As you likely now, Costco is a network of discounter and low-price stores located all across America. They are usually big and have lots of goods for sale at a reasonable price, which also means they sell underpriced or, just as frequently, low-quality stuff. They don’t produce any wiper blades of their own, but there are tons of brand products.
Goodyear, Michelin, Valeo are just a tip of an iceberg of what they got here. But are they any good? That’s an excellent question.
Costco brand
Costco has been around since the 80s, and they don’t just sell wiper products or automotive parts, but really everything. If you live in America, you absolutely know this, but this trivia is for those who either just traveled to US or stumbled upon a Costco warehouse somewhere outside of this country.
Costco doesn’t usually charge big markups on whatever they sell. The goods can only be worth 15% more of what it was when it arrived to the store. Moreover, there are frequent sales, discounts and they distribute coupons all the time. So, a lot of the wipers bought here are sold very cheap.
Regardless, you don’t always get a chance of buying a good product at a low price. The majority of goods Costco has to offer are low-cost from the start, including most of the wiper blades. The better may include ‘premium’ stuff like Michelin Guardian, but even they aren’t too good and cost much less than the usual premium wipers.
As a result, the majority of what you buy in Costco will be low quality. It’s not entirely their fault, because they don’t manufacture this stuff, but that’s pretty much all they accept from the big brands. You won’t find too many high quality wiper blades, because a lot of them are costly, and that goes against the company’s policy.
The problem of Costco
So, the problem of buying wiper blades at Costco is that you won’t find any genuinely efficient options there. What you buy here often breaks within the following few months or perhaps doesn’t fit the car properly, to name just a few usual problems. And that further creates several smaller issues.
You likely won’t get a replacement from Costco if your refill cracks too soon, because this company doesn’t give warranties, naturally. It’s inconvenient, and if you bought from the brand itself by going to their own store or ordering online, you likely would provide you a warranty and replacements.
You also won’t get to consult with anyone knowledgeable enough about the wiper blades, because Costco isn’t dedicated to selling these. The auto parts stores let you browse through their goods and usually give advice.
The advantages of buying at Costco are tempting. You get:
- Cheaper offers;
- More options to go through (in contrast to many dedicated stores);
- A lot less distance to travel, because the store is right down the road.
Final thoughts
These stores are good for buying emergency replacements for later or if the current wipers suddenly broke. For long-term use, they don’t fit. It’s much better to visit a dedicated store or, even better, order a wiper blade online.