Artkansas 

Apparently, the car-free lifestyle is impacting Costco.

Nightshade

Those businesses that have a online sales portal will survive since shopping is going back to "bring it to me" sales just like our parents & grandparents use.

MikeRides

Not just Costco, any wholesale club (BJ's, Sam's Club) is affected by the growing number of people going car-free. The average car free person doesn't want to lug around a 2 year supply of paper towels and mustard. Plus if you are car free, you most likely live minimalistic lifestyle anyway, so why would you want a closet full of paper products and condiments?

There's no Costco in the northeast to my knowledge, but I used to own a small business so I had a membership with Sam's Club and BJ's for years. Towards the end of my business ownership, I actually refused to continue my membership with these clubs since I was finding the same product (snack foods, beverages, paper and cleaning products) cheaper at Walmart (+ no membership fees).

RPK79

I think that if I gave up my car I would find fewer trips to the store and stocking up on bulk items a few times a year would be the way to go. Rent a pickup, fill it with bulk items, bring them home, and return pickup. I don't know if renting a truck for that purpose still qualifies a person as "car free" though.

fietsbob

they lost me by expanding into a bigger store they built, another 6 miles away ..
so the Kroger/Meyer store is expanding , and other shops moved into their old store
opposite sides of the same parking lot.

no wally world, but they are threatening to build one , near the new Costco site.

I-Like-To-Bike

I wouldn't worry about temporarily losing your "car free"status; you won't get any merit badges for an untainted qualification.

Drv1913

If the cargo bike trend continues, I wonder if it would be worthwhile for stores like Costco to capitalize on that and woo the millenials that way? Maybe do things like have special cargo bike parking in the same way that certain businesses seem to be incorporating bike racks into the site plan for new stores? It would be an interesting concept to try anyway...

I-Like-To-Bike

How many cargo bikes have you actually seen in use? Would you care to estimate a percentage of the bikes you have seen being used?

wahoonc

Depends on the locael.. around here? .001% Interestingly enough I have seen a couple of Yuba Mundo's. Boston? Probably .01% or even a tad higher, when I retire I will take it upon myself to provide factual and real numbers.

Aaron

Drv1913

I wouldn't guess at a percentage, but there seem to be a lot of them around here, and I generally (jokingly) assume that almost anything that is popular here is darn near ubiquitous everywhere else. Perhaps we are actually ahead of the curve for once?


Anyway, my comment above was simple, offhanded musing about a way that a business could try to reach a younger, non-car-owning demographic - as part of a larger plan, of course. I do realize that the number of people who ride bikes at all, let alone have cargo bikes, are negligably small in the grand scheme of things, but we are posting here on Bike Forums, after all...

lasauge 

Interesting, but I doubt that Millennials' (lack of) driving habits is the primary reason for their not shopping at Costco.

1. Contrary to the suggestion in the story, shopping at Costco and being car-free aren't mutually exclusive. Reducing expenses is a consideration for many people who prefer not to drive, and buying in bulk can be especially useful for car-free/light living: if you borrow, rent, or hire an automobile once in while to stock up on dry groceries and non-perishable items in bulk, all that remains be transported by bike on a regular basis are small quantities of perishable food and incidental needs.
2. Millennials are getting married and forming households later, so it's only natural that they're less interested in bulk purchasing.
3. While Costco is well known as a business success and lauded by older shoppers, it doesn't have any special cachet or do any marketing that would attract younger business.

I-Like-To-Bike

It is easier for me to count the amount. None here, ever; and none when I spent a week in Philadelphia this past Fall.

I-Like-To-Bike

Fair enough.

wipekitty

This is a smart strategy for car-free folks on a budget. I've recently discovered, though, that certain large retailers will sell me things over the internet and then ship them to my house for free if I spend a certain amount. The things I can get shipped for free include (surprisingly) 35 pound tubs of cat litter. Why would I want to pay for a car rental or taxi when the Internet will deliver bulk items to my door?

Roody

I see a couple here most days. Mostly they're the longtail types. I only have seen one of the "Dutch" type of cargo bikes. But the cargo trailers seem to be more popular than the cargo bikes. And the kiddie trailers used for light hauling are ubiquitous.

JBHoren

I don't own a car... haven't, since moving back to South Florida in May 2012. Once-a-year, I get a ride from a buddy to Target, where I buy a year's-worth of toilet paper (store brand, of course; 24-rolls per/package), paper towels, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, a 12-pack of toothbrushes, four tubes of toothpaste... you get the picture. Why? So that it's over-and-done-with, and the money's been budgeted and spent. I'm 62, and my first Social Security check will be direct-deposited into my bank account in two weeks. No other income. At least half the "budget battle" is buying what you like (and can afford), in quantity, so you won't run out, and go somewhere else to restock at a higher price. For many, this is the time of life when we ask ourselves: Are we living to eat, or eating to live? (and variations on that theme). Do we need variety in toilet paper? A different brand/model each month? Or, do we simply need to wipe our butts without the TP scratching them or turning into Klingons? Buying this stuff, in bulk, once-a-year frees my time for stuff that's pleasurable (not that a good BM and the "paperwork" is not).

Roody

We don't have Costco, but for years I had a Sams Club membership while I was carfree. It wasn't any farther away than other supermarkets, and I liked the quality as well as the prices on selected items. The things I usually bought were peanut butter, coffee, fish oil, vitamins and OTC meds, shampoo, salmon, socks, and underwear. I also loved their snack bar. All that stuff was easily hauled on the bike.

A really great idea for carfree people is to team up with a family or individual who owns a car. I used to go with one family every couple months. I would pay for their purchases, then they paid me back after shopping. They didn't have to buy a membership, saving them $40, and I got a free ride to Sam's Club.

Ekdog

We've always liked shopping at Costco while in California visiting my father, so my wife and I were delighted when we learned that they'll be opening a new store here in Seville at the end of April. We've already become members.

I've ridden out to where it's being built a couple of times to figure out the best way to get there. It turns out it's only about five kms. from our house and I can go most of the way on either a protected bike path or on a lovely MUP that runs next to the Guadalquivir River. I don't have a cargo bike. Thought I'd just use panniers.

Roody

Plus you can pretty much make a meal out of the free samples!

Roody

Will the Spanish Costco sell the same stuff as an American Costco?

for that matter, are your own tastes mostly American or Spanish?

Ekdog

I'm looking forward to the pizza.

Ekdog

Not sure about the products. My father said he'd been to a Costco in Mexico and was disappointed by the poor selection of goods. We'll have to see what's on offer here.

As to my tastes, if we're talking about food, I must say I have a weak spot for Spanish cuisine, but I'm open to trying things from abroad, and there are a few things I miss from the States.

Dave Cutter

I haven't seen any cargo bikes in use yet.... but I've seen countless numbers of people using those tow-behind trailers. Generally the lesser expensive ones designed (and used) for small children. But many I've seen get a 2nd life as grocery haulers.

Artkansas 

It's going to be a very long time before we get a Costco in Walmartkansas.

B. Carfree

Several years ago, we decided we wanted a dehumidifier in our house (our rainy season lasts about seven months with overnight temperatures commonly around freezing) since we don't heat the house and didn't want moisture damage. Costco's return policy is unbeatable, so we bought a membership. Now we ride to Costco about once every other month and load up our two extremely large metal bike baskets. It's about five miles away on an unpleasant road to ride on, so we pick our time carefully.

If they want to attract more Millennials, a generation that happens to have a substantial number of car-free folks, they could do two things:

1. Site their stores better so that they aren't in areas that are lousy/dangerous to cycle to and that also have some bus service

2. Put some proper bike parking in. At the Eugene Costco, the lousy bike rack sits out in the rain while the bottle return in under the shelter.