For some reason Costco does a poor job of keeping track of what’s actually in the store compared to what is shown online. For example the other day I looked online to see if they had DampRid. It said no product found. Then in the store I come across DampRid that is currently $3 off. I also purchased shelving online that was supposedly not available at my store, then I see it in the store for a much lower price. I think this is something they need to work on. Walmart does a better job of showing what is in their stores and what the price is.
Did you go on their website or the app to check inventory?
Costco says on their website that warehouse and online prices can be different.
My complaint is that things are hard to find. They don’t tell you what is in each isle and they move things around. I heard that is intentional to make you wander around the store. So I guess they don’t care about customer no service if it makes them more money.
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Thanks. Yes, I looked at the phone app as well as used my desktop. Neither one shows the Damp Rid and looking at the shelving it says Out of Stock Tallahassee, even though both items were in the store. The shelving units are $24 each more online, but of course that includes delivery, but I have a truck and wouldn’t have needed to have it delivered.
This is the Costco business model. You may not agree with it, but they are not Walmart.
For their warehouses, they want you to come in. Warehouse profits come from “oooo, I want it.” They lead you in with basic staples and rotisserie chicken, a frozen pizza. You have to be smart about this.
The waarehouses deliberately churn goods. It’s part of the experience.
I think you’re right about the churning and also moving products around in the store. I would be happy to shop there more regularly but I dread the 25 mile round trip through congested traffic, so I go to the store only a few times each year when I have to be on that side of town for another reason.
One of the reasons I like Costco is their consistent quality and return policy. Their meat is consistently excellent and reasonably priced. Since I detest rotisserie chicken, that’s not a draw for me :). My Costco is 8 miles from me, so I get it.
Other than that they have two major competitors: Amazon and Walmart. In my opinion, Amazon is the Costco online. I have to pay for Prime and I have to pay for a Costco membership. But you have to be careful shopping. Amazon prices are all over the place.
Sleeper: WalMart. For staple items, you can place an online order and not have to walk all over the superstore. I’ve found them at times to be less expensive than Costco. And they will tell you what is in stock.
Just a thought.
For some reason both Home Depot and Lowes are very good at showing on their website what is in their store. And they tell you what aisle and section too! Very handy.
This is my first and only year as a Costco member. The Costco business model is not for this shopper. I don’t do the “oooo, I want it”, and I can get better deals elsewhere without trolling the warehouse. Rotisserie chicken just isn’t enough!
absolutely agree. Jokingly, I truly believe there is a Costco-cult.
But I buy enough meat, milk, eggs and cheese annually I can justify my exec membership. I just wish they could get some scallops.
I totally disagree with the sentiment that Walmart takes better inventory of their goods! On more than 3 occasions, I shopped Walmart online for a specific product, after which I spent time fulfilling my other shopping needs. Each time, I had to go through the entire process filling in payment, address and shipping info. About 10 minutes after completing the process, receiving email confirmation and signing out, I got a “We’re sorry your (entire) order has been canceled” email because the item I wanted most was out of stock, though still listed. That product continues to be listed even several months after they stopped carrying it. I now refuse to waste my time and energy ever shopping at Walmart.com again. Going to a physical Walmart is daunting for me and far, far more difficult for me to navigate than the extremely helpful local Costco, not to mention the hassle of returning items to Walmart vs. Costco.