You - and millions of others - love Costco. So much so that we’re serving up 10 more
Mind-Blowing FACTS About Costco Wholesale.
Shocking Best-Seller
When you think of Costco, there are probably a mix of things that come to mind - from the
useful and delicious, to the somewhat odd. From giant jars of mayonnaise to cheap gasoline,
to a canoe!?! The possibilities at Costco just seem endless. But, what about "the"
best-selling item? What's the one thing that keeps everyone coming back for more? The one
thing that Costco shoppers can't seem to get enough of ? Well, surprisingly enough, it's
nothing in the edible department. No, Costco's best-seller is... drum roll, please - toilet
paper! The one thing that everybody seems to need a ton of - makes sense, considering.
Remember when people went bananas at the beginning of the pandemic panic buying and hoarding
toilet paper? Let's just say no one wants to be in the same position again - having
to battle it out for T.P. Costco sells more than 1 billion rolls each year. Obviously,
since Kirkland is the chain's signature brand, it's always more economical to stock up on
that one since it costs about half as much as the other brands. Despite its low price,
Kirkland's toilet paper still brings in around $400 million for the chain yearly.
Be Prepared
Costco can help you prepare for the unexpected in more ways than one. Sure, you've got your
trusty toilet paper stash, but as it turns out, you can also pick up some other pretty
useful things. If you find yourself worrying about a possible zombie apocalypse or any
other catastrophe, fear not because Costco has got you covered with its "Emergency Cube."
What are Emergency Cubes, you ask? It's everything you would ever need if those zombies did make
an appearance - at least to feed yourself anyway. They are kits ranging from $1,000
to $6,000 dollars - depending on your anxiety level - that includes a mix of items such
as grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy products with a minimum 25-year shelf
life. For instance, you can enjoy freeze-dried broccoli, green beans, corn, and dehydrated
apples, as well as instant lentils and instant black beans that can last up to 30 years.
The cheapest kit is $999.99 and contains 96 cans, enough to feed one person for a year,
on a diet of 1,200 calories a day. The most expensive one, however, comes at $5,999.99
and has 600 cans of food, which can feed four people for a year on a daily diet of
2,000 calories. While these boxes are "packaged discreetly for privacy in shipping," according
to Costco, they still weigh about 1,800 pounds, which isn't so subtle. So, if you want the
comfort of knowing you're all set for the worst-case scenario, Costco is there for you.
Like the Boy Scouts say - Be Prepared.
Dirty Laundry
Ever since Costco came to be, the chain has been involved in a handful of scandals. From
the time it sold fake Tiffany rings to accusations of lax pharmacy controls, Costco is no stranger
to a little dose of public embarrassment. However, one of the most notorious - and let's
face it, kinda funny controversies, happened back in 2007 when Costco had to issue a public
recall notice after a shocking discovery. They discovered that the punching bags made
by Technical Knockout Inc weren't filled with the usual sand, but rather with a bunch
of dirty underwear. Yikes! Thongs, women's underwear, men's underwear, bathing suits
- every single type of dirty undergarment you could think of was used as stuffing in
the bags. This issue was brought to light after a Cincinnati family bought the bag
as a Christmas present. After having some doubts and noticing an odd odor coming from
the punching bag, the family opened it up to see what kind of sand or plastic pellet
was being used. Of course, there was no sand and the foul smell coming from the inside
was now confirmed. In the recall, Costco apologized and revealed that the material of the TKO
punching bags did not "meet their high-quality standards." Well, that's an understatement.
Of course, this family wasn't the only one to be greeted by this stinky punching bag,
and Costco sent a replacement to every poor soul - and those responsible for this dirty
laundry mishap were fired. You’ve come this far, so take a sec to tap
that like button and we’ll be forever grateful.
Costco Sells A Lot Of Pizza
Every Costco connoisseur knows that you can't take a trip to Costco without stopping by
the food court. It's like the number one rule in the "Costco handbook." While most people
will stick to the iconic, low-priced hot dog combo or the huge ice cream cones, the pizza
is really where all the hype should be focused. Even though Costco is a warehouse store before
anything else, it actually sells way more pizza than you would think. So much pizza,
in fact, that it's one of the largest pizza chains around. It can't, however, qualify
as a pizza franchise, but that doesn't stop it from serving up some truly delicious pizza.
With nearly 500 stores in the United States alone, Costco would be among the top 20 pizza
chains in the country. The stores even have to be equipped with automatic sauce spinners,
which spreads the sauce on the dough to keep up with such high demand. Let's just say
that with a price so low, larger-than-life slices, and a taste so satisfying, this pizza
being in high demand is nothing but expected. And the best part? You can even call the foodcourt
and place an order in advance for pick up. All you have to do is show up and enjoy your
quality pizza that much quicker. So basically, every night should be pizza night when you
can get your hands on Costco's pizza pies.
You Don't Need A Membership
Whether it's because you don't live near a Costco, or you don't plan on going often,
or simply because you don't feel like paying a fee to go grocery shopping, we're here to
tell you that you don't actually need a membership card to enjoy the perks. Having to hold a
membership card to shop at this giant retailer is one of the biggest Costco myths. All you
need is one really good card carrying friend or family member who will let you tag along
with them on their next Costco run, and you are good to go. The only problem is they would
still have to pay for your finds at the cash, and you would be completely dependent on them
whenever you wanted to go. So, what if they don't want to pay for your giant tub of peanut
butter or they're too busy to come with you? There's an even better solution: ask them
to purchase a Costco Cash Card on your behalf and go wild! When in possession of this card,
you can do your shopping on your own and pay for your own stuff! It's essentially a gift
card that gives you - almost - full immunity. And if you really don't know anybody, in some
states, you can still try Kirkland Signature wines and go to the pharmacy without any card
whatsoever. No membership card? No problem!
Costco Is There For The Big Moments
"Love is in the air" is probably not the first thing you think about when you're pacing through
the Costco aisles. You don't think the love of your life is going to magically appear
in front of you, next to the huge box of mac and cheese you've been eyeing - and yet, this
is exactly what happened to a young couple at a Costco in Waipahu, Hawaii, in 2017.
Jessica and Brandon Brown were brought together by fate - or mac and cheese - they exchanged
numbers, and the rest is history. A month after tying the knot, the couple returned
to where it all started and took wedding pictures in the very aisle they met. But, the Browns
weren't the only Costco members to find true love while on a grocery run. At a Santa Maria,
California Costco in December 2014, a bride walked down the aisle - the frozen food aisle
to be exact - to meet her groom, whom she had met a year prior in the same exact spot. Robert
and Meredith Bonilla got married, right there, in a Costco! They got special permission from
management to hold the ceremony after operating hours. You can already buy the cake, the rings,
and the flowers at Costco, so why not a ceremony as well? But, don't start calling up your
local Costco to save the date; it was only a one-time thing.
The Work Of Fiction
Let's just put it this way - if you can find a spouse at Costco, you can find anything!
From craving fixes to apocalypse essentials, Costco's aisles are full of treasures and
some things you would probably never expect to find there - like the word of god - or,
well, a bible. Yes! You can purchase a Holy Bible at your local Costco, right there, in
the fiction section. At least, that's what a Simi Valley pastor, Caleb Kaltenbach, noticed in
November 2013 while he was browsing the books at Costco. He was looking for a gift for his
wife when he made the discovery that their copies of the Bible, sold for $14.99, were
labeled “fiction." Obviously, this didn't sit well with Kaltenbach, being a pastor
and all, so he shared his find online. His post created a minor Twitter flare-up, and
soon enough, it became the talk of the town. People began questioning not only the integrity of
the company but also comparing other religious books sold at Costco and asking why these
weren't put under the "fiction" label as well. Costco quickly issued an apology, blaming the labeling
mistake on one of its distributors. They claimed they should've caught the error and took care
of correctly relabeling all mislabeled Bibles. Thankfully, the matter was resolved, and the
Bible is now sold under the proper category.
Unlabeled Aisles
When going to Costco, if there's one thing we know for sure, it's that you never simply
go for only one thing. Even if that's your initial plan, it's practically impossible
to follow - especially when you have to venture deep into the bowels of the store just to
find that one single bag of chips. Why is that? Because the aisles are not labeled,
meaning you need to search every single aisle to find what you're looking for. This is done
for the exact same reason that the most expensive items are in the center of the store - to
make sure you see them. If the aisles had a label, you would most likely just head over
to that aisle, grab your one item, and get out. But this way? You have no choice but
to visit the entire store. And if you think you've cracked the code and know which aisles
contain the buying traps, don't get ahead of yourself. Chances are, the entire layout
changed over the weekend, and now you'll just be welcomed with a whole new realm of tempting
products. That bottle of detergent you bought last week in the 3rd aisle to the left? Long
gone - it's now in aisle 8. In other words, nothing at Costco is random - if you ended
up finding a cart full of "treasures," it's because they wanted you to find them.
Employees Are Treated Right
Usually, retail service jobs aren't always the highest paying or most respected out there.
You hear a lot of stories about underpaid hardworking employees not getting the recognition
they deserve and rebelling against the company. At Costco, however, it's a different story.
With over 270,000 employees worldwide, treating every single one of them right could be a
difficult task, but Costco is able to keep everyone happy and content in their jobs.
So much so, in fact, that the company has a 94 percent employee retention rate. The
fact that nearly everybody stays at Costco means they're probably doing something right,
and when you look at the numbers, it couldn't be clearer. Just based on salary, Costco is
already ahead in the race. Costco's starting wage has been raised to $16 dollars an hour,
and the CEO has said that the average hourly worker earns $22.50 an hour. Compared to most
other retail jobs, Costco's salaries are superior. But, the generous pay isn't the only good
thing about working at Costco. Almost 90% of Costco workers have access to a lot of
benefits, like health, dental, and vision care. They are eligible for a counselling
programs, short and long-term disability for accidents or illness, life insurance, and
so many other advantages, making working at Costco all the more beneficial.
The Chicken Isn't Profitable
Even if you don't have a Costco card, you've probably at least heard about Costco's famous
rotisserie chicken. It's huge, delicious, and oh so cheap. For only $4.99, you can get
your hands on a 3-pound, juicy chicken. And at this price? It's pretty hard to resist.
The rotisserie chicken is another one of the chain's best-sellers with over 64 million
units sold in 2018, which is roughly 179,000 rotisserie chickens processed every day. You
would think that such a successful and enticing deal would bring in a lot of profit to the
chain, but in reality, it's the complete opposite; the rotisserie chicken is a loss leader. By
keeping the price of the chicken so low, the company loses an estimated $30 to $40 million
dollars a year. So, why do they keep selling them at this price if they're losing money?
To create foot traffic - the same foot traffic that makes you leave the store with twice
as much stuff as you came in to get. Everything has been placed strategically so that when
you walk past it, the smells, the look, and the prices will suck you right in. Basically,
you go in to pick up a rotisserie chicken, and you end up leaving with a new TV. Plus,
by keeping the same low price, it reinforces their customers' loyalty by assuring them
their precious chicken dinner will never be overpriced.
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