Costco’s Secret Pricing Code

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(Reuters) – As superstore pricing mysteries go, it’s not the equivalent of “The Da Vinci Code,” but there’s still something deliciously elusive about the so-called “Costco Code” that has set the tongues of shopping mavens wagging for the past several months.

At least the plot line is direct enough: If you can interpret what the various sequences of digits and asterisks mean on Costco Wholesale Club price signs, you’re on your way to scoring serious bargains.

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Costco implements new international e-commerce site

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Costco Selects Reply and hybris to Implement Its New International E-Commerce Site.

CHICAGO, April 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Reply [MTA, STAR: REY], a company specialising in the design and development of enterprise solutions based on new digital media, and hybris software, an SAP company and the world’s fastest-growing commerce platform provider, today announced that they have developed and delivered Costco Wholesale Corporation’s new international e-commerce site, Costco.com.mx.

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Home Depot Cleaning Up This Spring

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Home Depot ( HD ) is one of the most fully mature companies on the market, which is to say, they have been around long enough that they have already expanded rapidly in the areas conducive to rapid expansion, fallen into slow growth in areas conducive to slow growth and failed entirely in areas conducive to failure. Their cavernous stores are loved by professionals and do it yourselfers, as well do-it-for-me-ers, and while they do well when people are buying houses, they do just as well when many people are merely renovating. Home Depot shares the market with Lowe’s ( LOW ), of course, and the stores are so similar that they are starkly differentiated only by Home Depot’s deep commitment to a witheringly flat, stale shade of orange.

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Millennials and Costco

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The suburban, car-loving, McMansion-owning parents of millennials represent Costco’s (COST) core customer base. But what about millennials themselves?

As far as retail success stories go, few can compete with Costco’s run in recent years. In surveys, customers routinely weigh in on how much they love the Costco shopping experience, and the company’s unique business model is celebrated in TV documentaries and glowing magazine profiles alike.

But the fact that in early March Costco reported lower-than-expected earnings and its stock price has slumped now has some wondering if the company can stay on its hot growth streak going forward. In particular, concern is being raised that Costco’s membership model and its bulk-goods products don’t appeal to the nation’s young consumers—and that the Costco experience might not be a good match for the millennial generation even after they grow older and have families.

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11 Things You Didn’t Know About Costco

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Often much less maligned than its retail warehouse counterparts, Costco has developed a sort of cult following among thrifty shoppers and supporters of workers’ rights alike. But if you’re one of these wholesale superfans, how much do you truly know about the company?

You may have heard that the first Costco warehouse opened in Seattle and that their Kirkland brand was originally supposed to be “Seattle Signature.” Perhaps you’re also aware that the company spends no money on advertisements, instead hoping programs like their “treasure hunts,” which feature steep but limited-time discounts on luxury — and occasionally outlandish — items, will keep customers coming back. But if you’re a true die-hard fan of the shopping mecca, you’ll need to read on for the true treasures.

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Sam’s Club VS. Costco: Do Lower Prices Trump Employee Happiness

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Sam’s Club and its two major competitors, Costco Wholesale Corp. and the privately held BJ’s Wholesale Club, are in a battle for customers. For many the choice comes down to cost. Price isn’t the only factor, but if one of the three were appreciably more expensive, customers would be scurrying for one of the others. Wholesale clubs don’t attract customers with frills — all are pretty stark with a warehouse-like environment — and having items for sale at the lowest possible price is the differentiator between these stores and traditional low-cost retailers like Wal-Mart or Target .

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Costco Defies the Big Box Apocalypse

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With so many retailing giants such as J.C. Penney , Sears, and Best Buy falling by the wayside in what has aptly been named the “Big Box Apocalypse,” it’s very reassuring to see Costco , the leading warehouse retailer in the U.S., thriving in the midst of all the retail industry snafu. Costco is still posting healthy gains even as the once mighty Wal-Mart  and Target  struggle to remain afloat. So what makes Costco tick?

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Lowe’s partners with Porch.com

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Lowe’s continues to enter the tech world with a recent partnership with Porch.com, a four-month-old startup that aggregates data about home improvement projects all around the US. Porch.com will be in the hands of Lowe’s employees in 139 stores in the Seattle, North Carolina, and South Carolina area.

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Google buys Nest for 3.2B in cash

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Google is acquiring connected device company Nest for $3.2 billion. Google sent out an email to employees noting the acquisition today and later issued a press release.

In the release, Google noted that Nest has been offering its best-selling thermostat since 2011 and recently began offering the Protect smoke alarm, which networks with its other devices.

Nest Founders Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers will both join Google. Rogers was one of the first engineers on the iPhone team at Apple.

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Lowe’s sees Iris as a future growth catalyst

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Lowe’s might not often be thought of as an innovative company. Most consumers see it as a place to go for home improvements, especially if a Lowe’s location is more convenient than a Home Depot location.

Lowe’s and Home Depot might be competitors, but they’re both likely to be long-term winners, and they’re both more innovative than most people realize. There are many different innovative avenues to explore for Lowe’s and Home Depot, but this article will primarily focus on Lowe’s Iris system, which rolled out in 2012 with 40 home-automated products.

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