Costco is the anti-Amazon • Hacker News Board

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#581

Post by bell-cot » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 12:39 PM UTC

mattmaroon wrote: post #575

bell-cot wrote: post #563

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Ok, load the app and search ... > Go to self-checkout and grab ... Okay, but what if I really don't care about those important-to-you features? Based on Costco's membership numbers, I might have a whole lotta of company in that regard.

Good old HN. Me: they’re great but their tech sucks You: their tech is good Me: it can’t do basic stuff You: ok you’re right but they’re great I can tell you I’m a member of both, but I frequently let my Costco lapse but never Sam’s. Just because it isn’t killing the golden goose doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile to fix.

Okay, cool - measure "bad vs. good" however wish, and shop wherever you want.

I'm focused on my own use case, and how bad or good their tech-plus-all-the-rest-of-their-operations is for that use case. There seem to be plenty of folks with similar use cases and priorities, so my preferred store should remain available longer-term.

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#582

Post by jszymborski » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 1:08 PM UTC

insane_dreamer wrote: post #517

names_are_hard wrote: post #435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny when quintessential American business models bump up against foreign regulations and they have to find workarounds to keep in line with the law while trying to stay true to character. Not long ago I was in a Five Guys in France. There was a sign saying that by law free refills are not allowed, please scan the qr code to fill your cup. I guess there was a qr code on the receipt, I don't know, as far as I ca…

TIL there is Five Guys in France (I thought they were only in the US)

Some in Canada too!

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#583

Post by gcanyon » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 2:21 PM UTC

chrsw wrote: post #567

gcanyon wrote: post #478

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I'm unusual, but I live in NYC, with a grocery store a two minute walk away, a Target and Trader Joe's a three minute walk away, and a Whole Foods a four minute walk away. (and various bodegas within minutes as well) I went to that grocery store twice yesterday (picked up a bag of popcorn and a bottle of water to go to the movies, then later some potatoes and sour cream for dinner). I'm going in a few minutes t…

It's not unusual, but most people can't afford to live in NYC.

You're reminding me of the Yogi Berra quote (paraphrasing): "New York is so expensive no one lives there anymore."

You're not wrong, but millions (literally) of people do afford to live in NYC. I live in Harlem, which is more fun and more affordable than many areas.

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#584

Post by stasomatic » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 2:23 PM UTC

imoverclocked wrote: post #86

gwbas1c wrote: post #33

> Even if you think it is preferable at an individual level, there are good reasons to question the social value of the logistical complexity that it necessitates. Home delivery of single-packaged items entails an entirely different cost structure than freight trucks driving to consumer-facing warehouses delivering entire pallets of goods to be driven home by customers themselves. Ok, so 100 people can all drive to t…

I go to Costco when I have something else to do in the area; It's almost never a "trip to Costco" for me. Others have mentioned the parking lot sizes. If we wanted the best of both worlds, we could have online shopping at Costco with curbside delivery. There has to be a warehouse somewhere which means there are trucks/trains/planes moving goods around regardless. Even Amazon builds warehouses closer to where things n…

We go twice a month to fill up and re-up on things while there. Gas is cheapest at Costco. The parking lot is a war zone. Don't go to the one in Davie, FL if you can help it, you will discover road rage you didn't think you had. Many inconsiderate shoppers who pull up to the main entrance and turn their emergency lights on to load the car and block the traffic for minutes. I like Costco, but I despise going there. Fix parking, install EV chargers, canopies.

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#585

Post by alsobrsp » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 2:25 PM UTC

gwbas1c wrote: post #33

> Even if you think it is preferable at an individual level, there are good reasons to question the social value of the logistical complexity that it necessitates. Home delivery of single-packaged items entails an entirely different cost structure than freight trucks driving to consumer-facing warehouses delivering entire pallets of goods to be driven home by customers themselves. Ok, so 100 people can all drive to t…

I live in a smallish city, we have a lot of stores I can shop at and a Costco within a 30 minute drive. For me, incremental marginal cost of the delivery is negligible compared to me driving to a couple stores, not finding what I need, and still ordering online anyway. In general, I go to stores to get something that I know they have, not because they have "pallets of goods"

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#586

Post by tegiddrone » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 3:59 PM UTC

mike50 wrote: post #484

mlinsey wrote: post #472

Costco is an elegant solution for the suburbs, where everyone is driving around a vehicle large enough to store giant boxes off a pallet and bring them home. Here in NYC, it's really impractical to go to a warehouse and carry a month's worth of supplies home on the subway. The flip side is that the Amazon last mile deliveries are done on electric scooters that can bring a whole trailer worth of packages to the mailro…

This has to be astoturfed or something. There is literally a Costco in Manhattan and several in suburban Queens and Staten Island. Nothing stops you from going to Costco and just getting a cab back for a once a month trip.

Costco is popular in Japan as well. I also think about the bike infra[0] to Ikea in Netherlands— a similar store that may be more associated with car/suburban culture.

[0]: https://youtu.be/CgvYgxo6UY8

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#587

Post by throw1234567891 » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 4:30 PM UTC

victorbjorklund wrote: post #578

throw1234567891 wrote: post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As you have to carry everything, how often do you go shopping?

Jesus no wonder Americans are so fat when they don’t even have strength enough to carry their shopping bags

It’s funny that you assume I’m a fat American. Don’t assume so much. And what does Jesus have to do with it.

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#588

Post by me-vs-cat » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 4:55 PM UTC

twoodfin wrote: post #529

BobaFloutist wrote: post #480

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of this is defacto deregulation allowing suppliers to overcharge smaller stores with less purchasing power than big chains. (The policy not to enforce https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson%E2%80%93Patman_Act ). Part of this is overregulation, with zoning and planning departments enacting policies that make smaller retail spaces less attractive to builders and owners, leading to a low supply, and allowing egregi…

Why should the government have anything to say about price negotiations between producers and retailers of frozen pizzas? Robinson-Patman is terrible law that’s more or less impossible to enforce equitably. So it hasn’t been.

Lax RPA enforcement may have significantly contributed to food deserts. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/food-deser...

I hope government representatives have things to say about that.

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#589

Post by kelvinjps10 » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 7:10 PM UTC

oatmeal1 wrote: post #287

Loudergood wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, this argument falls flat on it's face. Of course it's more complex than that. When I worked from the office, centralized retail was very convenient and hardly added any driving. If you work from home, the opposite is true. The next revolution would be to standardize reusable packaging, that same daily delivery truck could bring that back. But only government could make that happen.

The next revolution is zoning reform so it's legal to build shopping people want to do within walking distance of where they live.

It's not only about distance but being walkable, I gave a supermarket close to my house but you have cross a street with no crosswalks ( I think the closest would be like 20) instead of just the 5 minutes walk

Re: Costco is the anti-Amazon

#590

Post by Broken_Hippo » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 7:17 PM UTC

frrlpp wrote: post #481

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

not who you were asking, but I walk to the store and carry my groceries home. Usually, twice a week or something. It's great. 10 minute walk each way, approximately, and never more than I can easily carry. I buy for two people. I'd go more often if I shopped for more. I do occasionally visit other stores - once or twice a month - because they have different selection of goods. To be fair, I'm still carrying the stuff…

You clearly have no family

I clearly said I buy for two and would go more often if I shopped for more. Many, many people with families do this.

I'm in Norway. Vehicles are expensive, children (regardless of age) are used to going outside and going to the stores. It is a common situation in larger cities. Heck, elementary children are often enough at the store unsupervised. I'm not sure why you think a 20-30 minute car ride plus at least an hour at the store is worse than a 20 minute round trip to the store with a 10-15 minute store break is bad, even if it is a few times a week. And even that can be avoided by just spending a little time on your way home from work.