Costco
 

Just a suggestion, but I have started ordering whatever I can from Costco online. If they start seeing the number of orders online that I know we generate maybe it will help get a store built here. Too bad It's such a miserable trip to the nearest location. Sam's is just not doing it for me.

WooHoo! Another Costco thread! :a040: Much better than more mask threads! :)

NO, it won't matter. If it DID matter they would just think ... "GEE, why spend all the $$$$ to open a store, they will just order by mail!" :)

Have you tried the one in Wesley Chapel? We went last week and it was an easy drive on I-75 and only took an hour.

Let me make a suggestion to you. Go to any Costco in Orlando, sit in the parking lot at any hour they are open, watch the overfilled shopping carts, numbers of children, the number of cars in the parking lot throughout the day and then think about them here. We are two person households, we do not purchase anywhere near the amounts that growing families do in cities. Costco has very definite, marketing and merchandising plan based purely on demographics in a surrounding area, They know how many cars that should be in the parking lot at any hour of the day. Unless they go to a smaller store strategy I do not think we will ever see one in TV. Some think that Sams compares but it does not. Costco is the king of big box shopping. Sams is nothing but a copy and an oversized Walmart.

My florist who speaks to our butcher is convinced that the plans for Hacienda will fall thru and we will get a mini Costco on 441.

If I drive to Costco can I get a 200 package of toilet paper , Sam’s 100 pack just isn’t doing it for me

Yes but you must sign a loyalty oath promising to share it with another customer

Too much Metamucil. You should cut back to 3x a day.

costco and older shoppers
 

still trying to figure out the reason for going to costco for two seniors. where are the regular frozen french fries?

Well at Sams you could either buy an 8 pound package or if you like them they have in 40 pounds. Can never have too much

My wife and I go to Costco all the time. The meat alone is worth going for. There are plenty of things we like that you don't have to buy in bulk. The things we do buy in bulk are things that don't spoil or that freeze well.

At Sams we buy ground turkey in 5 pound packs, salmon in 2 1/2, and produce that we find is much better than supermarkets

Costco coming
 

Two Westley Chapel Costco employees told me they are looking for land between The Villages and Ocala.

Yes, Costco does sell huge packages of things we probably would only buy one or two of. But they also have fantastic quality meats and produce, great deals on vitamins and supplements, and electronics with the best no-hassle return policy on earth. And the best $4.99 rotisserie chicken around. Gasoline at the cheapest price and great deals on tires, etc. I would guess that most of the people who think Costco is a dumb idea have never been in one.

I like Costco kefir and wild salmon the best. We went to Costco regularly for just the two of us before Covid. Now we don’t anymore - but those large boxes of supplies we bought months ago (including disinfectant wipes) are still lasting. Costco turned us into hoarders years ago. Who knew we were stocking up for a pandemic?

if Costco saw having a retail outlet near TV as a smart move, it would have already happened

but, go ahead and buy online....they'll love the business

Well, you will never get to experience their meat that is better than any in TV. Their fish (same), their selection of wines (better than any in TV), their cheeses, their produce (cannot find any as good in TV). Stay in TV and that just means the Costco I go to will be less crowded.

Could well be

Sam’s Club
 

Sam’s Club is Walmart with better meat....

If a COSTCO opens close to the Villages, the local Sam's Club will close, which will certainly be no big loss.

Sams is just fine. A Costco is not needed.

Never had a Costco near where we lived so always member of Sams but on the few occasions with friends going to Costco was impressed . Competition is good.

Brings out the best in businesses.

For the past 6 years, I have called, e mailed, posted on Costco FB page about the needs of this area & it's growth. I have even sent them photos of huge areas for their store, but no luck, just lip service. Somebody else wanna try?

I am a Costco lover visit Wesley Chapel once a month. We have time why are we rushing. Bought 2 cars, tires etc and our monthly trip include meat, fish, toiletries, breakfast stuff, veg, fruit and the course the man needs his beer. It’s a nice comfortable trip down 75. Sams is not for me and I find the employees are not friendly. Costco employees are always ready to help

Rumor has it Cosco is building in Ocala that means coming to The Villages is not likely

Ocala
 

Costco is not coming to Ocala. They bought the KMART distribution center and will use it as a distribution center not a store.

Actually Costco has a deal going on right now. If you take the 200 toilet paper package you get a discount on the 200 paper towel package. I doubled my order.

We tried that one about a month ago. Very nice Costco. Better than going to Orlando. I have been sending emails to Costco for 16 years, begging them to build one near us. Don’t think it is going to happen.

I’d love to help out, but I’ve been busy sending petitions to Trader Joe’s.

The Costco is in Lutz, FL, not Wesley Chapel.

Costco's sales demographic model is a family of 4, average ticket or receipt total is $400.00 every 2 weeks.

A 2 person senior household is not likely to meet that matrix.

About 5 years ago, it was rumored that Costco and Macy's were to be the anchor stores at a mall to be built on the site of the Brownwood Hotel. Then we heard that Costco refused to build here. Stores like Costco, Sam's, WalMart, etc. operate on receiving huge discounts from manufacturers and they operate on very small markups and profits. For example, WalMart is believed to operate on 15% profit.

The problem with locating in TV is that retailer rent usually includes a percentage of the retailer's income. This makes the property owner (the Morses) a partner in the business and gives them the right to audit your books. No large chain or corporation will even consider the idea. However, franchise owners like Too-Jays, Flippers, etc. are individuals and can do what they like.

For well over 10 years, residents of TV have been trying to get Trader Joe's to locate here. No one doubts that TV would be a prime market for Trader Joe's. The last I heard was that upwards of 6,000 residents signed a "petition" to get a store here. Time after time, it was rebuffed. Finally, Trader Joe's management let the petitioners know, "Stop calling on us. We will never build a store in The Villages." It was the rent that forced them to take that position.

As the area grows and multigenerational homes apartments fill up Costco will probably show up. A few years back Wesley Capel was farm land. And the building explosion began. 17 years ago Sam's was farm land. Hang tight took this area a bit of time to see HomeGoods and other stores. As we grow so will the outskirts. Jobs schools businesses. The friendly retirement community will be part of another massive growth of Florida. Oh for the days of the Buffalo and quaint communities. Yep age is creeping in.

When I ask people in the pool what store they miss the most, the number one answer is Costco. Number two is Trader Joe's and number three is The Christmas Tree Store. Four is B.J's.

No need to order on line since it is more expensive than in the stores but they actually use our zip codes when we do visit their stores. They can tell from our membership numbers and home addresses associated with the accounts.

Costco blister packs their rotisserie chicken that has been pulled off the bones. Sam's does not offer this.

For some reason, our local Sam's has stopped carrying frozen Tyson chicken tenderloins. Costco still has those in the Kirkland brand frozen rotisserie chicken.

Those are just two differences between the two warehouses. There are many more with Costco coming out on top.

We go to the Wesley Chapel Costco.

Many thanks for your efforts.

Ocala? I'll take it!

:( :(

Thanks as soon as I finish the
 

addition to my home I’ll be able to buy even more

The suggestion that these stores don’t come here because of the villages high rents makes no sense . There are many stores that surround the property that are not owned by the villages