My sense of things is that they are introducing more, not less, of the Kirkland brand throughout the store.
They probably had a problem with scheduling a packaging run at the supplier and needed stock.
Costco seems to be in a constant state of evolution, they have the items that don’t change often, but then things always get added on the periphery.
Lately we’ve seen some new Korean (dumplings, noodle kits) and Indian (samosas) offerings.
You will also see many regional differences, even between stores in the same area. In our area Neptune has a large selection of Kosher items, Hazlet does not. Midwest stores carry Cookies bbq sauce, in So Cal it’s Yoshida gourmet sauce.
Costco are, however, generally not as adventurous or as broad in the food offerings as they used to be say 15-20 years ago. It’s a lot of the same stuff, and more Kirkland than name brands.
I’m out of the business about five years, but last I heard Costco (and BJs and Sams) were neither wholesale nor retail. They were “big box” and they got the best deals from manufacturers.
Largest volume gets the best deals. But “wholesale” and “retail” have pretty standard definitions. “Wholesalers” typically sell TO “retailers”, but marketers make up whatever terminology they can use to hype their business (hence something like Costco Wholesale). In my experience “Big Box” just means they have very large footprint stores. Obviously, though, YMMV.
I sold wholesale to all kinds of customers, and initially we all thought we could barge into Costco or BJs and be millionaires. Kind of like being a Disney or Norweigan cruise purveyor! But the brokers told us to stay out in no uncertain terms, it was another whole branch. All of the product is packed differently and has to come from that supply chain only.
I was a wholesaler, mostly sold to restaurants and schools, hospitals and nursing homes and that kind of thing. Retail sales is to grocery stores and the like, although sometimes I managed to sneak into one or two with a certain item (like BBQ sauce to the meat department). At least that was my experience. It WAS broken up into three different supply chains though.
My local Costco now only carries organic & free range eggs. No ‘ordinary’ eggs. I find better deals on most food items elsewhere. Kirkland sneakers & jeans are the best deal there although the jeans have dropped in quality a bit over the last couple years. Their book selection sucks anymore.
Has anyone noticed a change in the sheets recently? I have bought Costco sheets for years and have been happy but looking online now (they didn’t have the color I wanted so I went to their site) I see the reviews are horrible.
There is a brand called Malouf that has great reviews but you can tell they are made up.
I shop in both the Yonkers and the Port Chester stores and I can tell you, it is worth the drive to PC. Yonkers and Hackensack NY are the WORST Costco’s ever.
I have bought and enjoyed the stuffed peppers at the Yonkers location. Those are always worth it.
Great thread…
I’ve left costco negative feedback because here in texas the kirkland paper products have gone down hill. The toilet paper and paper towels are now worse than the walmart house brand. I told my wife jokingly that now might be a huge opportunity for sams club to make a comeback with high quality premium products. Step up your game please costco!
I have both a Bj’s Wholesale Club and Costco Club membership. I shop mostly at BJ’s simply because it’s half the distance from my home as Costco. When I do decide to take a trip to Costco it is always far superior to Bj’s in just about every category. They removed jewelry AND the snack bar from my local Bj’s, even if their hot dogs were much crappier than Costco’s they were still decent for $ 1.50 or $2.00 that they charged.
So to all you people who think Costco has slipped lately, trust me it’s still far better than BJ’s!!! I would like to check out a Sam’s club, that’s Walmart correct?
Yes, it’s the same company as Walmart. Sam’s is super close to me, but I never go there. I would say it’s about even or a bit better than BJ’s. However, no doubt in my mind Costco is better than both.
