sometime... do you get suspicious about Costco products?...

[Dancing Fire]

i just found out from the other thread that Costco is now carrying Patek Philippe,JLC,IWC watches. i mean, i can''t imagine why would a company like PP whom is one of the top (if not teh top) manufacture of the finest watches in the world sell their watches at a grocery store.

it is like LM or MM selling their hand made setting at Costco

it is like HW selling their jewelry at Costco. maybe they will start carrying Tiff & Co. too

ladies

imagine Costco carrying LV and Hermes hand bags.

 

[Dee*Jay]

You know DF I HAVE wondered abou this! Every time we go there and see high end merchandise I just think, why would they do that to their brand?

 

[movie zombie]

um, perhaps they have ''rejects'' that just aren''t quite perfect enough for the perfect price? even upscale must have 2nd''s........

movie zombie

 

[TravelingGal]

Believe it or not, Costco's demographic is middle/upper middle, if not upper class! They want the best items because they believe that is what their customers want.

Not long ago, I went to Costco corporate to pitch a product. I had two options, both very similar. Version A was priced less, but they preferred version B. They wanted the more upscale item. Have you checked out some of the stuff they sell? Someone who was tight on dough could never afford much of it. And I rarely get out of costco without spending a couple hundred bucks.

From a manufacturers point, I definitely think there are a lot of them that will never want the perceived devaluing of their products by distributing through Costco. But for many, Costco is one of the holy grails of retail...and very difficult to get into. Even if you don't sell a lot (which you normally would if you got into Costco), you get very good visibility. Why? Costco changes products all the time. Most people I know will go to Costco and browse almost every single aisle. How many other stores do you know that a consumer will do that? My FI LOVES going there to check out what's new.

Costco means a lot of extra revenue for the manufacturer...and sometimes that is too much to ignore for even many of the upscale vendors. They sell Dom Perignon at Costco by the crate...and the consumers buy it, because Costco really does demand the best price in order to get in. They don't ALWAYS have the best deals, but you could generally make that bet and win.

 

[strmrdr]

Costco customer == yuppies and guppies with more cash than smarts.
With some exceptions of course.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I don''t think it was all that long ago that folks eshewed the idea of buying diamonds or watches online....I guess it begs the question whether the experience of shopping for a luxury item is the most important part of your buying experience....

cheers--Sharon

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/29/2006 5:15:59 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:


I don''t think it was all that long ago that folks eshewed the idea of buying diamonds or watches online....I guess it begs the question whether the experience of shopping for a luxury item is the most important part of your buying experience....


cheers--Sharon

Who has time for the "experience" these days.
One of our clients who has enough cash to buy out the entire stock of all the pricescope vendors combined without selling anything first doesn''t have the time to mess around with the "experience" and if he did he would just send his secretary out to get it anyway.

 

[codex57]

They have it? Where? I''m so there.

I don''t care. I like luxury goods for the goods themselves, not the service. Sure, getting fawned over is nice and all, but more often than not, the sales people for those items are snooty to me (my looks).

Costco has good prices. If they can get me a good deal, I don''t care if they don''t have some fancy store front. They''ve been selling Omega and Tag Heuer and other higher end watches. Going to PP and the like is just the next step up. They''ve sold Cross and that level pens quite often, but every now and then they offer Mont Blanc pens. No one made a fuss about that either.

I see it as no different than getting it at some online store. My Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Chopin that I got online is the same as the ones sold in the Mont Blanc stores or Nordstrom or wherever.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/29/2006 2:57:12 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
You know DF I HAVE wondered abou this! Every time we go there and see high end merchandise I just think, why would they do that to their brand?

what i find strange is that PP only produce about 32,000 watches per yr and should have no problem selling 32,000 watches worldwide b/c there''re soo many collectors for their watches.

a few yrs ago i heard they were selling fake Polo T shirts,then later on admit their buyers got fool and didn''t know they were knock offs.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/29/2006 5:58:18 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 6/29/2006 5:15:59 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:


I don''t think it was all that long ago that folks eshewed the idea of buying diamonds or watches online....I guess it begs the question whether the experience of shopping for a luxury item is the most important part of your buying experience....


cheers--Sharon

Who has time for the ''experience'' these days.
One of our clients who has enough cash to buy out the entire stock of all the pricescope vendors combined without selling anything first doesn''t have the time to mess around with the ''experience'' and if he did he would just send his secretary out to get it anyway.

HI:

Thank you for making my point S....I think....but would he send her out to Costco?

cheers--Sharon

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/29/2006 6:08:27 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady

Date: 6/29/2006 4:56:43 PM

Author: strmrdr

Costco customer == yuppies and guppies with more cash than smarts.

With some exceptions of course.

<~ I''m not a yuppy or guppy.. and quite bright at that.. I still like shopping there.. so.. I must be the exception...

of course ya are and an exceptional one at that :}

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/29/2006 6:32:37 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 6/29/2006 5:58:18 PM

Author: strmrdr

Date: 6/29/2006 5:15:59 PM

Author: canuk-gal

HI:



I don''t think it was all that long ago that folks eshewed the idea of buying diamonds or watches online....I guess it begs the question whether the experience of shopping for a luxury item is the most important part of your buying experience....



cheers--Sharon

Who has time for the ''experience'' these days.

One of our clients who has enough cash to buy out the entire stock of all the pricescope vendors combined without selling anything first doesn''t have the time to mess around with the ''experience'' and if he did he would just send his secretary out to get it anyway.

HI:


Thank you for making my point S....I think....but would he send her out to Costco?


cheers--Sharon

he wouldnt know or care where it came from.
A jeweler lost a over $50000 sale by being rude to his secretary when she went in on her day off wearing casual clothes.
(his son buying his girlfriend something, she does his shopping too)

Whats interesting is his wife wears a under 1ct diamond with small side stones and isnt ever going to upgrade.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/29/2006 4:11:52 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady
... i like Costco ....

me too

but i don''t know if i would buy a $30k jewelry item there

codex...go to their website.

 

[codex57]

Hmmm, they don''t have the models I like. I''m wondering if those are the not so popular ones. They all seem to be in stock. The popular PP''s can be hard to get so maybe PP is trying to clear some out. Not too sure about the other brands, but I suspect they''re trying to clear those out too.

What''s the definition of a yuppie? I suspect that I, along with quite a few other people on here, fit that definition. I mean, we''re talking about high end watches, I remember a previous thread about Lexuses and other cars, and of course, this is a diamond site. Who are we kidding here. We should just admit it and be proud to be yuppies.

 

[FireGoddess]

I don't have enough money to be a yuppie, and I'm smarter than a guppy.

I do like Costco though.

I will say that I have, over and over again, bought jewelry items at Costco only to end up returning them. The only one I have kept is the 3 stone heart pendant that DF considered getting for his wife at one point. All the others have gone back because I get tempted by how pretty they are, but get them home and realize eh, not so much. Maybe I'm not as smart as I thought.

However, there are great deals to be had at Costco if you do your shopping right. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

 

[Blenheim]

Yuppie is an acronym for "young urban professional", but it carries with it a lot of connotations explained here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuppie

 

[ladykemma]

proud to be a yuppie dink

 

[Kaleigh]

What''s a Guppy?? Never heard that before, LOL.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/29/2006 8:37:55 PM
Author: codex57
Hmmm, they don''t have the models I like. I''m wondering if those are the not so popular ones. They all seem to be in stock. The popular PP''s can be hard to get so maybe PP is trying to clear some out. Not too sure about the other brands, but I suspect they''re trying to clear those out too.

i was looking for a certain model too

but, i don''t know if their prices is comparative or not. i been out of touch with watch prices for the last couple of yrs.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/29/2006 9:49:37 PM
Author: Kaleigh
What''s a Guppy?? Never heard that before, LOL.

Lisa
i think is a little tropical fish.

 

[taitai_s]

Hi Dancing Fire,

PP, IWC, etc. may not be directly selling their items to Costco. I believe Costco and the other warehouse clubs get items such as their PP watches and Prada bags through the ''grey'' market. Buyers at these retailers have contacts and connections to get limited quantities of those items. I know that what''s available on the Costco.com site (where I''ve seen those watches) is usually not available at the Costco warehouses, so they may indeed only have a very limited supply of those more expensive watches.

I know that Costco has had True Religion jeans, Seven jeans, and other fun "treasure hunt" stuff. Actually, I have seen a watch or two from Van Cleef & Arpels or Harry Winston (maybe both?) on their website as well. Costco also has an incredibly generous return policy so I think I could get my purchase checked out by an expert just to be sure, a return it if there were any problems.

By the way...did you know that Costco''s merchandise markup is typically about 15%?

 

[Gypsy]

I saw a picasso on the costco website once. NOT KIDDING. It was an original Picasso sketch. Authentified. Nothing they get shocks me after that.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Gypsy, there was a big to-do about that Picasso. Picasso's daughter said that it was not real but the person who bought it said that they have so much faith in Costco that he knows they wouldn't sell a fake so he's keeping it. I wish I had that much faith in ANY organization about ANYTHING, LOL!

There was an article in the New York Times about the whole thing. If I can find it I'll post the link for you.

ETA: Here's the article http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/arts/design/16cost.html?ex=1300165200&en=d97447d1e21fd029&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/29/2006 11:17:41 PM
Author: taitai_s

Hi Dancing Fire,

PP, IWC, etc. may not be directly selling their items to Costco. I believe Costco and the other warehouse clubs get items such as their PP watches and Prada bags through the ''grey'' market. Buyers at these retailers have contacts and connections to get limited quantities of those items. I know that what''s available on the Costco.com site (where I''ve seen those watches) is usually not available at the Costco warehouses, so they may indeed only have a very limited supply of those more expensive watches.

By the way...did you know that Costco''s merchandise markup is typically about 15%?

that''s what i was thinking too.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 6/30/2006 10:05:08 AM
Author: Dee*Jay
Gypsy, there was a big to-do about that Picasso. Picasso''s daughter said that it was not real but the person who bought it said that they have so much faith in Costco that he knows they wouldn''t sell a fake so he''s keeping it. I wish I had that much faith in ANY organization about ANYTHING, LOL!

There was an article in the New York Times about the whole thing. If I can find it I''ll post the link for you.

ETA: Here''s the article http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/16/arts/design/16cost.html?ex=1300165200&en=d97447d1e21fd029&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Oh wow! I had no idea! I''m going to have to read that article!

 

[Kay]

Date: 6/29/2006 10:09:43 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/29/2006 9:49:37 PM
Author: Kaleigh
What''s a Guppy?? Never heard that before, LOL.

Lisa
i think is a little tropical fish.

A Guppie is a gay yuppie.

From Wikipedia:

Yuppie, an acronym for "Young Urban Professional," is a term coined by the advertising industry to describe a demographic of people, primarily composed of the children or grandchildren of the Baby Boomer generation. Most commonly, they are highly educated and economically upwardly mobile, aged from early twenties to early- to mid-thirties. Yuppies tend to hold jobs in the professional sectors, with incomes that place them in the upper-middle economic class. The term "Yuppie" emerged in the early 1980s. Although the original yuppies were "young," the term now applies as well to people of middle age.

Syndicated newspaper columnist Bob Greene has been accused of having stolen the term "Yuppie" in one of his columns in the early 1980s, plagiarizing Alice Kahn who famously wrote about them in the East Bay Express in 1982, but the first known citation of the word is in a May 13, 1981 article titled "Chicago: City on the brink" by R. C. Longworth in the Chicago Tribune.

The term is often used pejoratively, with connotations of selfishness, materialism, and superficiality. In the novel A Very British Coup, Prime Minister Harry Perkins comments on the greed of yuppies in a speech. In the US, yuppie is frequently used in to describe anything that would appeal to American upper-middle-class taste, including cars, supermarkets, and styles of decor.

 

[Kay]

Date: 6/29/2006 9:29:50 PM
Author: ladykemma
proud to be a yuppie dink

Ditto. My jewelry habit may suffer if we ever have kids.

 

[Apsara]

Date: 6/30/2006 7:50:35 PM
Author: Kay

Date: 6/29/2006 9:29:50 PM
Author: ladykemma
proud to be a yuppie dink

Ditto. My jewelry habit may suffer if we ever have kids.

LOL...ditto!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/30/2006 8:13:02 PM
Author: Apsara

Date: 6/30/2006 7:50:35 PM
Author: Kay

Date: 6/29/2006 9:29:50 PM
Author: ladykemma
proud to be a yuppie dink

Ditto. My jewelry habit may suffer if we ever have kids.

LOL...ditto!

HI:

Don't be silly--mine never has!!!!

But with this recent news, can you hope very soon to be able to rely on "superstores" for all your shoe/handbag/wine/jewellery" needs?

I mean, the whole thing about being able to buy good champagne reasonably by the crate sent me into a dither. Is Insignia (Phelps) and Grange (Penfolds) next? I can only dream.....

cheers--Sharon