Everything You Need To Know Before Buying A New TV At Costco
Whether you're shopping in bulk for a large family or just want a hot dog, it's always a nice day to visit your local Costco. Besides the usual bulk-buy home staples that the wholesale warehouse chain is known for, though, you can also buy larger single items like furniture and electronics, the same kind of stuff you'd find at big-box stores like Best Buy or Target.
Of course, when you're shopping for large electronics like televisions at Best Buy, you may get a wider, more curated experience, since electronics are its primary wares. Costco sells electronics, but it's not exactly one of its specializations, so while it's not an outright bad idea to shop for a new TV there, the experience isn't quite the same as it is elsewhere. There are a few caveats and quirks you need to keep in mind when shopping for a TV at Costco, especially compared to regular shopping.
Costco membership
The first and foremost thing you need to remember about buying a TV at Costco compared to other major retailers is that you won't even be allowed through the front door if you're not a member. The entire reason Costco can sell so much bulk stuff is because the stores are supplemented by the yearly membership fees of its shoppers. If you're not a member, you aren't allowed in the store proper, only in side stores like the food court and pharmacy. Obviously, you can't get a TV there.
Costco offers two yearly memberships, Gold Star and Executive. The Gold Star tier costs $60 a year and will get you into the store with no additional frills. The Executive tier costs $120 a year and provides recurring purchase rewards and discounts on certain in-store services in addition to entrance into the store. For the purposes of just buying a TV, the Gold Star tier is sufficient, though an Executive membership wouldn't hurt if you plan on shopping at a particular Costco location frequently.
Availability and pricing
While electronics aren't Costco's primary dealing compared to somewhere like Best Buy, the chain does offer fairly competitive pricing on the devices it sells. For TV models that overlap between Costco and other major retailers, you can usually find similar pricing within around $100, if not identical pricing. Costco doesn't have as large of a selection as an electronics-focused retailer, but you can still get most of the major TV brands like Sony, Samsung, LG, and Hisense.
Costco may occasionally stock slightly different models from the other chains, indicated by some small additional features like TV tuners or fancier remote controls. The individual TVs may cost a bit more than average. Still, befitting Costco's bulk-buy credo, you may be able to get a good deal on a bundle package with additional devices like speakers or media players. If you're especially lucky, these bundle packages may even be cheaper than what the TV would cost by itself at another chain.
Delivery options
Most electronics retailers offer some form of delivery service after an in-store purchase. After all, not everyone has a car big enough to haul a big-screen TV home immediately after purchase. It's in this sphere that Costco has the biggest differences from other major retailers. While Costco does offer delivery services for things like groceries, large electronics are not included in this service.
While Costco doesn't handle large deliveries, the chain maintains a partnership with delivery service GoShare, allowing customers to arrange a GoShare pickup from a Costco store and transportation to a residential address on the same day. You can get a free estimate for delivery costs on the app, but generally, it'll cost at least $40. There's another catch here, though: compared to retailers like Best Buy, neither Costco nor GoShare offer installation services. They'll bring the TV to your house and drop it off in the room of your choice, but after that, you're on your own. While this does mean that the process of moving a TV from a Costco store to your home is a little cheaper, if you don't know how to install and mount the TV yourself, it's a bit of a non-starter. In this case, having a friend or family member help you mount the TV may be best.
Warranties and returns
Costco maintains a "100% satisfaction guaranteed" policy on the majority of its products. This means that if you buy something and it isn't to your liking, you can return it to any Costco location at any time with no additional fuss. Note that we said "the majority of its products" there. This is because there are some exceptions to this policy, and unfortunately, TVs are one of them. Large electronic purchases from Costco have a hard 90-day return policy. If you're still within 90 days of your purchase, you can bring it back, but after that, it's officially your problem.
On the bright side, as an additional perk for its members, Costco does offer complimentary extended warranties. Whatever a TV's default manufacturer warranty is, Costco will extend those services out two years from the date of purchase. If your TV is suddenly damaged by something out of your control, then they'll handle it for you, at least for a couple of years.