Finally! The NPR Planet Money episode on Price Club / Costco. Why they purposely make shopping harder and why people love it. The quotes in this podcast are priceless; from the founder himself “I was adamant that we would not have signs telling people where things were because that would make it likely that they would wander through all the aisles and find other things to buy.”
http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/09/25/443519599/episode-653-the-anti-store
Here’s something I don’t understand about people shopping at Costco. Clearly Costco is not a “quick stop” experience. There are no express cashiers! So why do people still insist on going to Costco to buy a single item???
Image of Costco patron buying only two items (that’s my stuff on the left) on Oct 30, 2015 – bananas and bread?:
Worked there for 6 years in Edmonton and don’t remember anyone leaving with just one item though. Unless of course it was a big ticket item like a TV or jewellery.
It’s definitely true about the no signs though their whole purpose is to make you go down every aisle. People would always say when going through the till that they bought more than they came for.
Haha! Yup, definitely buy more. I did include a picture on the post of a Costco patron buying only one or two small items. I’m telling you, it happens! More than I’d expect. Is there something wrong with these people? I mean Costco works hard to make this sort of person unwelcome.
Real Canadian Superstore has signs, but they still force you to go down every aisle in search of that one item in your list that strategically not where it should be.