Costco Is Worried It's Losing to Wal-Mart and Amazon

Costco Is Worried It's Losing to Wal-Mart and Amazon

Costco (NASDAQ: COST) never bought into the idea it was immune to the threat Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) poses, but since the e-commerce giant purchased Whole Foods Market, the warehouse club suddenly realizes it needs to do more if it wants to stay competitive.

Although the big-box retailer has long stressed the in-store experience for customers over what they could find online, that will be changing dramatically as Costco rolls out two new home-delivery offers for its members. CostcoGrocery will now offer two-day delivery on a selection of 500 shelf-stable products, with orders of $75 or more shipped free, and also an expansion of same-day delivery for some 1,700 fresh grocery items through Instacart.

With membership growth slowing, there is a real fear it could lose more of them to Amazon as it wades deeper into groceries, and to Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) as well, as it further enhances its online and grocery delivery options.

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Source: Fool.com