Current Events > Will millennials kill Costco?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/will-millennials-kill-costco/2018/01/19/

Theres a Costco to one side of Gwendolyn Hammers house and a Sams Club to the other. But when the 28-year-old needs 12-packs of paper towels, or 36 rolls of toilet paper, she heads online instead.

Once a month she uses her smartphone to place a bulk order on Boxed.com, a website founded five years ago as a millennial-friendly alternative to warehouse wholesalers. There is no membership fee, and most orders arrive within two days. Other times, she stocks up using Amazon Prime.

Ive never had a Costco membership, even though I knew shopping there would likely end up saving me money, said Hammer, who lives in Utah Valley, Utah, and grew up shopping at Costco with her parents. I do like not having to haul my kids to the store.

Warehouse clubs such as Costco, Sams Club and BJs Wholesale Club have for decades been an American staple: a place where families can stock up on bulk items, try free samples and spend the better part of a weekend morning meandering through aisles filled with 26-packs of canned salmon and king-size mattresses. But as more of Americans buying shifts online, some retail analysts say warehouse clubs may largely be left behind.

The core club customer is older: Its generally someone with a family and a house, said Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at the research firm Forrester. Costco has been one of the least digitally forward companies out there. This segment has had its head in the sand when it comes to competing with Amazon.

Thats not to say, experts said, that Costco, Sams Club and others havent made efforts in recent years to appeal to younger, time-strapped shoppers. Sams Club offers in-store pickup for online orders and the option to pay for items using an app instead of standing in line.

Costco, meanwhile, has added more organic produce and meat and has an expansive wine selection. It is also rolling out grocery delivery services that will bring fresh produce, as well as packaged goods and other items, straight to customers doorsteps.

[Costco announced it would deliver groceries. Then its stock fell 6 percent.]

I think were encouraged when we see the level of millennials, if you will, that are signing up, when we see the average age of our membership coming down, Richard Galanti, Costcos chief financial officer, told investors in late 2016. Now, it was just a couple of years ago when the average U.S. Costco adult member was four-plus years older than the population as a whole. Now, its a little under two. And thats without a lot of planning, but its part of what we do.

Will the millennial killing spree ever end?
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i like costco :(
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Out with the old in with the new
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Adapt or die

That said, I like Costco, so I hope not
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there's a costco a mile from my work and I've literally never been in it even though I drive past it at least twice every day. there are so many other stores
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thronedfire2 posted...

there's a costco a mile from my work and I've literally never been in it even though I drive past it at least twice every day. there are so many other stores

spotted the millenial killing costco
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thronedfire2 posted...

there's a costco a mile from my work and I've literally never been in it even though I drive past it at least twice every day. there are so many other stores

You can't just "go in it"; you need a membership.

To OP:
Your link doesn't work. Here's the corrected link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/will-millennials-kill-costco/2018/01/19/d0de5dec-fb9e-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html

IdiotMachine posted...

thronedfire2 posted...

there's a costco a mile from my work and I've literally never been in it even though I drive past it at least twice every day. there are so many other stores

You can't just "go in it"; you need a membership.

well that would be the problem then wouldn't it
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The Costcos around me are always really packed. They are so packed that the main reason why I dont really go to them is because its always a hassle to go to because there are so many people in the store. Lines are long as shit. I dont see it dying.
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Who the fuck buys toilet paper online?

I hope not, Costco pays like 60k a year in the end
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