Wholesale Clubs/Discount Superstores

[ClownLoach]

I can never quite pick the right place for comments about Costco and Sam's. You could say the same for Walmart and Target sometimes. Sometimes I see them mentioned in department stores, sometimes in specialty retail.

Maybe we need a separate category for Wholesale Clubs and Discount Stores. Or categories for both? I think it would make more sense.

[submariner]

Walmart and Target fall into Department Stores based on their definition as 'Discount Department Stores'.

Costco/Sam's/BJ's is a different story... But if I had to make a decision, I'd probably put them in the same category as superstores or hypermarkets like Meijer. In that instance, I'd say grocery or department stores are both acceptable, with the poster's discretion to place the primary topic in the right location. For example, referring to the store in general, or about non-grocery departments? Put it in Department Stores. If it's specifically about the store's grocery department, put it in grocery.

[Super S]

I agree with ClownLoach's post. Depending on which aspect of Costco you are talking about, it could fall under Department Stores, Restaurants, Drugstore Chains, Gas Stations, or Grocery Stores. And many other aspects qualify as Specialty Retail.

[bryceleinan]

I agree with ClownLoach's post. Depending on which aspect of Costco you are talking about, it could fall under Department Stores, Restaurants, Drugstore Chains, Gas Stations, or Grocery Stores. And many other aspects qualify as Specialty Retail.

I also agree that the wholesale / membership clubs could be their own category. The only one I would question is Bi-Mart, I’m guessing they’re more department store than anything else…

[ClownLoach]

I agree with ClownLoach's post. Depending on which aspect of Costco you are talking about, it could fall under Department Stores, Restaurants, Drugstore Chains, Gas Stations, or Grocery Stores. And many other aspects qualify as Specialty Retail.

I also agree that the wholesale / membership clubs could be their own category. The only one I would question is Bi-Mart, I’m guessing they’re more department store than anything else…

Bi-Mart could be in its own category, like Local or Regional Specialty.

I think a fair argument could be made that the original Discount Department Store concept of Target and Walmart is long dead. When I think of the Target and Walmart stores of the 80's and 90's, before formats like Supercenters, SuperTarget, and Greatland they did fit that description. They were basically a discount version of Sears, Montgomery Ward and other full catalog department stores. I do not think today's version of these stores has many parallels to any traditional department store remaining; Kohl's for example has little in common with Target other than they both sell clothing.

Now Walmart and Target for the most part are grocery stores with a discount general merchandise department. Especially Target which has cut down or removed entire lines of general merchandise; the large format store I was in last week has now eliminated the last vestiges of automotive except for a single endcap for example. Even their Super format is gradually reducing the SKU depth of all general merchandise except apparel to the same as any regular Target thus the only differentiation is a fresh food department that has great variance in its level of execution. Walmart is known by insiders as having some examples of Neighborhood Market sites that are near or adjacent to a Division 1 format and the market brings in more revenue than the full size box. I know of two of these situations in California. So I just don't think these two fit into the department store box anymore.

I suggest two separate categories, one just for membership wholesale warehouses (Costco, Sam's, and BJs), and one umbrella category of Mass Discount Retailers that primarily captures Walmart and Target. In both cases this is necessary because it seems posts about these retailers are getting scattered amongst multiple categories.

[submariner]

In the interest of keeping sections from getting too out-of-control, I'll settle on this:

Discount department stores (Target, Walmart, et al.) will continue to be under the Department store category, but I will expand the description to make it more clear of the fact.

Warehouse stores (Sam's, Costco, BJ's, et al.) can be filed under Specialty Retail, which will also be updated to be more clear of the subject matter.