sonderiaom
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Alright, I've seen several different topics here about Costco and figure I could help out in some way by compiling information here. You are in no way to use any of this information to steal anything.
Cheap Food:
The first real easy information I have is a way to get into the food court at Costco. If you've ever tried and you don't have a membership you will be instantly turned away. We're supposed to do this because it cuts down on the people being able to come in and steal crud from us. Anyway, I'm going to tell you an easy way to get into Costco without the Membership. Just say that you're going to the pharmacy. I forget exactly which law it is, but it states that any place that has a pharmacy has to allow patrons access to it. In other words, just say that you're going to the pharmacy to the people at the door, go across the registers and go the foodcourt.
As well, getting in allows you to go and sample everything. Make sure to do this before 5 though because that is usually when the WDS people, the ones who handle the samples, start to shut down.
If you want to check out prices:
Go to the Membership desk, which should be near the exit, and say that you'd like to check out the prices. They'll ask for a piece of ID and then they'll copy it and give you a temp pass and let you go on your way.
Concerning Return Policy:
The return policy used to be permanant, you could have something for 15 years and bring it back and we'd take it back; that is not the case anymore. At our warehouse the story was that a guy had bought a cart full of meat and was going to use it for a barbecue. He never got around to it, but the freezer that he was storing the meat in died and he wanted to bring all the meat in and return it as it says that "for whatever reason you are unhappy, you may return it." Anyway, we lost a lot of money on that and killed the return policy down to 2 years. However, that means 2 years for whatever reason, you could buy a tv, go on a cruise ship, throw it overboard in the carribean, forget it for a year, dig it up, bring it back, and so long as you're still a member, we'll take it back.
As well, you do not need a receipt. You will however have a harder and longer time returning it without a receipt or a date of purchase because only the Manager can access all records.
You should however keep your reciept. Reason being that it shows what price you paid for it. If they have to look through your records, they will find the item that you're trying to return, but according to the computer, they will give back the money that it last sold at, which could easily be a fraction of what you bought it for.
Computers are another story. 6 months is the return policy for any computers. This used to be longer as well, but people were abusing it, bringing back 2 year old computers to get brand new computers.
There is one thing about the return policy. Nowhere on any of our signs does it say anything about two years. That means if you want to be an asshole customer and basically get crap service for the rest of the time they remember you, you may argue that fact.
As far as the two year return policy limit, that may just be a decision by the warehouse manager made by themselves. I have returned my original xbox over 3 years past purchase date with original receipt with no problems at the Eugene, Oregon store after having purchased it in Yakima, Washington. My old warehouse didn't have a problem, others might. It is best to take it with a grain of salt, and do remember, keep the receipt and all the accessories that came with the purchase, boxes do not matter as much, but they help. But make sure to include instructions, install cd's, etc.
Looking up items:
Alright, this is a little trickier and YMMV compared to the other information. If you can find access to any computer, use IAI and press enter. This'll bring you to a search screen to check the inventory of the warehouse that you're at. Anything that has an I next to it when you complete a search means that it is currently in stock. To jump to the next screen, you need to press shift and the up arrow button. After you've selected all the items that you'd like the info on, press Enter and you will be taken to the individual items page where it has information as to what is on hand, what is on order, and when the last one was sold and at what price.
As well, you could just as easily ask anyone near the registers with a red vest to look it up and they most certainly will if not busy. If you want any numbers for items; just ask and I'll try to find them.
Price Tag Secrets:
There are several secrets with the price tags that you should know. If you ever look at every single price tag there are certain symbols that are sometimes seen on them. I'll give you a breakdown on all of them.
* This would indicate that we are currently not ordering any more of this item. If you see this on an item that you like, you should buy as much of them as you can as it's possible you'll never see them again at Costco.
+ This would indicate that this is at a lowered price than is normal. It doesn't mean that it's bad, it just means that we're probably trying to get rid of it for some newer items. As well, on jewelry, it means that it's Cubic Zirconia and not real diamond.
Concerning Jewelry:
Here is another good point that I was just reminded of; every single piece of jewelry that we sell appraises for at least double of what we sell it. That means that you could easily get a $120 necklace for $60 like I have done in the past. If you don't find what you would like in the jewelry case, ask anyone in a red vest in the electronic department for some help. Generally there is an employee on the staff that is very knowledgeable on the jewelry and can custom order anything that you'd like.
Concerning the Prices:
I found this interesting and I suspect so will some of the rest of you. Whatever Item we get in Costco can only be raised at a MAXIMUM of 15% to give us profit. In other words, the price we sell things for are almost the cheapest that you will see anywhere, bar rebates and sales and we have those occasionally anyway.
As far as maximum markup, when we last had Costco U (which is usually a biannual training seminar) Jim Sinegal (the CEO) said that Costco's highest markup is 11%, and most things are lower than that. That is why new video games are usually only five dollars lower than retail price, because the markup on those things is so slim anyways.
Concerning Ads:
Being that I am in a position to be handing out ads everytime they roll around, I am able to get a hold of them a chunk of time beforehand. If enough people are interested, I would be able to scan the ads and give a heads-up as to what is going to go on sale soon. However, just because you know what is going to be on sale, does not mean that you will be able to take advantage of it as the register needs to scan a barcode to create the price markdown.
Website:
Being that Costco isn't everywhere, you can still order stuff online. However, doing so adds I think $5 to the cost. However, I'm also pretty sure that you would still be included in the return policy as you did buy it from Costco itself. As well, I'm aware that not everyone knows whether they have a Costco around so Here is the place to go for that.
Prescription Drugs:
Oh, and if you guys take any prescription drugs, check with Costco for their prices, especially if you are taking a generic drug. For example, generic Prozac (fluoxetine) runs about 40 dollars a month at a Rite Aid Pharmacy, and three months of the same medicine costs about 10 dollars at Costco (this is for 20mg strength). The reason behind this is the markup on generic drugs. Brand name drugs (i.e. Lipitor, Effexor, Zocor, Celebrex, Allegra, etc.) have a very small markup, usually five dollars or so above the actual drug cost. Generic drugs are where pharmacies make their money. While Walgreens or CVS purchase their generic drugs for the same cost as we do (for example, the generic Prozac I quoted above is purchased for about $2.50 per 100 count bottle), they have a much higher price, and as a result, make a much higher profit. As you can see though, the pharmacy is the one area of the store that does not adhere to the 11% markup that the rest of the warehouse does, but remember, they have to pay for the pharmacists, who are the highest paid employees in the warehouse, with the exception of the warehouse manager.
Italics are Argarth's Additions
Cheap Food:
The first real easy information I have is a way to get into the food court at Costco. If you've ever tried and you don't have a membership you will be instantly turned away. We're supposed to do this because it cuts down on the people being able to come in and steal crud from us. Anyway, I'm going to tell you an easy way to get into Costco without the Membership. Just say that you're going to the pharmacy. I forget exactly which law it is, but it states that any place that has a pharmacy has to allow patrons access to it. In other words, just say that you're going to the pharmacy to the people at the door, go across the registers and go the foodcourt.
As well, getting in allows you to go and sample everything. Make sure to do this before 5 though because that is usually when the WDS people, the ones who handle the samples, start to shut down.
If you want to check out prices:
Go to the Membership desk, which should be near the exit, and say that you'd like to check out the prices. They'll ask for a piece of ID and then they'll copy it and give you a temp pass and let you go on your way.
Concerning Return Policy:
The return policy used to be permanant, you could have something for 15 years and bring it back and we'd take it back; that is not the case anymore. At our warehouse the story was that a guy had bought a cart full of meat and was going to use it for a barbecue. He never got around to it, but the freezer that he was storing the meat in died and he wanted to bring all the meat in and return it as it says that "for whatever reason you are unhappy, you may return it." Anyway, we lost a lot of money on that and killed the return policy down to 2 years. However, that means 2 years for whatever reason, you could buy a tv, go on a cruise ship, throw it overboard in the carribean, forget it for a year, dig it up, bring it back, and so long as you're still a member, we'll take it back.
As well, you do not need a receipt. You will however have a harder and longer time returning it without a receipt or a date of purchase because only the Manager can access all records.
You should however keep your reciept. Reason being that it shows what price you paid for it. If they have to look through your records, they will find the item that you're trying to return, but according to the computer, they will give back the money that it last sold at, which could easily be a fraction of what you bought it for.
Computers are another story. 6 months is the return policy for any computers. This used to be longer as well, but people were abusing it, bringing back 2 year old computers to get brand new computers.
There is one thing about the return policy. Nowhere on any of our signs does it say anything about two years. That means if you want to be an asshole customer and basically get crap service for the rest of the time they remember you, you may argue that fact.
As far as the two year return policy limit, that may just be a decision by the warehouse manager made by themselves. I have returned my original xbox over 3 years past purchase date with original receipt with no problems at the Eugene, Oregon store after having purchased it in Yakima, Washington. My old warehouse didn't have a problem, others might. It is best to take it with a grain of salt, and do remember, keep the receipt and all the accessories that came with the purchase, boxes do not matter as much, but they help. But make sure to include instructions, install cd's, etc.
Looking up items:
Alright, this is a little trickier and YMMV compared to the other information. If you can find access to any computer, use IAI and press enter. This'll bring you to a search screen to check the inventory of the warehouse that you're at. Anything that has an I next to it when you complete a search means that it is currently in stock. To jump to the next screen, you need to press shift and the up arrow button. After you've selected all the items that you'd like the info on, press Enter and you will be taken to the individual items page where it has information as to what is on hand, what is on order, and when the last one was sold and at what price.
As well, you could just as easily ask anyone near the registers with a red vest to look it up and they most certainly will if not busy. If you want any numbers for items; just ask and I'll try to find them.
Price Tag Secrets:
There are several secrets with the price tags that you should know. If you ever look at every single price tag there are certain symbols that are sometimes seen on them. I'll give you a breakdown on all of them.
* This would indicate that we are currently not ordering any more of this item. If you see this on an item that you like, you should buy as much of them as you can as it's possible you'll never see them again at Costco.
+ This would indicate that this is at a lowered price than is normal. It doesn't mean that it's bad, it just means that we're probably trying to get rid of it for some newer items. As well, on jewelry, it means that it's Cubic Zirconia and not real diamond.
Concerning Jewelry:
Here is another good point that I was just reminded of; every single piece of jewelry that we sell appraises for at least double of what we sell it. That means that you could easily get a $120 necklace for $60 like I have done in the past. If you don't find what you would like in the jewelry case, ask anyone in a red vest in the electronic department for some help. Generally there is an employee on the staff that is very knowledgeable on the jewelry and can custom order anything that you'd like.
Concerning the Prices:
I found this interesting and I suspect so will some of the rest of you. Whatever Item we get in Costco can only be raised at a MAXIMUM of 15% to give us profit. In other words, the price we sell things for are almost the cheapest that you will see anywhere, bar rebates and sales and we have those occasionally anyway.
As far as maximum markup, when we last had Costco U (which is usually a biannual training seminar) Jim Sinegal (the CEO) said that Costco's highest markup is 11%, and most things are lower than that. That is why new video games are usually only five dollars lower than retail price, because the markup on those things is so slim anyways.
Concerning Ads:
Being that I am in a position to be handing out ads everytime they roll around, I am able to get a hold of them a chunk of time beforehand. If enough people are interested, I would be able to scan the ads and give a heads-up as to what is going to go on sale soon. However, just because you know what is going to be on sale, does not mean that you will be able to take advantage of it as the register needs to scan a barcode to create the price markdown.
Website:
Being that Costco isn't everywhere, you can still order stuff online. However, doing so adds I think $5 to the cost. However, I'm also pretty sure that you would still be included in the return policy as you did buy it from Costco itself. As well, I'm aware that not everyone knows whether they have a Costco around so Here is the place to go for that.
Prescription Drugs:
Oh, and if you guys take any prescription drugs, check with Costco for their prices, especially if you are taking a generic drug. For example, generic Prozac (fluoxetine) runs about 40 dollars a month at a Rite Aid Pharmacy, and three months of the same medicine costs about 10 dollars at Costco (this is for 20mg strength). The reason behind this is the markup on generic drugs. Brand name drugs (i.e. Lipitor, Effexor, Zocor, Celebrex, Allegra, etc.) have a very small markup, usually five dollars or so above the actual drug cost. Generic drugs are where pharmacies make their money. While Walgreens or CVS purchase their generic drugs for the same cost as we do (for example, the generic Prozac I quoted above is purchased for about $2.50 per 100 count bottle), they have a much higher price, and as a result, make a much higher profit. As you can see though, the pharmacy is the one area of the store that does not adhere to the 11% markup that the rest of the warehouse does, but remember, they have to pay for the pharmacists, who are the highest paid employees in the warehouse, with the exception of the warehouse manager.
Italics are Argarth's Additions
over us cheapasses.
.
