BJ's Wholesale is the New Costco
- machristineoffice
- Apr 26
- 2 min read
Costco is absolutely viral.
But what about Costco Lite: I'm talking about BJ’s Wholesale.
BJ's Wholesale might be one of the best kept secrets in Club Channel.
It's less crowded for shoppers, and it's also less crowded for sellers.
“𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.” - BJ’s
So Costco.
Yes, I get it.
We do so much work there.
Rotations to bigger rotations to core items.
It can be the off ramp to your big exit.
The volume potential is unmatched.
But it’s also very competitive.
You'll need $1,000-$1,200 per club per week to advance to the level.
I don’t care how good your product is.
Rotation vlocity has to be engineered.
A rotation is not a magical unlock.
𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙅’𝙨 𝙒𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚
Costco is a juggernaut. That's a fact.
But BJ’s is a quiet steely-eyed killer.
Smaller clubs and fewer of them, yes.
But they don’t have every brand beating down their door.
For shoppers, they don’t require a 3-hour investment.
Did you know they’re also innovating and growing?
Big flex, they beat Costco to digital checkout.
They also launched a smaller format in BJ’s Market.
Club deals. Fast checkout. Tight locations.
But the best news yet?
They’re expanding across Texas now.
In fact, 30 new clubs are inbound over the next 2 years.
Costco and Sam’s won’t touch that rate of growth.
Even better, it’s the easiest club chain to drive velocity.
You have three separate tools:
1. Instacart. All placements and targeting methods.
2. DoorDash. Now with retailer targeting.
3. BJ’s media. By way of Criteo.
These represent 3 different customer segments.
You'll get a higher Return if you spread your budget across them.
High volume, lower competition.
Just saying it may be worth a look.
Alright guys, if you need help driving velocity at Club, you can reach me at eric@elitecommercegroup.com or find me on LinkedIn at Eric Martindale.
So hit that like button, and leave me a comment to let me know what you'd like me to cover.
What do you think?
What one thing do you ALWAYS buy in Club?
What’s the craziest thing you’ve purchased in club?
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We drive velocity in Sprouts, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Sam's, COSTCO, and lots of other retailers.
We grow brands on Amazon.
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