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Costco by Mike Mozart (CC BY)

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Costco by Mike Mozart (CC BY)
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Why the Aisles Aren't Labeled

Costco doesn't label its aisles for the same reason it places popular items at the back: As customers search the store to find what they came for, they see more items they want to put in their carts. Nevertheless, it should be easier to find items in the giant warehouses than in some other stores. Costco stores usually house fewer than 4,000 products in an open layout while the average Walmart, for example, has about 120,000 products cluttering the aisles.


Related: Costco by the Numbers: 22 Surprising Stats

Helen N./Yelp

Why the Chicken and Hot Dogs Are So Cheap

Costco keeps its rotisserie chicken and hot dogs cheap because they are loss leaders. In other words, people come for the meat and stay for the flat-screen TVs. The $5 rotisserie chickens are one of those items placed strategically toward the back of the store so customers can be entranced by other offerings as they walk by. At $1.50, the hot-dog-and-drink combo has been the same price for years


Related: Costco, Trader Joe’s, Aldi: How Do They Stay So Cheap?

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Costco Is Worldwide

There are 833 Costcos, including 574 locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, 107 in Canada, 40 in Mexico, 29 in the United Kingdom, and 31 in Japan. There's even a Costco in Iceland; 1 in 8 Icelanders signed up for membership before it even opened its doors, according to Quartz. China's maiden Costco store had to close early on its opening day in August 2019 due to the Black Friday-like crowds that overtook it.


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Nearly a Quarter-Million Full- and Part-Time Employees

Worldwide there are more than 298,000 Costco workers, and by all accounts, Costco employees — including about 195,000 U.S. workers — are a happy bunch: Turnover rate is widely reported to be only 6% for employees of over a year; it's more like 60% for retail overall, according to Fortune.


Related: 33 Companies That Changed American Culture for Better or Worse

Jules Y./Yelp

How Much Costco Employees Make

Costco raised its minimum wage to $17 an hour last year, and hourly workers average about $24 according to the company's CEO — and he said that before the latest minimum wage bump. By cutting costs in other ways (minimal decor and no shopping bags, for example), Costco can hang on to good, productive workers. The company also tends to promote from within.

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Most Employees Have Health Benefits

Some 88% of Costco workers have health benefits. In addition, many employees are eligible for a 401(k) match, dependent care assistance, a counseling program, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, employee stock purchasing, and a health-care reimbursement account.


Related: Health Products and Services That Cost Less at Costco

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Average Store Size Is 146,00 Square Feet

The average Costco warehouse store is comparable in footprint to a city block in Manhattan. The smallest Costco is 73,000 square feet, and the largest is 235,000. Costco's major rival, Sam's Club, builds slightly smaller at an average 136,000 square feet.


Related: A Costco Shopping Guide for Small-Homes Dwellers

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The Quality of Kirkland Signature Products

Costco's private-label products, named after the company's origins in Kirkland, Washington, cost less than brand names but generally deliver high quality. In many cases, products from big-name companies are packaged under the store's Kirkland Signature label. For instance, Costco takes premium wine from highly regarded vintners and sells it for unthinkably low prices — which it can get away with, as the biggest wine retailer in the country. Yet consumer product testing suggests that the toilet paper's popularity may not be justified. It's soft but not very strong, according to Consumer Reports.

 

Hue T./Yelp

Why Costco Doesn't Advertise

Unlike many of its competitors, Costco doesn't advertise (although it does tout deals or send coupons to existing members), which helps keep spending low and profits high. Even without selling anything, Costco can count on membership fees as a revenue stream and has no problem attracting enough new and returning members: 91% of members in the United States and Canada renewed their membership last year, according to the company's annual report, and the revenue from memberships grew 9%.


Related: 23 Fascinating Facts About Coupons

Michelle S./Yelp

Why Costco Switched to Visa

For years, Costco famously accepted only American Express from customers wanting to use credit cards, but as of 2016, any Visa card is welcome. Like many of the store's decisions, the split from Amex was related to cost — Visa takes a smaller fee on card purchases and gives back better rewards, as demanded by Costco. There are also many more Visa cardholders than those with American Express. SmartAsset notes the Costco Anywhere Visa card's 4% cash back on gas purchases and other perks.

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Costco Has a Magazine

Who would have thought Costco had its own magazine, let alone a print monthly with one of the largest circulations in the country? Yet Costco Connection has more than 14.3 million recipients. Now, as other national magazines decline and close, even traditional advertisers want a place on its pages of celebrity interviews, how-tos, recipes, and, of course, coupons. Costco Connection is available online for anybody to view or download, and there is an app version for iPhone and Android.

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You Can Shop without a Membership

Some of Costco's best stuff is accessible even without a membership. In some states, legal loopholes allow alcohol purchases, allowing non-members a chance to try those excellent Kirkland Signature wines. A Consumer Reports study found that Costco has the best prescription prices, and no membership is needed to use the pharmacy.  


Related: How to Shop at Costco If You're Not a Member

Rebecca W./Yelp
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Tiffany Had a Beef with Costco

Speaking of rings, a U.S. district court judge ruled in 2018 that Costco owed Tiffany & Co. more than $19 million for describing some of its rings using the Tiffany name. Costco has argued it was using the term generically.

Antonia M./Yelp
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Costco Sells (Cheaper) Gas

While cost varies significantly by location, gas is typically 6 to 12 cents cheaper a gallon if members fill up at Costco stations, compared with competitors. The company had 636 stations at the end of 2021, but they don’t take cash. Instead customers can use Visa, a Costco credit card, debit, or Costco cash card.  


Related: Celebrities Who Shop at Walmart, Target, and Costco

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Well-Heeled Members Abound

Costco shoppers are much wealthier than the typical big-box-store customer with average household incomes of around $100,000. Household income for the average Walmart shopper is a bit over $76,000, according to Business Insider.


Related: 20 Surprising Finds From Costco