How Costco Won in Japan (2025)(readtrung.com)
readtrung.com
How Costco Won in Japan (2025)
https://www.readtrung.com/p/how-costco-won-in-japan
29 comments
I’m Japanese and I’ve lived in a town with a Costco. The part-time pay being a bit higher is nice, but because Costco stores are usually out in the middle of nowhere, they’re not somewhere you casually commute to. So honestly, it doesn’t really feel like they’re raising local wages in any visible way.
Costco makes me want to be American
> To be sure, North America dominates with 85% of Costco’s 910 warehouses all stocking hysterically-oversized tubs of mayo and peanut butter.
Big families are more common in the US. While average fertility isn't that much higher in the US compared to europe, the US has a lot of subcultures where it's much higher. Maybe that's part of Costco's success. These tubs aren't oversized if you have four kids.
Big families are more common in the US. While average fertility isn't that much higher in the US compared to europe, the US has a lot of subcultures where it's much higher. Maybe that's part of Costco's success. These tubs aren't oversized if you have four kids.
Its more of a different shopping culture, in Europe with our tiny apartments you typically shop for a week, in US, where people live predominantly(?) in houses, for a month.
How do you eat fresh food
The main reason it's doing well is because it's basically Disney. Freezers in Japan are tiny and nobody buys in bulk. The experience of going there and buying huge packets of stuff, sharing with friends/family, wrapping and freezing the individual items inside or immediately cooking them to make meals to keep in the fridge - it's a novel experience and has become something of a ritual or hobby among people. Lots of YouTube videos about this. Everyone wants to go at least once just to try it. Many don't go again.
Living in Okinawa I also noticed the proliferation of reseller stores. They charge a reasonable margin and let you buy 4 or 8 muffins instead of 50. It makes perfect sense in Japan.
Incidentally I was disappointed that 90% of Costco Japan's goods are Japanese origin. You'd expect them to be full of American stuff but the majority is not. Even the imports are often the same items you can find in other supermarket import sections.
Living in Okinawa I also noticed the proliferation of reseller stores. They charge a reasonable margin and let you buy 4 or 8 muffins instead of 50. It makes perfect sense in Japan.
Incidentally I was disappointed that 90% of Costco Japan's goods are Japanese origin. You'd expect them to be full of American stuff but the majority is not. Even the imports are often the same items you can find in other supermarket import sections.
When Costco came to Korea, it was a great source of American products at reasonable prices. They have gradually shifted to more Korean brands over the years. Even if you are only buying local products, my Korean friends tell me they prefer Costco for the produce, with greater variety and turnover than domestic supermarket chains.
> Incidentally I was disappointed that 90% of Costco Japan's goods are Japanese origin. You'd expect them to be full of American stuff but the majority is not. Even the imports are often the same items you can find in other supermarket import sections.
Huh, I get where you're coming from, but one of the things I really like about Costco Canada is how much stuff they source from Canada.
And it's fun to pop into Costco in other countries and see what they sell.
Huh, I get where you're coming from, but one of the things I really like about Costco Canada is how much stuff they source from Canada.
And it's fun to pop into Costco in other countries and see what they sell.
Perhaps add (2025) suffix to the title
these transitions looks very uneaven : at macro level it looks like progress but at individual level it can take years of instability before things settle again ; that gap between the aggregate story and experience is probably bigger than we think
[deleted]
It'd be nice if AI-written articles had an [AI] after the headline
Costco has become negative value for me compared to Amazon Fresh.
Amazon saves SO much time. Costco is SO slow, a preposterously slow experience. Minutes of ordering and unpacking Amazon Fresh takes hours for Costco. And the food is fresher.
It is dark patterns in retail embodied.
I hate their social media advertising. That is, they pay to tip the scales on algorithmic recommenders, they don't pay influencers or ads.
They really are the thing that Pixar mocks them to be.
Everyone has to stop going there and just buy this shit online.
Amazon saves SO much time. Costco is SO slow, a preposterously slow experience. Minutes of ordering and unpacking Amazon Fresh takes hours for Costco. And the food is fresher.
It is dark patterns in retail embodied.
I hate their social media advertising. That is, they pay to tip the scales on algorithmic recommenders, they don't pay influencers or ads.
They really are the thing that Pixar mocks them to be.
Everyone has to stop going there and just buy this shit online.
Why would I buy something from Amazon when it's twice the cost of the same thing at Costco? I literally make up the cost of my yearly membership in 2 months of shopping there compared to any other grocery store.
Costco is not for everyone, though. I really can't use it for most of my shopping because it's just me and my wife and she won't commit to eating something specific for a week, but "meals for two, to be decided upon at 5 pm daily" doesn't fit well. We don't eat a lot of the staples they do have that are shelf-stable, and their freezer packages are big enough that to have any variety I'd have to not only like what's on offer but buy a chest freezer that I don't have a good location for.
The stuff they have is nice, but unless I'm going to go buy a bunch of steaks or something, it just barely pays for itself if that. I've let my membership expire and renewed when I had something significant to buy (in which case it's definitely worth it). For my life, it's cheaper to buy smaller packages of the things that will go bad like meat and produce, even at a higher per-unit cost, and it's much closer.
Now, Walmart Plus? THAT has been fantastic. It pays for itself quickly because they will deliver the items to me for the staples they have, and I only have to get one loaf of bread, one small jelly, etc. I don't have to drive out there, walk to the back of the store, pick out one size of paper towels, go pay for it, and drive home again. It's easy to put together a $50 order to get free delivery because it's all my staples in quantities I'll use, not only one or two in family-of-four quantities.
The stuff they have is nice, but unless I'm going to go buy a bunch of steaks or something, it just barely pays for itself if that. I've let my membership expire and renewed when I had something significant to buy (in which case it's definitely worth it). For my life, it's cheaper to buy smaller packages of the things that will go bad like meat and produce, even at a higher per-unit cost, and it's much closer.
Now, Walmart Plus? THAT has been fantastic. It pays for itself quickly because they will deliver the items to me for the staples they have, and I only have to get one loaf of bread, one small jelly, etc. I don't have to drive out there, walk to the back of the store, pick out one size of paper towels, go pay for it, and drive home again. It's easy to put together a $50 order to get free delivery because it's all my staples in quantities I'll use, not only one or two in family-of-four quantities.
We (the two of us) do fine with 95% Costco shopping, and I have similar "she won't commit to eating something specific for a week" restrictions. The only real tricks are get better at storage[1], and get better at cooking[2]. FWIW, the 2% rebate on the executive membership always covers my membership renewal price plus $50-$100 off a shop.
[1] Yes, you need somewhere to stuff 24 rolls of paper towels etc. I ended up building more shelves in the voids at the top of closets and the like. Ladder-access only but it works out.
[2] Stop doing 32-ingredient cooks with baby bok choy and white tomatoes and whatever other exotic instagram reels crap. Buy beef, chicken, fish, then portion and freeze (a vacuum-sealer is not necessary but it helps). Buy a standard 4-5 vegetables and a couple fruits. Potatoes and rice for carbs. Then figure out a list of recipes you can make from those ingredients -- I promise they can be combined damn near indefinitely.
[1] Yes, you need somewhere to stuff 24 rolls of paper towels etc. I ended up building more shelves in the voids at the top of closets and the like. Ladder-access only but it works out.
[2] Stop doing 32-ingredient cooks with baby bok choy and white tomatoes and whatever other exotic instagram reels crap. Buy beef, chicken, fish, then portion and freeze (a vacuum-sealer is not necessary but it helps). Buy a standard 4-5 vegetables and a couple fruits. Potatoes and rice for carbs. Then figure out a list of recipes you can make from those ingredients -- I promise they can be combined damn near indefinitely.
I will admit that my situation is rare, but trust me when I say that your solutions would not be effective.
Because Costco is not universally cheaper. Costco discounts a few categories of products to lure you to shop there, but has higher prices in other categories. Fresh produce, meats, milk, and cereals cost more at Costco. Bulk packaged foods, frozen foods, and bulk household items are usually cheaper.
A lot of people don't notice this, and buy everything from Costco for the convenience, when it may be cheaper elsewhere.
For me personally, if I'm buying a large amount of meat, I buy from my local grocery store, as it's significantly cheaper.
A lot of people don't notice this, and buy everything from Costco for the convenience, when it may be cheaper elsewhere.
For me personally, if I'm buying a large amount of meat, I buy from my local grocery store, as it's significantly cheaper.
That's not at all my experience for produce. It is extremely price-competitive. And many Costco produce items are best-in-class IMO. I haven't found better pomegranates, avocados, or blueberries anywhere else.
You can maybe find some meats cheaper elsewhere if you're shopping sales or buying a whole cow from a farmer. But chicken, turkey, or seafood? No way. And also consistently all high quality.
You can maybe find some meats cheaper elsewhere if you're shopping sales or buying a whole cow from a farmer. But chicken, turkey, or seafood? No way. And also consistently all high quality.
[deleted]
> For me personally, if I'm buying a large amount of meat, I buy from my local grocery store, as it's significantly cheaper.
Perhaps this is regionally dependent, but not only is the meat cheaper at Costco for me, but it is also higher quality. You do have to buy much more of it at a time, but that’s not really a huge issue in my view.
Perhaps this is regionally dependent, but not only is the meat cheaper at Costco for me, but it is also higher quality. You do have to buy much more of it at a time, but that’s not really a huge issue in my view.
This hasn't held true for me (in SFBA). Virtually everything in the grocery aisle's between 0% and 50% cheaper than the next best option.
Meats do not cost more at Costco. Costco meat is cheaper and often is the only place around that has higher quality grades of beef.
it's not in california
Yeah, that's valid. Don't they have sams club or something similar though?
FYI, Amazon Fresh is shutting down its physical stores.
Online shopping is a pox upon society