Costco Case Response

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1) What are the chief elements of Costco’s strategy? How good is the strategy? Costco’s strategy revolves around price, product selection and cost control. Costco’s strategy is to be a low-cost leader in not just the wholesale club industry, but in the retail industry as well. The company makes an effort to limit markups to 14% or less for brand-name products. These narrow-thin margins would be nearly impossible for the company to maintain a profit, which is why membership fees are so critical. Without them, the company would be operating at a loss. The second element is the product selection; Costco has made a strong effort to limit products to those of a high standard of quality and only products that will move quickly. Additionally, Costco limits the product selection to a very limited active selection (staples) of roughly 3,600 items. The company offers a variety of items to cover the many needs of its customers, but it limits the selection to guarantee better purchasing terms with suppliers. It also empowers managers to select products specific to their demographic that will move quickly while keeping a margin. The last core element is cost control. Costco has made a science of controlling operating costs within the organization without sacrificing quality. The stores are made with durable and eco-friendly materials, but without frills to contain costs. Salaries for executive management are well below what is seen in most retailers. All hiring is done almost completely through internal talent searches. Additionally, company hours are limited to times where purchasing is higher. These three elements all need to exist for the company’s strategy to succeed. If any of these were taken away, the company would be hard-pressed to keep business practices profitable. Even more impressive is how little debt the company is using to finance their growth. The product

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