Costco BFG’s

Right?!? Annoyed by that.

 

Exactly, the tires are the same. As far as all the other examples manufacturers make diff parts numbers for different vendors all the time. Doesn’t mean lesser quality.

 

Where are you getting your info from? Lol

 

This is absolutely nonsense! This is some kind of conspiracy theory. Lol. I supplied both Costco and Petco a few years ago and we provided each with exactly the same product but different model and SKU numbers. Big box stores require that we create a model and SKU numbers unique to them for many reasons:

1.price protection. They can never predict how their competitor will price the product. This is how box stores advertise price match guarantee + 10%. People used to be able to take advantage of this years ago but the box stores caught on and got smart.

2. Merchandise returns: basically big box stores don’t want the crap you bought from 99 cent store and returned to them. It may look the same, they may be packaged the same but different model/ sku numbers.

If anything, we made sure Costco received the better quality because of their extremely lenient return policy. They take anything back! We (suppliers) actually deposit a large sum of money in an escrow account to cover their returns. We want Costco and their customers happy because we don’t want products coming back. Returned items are worthless.

I had to finally end the relationship because it is the supplier that always takes the hit. Costco never take the loss.

 

My wife still asks them for the polish every time, hoping it will return.

On the topic of model numbers for other stuff, in some cases it might be a lesser model by having less features but I don't think there is a difference in quality. I have a feeling some big stores do this to protect from price matching each other, maybe even as a courtesy. For Costco there is another strong reason for this- I don't have a membership so if Best Buy would price match their tv I would benefit from their low price without stepping foot in a Costco.

 

Damn it i agree. Bring them polish dogs back!

Price comparison is a no brainer now due to easy access to competitor pricing via cell phone. This is how stores counter that method of shopping.

 

@OR18TRD

 

Appreciate the responses. I got them for $900 installed out the door so I was pretty happy.

 

Try to price match mattresses. Impossible. The retailers all have specific to them models. Does not mean quality is lower.

 

Does anyone not remember when Firestone had that big lawsuit due to unintended blowouts of tires and they were settling. That's what happens when you sell slightly lower quality and trust me, Firestone did not want that attention.

Big box stores can afford to sell on the cheap due to their massive buying power!

 

I've never know Costco to sell poor quality anything.

 

Firestone had 2. The famous 500s which I had on a boat trailer. Not my choice. Just glad I did not have fiberglass fender . Then there was the Ford Explorers which I think they linked to low pressures and gave us TPMS.

 

Those tires were blowing out because Ford under inflated them and put a lower than necessary inflation spec on the door. It wasn’t about the quality of the tire. It was about inflation issues.

 

It’s retail

it has to do with margins and costs.

Costco is buying for all of it stores so the merchants for Costco can go to a vendor or manufacture and say hey we want to sell this item what kind of costs are we looking at for X amount of units.

the negotiations begin and a deal is struck which allows Costco to sell item at a retail that is competitive to other retailers or even less than.

The costs and margins are figured into the retail so Costco makes money.

there may at times be items that are exclusive to a retailer but normally what you see in one store will be the same at another retailer.

retailers do and can use their own item numbers and of course sku numbers to identify a item. That does not always mean it’s a cheaper item or made differently

 

As with any case, several reports are showing both sides are blaming each other (shocker)! Point is no company should be willing to put out lower quality because it will come back to bite them. Do they still try to save a dime? Yes!

 

I used to work at corporate Costco and still miss being there. Best company ever! Thought I'd add some clarity to this thread. While it is true that costco buys gas from many different carriers. The gas itself is exactly the same. It's the detergent package that makes a difference. Costco has an additive tank at each gas station and they add the detergent package to the gas. It's 5 times the EPA mandate and Costco is a top tier certified gas. Same as chevron or shell.

https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

Scuba is correct, no difference in tires.

As far as electronics and other products, some companies will make product specific for the retailer. For example a best buy TV may have 5 HDMI inputs and basically the same TV at Costco will have 3 HDMI inputs so different model #. The 2 less inputs don't really change the cost of the TV much, but it makes the manufacturer willing to sell it to Costco for less than best buy because they can point to the "lesser" spec as a reason why. Costco knows most people don't need 5 HDMI inputs so they can sell a TV that meets the needs of most people at a significant cost reduction.

 

Costco won't install bigger tires than OEM. I tried getting 275/65/20 BFGs but they can only install the OEM size. BUT, if you bring them just your rims, they can install it no problem.

 

This reminds me of the "Mobil 1 from walmart is of a lesser quality". Lols.

 

Nonsense.

Box Stores may offer some electronics such as TV's with different options that affect price - only 2 HDMI's vs 4 HDMI's - that are store specific. Wal-Mart is famous for this. But this is not the case when it comes to tires.

Some box stores may offer a house tire - tires specific to the store. Discount Tire / Tire Rack sold a Cooper AT3 at one time that was unavailable at your hometown tire shop. But your typical BFG KO2 is going to be the same tire at Costco vs Wal-Mart vs local tire shop.

Costco is not selling seconds, blems, or their own propriety rubber compound when it comes to name brand tires. Costco is able to be cost competitive due to their bulk purchasing, warehousing, shipping, and overhead. This is how Costco can offer for sale a whole cooked chicken for $5.00 or a foot-long hot dog and drink for $1.50, and tires or tire incentives for sometimes significant savings. But the tires are the same.

 

This is what I was thinking too. I think this tire things is a myth, probably goes for the items too. The cost required to mass manufacture a lesser grade tire or TV or Vacuum for a certain retailer would be so high it wouldn't make sense to do so. I don't have proof either way but that's how I see it.

 

Heavy time lurker but have not responded as I am the quiet type, but glad this forum exists for the information especially towing / payload (yes that piece of information hurts) but love the Barcelona Red DBL Cab SR5 4x4 Sport.

I work for Michelin in Greenville who design and builds BFG KO2s, which if I remember, many of which come from Ardmore, Ok but production shifts with capacity of different sites in US and size of tire. Sites have to internally qualify for products to ensure a consistency and quality of product.

I personally don't build them but started my career @ a manufacturing plant in Canada and since then, have been to every manufacturing plant in North, Central and South America. So I feel I can give some input on the issue. Have even spent some time at our R&D center and a good friend is rubber engineer who helps determine rubber compounding for tires.

We do not manufacture products specifically for Costco so it is the same tire being sold. Although one of Michelin's largest and oldest customers, they sell same product as our other customers.

Several reasons why: consistency / quality of product, qualification for vehicle, costs of manufacturing and logistics of a "specific product" shipping across the country and liability laws not just in US but countries globally. Although the volume of tires @ Costco is high, they handle thousands of SKUs, and the volume of a single SKU would is just not cost viable or litigation smart.

Costco can offer the product at a good rate because they meet a volume tier, similar to other large distributors such as Discount Tire, ATD, etc. I am not as knowledgeable on pricing side and do not know all the components of a what goes into pricing so instead of saying something wrong I'll leave it at that.

As opposed to TVs (bought a Samsung there myself), where different components can be combined which features (more HDMI ports, less, etc) or programming, not practical for tires to occur in the same manner.

Long winded note, but hope it provides some insight. I would suspect for the reasons above, other manufactures would take the same approach.

Independent dealers, do compete for your business on elements such as extremely high level of customer service. Once again, not on the sales side so don't want to give any bad info on the topic.

Hope this helps the dialog.

 

true. Spare Method and 295/70/18 Toyo. cool dudes, cheap price.

 

they do lose money on that hot dog/drink combo though

 

Yes, but they don't care because they know while I was eating my hot dog my wife was buying 10 things she did not plan on getting and they make a good buck on those....

 

If it’s a Costco only tire then yes. Otherwise you’re good. Think Michelin made some “ltx” or “defender” that had a slightly different name and therefore different tire, but BFG AT... I doubt it’s different.

 

In all fairness, I would have been sold with that last line alone. I'm still amazed at what my little precious 7 yo daughter can produce.

 

I know this is a bit off topic but we owned a Rialto Pressure Clean Kohler toilet for over 24 years, trouble free, but last year it started giving problems, I called Kohler about getting repair parts and found that they no long had parts for this model, apparently due to high water pressure in some areas those pressure tanks had blown up. My water system only has 25 psi and would never have a problem, the small town we live near has up to 80 psi. Anyway, since I couldn't get parts, we ended up getting a new Kohler with a big flush valve, still doesn't do the job the old Pressure Clean did, they do sell one with a Sloan flush system but that wouldn't fit in the same space. Costco does have a problem dropping good products, I've heard other shoppers complain about the Polish sausages being gone.

 

Our Costco here sold a brand new Harley Davidson CVO Street Glide about 4 years ago. It was strange seeing it when you walked in the door. I have heard of tires being bought also. Fyi.