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I have a Costco account and a Sam's Club (Walmart's Costco equivalent) account. Even though I do something like 98% of my bulk shopping at Sam's club (due to pr

I have a Costco account and a Sam's Club (Walmart's Costco equivalent) account. Even though I do something like 98% of my bulk shopping at Sam's club (due to proximity, the Costco is ~ 15 min drive away vs 5 mins for the Sam's club), it's still worth it for me to hold the Costco membership for specific purchases. Notably I've purchased (because there's no better place to buy these things and the vendor vetting is amazing) bedsheets, smart thermostats & a sauna from Costco over the last year and those have easily made back the $60 USD it cost me to buy the membership. I'll probably end up buying a gazebo kit from Costco sometime in the next year. I think for semi-big purchases ($USD 200 to $USD $20,000) as a consumer Costco has huge value. The vendor vetting thing may not be as important when it comes to a bag of chips, but when it comes to a $4,000 gazebo or some $2,000 appliance I have really come to trust Costco's vetting.

Akronymus 4y ago
> (due to proximity, the Costco is ~ 15 min drive away vs 5 mins for the Sam's club) this kinda makes me... sad, I guess? Just how embedded the need to drive is for america. (As in, having to drive, rather than being able to) Just such a different culture from what I know.
cyberge99 4y ago
Costco also works out deals to sell “special” revisions of major brand offerings. One example is a Sony Bravia that has a physical microphone disable switch.
- alliao 4y ago
  wow. I'm sold.
- 8ytecoder 4y ago
  Or the Sonos Arc SL that doesn’t have a microphone at all.
- crooked-v 4y ago
  Though it's worth keeping in mind that they also have a lot of items with unique model numbers/SKUs that are actually entirely identical otherwise, to make it less obvious that the version at Costco is $X cheaper than the one available everywhere else.
- anotherman554 4y ago
  If you are referring to the A80j model the Costco exclusive Bravia has a microphone disable switch because it has a microphone. The standard Bravia has no microphone at all.
inferiorhuman 4y ago
> when it comes to a $4,000 gazebo or some $2,000 appliance I have really come to trust Costco's vetting. How does that jive with selling Samsung (and LG) appliances? Samsung is easily the worst appliance manufacturer in North America across pretty much any appliance. LG's not too much better but supposedly their dryers and front load washers are decent.
- rexf 4y ago
  Shopping for appliances is not easy. For my recent purchase, I looked at wirecutter as a starting point and bought from Costco. Also I got a 3rd party extended warranty (since you never know with water-using appliances). According to Wirecutter (NYT): "If you’re a member, Costco offers the cheapest delivery and installation of the big national chains, you’ll get an additional year of warranty coverage for many products, and it will help you make warranty claims with the manufacturer." https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/where-to-buy-appliances/#chains-with-the-best-policies-costco-and-lowes https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/where-to-buy-appl...
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- kfrzcode 4y ago
  I've been happy with my Samsung range, fridge, dishwasher and TV It's been 6months. When should I expect issues?
  - greenthrow 4y ago
    The TV will probably hold up just fine, other than the ads it will show if connected to the internet. Samsung/LG appliances (washer/dryer, fridge, etc.) usually last 5 years or less. Whereas a quality appliance should last 10 years or more. My source on this is friends who work in the industry plus the experience of family members who bought LG/Samsung appliances anyway.
  - inferiorhuman 4y ago

Akronymus 4y ago

> (due to proximity, the Costco is ~ 15 min drive away vs 5 mins for the Sam's club) this kinda makes me... sad, I guess? Just how embedded the need to drive is for america. (As in, having to drive, rather than being able to) Just such a different culture from what I know.

cyberge99 4y ago

Costco also works out deals to sell “special” revisions of major brand offerings. One example is a Sony Bravia that has a physical microphone disable switch.

alliao 4y ago
wow. I'm sold.
8ytecoder 4y ago
Or the Sonos Arc SL that doesn’t have a microphone at all.
crooked-v 4y ago
Though it's worth keeping in mind that they also have a lot of items with unique model numbers/SKUs that are actually entirely identical otherwise, to make it less obvious that the version at Costco is $X cheaper than the one available everywhere else.
anotherman554 4y ago
If you are referring to the A80j model the Costco exclusive Bravia has a microphone disable switch because it has a microphone. The standard Bravia has no microphone at all.

inferiorhuman 4y ago

> when it comes to a $4,000 gazebo or some $2,000 appliance I have really come to trust Costco's vetting. How does that jive with selling Samsung (and LG) appliances? Samsung is easily the worst appliance manufacturer in North America across pretty much any appliance. LG's not too much better but supposedly their dryers and front load washers are decent.

rexf 4y ago
Shopping for appliances is not easy. For my recent purchase, I looked at wirecutter as a starting point and bought from Costco. Also I got a 3rd party extended warranty (since you never know with water-using appliances). According to Wirecutter (NYT): "If you’re a member, Costco offers the cheapest delivery and installation of the big national chains, you’ll get an additional year of warranty coverage for many products, and it will help you make warranty claims with the manufacturer." https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/where-to-buy-appliances/#chains-with-the-best-policies-costco-and-lowes https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/where-to-buy-appl...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
kfrzcode 4y ago
I've been happy with my Samsung range, fridge, dishwasher and TV It's been 6months. When should I expect issues?
- greenthrow 4y ago
  The TV will probably hold up just fine, other than the ads it will show if connected to the internet. Samsung/LG appliances (washer/dryer, fridge, etc.) usually last 5 years or less. Whereas a quality appliance should last 10 years or more. My source on this is friends who work in the industry plus the experience of family members who bought LG/Samsung appliances anyway.
- inferiorhuman 4y ago