Really, though … who buys this kind of shit at Costco?
I’m sure there are a few people out there who’d buy this … but those people would be shopping at high-end specialty stores for it, and at this kind of price point, they probably don’t care about saving a few percent on the price, even if Costco has it for cheaper.
Do these things ever actually get sold from the Costco floor? I really doubt it. What’s Costco gain from using a relatively large amount of retail floorspace on something like this, something only a vanishingly small minority of their shoppers ever could or would buy? And not only does it take up quite a bit of floorspace that could probably be devoted to something more likely to actually sell, it runs a pretty significant risk of someone damaging it, either deliberately or accidentally, while it sits there – so it’s not only an opportunity cost, there’s also a significant chance that they might lose a lot money on this.
Seriously… What’s the point of putting something like this on the floor of a Costco?
It’s a sales tactic. These huge, big-dollar items are displayed right near the entrance, and now the customer is more likely to throw impulse buys in their cart because, “it’s not like it’s a $180k piano.”
I used to sell downhill skis. The store would advertise full set-ups for $200 to get people in the door, and once they’re in, I’d take them to look at the $1,500 set-ups first. Suddenly buying skis for $800 didn’t sound so bad.
Really, though … who buys this kind of shit at Costco?
I’m sure there are a few people out there who’d buy this … but those people would be shopping at high-end specialty stores for it, and at this kind of price point, they probably don’t care about saving a few percent on the price, even if Costco has it for cheaper.
Do these things ever actually get sold from the Costco floor? I really doubt it. What’s Costco gain from using a relatively large amount of retail floorspace on something like this, something only a vanishingly small minority of their shoppers ever could or would buy? And not only does it take up quite a bit of floorspace that could probably be devoted to something more likely to actually sell, it runs a pretty significant risk of someone damaging it, either deliberately or accidentally, while it sits there – so it’s not only an opportunity cost, there’s also a significant chance that they might lose a lot money on this.
Seriously… What’s the point of putting something like this on the floor of a Costco?
It’s a sales tactic. These huge, big-dollar items are displayed right near the entrance, and now the customer is more likely to throw impulse buys in their cart because, “it’s not like it’s a $180k piano.”
I used to sell downhill skis. The store would advertise full set-ups for $200 to get people in the door, and once they’re in, I’d take them to look at the $1,500 set-ups first. Suddenly buying skis for $800 didn’t sound so bad.