Many Americans strive to be frugal , especially in this difficult economy. They want to figure out ways to save money and how to eliminate certain things that are not completely necessary from their lives . One of the most popular kinds of retail shopping is that of the warehouse type store. Some require a membership and others do not . A lot of the frills and sales force are cut out to make the products a much better bargain to consumers. Many of the warehouse stores are simply that, enormous warehouse space that are typically only divided by rows of pallet racking and mezzanines to store the products. It is very industrial and can be intimidating at first but many people love the idea .
The first example of warehouse stores that require paying for a membership are the national chains called Costco and Sam’s Club. They are very similar to one another and offer their customers with almost identical products ranging from food, to landscaping supplies to diamonds in their warehouses . Some Costco lovers however, think that Costco has better quality especially with the foods because they have higher quality foods. Some also may feel a bit of a stigma that Sam’s Club is connected to the Wal-Mart corporation. The membership fees range from about $40-$100 per year and many customers feel that they save that much on their first trip through the store .
Another type of store that uses a warehouse type space are those that offer home improvement items and hardware essentials. These are known as the very popular Home Depot and Lowe’s stores. They also are in a warehouse type building with big aisles filled with everything and anything you would need to fix up your house from granite countertops, to plumbing to plants . Many self employed contractors shop here right next to the homeowner just looking to paint a room in their house .
One last type of warehouse store that is physically enormous but extremely organized is that of Ikea. They have planned this store with several signs winding throughout the various departments making it easier to navigate . The main part of the store is done with totally furnished rooms and displays to show off what all of the products look like. Many of the IKEA items need to be assembled to seeing the displays is essential for the consumers . Once you have seen the more finished section of the store , it leads you to the more industrial part with big pallets of items loaded up in industrial aisles. This is where you find your own item and proceed to checkout.
Many of these warehouse stores need fewer sales people because the majority of it is a self service style of shopping. It allows a space to have a large number of products without having a big staff to support it. Because there is less staff to pay , and a lot of the items are offered in bulk, the cost to the customers are a lot less.