The first time I learned about Costco was through an interview with Lei Jun. He said that this was the company he respected the most and was an example for him to learn from. He even thought he could not surpass it in his lifetime. Lei Jun once said publicly: At Costco, every product is a hit. When you enter Costco, you don’t have to choose or look at prices, just close your eyes and buy! Lei Jun is a talented person in China. He became the general manager of Kingsoft Software at a young age. After making enough money, he became a very successful investor. He founded Xiaomi in 2010 when he was about 40 years old. He is a cost-effective product company with the idea of ??letting Chinese people Using high-quality and cheap products, it took 8 years to become the youngest Fortune 500 company in the world. In my eyes, he is much better than Jack Ma. His life is definitely a cheating life, and almost all Chinese people have to look up to him. But with such an awesome person and an idol that he can’t surpass, how awesome can such a company be? This is a mystery in my mind and I would love to have the opportunity to take a look.
On August 27, 2019, China’s first Costco opened in Minhang, Shanghai. The sensation caused by the opening of this supermarket was beyond everyone's imagination. It almost broke all the hot searches and headlines, and became a phenomenon-level influence. This is something that no other foreign-funded supermarket company has ever done in China, including the world's largest supermarket group, Walmart of the United States, Carrefour of France, Metro of Germany, etc.
How does Costco do it? Wal-Mart's slogan in China is low prices every day. Although it ranks first in the world, it has been completely defeated in China and seems to have withdrawn from the Chinese market. Metro implements a membership system and specializes in large-ticket purchases by corporate customers. Its biggest selling point is also its low price. It was recently sold to Beijing Wumart and has also withdrawn from China. Almost all large supermarkets attract people with low prices, without exception, but these so-called low prices are just a cloud in front of the dealer. Only the low price of the dealer is the real low price, and the others are not the real meaning. Low prices on. So, how does Costco do it?
This is Costco - it does not make money from products, but makes money from consumers automatically paying annual fees every year!
On November 12, 2019, I took the opportunity to participate in an industry exhibition and came to Shanghai. Having time to see Costco became another important task of this trip.
After breakfast on the morning of the 13th, I hurriedly walked towards Minhang. Get off at the terminal of Line 2, pass under the National Convention and Exhibition Center, exit from Gate 6, and take bus 197 to Lianyou Road and get off at Zhujian Road. When I was about to arrive at the station, I was looking down at my phone, and I heard people talking about the arrival. It turned out that many people came here. When I got off the car, I saw a large factory-like building from a distance. It was not as grand and big as I imagined, and it was even a bit shabby. The exterior walls seemed to be wrapped with factory-grade iron sheets.
There are a group of young men and women at the door, helping others apply for membership cards. Ping An Bank has a strategic cooperation with Costco, and Ping An Bank can waive the card application fee of 100 yuan. Because he wanted to get a 100 yuan advantage, he applied for a Ping An online credit card online. The whole process took half an hour, and I lost more than a dozen verification codes. It was miserable. If I had known it would be so troublesome, I would never have done it.
Today is Wednesday, not the weekend, but the place is still crowded with people, which is different from the legendary desolation after the opening. It has been almost three months since its opening, which shows that smart Shanghainese still strongly agree with this business philosophy.
With the trade war between China and the United States, cheap pork from the United States cannot be imported. Pork introduced from Russia has also introduced swine fever. From south to north, from east to west, almost all free-range pigs are infected. I am dead. This is the first time I have faced the cruelty of the plague. It is shocking and soul-crushing. The price of pork is now soaring as if it has wings. What was once the main meal on the dining table has now become a luxury product, and ordinary people can no longer afford pork. It is said that Costco sold pork very cheaply at first, but was interviewed by the relevant departments. I think the current price is a little higher than that outside. Could it be organic pork? If Costco cannot lower the prices of its core agricultural and sideline products to the point where ordinary people can truly benefit from it, I will not really recognize such a company being respected.
If ordinary pork sells for 10 yuan a pound in the market, but a store can sell it for 8 yuan, this is the real welfare of the people and the conscience of society. The price of Australian lobsters has been reduced from 500 yuan to 300 yuan, and the price of Moutai liquor has been reduced from 3,000 yuan to 1,500 yuan. What is the significance of such an enterprise?
If possible, I really want to build a store that truly belongs to our people in the future.