5 Reasons You Might Not Want To Buy Furniture at Costco
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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While many shoppers can snag amazing savings on health and beauty products, clothing, fuel for your car, and, of course, the famous Costco rotisserie chicken, you might not think about shopping for furniture at Costco.
Yet, recent items displayed near the front center of the store, including a cozy, oversized chair with storage ottoman for under $500 and a Thomasville Sectional for under $2,000, might turn your head.
As with other product categories, Costco keeps its furniture mark-ups below 15%. That means you’ll find substantial savings over furniture store prices, which can have mark-ups of 100% to 200%, according to Clark.com.
But is it worth the cost savings to furnish your home with Costco finds? There are a few caveats to be aware of before you shop.
You Won’t Find 0% Financing
Many furniture stores offer in-store financing to entice shoppers. Costco doesn’t offer 0% financing, but you can earn 2% cash back with an Executive membership and another 2% if you use the Costco Anywhere Visa card from Citi. If you want to pay over time without interest, consider opening a 0% intro APR card and using it to buy your Costco furniture.
Costco Doesn’t Deliver In-Store Purchases
One benefit to buying furniture at a traditional furniture store is the ability to schedule delivery and have professionals unload and potentially assemble the pieces in your home. Costco, however, doesn’t offer home delivery for in-store purchases.
If you buy Costco furniture online, you can choose from several delivery options, including “threshold delivery,” where it’s delivered to the first dry area on your property, such as your garage or your front entry, or “room of choice” delivery. These options do not include unpackaging or set-up.
You can also pay for “white glove” delivery, where the carrier will unpack, set up and inspect your furniture for a fee.
Limited In-Store Selection
As large as Costco warehouse clubs are, the furniture on display represents a tiny fraction of the online selection. If you aren’t sure what you want, you may have more luck browsing local furniture retailers to get ideas and inspiration in a showroom setting.
You Can’t Try Out Your Online Purchase Before You Buy
Costco offers many options for living room, dining room and bedroom furniture online. The problem? You can’t try it out.
Of course, that’s the case if you buy from Amazon or Wayfair, as well. You’ll have to rely on customer reviews and other people’s opinions to determine if a sofa will be comfortable or a dining room set will stand the test of time.
Fortunately, Costco’s lenient return policy means you can also send back furniture for any reason, but returning bulky pieces is a hassle.
Not Every Item Offers a Great Value
While Costco offers tremendous deals on home furnishings, not every item meets customer expectations. GOBankingRates previously spotlighted sofas, side chairs and an Ashland bed that failed to live up to the hype surrounding them.
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