8 ms·

Costco allows purchases to members only. I do not understand why in the very beginning they did not enforce the purchase limit of each membership to something r

Costco allows purchases to members only. I do not understand why in the very beginning they did not enforce the purchase limit of each membership to something reasonable e.g. 2 big boxes (~70 rolls) per month.

downerending 7y ago
Under normal circumstances, there's simply no reason to do this. Some people really do prefer to buy six months' of toilet paper twice a year. Why not let them?
wideasleep1 7y ago
Possibly because they're reasonable, and were dumbfounded, like me, that folks would hoard...toilet paper.
- philwelch 7y ago
  Especially that they would "hoard" it at the last minute when a disaster was already in progress. People who stock up on necessities as a normal part of their lives would have been stocked up already and typically only buy these things to backfill from their current consumption. I don't know if this applies to toilet paper, but it's common in the LDS community to have at least 6 months' supply of nonperishable food at all times. Mormons don't typically buy 6 months of food at a time though, they just buy groceries at a normal rate to backfill their pantries via a FIFO rotation. Of course, the rare occasions where someone would buy 6 months of something at a time--e.g. if they recently adopted a lifestyle and/or religion that encouraged this behavior--are easily absorbable by the supply chain assuming not everyone does it at once.
  - wideasleep1 7y ago
    I suppose there was a delay realizing 'The shit has hit the fan! Hoard TP", and they took it too literally. Honestly, the compulsion to 'do something..anything' panic mode is a good explanation, aside from profiteers.
    - philwelch 7y ago
      There's something very viscerally gross about an imaginary scenario where you've been locked inside your own home for weeks and you run out of TP. I think a lot of people reacted emotionally to that scenario without thinking critically about it.
      - wideasleep1 7y ago
        If I were the panicky type, I'd prioritize input before 'output', it seems more limited and difficult to remedy by comparison. edit: besides, if I've done the former properly, the latter takes care of itself.
        philwelch 7y ago
        If you were the panicky type, you wouldn’t address the issue rationally. A lot of people can’t really imagine long term hunger. They can imagine running out of toilet paper.
- rootusrootus 7y ago
  Then they weren't watching the news. The TP hoarding is hardly specific to the US, and it definitely did not start here.
  - wideasleep1 7y ago
    Ahh, that 'splains it, since I don't watch TV. Surprise..emotional contagion strikes again.
    - jdnenej 7y ago
      I think it started in china/Japan, hit Australia a month later and now has become almost global.
CydeWeys 7y ago
Because it wasn't clear in the very beginning this was going to be a long-term persistent problem.
23B1 7y ago
Probably because they know their supply chain better than the average panic buyer, and figured they could sell as much as was in demand and still restock the next few days. Most TP is made domestically.
hristov 7y ago
A lot of their members are various types of small businesses. Remember when Costco was becoming popular like 20-30 years ago they mostly marketed themselves as a place for small businesses to stock up. It is hard to say what would be reasonable for a small business.
- abandonliberty 7y ago
  I'm always entertained when the guy next to me is buying 50 cases of canola oil or something. Turns out Costco is still often cheaper than a lot of wholesalers.
  - rootusrootus 7y ago
    > Costco is still often cheaper On the flip side, they have been more expensive on quite a lot of things that the normal grocery store carries. Beware that just because Costco sells a giant pack of something doesn't necessarily mean it is cheaper.
    - insaneirish 7y ago
      > On the flip side, they have been more expensive on quite a lot of things that the normal grocery store carries. Example? On a per unit/per weight basis, for equivalent quality, I have never once observed this.
      - baldeagle 7y ago
        Fresh produce / veggies.
      - kenhwang 7y ago
        I've only noticed it on produce. Fruit and vegetables can be a bit cheaper at the normal grocery store. I assume it's because Costco usually sells those items packaged while the grocery store typically does not. Real example since I just did groceries so I still remember all the prices and still have my receipt from my last Costco run last week. Asparagus is $0.99/lb at the grocery store bundled with a rubber band; Costco had it for $3.68/lb but it came in a nicely sealed plastic bag with nutritional facts. $0.99 per bell pepper at the grocery store, pick from a pile; $9.59/6-pack (effectively $1.59/per) at Costco, also in a plastic bag with two of each color selected for you.
Moto7451 7y ago
Normally it’s not a problem if one person needs 10 packs of toilet paper. Many folks who live far away from a Costco or any other store make quarterly trips and fill a trailer. I have relatives in Wyoming that travel hours to do this. Businesses are a more boring example of a customer with a need for more paper products than others. In my own personal experience planning my wedding, not every venue supplies paper products. There are plenty of very “boring” reasons to need more than two bulk packs of something per month. The great convenience of Costco is having a one stop shop vs contacting the paper company for plates and cups and the baking company For bags of flour. One stop shopping. Right now it’s a problem that swarms if people are acting like this.
Twixes 7y ago
They must have really big data on all purchases, could probably prevent hoarding in a crisis by algorithmically imposing a limit of items from a particular category bought by a member in a timeframe in case of a massive statewide surge in demand.
m463 7y ago
On the other hand, some people are purchasing for their elder neighbors who don't go out.

downerending 7y ago

Under normal circumstances, there's simply no reason to do this. Some people really do prefer to buy six months' of toilet paper twice a year. Why not let them?

wideasleep1 7y ago

Possibly because they're reasonable, and were dumbfounded, like me, that folks would hoard...toilet paper.

philwelch 7y ago
Especially that they would "hoard" it at the last minute when a disaster was already in progress. People who stock up on necessities as a normal part of their lives would have been stocked up already and typically only buy these things to backfill from their current consumption. I don't know if this applies to toilet paper, but it's common in the LDS community to have at least 6 months' supply of nonperishable food at all times. Mormons don't typically buy 6 months of food at a time though, they just buy groceries at a normal rate to backfill their pantries via a FIFO rotation. Of course, the rare occasions where someone would buy 6 months of something at a time--e.g. if they recently adopted a lifestyle and/or religion that encouraged this behavior--are easily absorbable by the supply chain assuming not everyone does it at once.
- wideasleep1 7y ago
  I suppose there was a delay realizing 'The shit has hit the fan! Hoard TP", and they took it too literally. Honestly, the compulsion to 'do something..anything' panic mode is a good explanation, aside from profiteers.
  - philwelch 7y ago
    There's something very viscerally gross about an imaginary scenario where you've been locked inside your own home for weeks and you run out of TP. I think a lot of people reacted emotionally to that scenario without thinking critically about it.
    - wideasleep1 7y ago
      If I were the panicky type, I'd prioritize input before 'output', it seems more limited and difficult to remedy by comparison. edit: besides, if I've done the former properly, the latter takes care of itself.
      - philwelch 7y ago
        If you were the panicky type, you wouldn’t address the issue rationally. A lot of people can’t really imagine long term hunger. They can imagine running out of toilet paper.
rootusrootus 7y ago
Then they weren't watching the news. The TP hoarding is hardly specific to the US, and it definitely did not start here.
- wideasleep1 7y ago
  Ahh, that 'splains it, since I don't watch TV. Surprise..emotional contagion strikes again.
  - jdnenej 7y ago
    I think it started in china/Japan, hit Australia a month later and now has become almost global.

CydeWeys 7y ago

Because it wasn't clear in the very beginning this was going to be a long-term persistent problem.

23B1 7y ago

Probably because they know their supply chain better than the average panic buyer, and figured they could sell as much as was in demand and still restock the next few days. Most TP is made domestically.

hristov 7y ago

A lot of their members are various types of small businesses. Remember when Costco was becoming popular like 20-30 years ago they mostly marketed themselves as a place for small businesses to stock up. It is hard to say what would be reasonable for a small business.

abandonliberty 7y ago
I'm always entertained when the guy next to me is buying 50 cases of canola oil or something. Turns out Costco is still often cheaper than a lot of wholesalers.
- rootusrootus 7y ago
  > Costco is still often cheaper On the flip side, they have been more expensive on quite a lot of things that the normal grocery store carries. Beware that just because Costco sells a giant pack of something doesn't necessarily mean it is cheaper.
  - insaneirish 7y ago
    > On the flip side, they have been more expensive on quite a lot of things that the normal grocery store carries. Example? On a per unit/per weight basis, for equivalent quality, I have never once observed this.
    - baldeagle 7y ago
      Fresh produce / veggies.
    - kenhwang 7y ago
      I've only noticed it on produce. Fruit and vegetables can be a bit cheaper at the normal grocery store. I assume it's because Costco usually sells those items packaged while the grocery store typically does not. Real example since I just did groceries so I still remember all the prices and still have my receipt from my last Costco run last week. Asparagus is $0.99/lb at the grocery store bundled with a rubber band; Costco had it for $3.68/lb but it came in a nicely sealed plastic bag with nutritional facts. $0.99 per bell pepper at the grocery store, pick from a pile; $9.59/6-pack (effectively $1.59/per) at Costco, also in a plastic bag with two of each color selected for you.

Moto7451 7y ago

Normally it’s not a problem if one person needs 10 packs of toilet paper. Many folks who live far away from a Costco or any other store make quarterly trips and fill a trailer. I have relatives in Wyoming that travel hours to do this. Businesses are a more boring example of a customer with a need for more paper products than others. In my own personal experience planning my wedding, not every venue supplies paper products. There are plenty of very “boring” reasons to need more than two bulk packs of something per month. The great convenience of Costco is having a one stop shop vs contacting the paper company for plates and cups and the baking company For bags of flour. One stop shopping. Right now it’s a problem that swarms if people are acting like this.

Twixes 7y ago

They must have really big data on all purchases, could probably prevent hoarding in a crisis by algorithmically imposing a limit of items from a particular category bought by a member in a timeframe in case of a massive statewide surge in demand.

m463 7y ago

On the other hand, some people are purchasing for their elder neighbors who don't go out.