The Cult of Costco(theatlantic.com)
theatlantic.com
The Cult of Costco
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2025/12/costco-is-an-american-achievement/685411/
12 comments
Sometimes you need 1 item, like a chicken for dinner or ribs to grill. Pro tip, don’t take a cart. Go in, get your two/three things and walk out for under $40.
Take a cart, always over $100.
Take a cart, always over $100.
People give me weird looks when I grab a recycled box as soon as I walk in and proceed to carry it around the store. But I consistently only need about four items (or rather, there's a ton of other stuff I sometimes get there, but there are only four items that I need urgently--coffee bring one of them).
I could use a cart, but having a cart makes navigating around the warehouse 10x slower. If I'm just carrying stuff under my arm or in box, I can walk quickly, I can walk around people, and I can get the the self-checkout aisle and GTFO of the store without taking an hour...
I could use a cart, but having a cart makes navigating around the warehouse 10x slower. If I'm just carrying stuff under my arm or in box, I can walk quickly, I can walk around people, and I can get the the self-checkout aisle and GTFO of the store without taking an hour...
There's a famous story about the old Costco CEO saying he would kill the person who raised the price of the hot dog combo. But years before that when Costco was entering talks to enter China..someone wanted a $30,000 bribe and it pissed Jim Sinegal off so much he didn't enter the Chinese market for decades..
Costco's genius is in building and maintaining trust with their members.
In the age of private equity takeovers and the MBA-enshitification of pretty much every product and service, Costco appears to be the only retailer that will stand on the side of their members against those forces.
They are playing the long game--which will pay off incredibly well for them as fewer and fewer companies care about customer satisfaction and quality.
In the age of private equity takeovers and the MBA-enshitification of pretty much every product and service, Costco appears to be the only retailer that will stand on the side of their members against those forces.
They are playing the long game--which will pay off incredibly well for them as fewer and fewer companies care about customer satisfaction and quality.
I've never understood the attraction of Costco. It's just a warehouse full of stuff I don't particularly want in quantities I'll never be able to use. And then you pay for the privilege of being there. And since several supermarkets, with stuff I want in quantities I can use, are 5 minutes away and Costco is a half-hour drive each way, it's pretty much a no-brainer where I'll be going.
Costco can't be beat on high-end tires, as I was reminded last week. And the new mint sundae is pretty delish but enough for 3–4 to share.
Every time I'm at Costco (like earlier this evening) I think of this. It's just so beautifully done.
Was recently verbally assaulted at a Costco Fuel station. Had some of it recorded by dash cam, but the other bit of assault was only near a bowser. Anyways shaken up I contacted Costco about it by email, and within 2 days they were able to get a/v evidence of the entire thing, very likely banning the member that abused me, and encouraging me to take it to the cops and press charges, and they would back me up and be on my side. I think had it been any other petrol station, they wouldn't give a shit.