Comment by jmduke | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jmduke | Hacker News Reader

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I think I agree with both you and the commenter to whom you're replying. My general purchasing process involves:

1. Go to Costco and purchase as many huge things in bulk as I can. People like to equate 'buying in bulk' with 'pricing', but honestly for me its just as much about the convenience: I don't care about saving $.50 on toilet paper so much as I care about having to buy toilet paper only once a year. I'm picky with some things (like hand soap), but like you said I know Kirkland products are going to be good enough.

2. For everything else, buy off Amazon/Target/TJ's.

One of the cues I'm surprised Costco hasn't taken is subscription-based shopping (as in, I set up a list of X items that I can schedule for a pickup every few months) that would make this process even better. Given the decidedly non-marketing-oriented layout of their stores, I don't think they'd miss the opportunity for up-selling.

Given the decidedly non-marketing-oriented layout of their stores, I don't think they'd miss the opportunity for up-selling.

I think they're more marketing-oriented than you're suggesting. There's a reason I have to walk by the big-screen TVs every time I walk in to my Costco, and why they hire all those workers (who are contractors, no?) to give out food samples. Come to think of it, at my local store, everything you might want to "browse through", from clothes to books to seasonal stuff, is in the low-shelved center of the store, while the "dependables" are in the back.

I'm sure they make money from the members who buy the same dozen things every time they visit, but I bet they make a lot more from the folks who browse the sample stations and who buy TVs on impulse.

Anyway, that counters my argument about Amazon, since they'll never be able to hand out Bagel Bites!

I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon eventually reached the point where they start including samples in your shipments. "Based on your purchase history, your e-mail traffic, and data from the webcam we hid in your shower, we think you might like Product X. We've included a few, give them a try!"

I order TP and paper towels via Amazon prime and the other day I was shipped gratis a bar of soap. It wasn't an accident, it was listed as a gift on the invoice.

Fun. Clearly I'm behind the times. Either that, or it happened to me as well, and I forgot, but that subconsciously prompted the idea.

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