart/Sam's Club are really good at it.

[bombermwc]

Well there is a reason why the Western store performs better than the Moore store. Moore is more working class and doesn't really value the specialty selection that Costco offers. I don't really know how well Costco does in varying their inventory toward the population, but Walmart/Sam's Club are really good at it.

Apparently you've never been to the Moore store. The place is absolutely insane on a daily basis. Each checkout line is 6 people deep and the self checkout waiting line goes back to the flowers. Way to go to talk out your rear about what the customer base is too. Working class...hahahahaha. Yes there is working class in Moore, but there are also 500k-1M+ homes being constantly built all over Moore. Ok bub....

[therhett17]

Apparently you've never been to the Moore store. The place is absolutely insane on a daily basis. Each checkout line is 6 people deep and the self checkout waiting line goes back to the flowers. Way to go to talk out your rear about what the customer base is too. Working class...hahahahaha. Yes there is working class in Moore, but there are also 500k-1M+ homes being constantly built all over Moore. Ok bub....

Yeah I've never seen the Moore store not packed, it's just as busy if not more than the Western store.

[BoulderSooner]

Yeah I've never seen the Moore store not packed, it's just as busy if not more than the Western store.

per this thread and first hand conversations ... the moore store lags far behind the western store in sales ..

[midtownokcer]

Apparently you've never been to the Moore store. The place is absolutely insane on a daily basis. Each checkout line is 6 people deep and the self checkout waiting line goes back to the flowers. Way to go to talk out your rear about what the customer base is too. Working class...hahahahaha. Yes there is working class in Moore, but there are also 500k-1M+ homes being constantly built all over Moore. Ok bub....

I drive an extra 10 minutes to the Moore store if I go on weekends because it isn't as busy as the OKC store. Moore is a breeze compared to OKC.

[traxx]

I was looking for something we usually get at Costco, found an employee and asked them about it. They said sometimes corporate decides not to carry something for the store anymore and they don't know about it until they don't have any more and someone like me asks about it. I also mentioned them moving things around, the employee said they call it the "hide and seek" method. It is a way to get customers to wander the store to try to find that one thing they always get in the same area in a different area and hopefully discover something else they want. It's like the rotisserie chicken being all the way at the back. They don't make any money off of it, but it's way to get you to walk past hundreds of items on your way to get it.

It's not just Costco that does this. And I understand stores' reasoning behind this but I question if it helps them as much as they think it does. I feel like they're trying to be too clever here and out thinking themselves. They need to realize it pisses off the customer. You don't know if they've just moved the item or if they no longer carry it. And I'm more likely to give up than ask someone or buy a substitute.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Yes I also go to the Moore Costco. It is not remotely busy compared to other Costcos.

[BoulderSooner]

I feel like they're trying to be too clever here and out thinking themselves. They need to realize it pisses off the customer. .

yeah you should let them know it is a bad strategy ... lol

COSTCO revenue/profit (12 months ending May) 253.69 B / 31.7 B
SAMS peak revenue is 84.3 B

sams has 600 us stores

costco has 584 us stores ..

[traxx]

yeah you should let them know it is a bad strategy ... lol

COSTCO revenue/profit (12 months ending May) 253.69 B / 31.7 B
SAMS peak revenue is 84.3 B

sams has 600 us stores

costco has 584 us stores ..

This is a theme that I see a lot on this site lately...people trying to shut down discussion on a discussion forum. I wasn't aware that when a business had billions in revenue that customers weren't allowed to have opinions.

[Rover]

It's not just Costco that does this. And I understand stores' reasoning behind this but I question if it helps them as much as they think it does. I feel like they're trying to be too clever here and out thinking themselves. They need to realize it pisses off the customer. You don't know if they've just moved the item or if they no longer carry it. And I'm more likely to give up than ask someone or buy a substitute.

I would safely bet that they have analytics that project that yours isn't the most normal reaction. Everyone feels like their feelings represents everyone else. They obviously believe their data indicates that their strategy is a plus strategy.

[Rover]

This is a theme that I see a lot on this site lately...people trying to shut down discussion on a discussion forum. I wasn't aware that when a business had billions in revenue that customers weren't allowed to have opinions.

Why is it that when people push back on their opinions it upsets them and they think they are being silenced? They just have a different opinion which they are providing evidence for. Argue back if you have sound data to support your opinion or refute their provided facts with more supportable facts. But don't get mad when facts supports conclusions better than opinions given without factual basis.

[traxx]

Why is it that when people push back on their opinions it upsets them and they think they are being silenced? They just have a different opinion which they are providing evidence for. Argue back if you have sound data to support your opinion or refute their provided facts with more supportable facts. But don't get mad when facts supports conclusions better than opinions given without factual basis.

It doesn't upset me, I just don't understand the logic or lack thereof for stifling discussion on a discussion forum. I've been noticing this for a while in here, it's just now that I've said anything about it.

For instance, I've seen on the OU basketball arena thread where some people prefer for it to be on campus or they don't like the proposal to put it at UNP or in Moore. The replies to these people is often along the lines of "Why don't you pony up $100 million and you can put it where you want" or "That will never happen so stop bringing it up." It's a discussion forum. You don't need to be the money man or the power player to have a preference. Just because someone has an opinion or preference doesn't necessarily mean they think it can or will happen how they want it. It's just discussion for the sake of having a conversation.

It really seems that if someone's opinions or preferences don't align with yours (generally speaking; not yours specifically) then that person need not post anymore. You guys know what you're doing when you post a response that doesn't cultivate discussion. That's kind of at cross purpose of a discussion forum. Which I'm sure Pete will appreciate and enjoy discussion being shut down on his discussion forums.