4 ms·

Membership at Costco is like 60 dollars a year. Not saying it's doable for everyone but its hardly something 'you need to have a good amount of extra money' to

by melq 8y ago

Membership at Costco is like 60 dollars a year. Not saying it's doable for everyone but its hardly something 'you need to have a good amount of extra money' to afford.

bluGill 8y ago
Spoken like someone who is not poor.
- melq 8y ago
  I never said or implied that poor people are able to shop at Costco.
projektfu 8y ago
You need to be buying enough to make it work out. A single person often doesn't benefit from Costco unless they're also a small business owner.
jandrese 8y ago
You can also get the $120 membership that gives you a percentage back. If you shop there regularly the membership becomes effectively free. But this doesn't help someone living paycheck to paycheck. Where the hell are they going to find an extra $120?
Scoundreller 8y ago
And you can usually get a second card « for someone else that lives in the same household ». You can also tag along with someone else that has a membership if they’re willing to offer you their time.
lotsofpulp 8y ago
If you look at the locations of Costcos in any metropolitan area, they will not be near the poorer areas. Walmart is more frequently located near poorer areas, and what I was getting at, was that Walmart can't just up its pay to match Costco because many people that shop at Walmart don't have any extra money, whereas Costco can afford to raise prices to help pay for better wages.
dragonwriter 8y ago
> Membership at Costco is like 60 dollars a year. Not saying it's doable for everyone but its hardly something 'you need to have a good amount of extra money' to afford If you are poor to the point of relying on public assistance to meet basic needs, an extra $60 up front even if it will pay off over a year means foregoing other essential expenses now. But the bigger cost in many parts of the country is the space needed for inventory to maximize the benefit of bulk purchasing. Sure it works well for my family, but we live in a decent sized suburban home with an second refrigerator, and a storage closet converted for additional pantry space.
- melq 8y ago
  Why do you think I was talking about people who are poor to the point that they are relying on public assistance? Did you gloss over the part where I said 'not saying it is doable for everyone'? You even quoted it. This thread was debating whether or not Costco is an 'upscale' place that only the well to do can afford, not whether or not Costco is an option for people on public assistance.

by melq 8y ago

Membership at Costco is like 60 dollars a year. Not saying it's doable for everyone but its hardly something 'you need to have a good amount of extra money' to afford.

bluGill 8y ago

Spoken like someone who is not poor.

melq 8y ago
I never said or implied that poor people are able to shop at Costco.

projektfu 8y ago

You need to be buying enough to make it work out. A single person often doesn't benefit from Costco unless they're also a small business owner.

jandrese 8y ago

You can also get the $120 membership that gives you a percentage back. If you shop there regularly the membership becomes effectively free. But this doesn't help someone living paycheck to paycheck. Where the hell are they going to find an extra $120?

Scoundreller 8y ago

And you can usually get a second card « for someone else that lives in the same household ». You can also tag along with someone else that has a membership if they’re willing to offer you their time.

lotsofpulp 8y ago

If you look at the locations of Costcos in any metropolitan area, they will not be near the poorer areas. Walmart is more frequently located near poorer areas, and what I was getting at, was that Walmart can't just up its pay to match Costco because many people that shop at Walmart don't have any extra money, whereas Costco can afford to raise prices to help pay for better wages.

dragonwriter 8y ago

> Membership at Costco is like 60 dollars a year. Not saying it's doable for everyone but its hardly something 'you need to have a good amount of extra money' to afford If you are poor to the point of relying on public assistance to meet basic needs, an extra $60 up front even if it will pay off over a year means foregoing other essential expenses now. But the bigger cost in many parts of the country is the space needed for inventory to maximize the benefit of bulk purchasing. Sure it works well for my family, but we live in a decent sized suburban home with an second refrigerator, and a storage closet converted for additional pantry space.

melq 8y ago
Why do you think I was talking about people who are poor to the point that they are relying on public assistance? Did you gloss over the part where I said 'not saying it is doable for everyone'? You even quoted it. This thread was debating whether or not Costco is an 'upscale' place that only the well to do can afford, not whether or not Costco is an option for people on public assistance.