Costco Just Made Buying a TV Even Better
Buying a TV at Costco comes with a whole bunch of perks, including a new way to purchase one. Read on to learn more.
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Even though Costco has a loyal fan base, the warehouse club giant is constantly looking for new ways to innovate and offer members additional value.
On a recent earnings call, Costco announced a change to the way it makes its TV inventory available to customers. And it might make the process of buying a TV through Costco even better.
The benefits of buying a TV at Costco
There are several good reasons to buy a TV at Costco. First, you might snag a lower price compared to a different retailer -- though you'll need to shop around based on the specific model you're looking for to make sure Costco's price is the best.
Next, with an Executive membership, you can rack up 2% cash back on a TV purchase at Costco. And if you combine that with the right credit card, you can potentially pocket even more cash back. Click here for a list of the best credit cards for Costco shoppers.
Also, when you buy a TV from Costco, you get free tech support included. If you run into problems setting it up, you don't have to tackle them alone.
Costco also offers a free second-year warranty on electronics purchases, TVs included. This gives you more peace of mind.
And some TV purchases at Costco come with Room of Choice Delivery. This means you won't have to be the one to haul a giant TV into your living room or basement or wherever you want it.
A new option for buying a TV from Costco
Although Costco carries TVs in its warehouse club stores, you may find an even wider selection online. The downside of ordering online, though, is having to wait for delivery.
But that may not be an issue much longer. Costco is rolling out the option to purchase a TV online and pick it up same-day at your local store.
During the company's most recent earnings call, CFO Gary Millerchip explained, "The rollout of buy online and pickup in warehouse for TVs in the U.S. market was also completed in Q4. This allows same-day pickup of a new TV for members who prefer not to wait for delivery."
Now, you may be wondering if this option will soon extend to all Costco purchases. Unfortunately, it probably won't.
As Millerchip said, "While buy online pickup in warehouse isn't cost-effective for us on lower-priced items, for high-value items with high shipping costs like TVs, the freight savings more than offset the added labor required in warehouses to fulfill those orders. We're now testing a similar program on laptops."
If you like the idea of making a purchase on Costco.com and picking it up at a store, you should know that you may have the option to do that for specific items, including tablets, watches, cellphones, and certain types of jewelry. This gives you access to more shopping choices without having to wait for delivery.
Should you buy your Costco TV online and pick it up in the store?
It's a good thing that Costco is rolling out the option to purchase a TV online and grab it from the store that same day. But while that eliminates the wait time, you may be better off sitting tight and getting your TV delivered.
For one thing, if you have a smaller car and are buying a larger TV, transporting it yourself may not even be feasible. And even in a roomier car, you run the risk of your TV getting damaged in transit. If you have Costco deliver it, Costco takes on that risk.
Similarly, if your TV is eligible for Room of Choice Delivery, why not have someone else deal with getting it up or down the stairs at home? This could not only reduce the risk of your TV getting damaged, but also spare you from potential injuries.
That said, it's nice to have choices if you're buying a TV. And it'll be interesting to see if Costco adds more products to its list of items that can be purchased online and picked up from a store later that day.
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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
