Good News . . . I Mean REALLY Good News!
 

And the rumor of a COSTCO coming to The Villages is even older than that 1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Promises, promises. Won’t hold my breath, at my age. But we’ll see as time unfolds. Before living in TV, have been to Costco in Altamonte Springs many times. Now a Sam’s member. Would love the competition. Costco is so much better, bug not worth the current drive for us. In TV, you betcha.

THREE YEARS??, I'll be died by then or to old to want to go to Cosco. :shocked:

Believe it when/if it happens.

Is it going to be built south of 44 or up on 441???

LOL. You need a crystal ball. None of the 3 stores mentioned in the OP are even listed on the Costco website.

And of course, the cashier at an Orlando COSTCO is in the loop on the planning of future stores and their locations. She must have heard it from her sister's babysitter's mailman's bartender's mistress. :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

That is good news.

:eclipsee_gold_cup:

Second only to: The apocalypse has been cancelled and everyone is going to heaven.

My guess is that IF a Costco ever comes to the Village’s it will be near the new Middleton area where lots of housing for young families with kids will be. Costco’s business model is to sell products in volume at low margins. Without customers buying lots of stuff in bulk their business model simply doesn’t work. Homes with two senior citizens simply don’t fit their target demographic, they need young families that rapidly go through products in volume. Demographics aside, Florida is already at a disadvantage fitting into Costco’s model because the homes don’t have basements, leaving homes at a disadvantage for bulk purchase storage. The Village’s has had the population concentrated sought after by Costco for years, but the demographic make up of the population isn’t favorable in their eyes.

But...but...but....The cashier's sister's babysitter's mailman's bartender's mistress said......:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I agree that’s like hearing it from a bartender.

Not good news for Sam's or BJ's.

Sams is usually right around the corner from Costco. Yet they coexist..up north we have 6 Costco and 5 Sam’s, within 40 minutes from our home. We shop at both when we go, one doesn’t always have the product we need. I do see BJs once Clermont Costco is built, struggling.

In TV BJs parking lot is empty most days, drive down the street Sams lot is packed from opening to close

They make about 80% of their profits from membership fees. They may be happy to just sell memberships in The Villages:jester:

Certainly good news...but, also must say we've heard for YEARS that it was "certain" they were planning on building in the area between Leesburg, Fl and Ocala, Fl. I would not count on it, land acquisition for that size corporation is always "fluid". Same with Trader Joe's. Had a regional manager for midwest tell me they DID have "an area near the villages, Fl" on a list of possible new units. That was in December of 2016, may still be on that list, may not !

Where we currently live (can't wait to get to TV full-time), homes simply don't have basements, and there are 2 Costcos within 5 miles of each other (3 within 10 miles). Nonetheless, the storage issue may still relevant for the TV area.

I too have been a Costco shopper for years. I also have a son who is a AGM for Costco. When I have asked him this question, he has told me that Costco will not build in the Villages because of the demographics. Simply put, people our age do not buy in bulk. We don't buy a lot anymore like we use to when we had our families. If you are every at BJ's or Sam's look at people's carriages, the bulk items are usually toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, and Kleenex. If you want to shop Costco and save some gas & mileage, order items online and have it delivered. We did that last Christmas (it was our 1st Christmas here) and bought our tree and decorations. Very easy to do, and you get the Costco quality that you like.

In 3 years, Costco will be nothing, but a Gas Station as will Sams. Brick and mortar is a thing of the past. If you want something, order online. They currently deliver a three-dollar item free even on Sunday.

A very good stock to own

Hooters beat Costco. lol.

The Villages will not see a Costco in your lifetime. Ocala will get one before they build one here. Ocala is between Gainsville and The Villages. The perfect site for a future build.

I'm a BJ's customer. If Sam's was in the location BJs is in, I'd be a Sam's customer. I like being able to get there by golf cart and BJ's is a 4 minute cart ride from my house. I "can" get to Sam's by cart, but it's illegal and I'm the type of person who ends up getting caught when I do stuff like that. So I try not to do stuff like that. Plus, Sam's is over 15 minutes drive from the house. Not very practical if I'm buying things that need refrigeration or a freezer, when it's 94° and the golf cart isn't air conditioned.

(And yes - that really does mean that my moral compass doesn't really give a flying fart about whether or not I can cross Griffin Road legally by golf cart at the Jeffrey Drive gate. I'd do it anyway if I was confident enough that I wouldn't get caught.)

I /do/ go to Sam's for prescriptions. I paid only 88 cents for one 90-day rx there - and it's $12 at Publix, and $7 at Walmart. My other rx's have enjoyed similar low prices, so it's a pretty good savings.

3 years ?

Wow, my whole life will be so much better since a Costco may come to TV. Yeah!

I was in Costco the other day and heard and saw two old employees talking and smiling about how fast the Villages was expanding, and they said that before you know it, the Villages will be coming to Costco. !!!

Great news indeed.
 

More trees cut down to build another big box store that I will never step foot. Great news indeed. 🙄

If a Costco will be built in this area, I guarantee it will not be on Villages' property.

Shopping at Costco means buying in bulk is a myth. Yes, paper products are in large bundles but that’s about it.

If Costco really is coming here, they better secure the property now. Prime commercial real is in high demand and it is only going to get more expensive.

While I agree in principle with the analysis of the demographics, it leaves the big question: Why did Sam's club build here, followed by a BJ's years later? Are the COSTCO planners much, much smarter??? And how much revenue have they lost by not building here 10 years ago due to "demographics"?

The rumor that never dies. If there is to be a Costco in The Villages area, it most certainly will not be on Villages property. Costco thrives on huge volume at low margins, and will never pay the vig the Developer extracts from its retail "partners."

Neither

I don't know about Costco stores in The Villages or Daytona, but the Costco in Clermont was discussed in TOTV in a May thread that included a link to a news article about it. I also found a droid video showing that construction is well underway.

We will continue to use Sams since Clermont is an hour drive from us, but for those who live below Sawgrass it is less than 1/2 hour.

Clermont Approves Costco Permits, Floor & Decor Construction Underway, Bojangles Permits Filed – Horizon West News & Info

Here ya go! Costco / Clermont

Most of us will be dead or nearly dead before that happens. And a Costco employee isn't the best source for anything

I will be thrilled too if I’m alive in three years. Are there more people in Clermont then in the Villages?

Wonderful news -- thank you for sharing. There is not any comparison at all to the quality and selection of Costco vs. the two big box stores currently in TV. We bought our place in February, 2021 and the only place we could get appliances and furniture from w/guaranteed availability and delivery dates was Costco -- average 2 weeks. Everyone else was 2+ months! Add the 2% cash back w/the Executive Membership and use the Costco Citibank Visa and get another 2% back AND extend your warranty on all purchases by 2 years. Costco is THE BEST!

Friday noonish stopped at BJ’s 2 cars at the pumps, 11 cars and 2 carts in the lot. Ran in to remove auto renewal, will not be renewing.

Left BJ’s traveled to Sam’s, too many cars in gas station to count. Closest parking 5 rows, from door, close to the farthest end of isle, no golf carts. Place was packed, 15 people waiting at the deli counter for chicken, because they already sold out (not the first time for us)

Clientele split between older, and some young families. Sams holds their own in TV area, and then some