costco member passport

[benalexe]

I just got my costco passport to savings in the mail today. Maybe I am missing something but they have an infiniti 6 person spa for $800 off.  The price is $2,999.99  40 stainless steel jets maintenance free cabinet.  Seems like a great deal.  Sorry for the dealers out there I am sure these people can't be good for your business.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  No its not a good deal for the dealers.  Wallmart and Costco wont be happy till they drive the brick and mortars out of business.  

  That being said they cant provide the service that we and other good dealers do, unless your in Freds situation where you have a dealer with 5 stores that could care less about him.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Short term no, but long term is another story. Remember the Yugo? I had a girlfriend that bought one, loved it, for about 1-1/2 years. It pretty much fell apart by then. But she liked that she had a new car, and was bound and determined to get another new car....... she just didn't get another Yugo  

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 The shipping company I  worked for in Alaska was based in Seattle, they wouldn't ship yugo's on deck because by the time they got to me all that was left was a rust spot where the car sat.

[Zep]

"infiniti 6 person spa for $800 off.  The price is $2,999.99.  40 stainless steel jets maintenance free cabinet"

wow....thats hard to believe
and they still make a profit even at that price


"No its not a good deal for the dealers"

i wonder Jim if maybe in an indirect way it could be good for dealers?
this pricing will open up spas to people that normally would not make a larger purchase
so alot of folks that purchase one of these will fall in love with hot tubs
then they may be more likely to "move up" to a better quality spa thus helping dealers
kind of like people buy a "starter home" or a "clunker car" at first and then eventually move up in quality

[Spiderman]

"infiniti 6 person spa for $800 off.  The price is $2,999.99.  40 stainless steel jets maintenance free cabinet"

wow....thats hard to believe
and they still make a profit even at that price


"No its not a good deal for the dealers"

i wonder Jim if maybe in an indirect way it could be good for dealers?
this pricing will open up spas to people that normally would not make a larger purchase
so alot of folks that purchase one of these will fall in love with hot tubs
then they may be more likely to "move up" to a better quality spa thus helping dealers
kind of like people buy a "starter home" or a "clunker car" at first and then eventually move up in quality

We can hope that's the way it works.  It could also go the other way when it keeps breaking, freezing up, whatever and the owners have such a bad experience with what they think is a quality product, they never buy another hot tub again.

[Shaamus]

We can hope that's the way it works.  It could also go the other way when it keeps breaking, freezing up, whatever and the owners have such a bad experience with what they think is a quality product, they never buy another hot tub again.

Unfortunately, this is more likely to have a greater effect.  There's a lot of casual party tub owners anyway.  Throw on top of the fact that they don't use it often that they own a piece of crap, what do you think they are going to tell their friends when they are asked about owning a hot tub?  It will go something along the lines of "We don't use it too much, but we use it even less because there always seems to be something wrong with it."

With the economy, it's tough for manufacturers to turn their back on any sales channel.  But when we come out of this funk, I hope spa manufacturers see the long term effects that low-end tubs through mass merchants have on the future promotion of their product and cut them off or force them to align with local service companies to provide service after the sale.  Except for maybe Costco with that great return policy, customers are going to eventually come away from their mass-merchant spa experience wanting and that's not great for our industry.

[Zep]

"that they own a piece of crap, what do you think they are going to tell their friends
when they are asked about owning a hot tub?  It will go something along the lines of
"We don't use it too much, but we use it even less because there always seems to be
something wrong with it."
 
I disagree, I have a friend that bought a "piece of crap" low end tub as you say
at one of the big box stores and he uses his tub more than I use my tub, he loves it,
and has not had a single problem. These tubs are not as a high a quality but you guys
exaggerate how bad they really are. Alot of people buy them and enjoy alot of great soaks.
Are they as good as a top notch brand? No, obviously not, but it's not like most them fall apart after
a month or two either.

[Shaamus]

Spas used to last 15 years, easy.  Swap a pack, heater, and you're good.  These tubs hitting the market are 5 year throw-aways.  They aren't worth retrofitting because the shells and cabinets are too thin.  I never meant that a big box tub is only going to last a couple months, but they just aren't built like spas used to be built.  That goes for some of the "name brands" too.

[Shaamus]

BTW, I don't sell tubs.  I build replacement hot tub covers.  I see what models of spas that people are buying their third and fourth covers for and they aren't the Lowes/Costco/Sams/Home Depot spas.  Some are, but not most.  The tubs lasting 15-20 years have thick shells and cabinets.

[Tman122]

BTW, I don't sell tubs.  I build replacement hot tub covers.  I see what models of spas that people are buying their third and fourth covers for and they aren't the Lowes/Costco/Sams/Home Depot spas.  Some are, but not most.  The tubs lasting 15-20 years have thick shells and cabinets.

Try and tell someone who just bought one of these box store cookie cutter inexpensive tubs that they won't last as long. There 1-2 months or even a years experience tells them they are just as good. Then 2-3 years goes by and there tubs are garbage but they don't care. They nurse them for a couple more years and throw them away. Then they are done with hotubbin.