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Poor people are the people that have to drive everywhere, so I don't think location has much to do with it. Costco in Ventura County has two stores: the one in

Poor people are the people that have to drive everywhere, so I don't think location has much to do with it. Costco in Ventura County has two stores: the one in the rich area in Simi Valley, and the one in a (relatively speaking) poor area in Oxnard. The Simi store is half empty, while the Oxnard store has one of the highest sales in the entire chain. I actually don't know if the $60 keeps anyone out. I think it's just pure profit, and an inducement for customers to return so they "get what they pay for." People are terrible at thinking about sunk costs, you know.

macintux 7y ago
> Poor people are the people that have to drive everywhere I don’t know what this means. I assume that’s a regional difference. I live in an area where there are a lot of people who have to walk or rely on an incredibly unreliable and slow bus system. They’re not going to make a trip 5+ miles to the nearest Costco, especially since they’d have to walk half a mile to/from the bus stop and try to manage those bulk goods along the way. Not to mention the fact that our bus system is mostly hub and spoke, so the bus trip would take 2-3 hours each way.
- neltnerb 7y ago
  My experience is that even with the most awful transit system it is possible to make group trips with multiple families together with one card using one person's car. Even in a city with no transit at all surely you can find someone once a month willing to drive in exchange for free access to the lower prices on stuff, it's just common sense. Now Costco versus other options is hard to say, but their prices on certain things are hard to beat.
- labster 7y ago
  Sorry, SoCalian here. Everyone has a car. If you’re rich you can afford to live close to your job. If you’re poor you have to drive to work over an hour each way. If you’re homeless you live in your car. Buses exist, but no one knows where they came from or why they exist. (Please don’t argue exceptions, I’m being reductionist on purpose)
  - _delirium 7y ago
    The exceptions are only rare if you're not poor! Car ownership is near 100% among affluent people, but drops to around 50% in the lowest income quintile. Which is why the LA bus system that "nobody" rides has 800,000 daily riders.
- albedoa 7y ago
  > I don’t know what this means. I assume that’s a regional difference. The rest of your post describes a region where I would expect that statement to be particularly true. Does everyone live conveniently near their work, or are your low-income jobs forgiving of your incredibly unreliable and slow bus system? Either of those would stand out more as a regional difference.

macintux 7y ago

> Poor people are the people that have to drive everywhere I don’t know what this means. I assume that’s a regional difference. I live in an area where there are a lot of people who have to walk or rely on an incredibly unreliable and slow bus system. They’re not going to make a trip 5+ miles to the nearest Costco, especially since they’d have to walk half a mile to/from the bus stop and try to manage those bulk goods along the way. Not to mention the fact that our bus system is mostly hub and spoke, so the bus trip would take 2-3 hours each way.

neltnerb 7y ago
My experience is that even with the most awful transit system it is possible to make group trips with multiple families together with one card using one person's car. Even in a city with no transit at all surely you can find someone once a month willing to drive in exchange for free access to the lower prices on stuff, it's just common sense. Now Costco versus other options is hard to say, but their prices on certain things are hard to beat.
labster 7y ago
Sorry, SoCalian here. Everyone has a car. If you’re rich you can afford to live close to your job. If you’re poor you have to drive to work over an hour each way. If you’re homeless you live in your car. Buses exist, but no one knows where they came from or why they exist. (Please don’t argue exceptions, I’m being reductionist on purpose)
- _delirium 7y ago
  The exceptions are only rare if you're not poor! Car ownership is near 100% among affluent people, but drops to around 50% in the lowest income quintile. Which is why the LA bus system that "nobody" rides has 800,000 daily riders.
albedoa 7y ago
> I don’t know what this means. I assume that’s a regional difference. The rest of your post describes a region where I would expect that statement to be particularly true. Does everyone live conveniently near their work, or are your low-income jobs forgiving of your incredibly unreliable and slow bus system? Either of those would stand out more as a regional difference.