![]() ![]() I have bought much smaller things online based on their description and then returned them if they didn’t meet my expectations. The internet makes it possible to advertise a great many more options but has the downside of not letting you see and touch the actual item. So, we wound up buying the model we saw on display. Even though and other online retailers are willing to take returns, I didn’t want to put myself or the delivery crews through that much hassle, let alone the environmental impact of shipping and delivering such a large and heavy item. But none of those other options were on display locally, and the pictures, descriptions and videos are no match for seeing a display unit. ![]() Factoring in a sale price, a $300 rebate and Costco’s 2% “reward” for executive members, I was able save $600 by buying that refrigerator from .Īs I said, there were features on this device that I didn’t need and there were similar refrigerators without those features on various websites that I could have purchased for quite a bit less. Still, we liked the refrigerator but didn’t want to pay that much.Īs a general rule, I don’t like to take unfair advantage of small retailers by viewing a product on their floor and buying it elsewhere, and I’m even willing to pay a bit more for the convenience of buying locally. We didn’t care about the “door in door” feature (which lets you open a door to access a couple of bins without having to open up one of the main doors) and, despite my being a techie, I wasn’t impressed with their “smart” features. And that was the “sale price.” The full price, according to GE’s website is $4,200. Smart Fingerprint Resistant 4-Door French-Door Refrigerator with Door In Door for $3,000. One of the smaller stores I visited had a GE Profile 27.9 Cu. When I asked a salesperson at Home Depot about things that mattered to me, he took me over to his computer and showed me options from the same website that I could visit from home. But the models at the other stores didn’t even begin to represent the range of options. The small stores and Home Depot had several models on display while Costco had very few. The one I bought has Wi-Fi, but as it turns out, that wasn’t part of my buying decision once I realized how little utility is actually added.įor me, shopping involved visiting a couple of small appliance stores and a couple of big box stores, including Home Depot and Costco. Most notably, Netflix recently cracked down on people sharing their passwords with anyone living at a different address.Larry Magid: Using AI and apps for summer travel plans "Costco is able to keep our prices as low as possible because our membership fees help offset our operational expenses.We don't feel it's right that nonmembers receive the same benefits and pricing as our members."Ĭostco is just the latest membership-based company to crackdown on enforcing membership rules. The retail giant released the following statement about the situation: However, some shoppers were able to borrow someone else's membership card and use the self checkout counter to purchase items without getting caught.Ĭostco is reportedly now doing spot checks at the self checkout counters to discourage non-members. The ID cards have a photograph of the cardholder on them. "Those Costco memberships equal revenue and profit for Costco the retailer, so when that membership gets shared, Costco ends up losing money and losing profits," retail analyst Hitha Herzog said.Ĭostco requires shoppers to show their ID cards before entering the store and when checking out. The entry level membership allows the cardholder to bring one additional person, who lives at the same home address, with them to shop in the store. Right now, around 69 million households have an annual membership to Costco. Instead, it will start to crackdown on the enforcement of current rules. The retailer said it was not changing any membership rules. Costco is the latest company to push a crackdown on membership rules to help improve its bottom line.Ĭostco is the latest company to announce a crackdown on membership rules to help improve its bottom line.
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