The Language of Costco

Wednesday, February 8, 2012


Some people have bilingual parents who taught them Spanish.
Mine taught me Costco. 
And I probably use it more than I would have used Spanish.. 

Ever go to Costco, find that item you can't live without- decide to sleep on it but come back only to find it is gone the next day?  I want to share a couple of tips you might not know about how to avoid this AND get the best price in the wholesale warehouse.

*LOOK FOR THE STAR ON THE PRICE TAG. 



This doesn't mean that the item is being completely discontinued, but it does mean that all of their inventory in that building is out on the floor. This is usually the first sign that an item is being discontinued, but if you are really curious you can go up the membership counter and ask if they will be getting any back in stock.

*ANYTHING THAT HAS A PRICE ENDING IN 0 OR 7 IS BEING DISCONTINUED
Once I see that an item I want has a star on the price tag, I wait to see how low the price will drop. It may go from $14.99 to $12.99 but this not how low it will go. As soon as I see the item end in a 0 or a 7, I know it's time to act as that item price will not go any lower.
So it may go from $14.99 to $12.99 to $11.97. I know that  the $11.97 will not drop further because it ends in a 7 as that item is being discontinued and they are not going to receive any more.
You will have the most luck finding these prices in the housewares, seasonal, and clothing sections of Costco rather than in the food department.

*CHECK THE PERIMETER WALLS FOR CLEARANCE
Many times, a person may return a discontinued item. Costco usually puts these items on some back wall where they will have the above basement price.

*GO TO A DIFFERENT COSTCO
Each Costco gets in slightly different inventory and marks their prices accordingly. So sometimes, you can find the item you want has already had its price reduced at another Costco.

So there you are, fellow Costco lovers.

And for you Costco-haters out there: I can't convert you. It is up to you to have your own Costco awakening. Like Mitchell did once he realized it was a lot like Cam.


5 comments:

  1. you've been holding out on me

    ReplyDelete
  2. This makes me so happy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, thank you for sharing your secrets!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Prices can drop lower even when it ends in a 7. That price means it is on clearance but it can have future mark downs. We have also found that items that are clearanced sometimes come back and can be marked higher when they come again or sometimes lower. Remember the white trays Carrie? And Costco's pricing varies considerably from store to store. I think it depends on the quantities they have on hand and how badly they want them to go away. I just saw the rugs I have been eyeing that were $299.99 were down to $179.97 but sadly they did not have the style I wanted. Costco is my favorite store.

    ReplyDelete

I like to hear all of the beautiful things you have to say.