Case Study : Costco Wholesale Corporation Essay

The strategic objective of Costco is based on the concept of offering members very low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and selected private label products in a wide range of merchandise categories while producing high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover. This rapid inventory turnover, when combined with the operating efficiencies achieved by volume purchasing, efficient distribution and reduced handling of merchandise in no-frills, self service warehouse facilities, enables Costco to operate profitably at significantly lower gross margins than traditional wholesalers, discount retailers and supermarkets. (1)

1) Should Wal-Mart be expected to protect small businesses in the communities within which it operates?

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates an international chain of membership warehouses, which carries quality, brand name

Q1. What is Costco’s business model? Is the company’s business model appealing? Why or why not?

In my understanding of the case study one the CEO Jim Sinegal has proven to be an effective CEO. I would give Mr. Sinegal a “B+” in overall strategic Management Process. In developing a strategic vision he has visualized who, what, and how he is going to sell Costco products. The managements vision is to have rapid inventory turn-over, with operating efficiencies by volume purchasing, efficient distribution, reduce handling of merchandise in no-frill, self-service warehouse facilities. This will enable the company to operate at lower price then their rivals and continually offer members lost cost merchandise.

Chief elements of Costco’s strategy were low prices, limited selection, and a treasure-hunt shopping environment. The ultra-low pricing strategy includes a mark-up capped at 14% and Kirkland, a Costco brand designed to be of equal or better quality than national brands. Product Selection is limited to 4,000 items within a wide variety of categories. Costco does however include ancillary businesses to increase member alternatives. The loss of sales from customers who refuse to purchase large amounts is considered “Intelligent loss of sales.” Treasure-Hunt Merchandising consists of a constantly changing selection of 1,000 luxury items on the floor enticing shoppers to spend more than

It was in the twentieth century that the world was first introduced to a now well-known household name, Costco. In 1976 that the first Costco was opened, formerly known as Price Club, in San Diego. The philosophy of this company is simply stated, “Keep costs down and pass the savings on to our members.” (Costco.com) It has held onto its philosophy of keeping prices low for almost half a century. Costco is self defined as a “membership warehouse club.” (Costco.com) It provides a wide variety of brand name products in their warehouse-style store, and strives to provide all members with the lowest prices that they can offer. Today, Costco is a well known and loved company by consumers.

to see where the company is now with the use of a brief Swot analysis.

After the traditional “I’m honored to be here and your University is one of the finest in the world he unified his audience and himself. We are both honored to be in the prescience of each other and we are both important people in the world. He immediately went a step forward with this rhetorical stance by sharing that he never graduated from college or attended a college graduation. Jobs announced his message was simple. Many rhetors have chosen to tell their story. That is not

What is Costco’s business model? Is the company’s business model appealing? Why or why not?

The Costco strategy for getting into the wedding gown business is to have a set of touring trunk shows at its Western stores during the season where people are planning their weddings. Costco's typical pricing strategy is to undercut competition and make up for this with high volume sales. The company applies this strategy to the wedding gown business as well. Costco offers one of the lowest prices of any company on its wedding dresses. The company's business plan ensures that the details have been fleshed out, and that has led to the unique distribution strategy for wedding gowns.

Costco is the best cost provider in the wholesale club category and the strategy is associated with Costco’s capabilities and resources, which includes; a streamlined supply chain, good supplier relationships, purchasing power, high sales volumes, quick inventory turnover, and excellent customer service. The three vital components of the company strategy are low pricing, limited product selection and high-end products acquired in closeouts and liquidations. While Costco strives to beat the competitors pricing, it also delivers exceptional value in its high-end offerings and customer service, giving consumers more for their money. Given its customers are the most affluent of all the warehouse clubs, with average incomes around $75,000 and this strategy works well for Costco. However, these customers are conscious not only about money but also value for the product, this fact is supported by the members who choose for executive

Trader Joe’s has internally created a brand for its company using a different strategy as compared to other supermarkets. Its approach of effective relationship-building program pleases customers through unrivaled customer service. This case study presents many factors that play a part in their customer relations strategy. Trader Joe’s does not focus on advertising. Rather, it focuses on effective internal communications with employees to build strong customer relationships. Trader Joe’s takes a progressive approach to internal communications by allowing their employees to bring their own creativity to the workplace, by providing them with the context in which their role contributes to the business success, and asking for employees

At the end of 2012, Costco was a successful business, but there are some issues that they would need to deal with. These issues mainly arise from their previous successful ventures as a warehouse wholesale company. The first issue is that Costco has competitors that can actually be and are a threat to their success. Competition allows a company to improve itself and prove its prowess to its customers. However, when a competitor is able to provide the service at a much reduced cost, problems will arise. As for the second issue, it seems that Costco’s efforts to become an international company are moving slowly. They have not reached a point where their US and Canadian warehouses provide a backbone for their finances. Costco’s third issue is that their finances are too reliant on acquiring new members and not on selling their products. If they cannot keep acquiring new members at a steady rate, their financial infrastructure could suffer.

The Dollar General is an American wholesale company that was first initiated in Scottsville, Tennessee by Turner and Cal Turner. Its headquarters are located in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The mission statement of the Dollar General is "Serving Others." This mission statement helps to bring out the innate requests and intentions of the company in the United States of America and other countries in the world. The company has a vision that describes how it manages to cater for four different types of people. These four groups of people include the customers, the community, employees, and shareholders. Within these categories of people, Dollar General aspires to serve others through deliver of price quality and terrific prices for customers, opportunity, and respect for employees, a superior return for shareholders and a better life for the communities.