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Sage and Simms at Costco?

39K views 210 replies 93 participants last post by  fredaevans 
#1 ·
Seen it today. Z axis 5 weight and some Tree-fiddy waders. In an upright glass case, like the rock and roll hall of fame would put an Elvis outfit in :rofl:
 
#6 ·
Just a rod and waders in a glass case? Was the display helping promote some other products or did they have a stock of the rod and waders for sale, too?

If it was just a display, it likely was designed by a contractor who bought the items to create an attractive 'draw' to get folks looking at other fishing-related products that are actually for sale. Very common in retail -- for instance, a lot of the stuff you see in big department store window displays isn't actually sold by the store, it's merely added by the designer because it looks good, works with the marketing concept, and helps draw people into the story/department/area to buy what the store DOES have for sale.

Then again, if there was a stack of Simms waders and Sage rods nearby then Costco has some explaining to do -- or rather, the wholesale distribution centers who work with those brands have some explaining to do since most speciality outdoor brands have rules about where their products can be sold.
 
#37 ·
. . . Costco has some explaining to do -- or rather, the wholesale distribution centers who work with those brands have some explaining to do since most speciality outdoor brands have rules about where their products can be sold.
You might want to look at this through the other end of the telescope - it's entirely likely that Simms and Sage changed their own rules and approached Costco about carrying their stuff on a trial basis. Since spending on recreational gear is in the shitter right now while Costco sales and shares are spiking, it's probable that Sage and Simms need Costco a LOT more than Costco needs them.

K
 
#12 ·
Both companies sell through Cabela's, so Costco really isn't that big of a leap. It's just another example of consolidation of the retail channel in the flyfishing industry: Small retailers go out of business, and many equipment manufacturers decide that they must sell through big box and Internet stores to reach customers.
 
#20 ·
Son of a beech, those are pretty low prices on those two items. Much less than retail at an authorized sales outlet fly shop. I sense a large distrubance in the force.
 
#26 ·
Sorry, I don't get it. What is the big deal here? Folks buying online has led to the death of many tackle shops or EBay for that matter re second hand stuff rather than large outlets. Big nasty Cosco selling overpriced stuff in the first place at a 'discount'? It seems like snobbery that we flyguys like to say that we're not. I support 2 Seattle fly shops with most of my business, not huge by many standards but looking at my fly tying stuff the other day (my wife went mental and threatened to burn it if I didn't get most it out our living room and it got me thinking re it's worth as I filled 4 QFC bags and I have about the same again out the way), I dropped ~$600 bucks on that alone plus a further $400 on rods and lines in past 3-4 yrs. Don't mean to be incendiary but "so what?" really sticks in my mind.

Dave
 
#39 ·
While I don't own a Kirkland Sage rod, I would equate this with new Porshes being sold at the local Kia dealer. I don't think it's necessarily wrong but it devalues the brand. The ensuing, somewhat negative jibes from the Costco, Simms, and Sage relationship is probably not something that Simms and Sage welcome and probably not something that elevates their brand's reputation.

E
 
#27 ·
I know that cosco sells refurbished items for kitchen aid and dyson. Maybe they cut a deal with sage and sims to sell their refurbs. You have to be in a heavy contract to get into that store so I do not by the "we had no clue" from sage.
 
#41 ·
. . . Maybe they cut a deal with sage and sims to sell their refurbs. You have to be in a heavy contract to get into that store so I do not by the "we had no clue" from sage.
Some years back, one of my clients had succeeded in getting a 'let's try it' commitment from Costco to test market their flagship child travel safety product (a seat belt tensioner for child car seats). My client's first response was 'Whoopee!', quickly followed by 'Oh shit, now what?' when Costco told them the minimum they'd need was 5,000 units, which hadn't yet been manufactured.

I'm not buying the companies' denials either. Quoth Shakespear: "The lady doth protest too much methinks."

K
 
#29 ·
Now I am taking a wild ass guess with this comment but figure a Z-Axis 590-4 runs about $350 - $400 wholesale. That still leaves about $100 to a $150 in gross profit with the $499 price shown. So the price isn’t a giveaway. They are making money.

However, that said, I don’t believe that either Sage or Simms would knowingly undercut their established retail base. I believe that they are firmly committed towards the shops and establishing a firm manufacturers set retail price. Anything else really is not in their interest. Several issues: The first being with Costco. They are in legal limbo for buying wholesale items overseas and selling them at below established retail prices here in the US. Omega watches has taken them to court on this matter. The outcome is undetermined. Second, if you take a look at all of the Sierra Trading Post ads that wind up in your spam. They were selling Sage rods at deep discount and that has ceased. Sage rods are now exempted as promotional items. There were some very nice prices on the discontinued VT 2 rods. For example a VT 2 8139 was running around $235 with discount and shipping. Somebody put a stop to the extra discounts. It must have been Sage and good to them for it. Finally, I believe that anybody selling Sage and Simms product a below the established manufacturers prices won’t be getting anymore product and that probably relates to the wholesale chain that provided them as well. I would suggest that if you want what is in stock at Costco, you need to buy it while it is there.
 
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