The company previously offered Pique only on expensive items such as jewelry and electronics, saying it was expensive to offer more broadly. Some Wall Street analysts have questioned whether Costco should expand service to other goods as the cubside pickup explodes in popularity.
Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Gallanti said the company wanted to test it in a smaller market.
“We’re always trying different things. We still scratch our heads a little bit at that. We figured we’d try it in a discrete market, where there are a limited number of locations,” he told CNN Business. “And it’s really nothing more than a test at this point.”
Costco’s new pickup option has a higher minimum range and charges than other series. Walmart, Kröger and Whole Foods offer free grocery pickup for orders above $ 35.
Over the years, Costco has said it makes no sense to offer curbside pickups for groceries, mainly because the club doesn’t have much space in its jam-packed stores and pull the logistics of pickups There is a parking lot for The option requires a staging area inside the store to allow workers to collect orders, additional cooler space to place items, and new and dedicated parking spots for customers driving to pick up their groceries .
“You should have a place to put stuff,” Galanti said in an interview last year. “You cannot store it at room temperature. You have to separate it into refrigerated, frozen and dry.”
And Costco wants shoppers to come to warehouses, where they often make unexpected purchases while browsing. The pickup snatched this opportunity to drive Costco for sale
“We want you to walk the warehouse and see what we have to offer,” Galanti said.
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