Do I need toilet paper? I either forget to buy it when I’m walking the football-field-sized warehouse of Costco, or I don’t remember that we already have plenty at home, so that combined with the extra hundred packs I will now bring home my two young boys will now have enough to make an American Gladiators style pit in the basement rec room. Which they will do.
The Costco experience is always a distracting one. It doesn’t help that they pepper the aisles with new products and people in hairnets offering everything from energy drinks to sizzling sausage for you to try; go there around noon to graze the samples aisle and you won’t need lunch if you grab a churro on the way out the door. Yes, I know that they dropped churros from the menu recently but they will come back. If not, there will be overturned carts and burning RAV4s in the parking lot like it was Woodstock 99 all over again. Don’t mess with the few luxuries us suburbanites enjoy!
You can’t buy a house there, but you never know if you’re going to see a full-sized storage shed or walk-in greenhouse like the one I bought last month. Still, I’ve always dreamed of turning a corner of the store and finding a display similar to this Isuzu commercial from way back:
While you can currently purchase a car in a program with your Costco membership, the idea of buying a vehicle off the warehouse floor might be an interesting idea. Also, it could be a great opportunity for a certain car manufacturer that could use some help in a bunch of ways, not the least of which being brick-and-mortar sales locations.
A mega pack of tissues, some Kirkland sandals, and an EV SUV in your cart for the person at the exit to check off with a highlighter pen? Sign me up. Here’s how it could work.
Compact Sedans On Aisle 6
If you’ve ever noticed the graphics-covered vehicles parked in the forecourts or entrance areas of stores, you already know Costco sells cars – at least sort of. With your membership, you can get set pricing from many different brands at a discounted rate (typically around $1000 off the MSRP, depending on the overall cost of the car) through one of around 3000 participating dealers. With hundreds of thousands of cars sold through this program each year, Costco is one of the top sellers in the country, though they obviously aren’t really selling them through the warehouse locations themselves.
What I have in mind is to actually buy the car right then and there. Take a test drive, sign the papers, load up your month’s worth of Granola bars, then drive off.
It’s been done before. Sears was easily as big of a juggernaut as Costco in years past, an ever-present force in retail so large that by the seventies they ended up building the tallest office building in the world (and if you live in Chicago it is STILL called the Sears Tower, dammit). In the early fifties, the mega-retailer sold a car through their stores called the Allstate. Essentially a rebadged Kaiser Henry J compact with a few minor changes, it came loaded up with Sears products like their own brand of tires and battery. Since this was a Sears, you could get your Allstate car insurance right then and there since the agency was still under their umbrella.
Ultimately, the Allstate was not a market success, yet that doesn’t mean the idea couldn’t work. This was still the day of the traditional car sales outlet, and I think Sears was probably a bit too ahead of their time. A bigger issue might have been that the Henry J wasn’t a spectacular car, and the compact segment was hardly hot back in those gasoline-for-pennies days.
Costco is known for selling products under their “Kirkland” label that are often made by more well-known brands, yet sold with Costco’s no-frills nameplate that ostensibly gives consumers a better value.
There are a few car brands out there that might be able do this as well, and I can see one with potential that honestly could use a break or two these days.
Is It Just Me Or Is That A Dumb Name?
Much has been written recently about the Vietnamese automaker Vinfast, as the relatively new maker of EVs has had a bit of a rough launch here in the United States. More than one publication that tested the brand’s first model (the VF8, below) has declared the VF8 not really ready for launch. Primarily the issues have been electrical and software-related, such as screens shutting down or functions just flat out not working. Others have said the ride, handling, and interior materials could be better. Set aside the fact that the name of the brand sounds like “your car’s identification number is going quickly” or “the bald guy in The Fast and the Furious films going at a high rate of speed”.
Reading through most of the reviews it appears that testers do actually like a number of aspects of the car, and we’re all looking for a good value EV these days. Many of Vinfast’s issues could be fixed, or are in the process of being rectified; the problem is that these things take time and effort. As much as people criticize the US model Yugo, it could have been far, far worse: the importer Malcolm Bricklin said that he needed a separate assembly line in Yugoslavia and had to make over 1000 changes to the car to make it ready for American sale. Also, I’ve heard that Porsche engineers claim that to take a car from a “pretty good” handling machine to an “exceptional” one takes at least a year. Still, the change can happen; in the early sixties “made in Japan” was the punchline of a joke about poor quality and substandard performance, but in 1970 they brought us the 240Z. Are you familiar with that car?
Vinfast has been working on setting up a brick-and-mortar dealership network here in the states, and understandably it appears to be slow going. In my opinion, they need to focus any and all of their energies on making a better product; if not, they’ll run out of money and goodwill before they even get started. The brand currently means nothing to most American shoppers, and those who do know might have a negative opinion. Enter Costco.
If They Won’t Sell Vasectomies, Then At Least Sell A Car For Five Kids
One segment of the EV market that seems underserved right now is the large seven-seat SUV category. The few entries (like the Rivian R1S) are prohibitively expensive, and if there’s one thing that comes with having more than the average 2.5 kids it’s going to Costco. I’d like to start by offering the largest Vinfast – the VF9 – as the Kirkland Signature EV7.
The VF9 is a relatively attractive and modern SUV design with some quirky details that I find a bit objectionable and polarizing. If there’s one thing that a Kirland-branded Costco product cannot have, it’s polarizing bits. Up front, I’ve modified the nose and brought the giant lower side intakes down to make the front appear lower. The front “grille” has been shaped to look a bit like a cut-rate Range Rover; if there’s one thing Kirkland products want to be it’s “premium,” and faking that six-figure British SUV is a perfect way to do it.
In back, the wraparound taillight of the Vinfast is similar to the backlights on the Rivian. There are odd love-’em-or-hate-’em “bow tie” shapes on the C-pillars that fell a bit design-for-design’s-sake.
Again, a Costco car has to appeal to essentially everyone. I’ve covered the bow tie with black glossy panels to form full-width side windows also not unlike on Land Rover products, and some of the Vinfast’s fussy detailing on the rocker panels has been removed. The Kirkland SUV sort of emulates the latest Range Rover with a “loop” taillamp around the license plate, and I’ve removed the wraparound lights of the VF9. Note too that I’ve integrated the side marker lamps into the wheel arches, as on the front of the car.
In all, we’ve cleaned up the shape to become a Kirkland “hotel artwork” kind of car; something that at worst won’t offend and at best might call to mind a more expensive object.
Inside, I’ve read mixed reviews of the Vinfast materials quality; our own Thomas Hundal found the interior of the VF8 he drove to have supple leather and reasonable craftsmanship, while others have claimed that the materials called to mind a ten- or fifteen-year-old General Motors product. Ultimately, it probably won’t matter. Remember, most buyers are not nearly as picky as us often-snobbish Autopians, and I can virtually guarantee that the vast majority have as much interest in cars as most readers of this site have in Olympic water polo. For many a Costco shopper, if they can get a Rivian-type large SUV for thirty percent less than the cost of that American EV (which has not always been consistent with quality either) then they’ll sign the papers while the kids throw those ultra-cheap hot dogs at each other.
The important thing is to have Vinfast focus on improving the product to an acceptable, competitive level and letting someone else deal with selling it. What will that process look like?
You Got An SUV But Still Forgot The Vitamin Mega Pack
R U going to Costco at lunch? says the text from your better half. You’d likely rather get a root canal while deep cuts for Limp Bizkit play in the dentist’s office, but reluctantly you agree to grab the items on the list she’s about to send you.
After showing your membership card, you walk into the front lobby area where they sell anything from air conditioners to coffins (I’m not making that up) and you stop in your tracks: There’s a big kiosk in front of you with a big white SUV glowing under lights. You’ve seen the cars in the Costco lobby for years, but this display with KIRKLAND SIGNATURE Electric Vehicles on it tells you this is different.
This is not a car you’ve seen before. The styling is nice, the interior looks reasonable, and the yellow Costco price tag in the window says “$69,000”. That’s a no-haggle number, and not exactly a giveaway price, but you’ve web-searched the few EVs available that are this big, and they list for what you paid to buy your first condo.
The salesman approaches and explains the many features; he offers to take you on a test drive in one of the Kirkland SUV demos parked in a covered area out in the parking lot. You’re impressed with the thing, and before the salesman takes you back to his glass cubicle at the kiosk he shows you how two of the tire installation bays are now dedicated to EV service.
In the office, the salesman explains the financing and leasing options available to you. You ask if owners typically shop while they bring the car back for oil changes, and then catch yourself. There are Costco-branded accessories like a refrigerator; fitted luggage; tablets that fit into the dashboard or backs of the headrests; roof and trailer hitch-mounted carriers and more – all of which work seamlessly with the car. There are even shopping bags designed to fit the Costco carts that also fit perfectly in the cargo area of your Kirkland SUV.
You take the bait and order a grey one that will be delivered to you in a week. It’s Costco – can you really go that wrong?
Membership Has Its Privileges
Could the idea work? A car is just another product to deal with for many people, and shoppers tend to take the path of least resistance, so this kind of one-stop-shopping might work. I can’t tell you how many products I’ve purchased at Costco without really doing much comparison on the web or looking at reviews. I figure it’s a good deal, it has a warranty, and if it sucked this big retailer would have hell to pay with its customers. Conversely, any startup company will have a tough time of it at first, and Vinfast seems to have potential but a long way to go; they certainly don’t need to expend the horsepower on building a sales network. A partnership like this might be a winning combination for both parties.
Besides, I hate when I buy my churro or hotdog and stand there away from the screaming kids at the tables and eat it alone with nothing to do. I’d rather look at cars.
Our Daydreaming Designer Imagines A Whole Car You Can Buy Through Amazon – The Autopian
Our Daydreaming Designer Creates The Minivan Of Motorcycles – The Autopian
Regardless of ownership or sponsorship, they won’t ever truly be called anything else…….
Chicago // Sears Tower
is the same here where I live:
Denver // Mile High Stadium
The price tag says “niiice“
Well, you definitely want to upgrade to executive membership before buying, that 2% back will definitely cover the difference on that purchase.
But who the hell just drops 70 grand at Costco? People need to put more serious thought into buying cars. Don’t encourage this impulsive behaviour.
Also, Kia might have some things to say about the EV7 name. But I digress.
Buying one week’s worth of food at Costco for a troop of teenage Boy Scouts to go camping with will put you close to that amount. Well maybe not quite, but it was still over $1800.
There’s a reason some friends of ours call it the (hundred) dollar store – You don’t get out without spending at least that much, even if you just go in for one item.
cool works for Mx pesos conversion too , 2000 pesos store roughtly 110 dollars !!!
Welcome to Costco, I love you. *gives keys to customer*
Fantastic write up and makes a bunch of sense. Lets be honest as well its perfect for the demographic that isn’t just going there to get a comedically-large plastic tub of Goldfish. Top off by giving Savagegeese full tech support for their review.
Pretty much all my clothes come from Costco, why not drive Kirkland too? I buy stuff there all the time even if I didn’t do any research, because it’s Costco; if you don’t like it just bring it back. They’re a little bit more restrictive on returning electronics, but I had no problem returning a laptop. I imagine a lot of people would go for buying a car at Costco. The lede of the story seems like it could be a joke, but you make a compelling case.
Trouble is, Costco would only sell them in two-packs.
And you’d have to put them on your cart and push it through checkout.
I once saw a guy walking down the street in a T shirt with the Kirkland logo on it, which made me wonder what the non Costco version of that shirt would say.
I now have to travel to get to Valhalla (costco). The last time I did, I bought that shirt in heather gray. It is very nice Egyptian cotton per the label.
Kirkland brand husband might not have Fabio looks, but he’s emotionally secure and will help with the dishwashing.
A Kirkland branded vehicle is a huge stretch, but don’t be surprised to see an ample supply of Costco branded L2 and L3 chargers sprouting up across their parking lots.
At our Costco they’ll have some cars next to the desk chairs and diapers in Aisle 2, others in Aisle 10 with potted plants and laxatives, and still more in Aisle 14 with pet food and leaf blowers. Ugh.
Former Saturn owners would love this.
Not even Saturn owners would buy a lousy Vinfast.
Even the slightly improved Kirkland version would be 69,000 dollars down the drain.
Nice fix-up to make it a generic version, without the useless styling silliness.
Former Saturn owners generally don’t know what’s in their cars.
They barely know which wheels are powered.
They like the one-price model – that’s enough for them.
I purchased a vehicle through the Costco program. I ordered a 2020 AWD Prius. Unfortunately someone along the way bungled things and I ended up with the non-AWD version. Blinded by the new-car-ness of it all, I didn’t notice. Yup, they goofed and I eventually “traded” that one in for the proper AWD drive on. Keep an eye on those dealers folks!
Oh, great, now the Costco parking lot won’t just be crammed with SUVs but also car carriers capable of taking the whole 8-pack home in one trip.
And then there’s the inevitable garage cleaning: “shit, we still have more of these in here?”
Bishop, unlike Costco, Sears did sell houses.
We have Menards here in the midwest where they apparently sell a whole house-in-a-box for you to build. There’s also a group of Lustron steel houses near my office.
I lived in Rockford for a while back in 2008-ish, and the neighborhood I lived in had quite a few of those steel houses from Sears. I had no idea that was a thing before then.
The steel houses, I think, were not from Sears. Lustron was a huge company that was in business for only a year and a half. Conspiracy theorists claim the primary building material manufacturers maneuvered to stop them, but who knows.
Lustron house – Wikipedia
The house I sit in has T.Eaton & Co stamped on every piece of lumber, each one guaranteed “knot free”. It was sold with a DIY coal fired steam based heating system that weighed tons. I took the radiators and attic condensation tanks out shortly after moving in and man was that a job. Total eye-opener too, seeing how a cast iron burner-furnace was assembled in pieces like a loaf of sliced bread. In hindsight I wish I kept it for yard art.
Sure did, and hunting cabins too, made of real logs! The walls, floor and roof were all prefab in those cabins and could be disassembled.
My dad bought a lot on a lake in Michigan that had one of these cabins on a poured foundation. We carefully took that thing apart and moved it 30 miles over multiple trips, then reassembled it at his father in law’s place. Took several days! It was really well made, considering the state of the art when it was built.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ffshoe/albums/72157638329417744/with/11195930525
The one we moved was a Hudson model, with one bedroom converted to a bathroom.
Bishop my friend so wrong.
One the Costco Kirkland doesn’t need to appeal to everyone, just people rich enough to buy a membership to suffer the worst shopping experience known to man for prices cheaper than retail but much more than on sale. I do think if they did this it would put the naysayers of the Dealer Market in their place because Costco is clearly a Go Screw Yourself we won’t give you any help and make you do all your own labor from scanning to bagging and not save you money. How would thatdeal work? Everyone get in line to test drive, grab a scan bar to check out and everyone waits in line while this guy fills out financial and identity and warranty information during check out? GOOD IDEA! NOT!!!
Costco’s pricing could be generally considered ‘fair’ with that description. I could get it cheaper if I were to hunt for it on sale elsewhere.
True but for 3 things:
1. Paying for the privilege to shop there.
2. Most items come up on sale on a regular basis
3. Lousy experience and low selection.
Yeah. They have an occasional special pricing deal on those ginormous package deals that the average consumer has no room for, but otherwise are a waste of time.
Dubious. Costco pays hard ball with suppliers. They are very difficult to work with but it is worth to to some companies since they will can move huge volume of product for you. Good for household products or tires or batteries but not sure if automobiles are a good fit. Automobiles are already a low margin product in most cases.
Unbeknownst to many customers the suppliers to Costco actually supply lower quality items to Costco than commonly available to offset the miserly money to sellable Costco. Also the same at Sam’s, and Walmart plus store brands. That is why the item has a different name or code at purchase.
USDA Choice/Prime is USDA Choice/Prime no matter where you buy it. And you simply can’t beat the pizza for the price unless you DIY.
My favorite pizza place sell 2 large pizzas, 3 ingredients pan crust for $22.
I can get 2 18″ Costco Pizzas – for $19.98. That’s a steal here in the SFBA, at least as far as takeout goes. No #@$%^@#^ tip either!
OTOH I can make a massive 3 topping Sicilian pan pizza at least as big as your two larges for maybe $5-9 depending on ingredients and depth (not counting my labor). It’ll be better than most takeout pizza too.
FWIW a pair of 10″ Chicago pizzas using Gordiano’s recipe runs about that too:
https://giordanos.com/how-to-make-the-perfect-chicago-style-pizza/
Same with Buddy’s if you’re feeling a bit more Detroit and have access to brick cheese as I do:
https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/buddys-cheese-pizza-2056611
User name checks out
Obligatory:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=07wuZ3EWMAA
You say that, but what is your source? I had a co-worker who in a previous company had made toilet paper. Costco’s contract required them to keep the rolls a specific size and sheet count. When Charmin decreased the size of their rolls, they had to run separate jobs for Costco to keep it at the previous size instead of running one job and just changing the packaging.
I used to work for a multinational company who supplied our products to most large retail companies. I am still under a nondisclosure but during conferences and regular meetings we discussed issues of the large companies trying to many things to get better prices, including telling our employees to complete work that was not their job. Of course no upper management complained just to keep the account. If you want check tvs and computers their and at competition. Less features, less warranty, all tomake a price point. Granted food and toilet paper would be tough to separate for delivery So not all products.
Thanks. I never have looked at them for electronics, since I have a good employee discount option by going direct through the mfc for most items.
You should patent the “Churro holder for cup holder” immediately!
Fat lotta good it’s gonna do if they don’t bring churros back!
Is it a square cup holder?
I got a grand off on my 2023 Chevy purchase via Costco and it was coincidental with a bunch of other discounts so that paid a lot of years of membership. Their travel division is awesome we’ve done a bunch of cruises and they’re great to work with. I had their local affiliate price a new HVAC system for the house and while they were totally professional and competent, another bidder with equivalent hardware came in 2000 cheaper so you need to compare. The optical dept is stunningly cheaper than my ophthamologist’s hardware line and he admits to me that’s a great place to buy glasses.
I’d definitely consider buying a car at Costco.
Same case for me with the HVAC. I saved around 3K going with a local shop directly (Same equipment) instead of Costco that outsource the job to another company that usually is more expensive. Costco gives you a gift card with a decent amount but its not worth it to me, savings are savings.
+1 on Costco Optical, they’re glasses and contacts are cheaper to buy out of pocket than using my insurance somewhere else.
This is brilliant but I don’t think VinFast is the right product. I think it would be the Fisker it has a better design but is too small (Ocean) but with Magna building it you know its a quality product. I know they have the truck coming, I am sure they have a bigger SUV too. Vin Fast doesn’t have a proven build quality since they are so new and have previously built old BMW’s. Its a brilliant idea and I think it would sell in high numbers if done very much like you described. One thing I would try to do is have a dealer stock or at least a “white glove” delivery at the stores available. People want convenience and there are many people who hate the idea that you can’t drive it home same day.
Considering Magna’s former aspirations of being an automotive OEM themselves (i.e. earlier attempts to buy Opel/Vauxhall), it’s surprising they’ve not purchased the leftover pieces of Fisker. Or, maybe, they don’t see value in it considering they’re building it.
Hopefully there’s a 6 pack of replacement batteries right next to the car display.
No, the batteries are not included in the base price.
Maybe some of us DO care about Olympic water polo swimwear! They make you faster… and stronger… and more… gold medally? Ok. So, I couldn’t even tell you what that sport looks like. I assume they don’t have horses running around in a pool, but that does sound fun… (so may ellipses!)
The vasectomy line was amazing. Thank you.
I dislike Costco, but was there this morning when they opened, they are good for somethings. The best time before the “seagull” feeding stations are open at the ends of the aisles.
Anyway what struck was the variety of vehicles in the lot at that time, from cars to family pickups, domestic and foreign mostly newer and mid-range and up. I can’t this type of customer buying a Costco “people’s eSUV”. What would the neighbors think?
so close, but brilliant. Shouldve used a Fisker.
I think the Changli would sell right from the box in the isle right next to the chainsaws.
Changli is Wal-Mart’s answer.
As long as it has a good warranty. I find it so hard to swallow that manufacturers don’t offer anything past 100,000klm powertrain warranty (except Mitsubishi) as standard. For the prices we’re paying these days, manufacturers need to actually stand behind their product. Of course I expect the gearbox and engine of my $60,000 vehicle to last past 100,000klms, why don’t the people who make it?
-CRV owner (115,000klms) with the VTC rattle.
It’s Costco. They probably wouldn’t offer unlimited returns like they do on most goods, but a 90-day return period with no questions asked and an extra year’s warranty like they do for TVs and major appliances would probably make for a lot of impulse buying. Which I’ve always assumed was the whole point of the return policy, and that return policy is why I’m more likely to buy something from Costco than the same item from a other retailer, even if that would be more convenient. (The other advantage is that the number of choices is pared down, which makes it easier for those of us who can be ADHD-dazzled by the shelf stock at Walmart or Home Depot )