The Costco Effect: More than Impulse Buying
“Let the first impulse pass, wait for the second.” — Baltasar Gracian
Jeanine and I have yet to figure out the appeal of Costco. We’ve tried… on more than one occasion. For me personally, I just don’t get it. But millions of American swear by the place which is why I was intrigued by Julie Bick’s article in The New York Times on Sunday called: 24 Rolls of Toilet Paper, a Tub of Salsa and a Plasma TV.
That title sums it up. Bick writes, “Shopping at Costco often goes something like this: Customer comes to buy bulk necessities like toilet paper and dish detergent. Customer buys those items, as well as a pack of giant muffins, three cashmere sweaters and a power tool.”
“It’s more than impulse buying. It is a calculated part of the company’s business plan. Call it the Costco effect.”
Bick interview Linda Curtis Schneider in Nashville and she said, “We always come out with too much. It’s hard to get out of there for under $200.”
How do they create this mass appeal for impulse purchases? Bick writes, “Costco will stock only the 4,000 most popular items it can find while a grocery store might stock 40,000 separate types of items, and a Wal-Mart might stock 100,000.” They narrow the choices by trying to figure out what people want.
She continues, “So, along with purchases of jumbo packs of paper towels and other supplies, impulse buying can be a big part of the Costco experience, because only the most well-liked, trendy, and fast-moving items are stocked.”
And fast-moving they are. People are filling up their shopping carts at a record pace. But how can you resist impulse buying. Here are some tips from TheMint.org (a financial education site targeted at children and young adults), but the lesson applies to both young and old.
They suggest, “Learn to stretch those dollars! One way is to get into the habit of asking yourself questions before you buy. Advertisers would shudder at this idea. Their job is to make their products so tempting you will buy impulsively. Advertisers don’t want you to think about what you’re doing. They want you to buy right now ” if you stop to think, you might not buy.”
“Advertisers study buyers and buying habits all the time, so these people have got some pretty clever ways to convince you that you must have this item. How do you hang on to your cash so you don’t just buy impulsively?”
Ask yourself these questions:
1. Do I really need this item?
2. If I don’t need it, do I at least really want it?
3. Am I sure that I’ll use it? Wear it?
4. If I buy it now, will I have enough money for other things I might need later on ” this week, this month, next month?
5. Will this purchase take money away from paying off any debts I might owe?
6. Is there any risk in delaying this purchase in order to think about it longer?
7. What are the chances this item might go on sale soon?
8. Could I find this item somewhere else cheaper?
9. Could I find an item like this, but without a brand name? It will probably cost less.
Answer honestly and often it should be easy to walk away. Need more inspiration? Then check out the book, Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine.
This is great. I swear 8 years later we finally finished the ketchup we purchased at Costco when we had our first picnic. We stick to our lists when we go and only buy what we know makes sense. Sometimes I wonder if it is “worth” the $50 yearly fee…
It cracks me up when I see people with their carts filled with tubs of butter, 10 pounds of cookie dough, a 200lb bag of dog food. I mean, no wonder America is obese (including the dogs).
It can be a good place to shop if you can totally stick to your list and true needs, otherwise, it is a splurge spend waiting to consume you.
Oh, Nina, you cut right to heart of my problem with Costco. Now, I actually go there for my toilet paper and paper towels (with dogs, you need a lot fo both) and detergent and cat littler – bulky stuff. And occasionally, I will find something that I love and am delighted to have – like my paper towel holder or my bamboo cutting boards. Oh, and you can’t beat Costco for book prices, unless, you know, you use the ….shudder… library. 🙂
The thing that actually helps me to keep from overspending at Costco is that a lot of their stuff sucks. I’m sure I’ll receive death threats for saying so, but I don’t like the salsa. I hate the muffins. The flowers never last more than 3 days. The sweaters get holes, and the jeans are cut really funny. So after getting burned a few times, I actually find it fairly easy to get in and out with what I need, but not necessarily everything I want.
I should add that I don’t dislike Costco’s cakes – my sis used them at her wedding, saving herself hundreds. So, there are good things to be had – and many bad things, too.
It sounds like Target, except in larger quantities.