[UpNorth]

According to Consumer Reports, Costco is the best or among the best places to buy electronics, get your prescriptions, buy eyeglasses, and a whole lot of other things. Great selection of top rated products at great prices. Where else do you get to return a tv or laptop 90 days later for a full refund with no questions asked? Sams Club is not bad, but it is not Costco. And you can forget about BJ's. I get a free 90-day membership at BJ's every couple of years, go there, and end up buying nothing. At the Costco in Altamonte Springs, you are lucky to find a parking space, even in the middle of the week.

[red tail]

Originally Posted by UpNorth

According to Consumer Reports, Costco is the best or among the best places to buy electronics, get your prescriptions, buy eyeglasses, and a whole lot of other things. Great selection of top rated products at great prices. Where else do you get to return a tv or laptop 90 days later for a full refund with no questions asked? Sams Club is not bad, but it is not Costco. And you can forget about BJ's. I get a free 90-day membership at BJ's every couple of years, go there, and end up buying nothing. At the Costco in Altamonte Springs, you are lucky to find a parking space, even in the middle of the week.

amazon is better/cheaper/ and tax free with customer service as good as it gets!

[justjim]

Originally Posted by red tail

amazon is better/cheaper/ and tax free with customer service as good as it gets!

So far when you buy from Amazon (in Florida) you don't have to pay sales tax. I don't know how much longer "they" are going to give them this big advantage over the brick & mortar stores.

It really hurts the local small business more than anyone. Personally I don't like to pay a membership to any store in order to shop there.

[HMLRHT1]

Maybe we should all try to convince Costco of building in Ocala. It's not The Villages but it is 30 mins which is a whole lot closer and easier to get to than Orlando. There would be family's and businesses there as well as Villagers who would go there. Yes there is a Sam's club there but there are numerous locations across the country where they both exist.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by Marigold

Sent them an email yesterday.
Response received today...........We appreciate you taking the time to email Costco Wholesale. Our real estate team takes many factors into account when considering a new location, and generally do not base such decisions solely upon a petition. Please be assured that we have forwarded your great interest in having a new Costco in your area to our real estate department, and they do review all such suggestions sent to them. Ok folks, lets all send them an email.........

I think this is just a standard reply letter like the one Dotti received.

Originally Posted by dotti105

I recently talked to my local Costco in Utah and mentioned how much I will miss shopping at Costco once in TV.
I was told to go online and contact corporate. They have a very easy email interface to use. It was very easy yo use and I received a reply immediately mentioning that their Real Estate division is always looking for areas to build where there already exists plenty of potential customers.

It can't hurt! And it might help if lots of us contact them to express interest in a Costco located closer to us!Let them know we are here and would love to shop at a local Costco!!

Originally Posted by jhrc4

What you received is a Standard Reply, nothing more than that. Now for a reality check, Costco will Never, Repeat, Never build here why ? It is to close to a Sam's Club, that is it in a nutshell. Get a Sam's Club card and stop fretting.

Originally Posted by janmcn

The difference is Clearwater is right in the middle of Pinellas County, population 750,000, and right across the bay from Tampa. The total Tampa Bay area has a population of over four million. In 2012, Sumter County had a population of just over 100,000.

Plus the Tampa/Clearwater Area probably has a lot of families, not retirees who eat out a lot of the time.

[dotti105]

I am sure that you are right Barefoot, that was a standard reply, but I am sure that they do track this info.
Regarding the "competition" between Sam's and Costco...there are many places where the stores are very close to each other. I don't think the presence of a Sam's club would bother Costco if they thought could have a profitable location.
I am sure we will use Sam's Club when we move, but we will also hit the Costco store in Altamonte Springs any chance we get.

[Bonnevie]

Originally Posted by janmcn

The difference is Clearwater is right in the middle of Pinellas County, population 750,000, and right across the bay from Tampa. The total Tampa Bay area has a population of over four million. In 2012, Sumter County had a population of just over 100,000.

but there are a total of 5 Sam's Clubs in the Tampa Bay area and two more Costco

there always seems to be a Lowe's near a Home Depot.....

[Bonnevie]

Originally Posted by justjim

So far when you buy from Amazon (in Florida) you don't have to pay sales tax. I don't know how much longer "they" are going to give them this big advantage over the brick & mortar stores.

It really hurts the local small business more than anyone. Personally I don't like to pay a membership to any store in order to shop there.

Just so you know, that may be ending. I ordered a sofa online that came from NC. Last month I got a letter from Dept. of Revenue stating they routinely monitor trucks from out of state and discovered I bought it without filing the paperwork to pay tax. I had to pay sales tax on the cost of the sofa and shipping cost within 10 days or they would assess a penalty.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by HMLRHT1

Maybe we should all try to convince Costco of building in Ocala. It's not The Villages but it is 30 mins which is a whole lot closer and easier to get to than Orlando. There would be family's and businesses there as well as Villagers who would go there. Yes there is a Sam's club there but there are numerous locations across the country where they both exist.

I don't understand that line of thinking. The Villages is larger than Ocala and Leesburg combined. In fact it would take the populations Ocala, Summerfield, Belleview, Fruitland Park and Leesburg to exceed the population of the Villages. If their goig to build a new store why wouldn't they build it where the most people are?

[Nipper]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I don't understand that line of thinking. The Villages is larger than Ocala and Leesburg combined. In fact it would take the populations Ocala, Summerfield, Belleview, Fruitland Park and Leesburg to exceed the population of the Villages. If their goig to build a new store why wouldn't they build it where the most people are?

The best place for a Costco is in the 301 and 44 area which is close to 75 and the turnpike --- one million people can reach this spot in 40 minutes.

[djl8412]

Originally Posted by Bonny

What would make you come to this conclusion ?

As I wrote: it's a gut feeling. The Morse and Walton families are billionaires (nothing wrong with that) and I'm sure they communicate with one another. Walmart is heavily represented around TV. Sam's Club is owned by Walmart. Why wouldn't the 2 forces "buddy-up" and monopolize their business interests?

[djl8412]

Originally Posted by HMLRHT1

Maybe we should all try to convince Costco of building in Ocala. It's not The Villages but it is 30 mins which is a whole lot closer and easier to get to than Orlando. There would be family's and businesses there as well as Villagers who would go there. Yes there is a Sam's club there but there are numerous locations across the country where they both exist.

That has been my contention for several years. Ocala has just about every other business chain represented. It would be a prime happy medium for many area communities, and there are MANY in that area.

[graciegirl]

Best Mom? Taj44? Larry Wilson?

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by djl8412

As I wrote: it's a gut feeling. The Morse and Walton families are billionaires (nothing wrong with that) and I'm sure they communicate with one another. Walmart is heavily represented around TV. Sam's Club is owned by Walmart. Why wouldn't the 2 forces "buddy-up" and monopolize their business interests?

why haven't they done so in other locations?

Do you really believe there could be an overt lock out of a geographic area as stated?

I suppose there is a stretch possibility, but that would be against the law and while big business sometimes does some "questionable" deeds, I doubt they would openly run such a risk......what are they protecting? Adding another billion? I seriously doubt it. They are much smarter about such things than that......most of them most of the time anyway!

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by djl8412

As I wrote: it's a gut feeling. The Morse and Walton families are billionaires (nothing wrong with that) and I'm sure they communicate with one another. Walmart is heavily represented around TV. Sam's Club is owned by Walmart. Why wouldn't the 2 forces "buddy-up" and monopolize their business interests?

Communicate with one another, Really? Monopolize, Really?
What a gut feeling......................