I have always been a big fan of Costco…not only as someone interested in building businesses but also just from a consumer stand-point. Costco is awesome.
They have great deals. Hot dogs. Air conditioning. Return policies. Free snacks. Costco does things right…and their business shows it. People like Costco and have continued to pay for a Costco membership.
But how?!
How have they withstood “disruption from all fronts.” How do they compete with Amazon?
This competition is fascinating to me…I think the killer subscription business they have built is defensible and I hope it succeeds over the next decade.
I came across this company the other day – https://www.publicgoods.com/ – and I feel like they could be building a Costco 2.0. I think the approach, just generally speaking, to selling generic items at a bulk discount is really fascinating!
I have not signed up for public yet but maybe I will as I get older…
I think brand power is unconventionally becoming less important to some people – mainly for items that are unimportant.