inside
costco
Kirkland
Signature
diapers
keep baby
dry for less
Bringing
up baby
BuyingSmart
Consumer reporter
Pat Volchok gives
a behind-the-scenes
look at Costco
products and services.
Send your questions to:
buyingsmart@
costco.com.
By Pat Volchok
BABIES DON’T CARE about diaper brands or price;
they just want to feel really good down under. Experiencing such cushy comfort used to come at a high
price, but then along came Costco’s high-quality
Kirkland Signature™ Premium disposable diapers
with savings of 20 percent or more over comparable
national brands.
Wanting an update, I recently sat down with the
Costco buyers who work on this line of essential-for-baby products: Greg Shavey and Andrea Padilla for
the warehouses, and Derek Berndt and Donde
Anderson for costco.com.
“Our members want what is best for their
babies,” Greg reports. “If a diaper can’t perform, they
would let us know. Costco members love our diapers.
We have sold millions and millions of our Kirkland
Signature Premium diapers over the past two years,
which adds up to a lot of savings for our members.”
I ask to see the latest upgraded version of the
Kirkland Signature diaper. Andrea grabs a box, opens
it up and begins handing out samples. The mood in
the room immediately shifts from relaxed conversation to intense inspection. The buyers run their hands
along diaper edges, pull elastic waistbands back and
forth like rubber bands and roughly open and close
the reusable fasteners. They are as tough and vigorous
as any toddler.
Thinking my timing perfect, I pull out bottles of
water and balloons and ask if we can reenact the
diaper absorbency test I see on TV.
“Hold on a minute, Pat,” says Greg. He says that
this water test tells only part of the story. “All diapers
absorb,” he explains. “A child may wet a diaper many
times. The key to a great diaper is how it performs
after being worn by active babies. Fit and comfort are
key. Put the balloons away and let us show you what
we have done to upgrade Kirkland Signature diapers
in the last two years.”
Here’s a look.
Wraparound stretch
“Our diaper has a wide, stretchable back waistband and large, stretchy fastener ears,” says Andrea.
“Some brands offer stretch only at the waist or at the
sides, but not both. Kirkland Signature has wraparound stretch to help provide a customized fit.
Moms appreciate the stretch, as it helps make the
diaper easy to apply.”
