The Cult of the Bulk Buy: Why Membership Retail May Weather the Storm, Though Risks Remain
Financial commentators adore the lazy cliché that when the economy turns sour, every household tightens its belt in perfect unison. It is a tidy narrative, certainly, but Costco’s latest numbers have rather gleefully punctured it.
To my eye, the market is not dealing with a single, cautious consumer at all. There are two distinct tribes out there. There is the family scraping by, and then there is the comfortable middle class shopper who happily pays an annual toll just for the privilege of wheeling an aircraft-carrier-sized trolley through industrial aisles.
Costco’s earnings beat did not happen because people suddenly love bargain basement baked beans. It happened because the well-heeled are still spending freely, provided they feel they are getting value.