Well established warehouse chain, Costco, has become the latest topic of discussion in social media spheres as customers vent their thoughts on the bulk shopping experience provided by the company. Membership holders of the chain store have taken to Reddit, a forum-style social media platform, to share complaints and offer potential solutions to the issues that bother them when making purchases at the store.
Social media, always a catalyst for change
Reddit uses a thread-style format that can be filtered to particular topics and users are all free to share with and respond to one another. One such thread, or ‘Subreddit‘, is dedicated to everything Costco and the posts contained therein were strongly opinionated. Some of the most common sentiments shared by users included issues with crowds, the layout, and the website.
One user noted, “The things that make Costco good also make it bad”, to which other users responded in agreement and offered tips to maximize efficiency when undertaking a trip to the warehouse retailer. Another user shared, “I love Costco and I know the products are good and the politics are good but i seriously cannot do the parking lot space wait and the long lines every time I need a quick item.” This was reiterated by several other users who also claimed that the crowds were too large regardless of the time of day. Conversely, other customers felt that soon after opening, or just before closing are the best times for a peaceful shopping experience.
The C in Costco is not for consistency
Another sore point for consumers was the layout of the warehouses. Customers noted that each warehouse had a different layout, which would be all well and fine but the retailer is known to change its warehouse layout more often than necessary. Changing the locations of items and varying the offerings is appearing to be an inconvenience to customers. Time constraints and the sheer amount of space to cover when shopping in a warehouse makes this a justifiable concern for consumers. One user even suggested signs for each aisle, or at the very least, store maps to aid this problem.
In the same grain of things, Reddit users also complained about items not remaining in stock for long. While this would be something of an annoyance, the user also pointed out, “that also means they have new stuff all the time”.
Other users were also not impressed with the company’s website and requested changes be made to it. The company has taken the initiative to work on its website and app, however. Costco executives have announced that the team continues to make progress with their technology. Some examples of this include a feature to look through the warehouse on the app, and a “native search function” for the U.S. version of the app.
What is Costco’s stance on the matter?
For a company that is set to have over 900 locations worldwide, there is no apparent sense of uniformity from branch to branch. The company website describes this rather erratic modus operandi as a “treasure hunt atmosphere” which is certainly a fresh take on retail. The company site also mentions that, “because we rotate out and introduce new merchandise all the time, we encourage you to purchase items that interest you sooner rather than later to avoid missing out.” This could be viewed as a form of manipulative marketing, as well as a potentially suboptimal business practice — the proof is in the complaints from customers.
Traffic within stores was also found to be a concern, understandably so when memberships are held by approximately 138.8 million people. Membership scanners at the entrance have started to roll out so as to ensure a smoother and faster checking out experience at the register.