Pie rush at Costco!

Costco has pumpkin pies down to a science
-1 million pies in a week?!?!?! On our visit to Costco this crazy day-before-Thanksgiving, we did see a whole lot of apple pies being pushed out the door too.

Costco vs. Sam's vs. BJ's

From TheStreet.com,
Did you know, on average, consumers visit Costco 2.8 times/month, compared with 2.37 times/month for Sam's and 2.1 visits/month for BJ's.

Additionally, shoppers spend $92.82 each time they visit Costco, 55% more than Sam's, 59% more than Walmart, and 70% more than BJ's.

What does this say? It tells me that Costco shoppers are more loyal to Costco, and they spend more there than shoppers at other comparable club stores. Just an interesting tidbit for you Costco fans!

Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW DSLR camera bag now at Costco!

In today's Costco treasure hunt, I saw that they are now carrying the Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW camera bag (item #224765) for $67.99!! I have this bag for myself and love it! It carries my D80, 50mm f1.8 lens, 18-200 VR lens, sb-600 flash, extra battery, charger, and all my accessories.

They don't yet have it on costco.com, but here's a link to amazon, so that you can see it. It's listed for $89.95 on amazon, and a quick search reveals a lowest price of $68.99 at rei.com.

The only con I can think of for this bag is that it can be a bit bulky. It's designed such that you can keep it on your back as a sling, and be able to swing it around to access what you need, but it can be a bit cumbersome. With a DSLR, lenses, flash, I don't know if you can avoid cumbersomeness anyway.

If you're in the market for a DSLR camera bag, check this out on your next trip to Costco!

Winner of the $10 Costco cash card...

is Sharon Yim! Used random.org to generate a random integer between 1-9 (total # of entries) and on the 9th iteration, it came up with #5 which corresponded with Sharon's comment on the original post!

Congrats to Sharon, and keep checking back for future promotions!!!

A store that thinks like a customer?!?! Brilliant!

"I try to approach the visits from the standpoint of a customer. Does the building have the right goods out? Is it well-stocked and clean and safe? Nothing is a bigger turnoff than poor housekeeping, most particularly in a place where you have food. Also, when you have a sloppy building, I can guarantee you're going to have high shrinkage [pilfering and shoplifting]."
-Jim Sinegal, Costco CEO

Finally. A retailer that thinks like a customer. That's why we all love Costco. They know what the consumer wants and models everything around that. Good article that gives you a glimpse into the vision & mindset of Costco's leader.

I counted 8 entries (including the two on my facebook notes feed) for the $10 Costco cash card promo. Drawing will be conducted sometime this weekend via unbiased, independent means and winner will be posted on Monday!!!

Last day for the $10 Costco cash card!

leave a comment on this or the previous post on what your favorite item to buy at Costco and why! Winner will be randomly drawn and will win a $10 Costco cash card!

Costco Fans Promotion! Win a $10 Costco cash card!

I mentioned this earlier, but I wanted this blog to be more interactive with readers, so that all of you can provide your suggestions too!

So...in the spirit of Web 2.0, I wanted to pose the simple question:

What's your favorite item at Costco and why? It could be the item you buy the most, or the splurge item that you don't necessarily need, but love, or the most useful item you've bought, or the best deal you've taken advantage of, etc.

Leave a comment in this thread, and in 1 week, I will randomly choose a number using random.org, and the comment # that corresponds to that random # will win a $10 Costco cash card mailed to the address of your choosing!!! Comment must be left on this thread, not on facebook, or any other site.

A few rules:

1. One entry per person regardless of number of comments.
2. If you are related to me, you are not eligible.
   
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Free Kirkland brand diaper sample!

Apparently Costco is introducing a new Kirkland brand Supreme diaper. It's in the upcoming November coupon book, and they are also offering a sample from their website. Go get a sample now!

It is interesting though, that the sample is promised between 4-6 weeks, but the coupon is valid 11/17-12/7. Hopefully one would get the sample before committing to a big box of diapers. BTW, the coupon is for $5 off. Guessing the price of a box is around $30.

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Nikon D90 at Costco

On one of my multi-weekly trips to Costco recently, I noticed that they're selling the Nikon D90 DSLR these days. I also saw that it's on sale for a $100 off with 2 excellent lenses in the bundle. I originally got the D80 bundle back in December 2006 when they had it; I think they've had the D40 at some time as well. One of the many features of the D90 is the fact that it's one of the few DSLRs out there that records video.

Ken Rockwell reviews it on his website, and also explains the megapixel myth. Basically the number of megapixels will not make a difference to the regular amateur photographer. Read his review if you're considering the D90.

My take? It's always been a great idea to combine multiple technologies/features into one device, but it often results in mediocre performance. Heard of the phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none?" That's how I feel about most multi-function devices outside of fax/copy/scan machines. If you want a good camera, get a good camera. If you want a good video camera, get a good video camera and expect it to be something different from your good camera. FYI, we have the D80 with a 18-200 VR and 50mm (1.8) lenses, and the Canon HV30 HD video camera.

Sign of the ultimate Costco Fan & gift card update

I'm seriously thinking of buying >this.

Tally of gift cards: Three $500 gift cards, two $200 gift cards sold at a profit of ~$10/gift card. One $500 gift card purchased at a 17% discount, one $100 gift card purchased at a 9% discount. IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND SHOP AT COSTCO, YOU HAVE TO GET IN ON THIS DEAL. I WILL HELP YOU SAVE 15% ON YOUR COSTCO PURCHASES.

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Starbucks gift cards Costco's best seller?

Might the new Starbucks gift cards (Five $20 cards for $79.95) be the best seller at Costco, overtaking the mighty Kirkland brand bath tissue?

It does make for a great gift if you have a Starbucker to give a gift to.

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Update on buying gift cards on eBay

Last week I wrote about using live.com's cashback promotion to purchase Buy-It-Now items on eBay. A primary target for this are Costco cash cards, b/c most people can burn through a $500 value card in a few months. The fact that you are saving $70-80 and are actually paying ~$420 is a major bonus. The only catch is you have to wait 60 days for the cashback.

Anyways, I've now sold 2 $500 Costco cash cards, 1 $200 Costco cash cards and probably have made about $10-$15/transaction for a total profit of $30-$40. This includes subtracting eBay fees, paypal fees, shipping fee (a stamp) and adding in the fact that I'm using my Costco AMEX to buy the gift card, thereby getting the 1% cashback on the card, and adding to my 2% for executive membership (see details in this post).

On the buy side, I've purchased a
$100 Bed Bath gift card (paid $110, $27.50 cashback, $82.50 final price)
$100 Costco card (paid $130, $39 cashback, $91 final)
$50 Lettuce Entertain card (paid $45, $11.25 cashback, $33.75 final)
$100 Ruth Chris card (paid $91, $22.75 cashback, $68.25 final).

Take advantage of this while you can! If you want, you can try it by buying one of my Costco cash cards. Someone you can trust to deliver a card, and we both benefit!

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