DaveNW- Say it Ain't True- Costco Drops Polish Sausages from Menu [2018]

[DaveNV]

Sam's Club is going to sell a polish hot dog. I wonder did Sam's Club mean that they are going to sell a polish sausage liked Costco ?

The food court war is on.

I think they were already selling them at some of the Sam's Clubs. They just expanded to all their locations.

I don't think it's a war, since Costco is not selling it anymore. A war would indicate a "back and forth" which is not happening in this case. If anything, I think Sam's is trying to capitalize on the momentary noise over a deleted sausage. And my question is, if this is what Sam's marketing is thinking, that people might not shop at Costco any longer because they can't buy a sausage and soda for a buck and a half? Seems like they're setting the bar pretty low. Why not improve the quality of the merchandise, or pay people a better wage, to encourage others to shop at Sam's? But that's another topic.

I'd rather push Costco to sell Food Court items people want to buy, instead of the fancy stuff fewer people will purchase. It seems rather petty. (And in my case, a non-starter, since I don't eat at the Food Court anymore anyway.)

Dave

 

[bbodb1]

....can't let this thread fade away!...

 

[DaveNV]

....can't let this thread fade away!...

You're a kind person. With way too much time on your hands. LOL!

Dave

 

[Elan]

Seems to me that Costco has really swayed toward more expensive, higher margin items. Consequently, I don't shop there much anymore because fancy, pre-packaged food is mostly an oxymoron.

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[Luanne]

Seems to me that Costco has really swayed toward more expensive, higher margin items. Consequently, I don't shop there much anymore because fancy, pre-packaged food is mostly an oxymoron.

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We never really bought that kind of thing. We're still buying the same things we've bought for years: cleaning supplies, paper goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, canned goods.

 

[Elan]

We never really bought that kind of thing. We're still buying the same things we've bought for years: cleaning supplies, paper goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, canned goods.

Yeah, me either. But they've used shelf space to offer more fancy stuff and, consequently, less mundane stuff that a family would typically buy.

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[bbodb1]

Again, here I go trying to compare Sam's to Costco (and I realize the fallacy there) but one thing I will say about Sam's (at least ours) is the quality of their produce and meat has been consistently good since they opened a local store. I honestly thought that once the kids moved out, our purchases at Sam's would significantly dwindle, and while it has declined somewhat, we still buy a lot of produce and meat here.

But the point I want to make here is that our local Sam's seems to be adding more items to the center of the store - larger ticket items. Clothing has expanded, patio furniture too. This seems to be taking some room previously allocated to large electronic items (TV's especially), computers and cell phones. I somewhat get the sense that Sam's is not doing as well as they may have hoped in the electronics areas and are scaling it back a bit in favor of expanding other selections.

 

[Bucky]

I was never a big fan of Costco until this past year. Still don’t go there often because of location but when we do it’s always for a specific reason. Not just a general shopping run. In the last year I’ve used them to acquire a hearing aid and my wife for new glasses. They are more expensive than Zenni for sure but my wife says they are much better overall. We’ve also fallen in love with the $4.99 chicken and Cranberry/walnut bread.

I think the higher end items they are adding is because of many different reasons. Primarily to attract the millennials. There is a lot of disposable income out there and let’s face it, the 30 year olds have different wants and needs than my age group. They are trying to hook them early and keep them for life. I guess only time will tell. Nothing last forever. The dynamics will change and so will smart businesses. Still a shame about the food court changes though.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Two Elderly Men Got Into an All-Out-Brawl Over Costco's Free Samples
By Alex Norcia/ The Vice Guide to Right Now/ Vice/ vice.com

"Costco Wholesale, one of the largest retail chains in the world, is a labyrinth of a store. It's a members-only maze of everyday essentials and products you don't really need, sold in obscenely large quantities. Everything is bigger in Costco. Do you need 900 rolls of toilet paper? Got you. What about granola bars to feed approximately 400 children? No problem. Are you short on off-brand jeans or sea bass or the latest Janet Evanovich novel? Don't worry. Here, you can purchase whatever you think you need—a lot of it—at a reasonable price, and then all you have to do is stroll out the exit with your gigantic shopping cart as a dude with a highlighter pretends to check over your 100-item receipt. Here, everything is heightened, grand, exaggerated.

Including, it would appear, tempers at the free sample lines. For the most exciting thing about Costco, aside from the discounted TVs and massive churros, is stopping to eat whatever it is they're offering to you for no money, usually served in those tiny white cups reserved for ketchup. Is that a pig in a blanket? Why thank you, ma'am. Don't mind if I do.

Elderly men in South Carolina, it turns out, recognize the glory of the free sample all too well, because according to the State, two of them got into an all-out brawl at a local Costco, fighting over who cut who in line.

On Tuesday, a 70-year-old wearing a hat and glasses was apparently waiting in line for some free cheese when a 72-year-old in a Hawaiian shirt allegedly cut in front of him, snagged some, and darted off. (The guy didn't even have the nerve to chat cut.) It could have ended there. Tragedy could have been avoided. But then there were cheeseburgers.

The 70-year-old, apparently, had to right a wrong. These were, after all, free samples we're talking about. Later, he reportedly saw his nemesis idling in the queue for cheeseburgers, so he sprung into action: He cut in front of him. According to the incident report, the 70-year-old told his foe that "he could get in front of him because he knew he would just cut the line anyway." More heated words were exchanged—and then the 72-year-old in the Hawaiian shirt raised his hand and hit the 70-year-old in the head, slapping his hat off.

According to the State, the Coscto employee serving up the fateful bits of burger confirmed the story, saying that yes, the "man in a Hawaiian shirt hit the other man in the head and it sounded very loud, and that the man’s hat flew off his head."...."

Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images


Richard

 

[DaveNV]

Two Elderly Men Got Into an All-Out-Brawl Over Costco's Free Samples
By Alex Norcia/ The Vice Guide to Right Now/ Vice/ vice.com

Richard

So much about this story is wrong. There aren't LINES to get samples. People hover, or move to another sample table, while waiting for the first one to have something ready to go. The person offering the sample is not a Costco employee - they are employees of a concessionaire company. (Currently, I think it's CDS.) Costco was originally established as a wholesale location to stock up for resellers, so naturally the quantities are larger. Stocking something like toilet paper in small packages would make them higher price, which defeats the point of buying in bulk. And the dude with a highlighter who is scanning your receipt at the door? He's not "checking your entire order." He's looking for high-dollar items, and making sure they're in your cart. That prevents the people who bought something expensive from getting to their car and then claiming they didn't receive their big-ticket item.

But I digress. Breathe gently, DaveNW. Excuse me while I have another drink of Kool-Aid. It came in a multi-pack.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

And the dude with a highlighter who is scanning your receipt at the door? He's not "checking your entire order." He's looking for high-dollar items, and making sure they're in your cart. That prevents the people who bought something expensive from getting to their car and then claiming they didn't receive their big-ticket item.

Excuse me while I have another drink of Kool-Aid. It came in a multi-pack.

Dave

You have definitely drank the Kool-Aid. What a Kool-Aid twist to the annoying exit experience each time.

 

[DaveNV]

You have definitely drank the Kool-Aid. What a Kool-Aid twist to the annoying exit experience each time.

What I described about why they check receipts happened enough times, they had to institute a plan to prevent the problem. But they've been checking receipts ever since I was a Price Club member in the early 80s.

They also used to have to "transfer" large items from one cart to another, to make sure there was nothing hidden inside or under it. I saw one time where someone had two large bags of dry dog food laid flat on a flatbed cart. They were like the 50# size. When the cashier and assistant moved the top bag they found the entire space between it and the bag below it had been carefully layered in razor blade cartridges packs - the kind that sell for like $30 each. The member acted all innocent, and said, "Oh, yeah. I forgot about those." (Like you'd lay them out that way, then strategically put another bag of dog food on top by accident?) It was obvious they were trying to steal them. Multiply that by several thousand shoppers a day, and even if it's 1%, the theft problem is real. That's one reason a lot of things are packaged in that annoying plastic theft-proof packaging. Loss Prevention at Costco is a very hard job, and thieves can be very clever.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

What I described about why they check receipts happened enough times, they had to institute a plan to prevent the problem. But they've been checking receipts ever since I was a Price Club member in the early 80s.

They also used to have to "transfer" large items from one cart to another, to make sure there was nothing hidden inside or under it. I saw one time where someone had two large bags of dry dog food laid flat on a flatbed cart. They were like the 50# size. When the cashier and assistant moved the top bag they found the entire space between it and the bag below it had been carefully layered in razor blade cartridges packs - the kind that sell for like $30 each. The member acted all innocent, and said, "Oh, yeah. I forgot about those." (Like you'd lay them out that way, then strategically put another bag of dog food on top by accident?) It was obvious they were trying to steal them. Multiply that by several thousand shoppers a day, and even if it's 1%, the theft problem is real. That's one reason a lot of things are packaged in that annoying plastic theft-proof packaging. Loss Prevention at Costco is a very hard job, and thieves can be very clever.

Dave

... and yes, that is the real reason behind checking receipts.

 

[HudsHut]

Spotted on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/listi ng/613639430/bring-back-the-costco-polish-dog-short

 

[pedro47]

First Costco stops developing photos in their stores. Now it is the polish sausage.

Stop the press Costco have photos labs open in PA. We were in PA this past week visiting and we were told that The Costco's Photo Lab are still opening in PA by a professional photographer (outside of the Sight & Sound Theater, Lancaster,PA; the production show was JESUS and it was Outstanding). On our way home from PA, we stopped in Richmond,VA at the Costco store and guess what their photo lab was opening..

The Norfolk and Newport News Costco Photo Labs are closed.

What is up Costco?

 

[DaveNV]

First Costco stops developing photos in their stores. Now it is the polish sausage.

Stop the press Costco have photos labs open in PA. We were in PA this past week visiting and we were told that The Costco's Photo Lab are still opening in PA by a professional photographer (outside of the Sight & Sound Theater, Lancaster,PA; the production show was JESUS and it was Outstanding). On our way home from PA, we stopped in Richmond,VA at the Costco store and guess what their photo lab was opening..

The Norfolk and Newport News Costco Photo Labs are closed.

What is up Costco?

Are you talking about developing film, or printing pictures from digital uploads? Two very different processes.

Dave

 

[dayooper]

First Costco stops developing photos in their stores. Now it is the polish sausage.

Stop the press Costco have photos labs open in PA. We were in PA this past week visiting and we were told that The Costco's Photo Lab are still opening in PA by a professional photographer (outside of the Sight & Sound Theater, Lancaster,PA; the production show was JESUS and it was Outstanding). On our way home from PA, we stopped in Richmond,VA at the Costco store and guess what their photo lab was opening..

The Norfolk and Newport News Costco Photo Labs are closed.

What is up Costco?

The Costco in Auburn Hill Michigan has a photo center. We have uploaded many photos and picked them up. Our Christmas cards are printed there and even our daughter’s graduation announcements and open house invites were printed there. And yes, I love the samples and the gas prices at Costco.

 

[pedro47]

To DaveNW....printing pictures from digital uploads examples: 4x6 and 8x10

 

[DaveNV]

To DaveNW....printing pictures from digital uploads examples: 4x6 and 8x10

Thanks, Pedro. My understanding is that is where the Photo Department was going. They were getting away from film processing because most things are digital now. But you’re saying not all Costco’s near you have a Photo Department?

Dave

 

[pedro47]

Correct, the only Costco Photo Lab near the Tidewater, Virginia area is in Richmond,VA.


Costco have not developed prints in their lab, in over a decade in our area.

 

[DaveNV]

Correct, the only Costco Photo Lab near the Tidewater, Virginia area is in Richmond,VA.


Costco have not developed prints in their lab, in over a decade in our area.

But you can get uploaded digital prints at your local warehouse, right? That’s such a huge part of what Costco offers, I would be surprised if you couldn’t get things printed locally.

Dave

 

[Elan]

So much about this story is wrong. There aren't LINES to get samples.

When the samples run out, folks start waiting. I don't know if they're in lines, but I wouldn't be surprised if those waiting expect some sort of first in / first out service protocol. I can see where if someone is the first to start waiting for a depleted sample, they'd take exception to someone else grabbing the first mini cup from the fresh batch. We're typically not talking about the highest class of citizen here, after all.

I'd be ok with fights breaking out routinely in hope that the inconsiderate "grazers" would eventually go away. Maybe I'll go down tonight and cut some lines...

 

[DaveNV]

When the samples run out, folks start waiting. I don't know if they're in lines, but I wouldn't be surprised if those waiting expect some sort of first in / first out service protocol. I can see where if someone is the first to start waiting for a depleted sample, they'd take exception to someone else grabbing the first mini cup from the fresh batch. We're typically not talking about the highest class of citizen here, after all.

I'd be ok with fights breaking out routinely in hope that the inconsiderate "grazers" would eventually go away. Maybe I'll go down tonight and cut some lines...

I totally get your point. What I meant was there are no formal lines waiting for this or that sample. People tend to hover in the area, giving a lot of side-eye to the sample table they want, waiting for the right moment to pounce. It's almost laughable. And truth be told, it often appears that the people who simply do not need to be eating a sample of any kind of food are those who are waiting closest to snatch something fresh. Over and over again. But that's none of my business.

Unless they are sampling something specific I've wanted to try, I rarely stop at the sample tables. But that's me. I know others who make it a point to graze their way through lunch. I guess that's kind of the point.

I'd be curious to know the ratio of samples given to product sold. It must pay off, or Costco wouldn't be doing it.

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

I'd be curious to know the ratio of samples given to product sold. It must pay off, or Costco wouldn't be doing it.

Dave

I'm sure they keep track of this, but more importantly, they keep track of how much the average shopper spends on a visit. And that can easily extrapolate out to what people spend when samples are served, vs. how much they spend without samples. Simple.

NOBODY goes to Costco for one item and leaves with just that one item. Well, maybe once.

Aren't you glad I started this thread for you, Dave?

 

[Elan]

No doubt it pays off in increased sales. And it can't cost that much to set up and staff. I'm fine with the concept, I just don't like that the grazers haven't figured out to grab their sample and then get out of the way of those of us who are there to shop, not eat.

I totally get your point. What I meant was there are no formal lines waiting for this or that sample. People tend to hover in the area, giving a lot of side-eye to the sample table they want, waiting for the right moment to pounce. It's almost laughable. And truth be told, it often appears that the people who simply do not need to be eating a sample of any kind of food are those who are waiting closest to snatch something fresh. Over and over again. But that's none of my business.

Unless they are sampling something specific I've wanted to try, I rarely stop at the sample tables. But that's me. I know others who make it a point to graze their way through lunch. I guess that's kind of the point.

I'd be curious to know the ratio of samples given to product sold. It must pay off, or Costco wouldn't be doing it.

Dave

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