15 Costco tips uses to allow you to spend too much

Here is what is behind the smoke and the mirrors of the marketing movements of the Bargain brand.


According toUS consumer satisfaction index, all the department and discount stores followed,Costco Classified as popular with consumers last year. With the prices of Bargain bins and a huge selection - huge quantity articles - it should not be a surprise. But Costco is not all fun and games. Under the friendly facade of consumption, there is a real cornucopia of brilliant retail sales strategies designed to allow you to separate as much cash, without you doing it even. So, before you make your next trip to Megastore, make sure you are aware of these tips, Costco uses to make you spend. You can even find yourself saving big dollars - just differently than expected.

1
Free samples

Costco free sample station
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"One of my personal favorite parts of aCostco Shopping Trip are these famous free samples that are offered both alleys, "saysSara Skirboll, a shopping and trending expert toRetailer. And it's certainly not a rare opinion.

However, it warns, these free samples have been known to subtly influence exceeding buyers. "Numerous studies have shown that the provision of free samples can increase sales of at least 30%, influencing you to buy things you have never planned for purchase," she says. Although the samples are free, they finally carry a psychological cost.

2
Put big items and offers at the front of the store

costco tvs
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"You will often find reduced pricesBig-tickets right and center right when you enter, "says Skirboll. The preparation of objects, as well as the important placement in your face, induces buyers to large ticket purchases that they may not need. Unless you do not need. And I do not find a better deal elsewhere, Skirboll recommends walking in the superstore with the head down, you look only when you go well the Start Starter section.

3
Sell ​​all bulk

Costco maple syrup in bulk
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While some items make sense to buy in bulk, many others do not do it, says Skirboll. The trick for Costco is that the store literally offers everything in bulk, whether or not it is a good purchase.

"Do you need to buy bulk teeth brushes when the dentist hands free?" Skirboll requests, for example. By exciting everything in bulk, Costco assures you that you find yourself with an excess of goods that you may in fact need.

4
Do not have express payment lines

Costco checkout lines
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A major trap employed by the giant of retail sales is a remarkable lack of express lines, according to the clinical psychologist.Julie Gurner. "Since people have to stand in important lines, people will tend to buy psychologically more to put it worth it," she explains. If you are going to have to stay online for half an hour or more, the thought goes, you'd better go out with more than toileties, leading you to excessive expenses.

5
Using Bigger businesses

shopping cart
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A few years ago, Costco started introducingNew larger shopping trolleys. Although the decision could be made in part for a convenience, there is also a more subtle,psychological tower at work, saysRobin Lee Allen, Partner management at Esperance Private Equity. "The increase in the size of a 100% basket has been proven to increase the sale on average by 30%," he said. By developing the size of their trolleys - and does not offer pocket baskets view of most other retailers-Costco encourages buyers to buy more items than expected.

6
Have a generous return policy

Costco customer at checkout
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Compared to most retailers, COSTCO offers extremelyUnwanted return policiesand will reimburse the full purchase price on most items. Although it may simply seem like a nice gesture, it's also a smart marketing strategy. Depending on the search in theJournal of RetailingClemency inReturn policies"Increases purchases more than returns." In the relaxation of buyers' feelings of doubt, they can always return the article, after all policies, these policies encourage more adverse purchases. Most items are never really brought back.

7
Create the thrill of hunting

Couple shopping for kitchen appliances Things you should never buy at target
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According to researchersMichigan University, "Value retailers, such as Costco, have created a shopping environment that inspires a" treasure hunt "of its customers, as some items are available in very limited quantities." The result of this hunt for limited and very expensive items is to "create a fun and exciting experience," they explain. When you succeed, buyers feel more attached to superstore because it becomes a source of pleasure - andare more likely to spend too much.

8
Have department store

Interior of large Costco store
Alastair Wallace / Shutterstock.com

Costco stores arenotoriously huge. In addition to allowing the brand to take over a large part of their goods, this architectural decision can influence buyers to exceed expenses. According to a 2015 study published in theJournal of Marketing, "More a customer is long in the store and explained to more articles, plus the probability that the customer is exposed to items that cue a forgotten need or a need." In other words, the longest costco is able to keep you roaming its aisles, the more likely you are to spend.

9
Build loyalty by membership

Costco membership
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According toCOSTCO SEP SCPLASTS, a major component of their success is "a perception between the members of ... systematically providing the most competitive values". In many cases, this is true, they are largely capable of doing it through the use of membership fees. These fees have "a significant effect on profitability", they explain and are able to "strengthen the loyalty of members". Because they are committed before purchases do not even start, most consumers do not take them into account when considering the price of a costco article, and therefore think they save more than they are really.

10
Intervention products and offers only available for limited time

Costco Hunter boots
Melissamn / Shutterstock.com

The fear of missing,or fomo, is it not simply limited over time with friends. A COSTCO tactics uses to encourage purchases is to deployA coherent range of seasonal and rotating items. By offering items for a limited time, buyers feel obliged to buy an article that they may otherwise be on the fence to be able to pick it up before leaving forever.

11
Use "loss managers" to conduct expenses

roast chicken
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Another tactic used by the superstore is a thing called "loss leaders" - Few items are sold for marginal gains in order to bring customers in the store to exceed other items.

According toInvestment, Costco is less profit that lists less than $ 4 for each chicken to the roasting pan it sells, despite the chicken being one of its most popular items. "The idea is that no one goes to Costco just for a chicken to the roastingory," says the article. The chicken, meanwhile, is placed at the bottom of the store layout, ensuring that consumers spend as many tempting objects before reaching the popular hen.

12
Offering fewer options

healthy man mouthwash listerine
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Although it may feel like Costco at all, the selection is really small enough. Compared to the 30,000 unique products offered to most supermarkets, for example,Costco offers about 4,000. According toHarvard Business ReviewThe effect of this restriction of choice is actually an increase in sales: "Studies have confirmed this result that more choice is not always better. Like the variety of snacks, non-alcoholic beverages and beers offered [ In stores] increases, for example, for example, sales volume and decrease in customer satisfaction

13
Provide on demand delivery

Mailman
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A more recent tour implemented by Costco is their partnership with Goshare, a delivery truck service. "In the past, when a member of Costco entered and saw this brilliant new TV at the front, they walk because they did not have a truck to transport it," saysShaun Savage, founder and CEO ofGoshare. Now, this television home is as simple as the press of a button - another costco hosts the distance betweenI want that andI do that.

14
Minimize

Costco interior
Trong Nguyen / Shutterstock.com

One of the most remarkable aspects of a costco location is their minimalist decor: exposed beams, plain concrete and, often, items still in their original delivery crates. In addition to saving costs, this minimalist style has the effect of strengthening the notion of buyers that Costco is the cheapest option available. As if they buy directly from a wholesaler, as opposed to retail prices, convincing that any purchase is a flight from that proposed by another grocery store.

15
Make irresistibly affordable prices

Costco member card and receipt
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The combination of low prices and palatable allashes is simply too much for most people to manage, saysNicholas Christensen, founder ofLottery criticism. "You spot the line of customers who are waiting to taste new food products [and realize] not only taste of taste, it's cheap," he says. "By the time you arrive at the payment line, you have enough for a week of snacks and dinner! "


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