Costco Connection - November 2006

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Costco”s virtual shopping experience delivers

An online treasure hunt

By Steve Fisher

DIGI TAL VISION

_f“The wedding lowers arrived

on time, in

excellent

condition, and

they were

beautiful!

We have never Setting things straight
^seen ^such ^Even ^after ^seven ^{years, some} ^{misperceptions}^perfectio^hitw” ^still ^surround ^costco.com^{. Here’s} ^the ^truth.^n!” ^■^Costco.com^is ^{not a} ^{cyber-mirror of the} ^{ware- houses, carrying} ^all ^the ^same ^products^.^{—DianeW orth}“^There ^is ^only ^about ^a ¹⁰ ^percent ^overlap ⁱⁿinventory,” says Ginnie Roeglin, Costco’s senior _vice _president _{of e-commerce} _and _publishing.“_Members _{will find} _a _few _things _they _see _{in the}warehouses, but they’ll discover a whole lot more
online at costco.com.”

There are practical reasons for costco.com being an alternative experience. According to Mike Pollard, vice president, costco.com, “In the warehouses, floor space is at a premium. We can put more, and bigger, items online. Where a warehouse may be able to feature a handful of furniture, for example, costco.com’s

AS ANY COSTCO member knows, one of the most exciting aspects of shopping is the sense that a trip to a warehouse is like going on a treasure hunt. While members might have an idea of what they can expect to find, every step of the way provides pleasant “can’t live without it” surprises.

If the warehouse operation is a veritable treasure hunt, costco.com is a virtual one—and even more of a surprise than most people expect. A new adventure beckons, and it helps to know what lies ahead. Here’s a look at what you will, and won’t, find on costco.com.

possibilities are virtually endless.”

For example:

Furniture. From individual pieces to complete rooms, hundreds of furniture items for every room of the house and office are available at costco.com, year-round.

Tires. Due to space limitations, warehouse tire centers may stock only the most widely used tires. Costco.com offers an expanded selection of tires for almost any vehicle. A user-friendly search tool helps members with specialized tire needs find the wheels they seek and have them shipped to their local warehouse for installation. A phone call or e-mail noti-fies members when the tires are on-hand and ready to be installed.

Office products. A new business-products program features thousands of items: everything from corporate gifts and office furniture to a vast selection of ink and toner cartridges to paper clips. In most cases, next-day delivery is possible. Costco.com even offers a simple way to order a business products catalog by clicking on the button on the right sidebar of our home page.

Year-round seasonal items. Costco warehouses feature some items on a seasonal basis, whereas costco.com can offer them year-round. Patio furniture, generators, grills and spas are all available online, whether the weather is right for them or not.