Costco Wholesale
During the early weeks of august, 2014, my mother put the minivan into park and unbuckled her seatbelt. Me and my mom walked across the dark parking lot of Costco Wholesale. We strolled (taking our time) towards the tall, plain building, standing tall in front of the blinding sun, casting a dark shadow over us. The solid outer walls emitted a boring tone to me, making me not very interested to go inside. We strode through the open, garage door like doors that led to the room holding the grey carts in long rows. I gripped the red handle of a shopping cart, observing the large width of it. As we entered, I noticed another door next to the entrance where people were exiting in the opposite direction with full carts. My mom then showed her membership card to the greeter at the entrance.
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The bright lights attached to the unfinished ceiling shone brightly down on the plethora of products and goods below, similar to how the sun shines down on the Earth. There as a constant buzz of noise, people talking, and the carts rattling against the smooth, concrete floor.
“Mom, what do we need here?” I said.
“Just getting groceries.” She said
Walking slowly, surrounded by towering shelves, and free samples everywhere, we made our way towards the back of the store. The temptation to climb the shelves was tempting, but easily resistible. This is where the fresh foods were made, thus, a strong savory scent wafted in my direction. This was the smell of 40 rotisserie chickens cooking in an industrial sized machine for cooking the chickens they use in the foods they freshly package daily.
As we passed the liquor section, we saw large glass cases with different kinds of fish lying in piles of ice. My mother saw this and she pointed and asked:
“Want some shrimp Sam?”
“Of course mom! Do you?” I said
In her essay, “In Praise of Chain Stores”, Virginia Postrel hails the progressiveness of chain stores and counters arguments made against them. As a frequent shopper in my city, I have experienced the benefits of chain stores and how they affect the locals that shop in them. I believe that chain stores have not turned Augusta into a boring city because they are familiar even to those new to the area, they have a high standard of quality and service, and provide fair fixed prices. First, Postrel quotes Thomas Friedman in her essay, stating that “…America is mind numbingly monotonous- the most boring country to tour; because ‘everywhere looks like everwhere else…’ the familiarity of a Walmart to someone new to Augusta may be a relief,
You could also hear the noises of the games going bing, bing, bing, bing. You could also hear the soda squirshing out of the soda fountain . The smell was so tempting it was a smell of greasy hot dogs and sausage . You could smell the hot dog challenge coming from around the corner You could smell the cherry cola from the food stand and the ginger ale and the root beer . The touch of the hot dog bun was gritty but soft and the cup to the cherry cola was cold as the tv commercial when santa claus is sitting on the bench drinking his cherry cola Hunting night
In today economy the #1 way to live is finding the cheapest price on high quality products. As consumers we have to save, save and save even more to live in this world. So finding the best prices that will keep as much more in our pockets is a big deal. What better place to find rock-bottom prices on top-quality items then Costco? This place called Costco is booming in the retail industry with many different unique product category selections found, under one roof.
On her lunch break she walked to Charlie’s Chicken at Chandler Rd and S Edmond Pl. As she arrived at Charlie’s Chicken, she was
Welty uses various senses to paint the picture of the store. " -licorice recently sucked in a child's cheek, dill-pickle brine that had leaked through a paper sack in a fresh trail across the wooden floor, ammonia loaded ice that had been hoisted from wet cracker sacks and slammed into the icebox with its sweet butter at the door, and perhaps the smell of still-untrapped mice." (Welty, 149) she goes into vivid detail describing the various smells as you enter the store. This type of sensory imagery makes you remember your own experiences going into a store filled with treats.
It all started out as a normal morning, until 12:00 noon. My dad asked me to go to costco with him and I, as usual said “No not until I get a PC.” Which was the six words that made the miracle happen, the miracle that I wished that would happen months ago. “Fine if you come with me, we will buy one.” He replied.
The setting takes place in a suburban neighborhood like an area in the United States around the 1950's to 1960's. The mentalities of the people in the citizens reflect conformist tendencies of the community because they are negatively judgmental when they notice the girls in the story. The A&P store and customers of the story shape the time and setting to establish what is taking the place of the setting during that time. The A&P supermarket was arguably American's premier grocery store during the 1960s. Therefore, setting the scene of the A&P supermarket highlights the era of the 1960s.
In Costco’s macro-environment, a variety of factors could affect the company’s economic viability. External factors such as inflation, foreign currency exchange rates, levels of unemployment, reduced consumer confidence, and changes in tax policies could unfavorably affect the demand for Costco’s products and services. Prices of some goods and services including food products, are often variant and subject to fluctuations deriving from changes in domestic and foreign supply and demand, competition, taxes, labor costs, or delays in delivery which could significantly affect Costco’s sales. Therefore, the product’s costs and selling could also increase affecting financial results. Other important economic factors include the increasing international
Key Trends – Globalisation One of the main opportunities Costco has is more global expansion to specific targeted countries. Although operating in many countries, Costco is heavily dependent on the U.S. and Canadian markets. It still has the opportunity to expand into the Asian and Australian markets where it has a limited presence. Costco has the capability to operate about 100 stores in Taiwan, Korea and Japan combined and about 20 stores in Australia. It currently has 41 stores in Taiwan, Korea and Japan combined and 6 stores in Australia.
Costco’s business model is centered around offering a smaller range of products at incredibly low prices which attracts the consumer. In order to supplement this lowered profit margin, they require their shoppers, both businesses and individuals, to purchase annual memberships. The membership fee accounts for a majority of the company’s profit. Furthermore, Costco operates its under a wholesale warehouse style which eliminates the need for excess handling and workers in the store. The stores are stocked to carry certain big ticket, ‘limited time offer’ goods so that customers feel the need to take advantage of the deal because it may not be there when they next return.
Walmart stores is one of the largest retailers not only in the United States but across the world. They hold tremendous power from a retail level and on a political level with governments in the US and outside. Ratios help create Walmart as a company and allows investors to be able to gauge and understand the metrics of the organization. These metrics and ratios help investors understand the specific direction of the company and the effectiveness of executive leadership. The primary ratio that must be understood regarding Walmart's earnings-per-share is the price earnings ratio.
What are the two types of core competencies that drive a firm’s competitive advantage? Which firms demonstrate a clear competitive advantage because of (a) major value-creating skills/core capabilities and/or (b) superior assets or resources? Which firms have demonstrated sustainable sources of competitive advantage? The two core competencies that drive a firm’s competitive advantage are cost leadership and differentiation.
Every five minutes I was looking down at my phone, anticipating to see a message from my dad. After twenty minutes of constant anxiety filling the room, Joy jumped out of her seat and decided to take us all on a shopping trip. Shopping is one of my favorite hobbies, so I was first to accept this much needed trip of enjoyment. I knew I could never make it through the day sitting at home staring at a blank screen.
A memorable and heavenly man aroma filled the air. The smell of cherry, wintergreen, apple, and butternut flavoured pipe and tobacco smoke mixed with the scent of hair tonics, pomades, oils, and neck powders. These aromas became ingrained in the wood and every cranny of the shop. The moment a man stepped inside, he was enveloped in the warm and welcoming familiarity. He was immediately able to relax, and as soon as the hot lather hit his face, his cares would simply melt away.”
Winter was just around the corner. It was my first time in the biggest coffee shop in town. I could see the cheerful and brilliant lighting of the shop as I walked across the vast parking lot. There were tables outside the shop each with a brown vintage style umbrella. This particular coffee shop is not a cafe, it’s a coffee shop literally.