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Comment by llm_nerd | Hacker News Reader

Costco has been trying to get adoption of their online selling platform, but their lack of real-time inventory is a massive impediment. I tried to use it a couple of times but it ends up being an endless back and forth with a picker who is trying to offer up substitutes for everything. Just gave up on it.

Apparently Costco plans a fully separate online order picking area in one of their new massive warehouses. With that they won't have the uncertainty of shrinkage (Costco has a serious problem with theft), and of course the amount of inventory that is moving around the store in people's buggies.

I don't think there is any intention to it, but it's just a legacy remnant of being a very successful B&M company where they would periodically do an inventory and figure out where they actually stand.

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Shopping at Costco is frustrating. It's fine for grocery staples (dairy, fruit, veggies, etc). But when it comes finding specific items in stock (and which aisle in the store), Target and Walmart are way ahead of Costco.

Ordering something at Target for Order Pickup is very straightforward and convenient. For Costco, I guess they don't want you to just order 1-2 items for order pickup and be on your way. Not to mention, the parking lot situation at Costco is a major turnoff to going.

We also hated Costco parking. We go 1 hour before close and no longer have any problems with it. We also spend less time in line, aisles, receipt check, gas, and leaving.

Costco also accepted an item return over a year later. To be fair, it almost caused a fire by turning itself on in the middle of the night.

Its a wholesale club. The items aren't in permanent locations because they are making purchases in bulk when the price is advantageous to do so. This means they won't always have the same items all the time. The items you mention are in the same location regularly because the supporting infrastructure is permanent. Freezers for milk, desserts, the bakery and other products aren't going to move around very often.

For online ordering where do you want them to store your purchase? The whole layout of the store is that all available inventory is on the floor since its a warehouse by design. Target and Walmart are retail designed stores which has a different purpose in mind.

Seriously?, the parking is like any other store, there are peak and non-peak times.

-Costco has a serious problem with theft

The thread yesterday (based on another post from the same source as this one) said Costco had much lower theft (shrinkage) than rivals.

This article states as much: “Costco loses only 0.1% of revenue to theft annually. For context, that's 90% lower than Walmart's shrink rate.”

I have a hard time understanding how someone can steal something from Costco. Sure, it's not impossible, but it seems really hard.

First, because of the size of the products themselves. It's hard to conceal them. And small items come in blister packs which are hard to open even at home. Second, because they have cameras and have almost every shopper's photo and address on file. Third, because they have the receipt checkers at the exit.

I'd love to know how theft happens.

If I had to take a guess, it's more about policy than "they don't catch them". I doubt it's someone coming in, taking a TV and walking out.

It's more like if an item or 2 "sneak in" and the checker just lets them go. It'd cost more money in congesting the line, grabbing security, etc. to contest that item than it would be to just let them go. They don't want to press charges on someone who spent $100 because they wanted to sneak some $15 pills by. All stores expect X% theft anyway and build it into the price of their item (or secure it better if it's a small, often stolen good, like tech).

It's probably a cultural choice, though. Meanwhile, the Walmart down the street is much more aggressive on that stuff.

Victims don't decide who is charged with theft.

"Pressing charges" isn't a thing.

Depends on where you live.

Seeing as Costco exists in Ontario, Canada. Where citizens with knowledge of a crime can use private prosecution.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/private-prosecutions

Receipt checkers have no ability to prevent thieves from stealing.

Given how people stuff their carts, seems like you could easily bury something expensive at the bottom. If the store is super busy the receipt checkers probably won't disassemble your whole cart.

But how? Run to the warehouse again after the cashier has charged you and bring an item and sneak it into the cart? Sounds very hard to do.

The only plausible thing is to steal at the self-checkout, but the receipts are different and cause more scrutiny at the door.

Sometimes they use the fire exits: https://youtu.be/jPgsOMjEJ4o

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