Small items at Costco
It was probably supposed to be humor, but Costco does sell things much smaller than iPods such as SD cards, micro SD cards, thumb drives, etc.
US mega cash and carry chain Costco is ditching Apple products. The discounter, best known for vast packs of food, groceries and consumables also carries some computers, electronics and media stock. Costco said it was getting out of the Apple business by mutual consent. It previously stocked iPods and pre-paid iTunes …
....That Apple would not let them sell the iwhathaveyous at the usual ridiculous discount that Costco usually sell things at.The last time that I was in one of them,in Edinburgh,eg they were selling Ralph Lauren(Polo) denim jackets(embroidered) For £50 These normally sold for £100+ then( early 1990's).Would have bought one but for that bloody embroidery covered the whole back of the jacket.Pretty for a teenager or twenty something not a mid forty 's biker
1) warranty and return issues vs costco's own policies
2) return issues with customer's trying to screw Costco by product swapping (costco cashiers are not exactly geek squad, a lot slips by them)
3) not cheaper than any where else - not a reason to have a membership
4) people buying tech at Costco are not exactly tech-savvy shoppers
5) They sold iPods at Costcos?
Lines are unreasonably long at both Costco and Sams Club. A Business membership at Sams is great because the lines are much shorter between 7AM and 10AM when only business members are allowed in.
As with every place, some have better deals on some things than others. Often both Costco and Sams are higher than Walmart.
Actually goes to show how Apple utterly screws over the channel in regards to it's own stores. They actively don't want competition and overprice everything at wholesale level so high no one can make a standard margin they would get off any other tech company.
Sadly it's just another control system which Apple is using to screw money out of the end user by not having price competition in the marketplace. Get rid of the channel and they become their own closed ecosystem which enables them to overcharge customers as they do. They just get around the competition laws by allowing some sales through the channel with the joke for companies to make as little as 50p on a Macbook Pro unless they can get a little more out of Apple if they are very lucky. Not in the consumers interest, the channel or anyone but Apple. It's borderline criminal behaviour really.
The trouble with Costco vis-à-vis Apple is that Costco have a no-nonsense returns policy. If it's not to your liking or doesn't work they give you your money back. Simple. Not at all up Apple's street.
I will sometimes buy at Costco knowing that I can get the item slightly cheaper elsewhere purely because I know Costco wont bilk me if I need to return an item.