Author Topic: Fruit trees at Costco  (Read 14719 times)

fruitlovers

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #25 on: February 27, 2014, 09:50:43 PM »
The problem is most mom and pop store business plans are outdated, and won't work in today's interconnected global economy. You got supplier's in China, India, etc. for raw materials and components. Mom and Pop stores works for certain things like specialty crafts, unique hobbies, antiques, etc.

A new system of efficient local trade for services, crafts, food, plants, lots of other things, etc. could work. However something like the infrastructure of craigslist would have to be used to connect the buyers,sellers,traders.

Global economy??  ??? None of the places we've been talking about ship plants globally, not the mom and pops, not Costco, not even most of the medium sized nurseries either.
Oscar

DurianLover

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #26 on: February 27, 2014, 10:20:28 PM »
I recently saw this posting. Slightly off topic, but quite funny. Shows you consequences of buying trees from big nurseries without knowledgeable stuff.
http://thechiliesgarden.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/the-cempedak-tree-i-planted-turned-out-to-be/

Coconut

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #27 on: February 28, 2014, 01:45:02 AM »
Durianlover thank for posting it, it is humorist & yes global distribution model has it consequence.
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BENDERSGROVE

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #28 on: February 28, 2014, 09:46:04 AM »
My head hurts! Shoo.  We tend to over complicate things, I will support the little guy before a big box bandit
Oh yeah. I am one of those little guys! Lol
« Last Edit: February 28, 2014, 10:06:10 AM by BENDERSGROVE »

Treees

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #29 on: February 28, 2014, 01:13:42 PM »
Don't HD and Costco source the plants from local nurseries and supporting them this way ?

Wonder if the real question is not about big store vs. mom&pop but the effect that HD and Costco have on product prices and hence the impact on productivity required from local suppliers, i.e. the "Walmart" effect on the community, which can be debated endlessly.

Anybody here would argue that we should not be buying diapers from Walmart because it drives local suppliers our of business ?  I doubt.

At the same time, I am sad to see Walmart become the #1 grocer immediately after they went into grocery business.  Though I can not tell people not to buy a cucumber or a tomato there.


« Last Edit: February 28, 2014, 01:15:56 PM by Treees »

cbss_daviefl

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #30 on: February 28, 2014, 02:20:46 PM »
Big box stores are all about efficiency in everything.  This means dealing with as few vendors as possible.  One of my customers is a large nursery in south FL.  They ship to Lowes in many states through out the south, including TX and maybe further.  FL to TX is over a thousand miles, not really local. 

Don't HD and Costco source the plants from local nurseries and supporting them this way ?

How would you like it if your only choice in mango trees was Tommy Atkins, Haden, or Glenn?   Big box stores only carry the two or three options, best known, of anything.  I can go to Bender's Grove and he has a ridiculous number of mango varieties on site and has good access to any he does not have in inventory. Do you want the big store buyer choosing for you?

Anybody here would argue that we should not be buying diapers from Walmart because it drives local suppliers our of business ?  I doubt.

Brandon

fruitlovers

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #31 on: February 28, 2014, 04:58:36 PM »
Don't HD and Costco source the plants from local nurseries and supporting them this way ?

Wonder if the real question is not about big store vs. mom&pop but the effect that HD and Costco have on product prices and hence the impact on productivity required from local suppliers, i.e. the "Walmart" effect on the community, which can be debated endlessly.

Anybody here would argue that we should not be buying diapers from Walmart because it drives local suppliers our of business ?  I doubt.

At the same time, I am sad to see Walmart become the #1 grocer immediately after they went into grocery business.  Though I can not tell people not to buy a cucumber or a tomato there.

Big box stores may or may not support local nurseries. If they support them it's usually just one large nursery. They want to do business with as few vendors as possible. More often they will get their plants from very far away nursery. They get whatever is cheapest and most convenient to them, not what is best quality for customer.
Selling to places like Wal Mart affects not only productivity. Big box stores will demand a lot of things, not just huge quantities. They will dictate what plants you produce, what your prices will be, how they are labeled (everything with bar codes), and even what kind of insurance you need to carry. (Wal Mart requires all vendors to have a million dollar liability insurance.) In other words, they will totally change the way any nursery does their business.
Oscar

Bush2Beach

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #32 on: February 28, 2014, 05:20:06 PM »
Costco is certainly a big box store. In my town they have always offered a very competitive living wage and good benefits.  It is the only box store permitted in the city and no new fast food joints can open here either. Opening a new chain store of any kind here has long been protested loudly, with a crowd of protesters.
My experience with costco fruit trees is they have filled a need none of the other 10+ nurseries in the immediate area do.  They stock citrus on semi standard and standard rootstock, Citrus varieties no other nurseries stock, and the newest varieties. Several pallets come in at a time and they are almost always sold out in 1-3 days. The other good thing I notice about costco is they do a good job of selling food and beverages from local companies, small and big. This could be entirely unique to my area. I have never bought from Walmart , target, and see different philosophies in these money-opolies that have noted unethical business practices. I found it quite frustrating I could not locate citrus varieties on semi standard or standard rootstock in my county outside of costco , then was grateful someone had them. Kept my tax dollars local too  ;)

fruitlovers

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #33 on: February 28, 2014, 05:37:02 PM »
Garden departments at big box stores vary a lot from county to county in quality and selection. So much depends on the manager of each department. If they are somewhat knowledgeable and listen to customer wants they can bring in some pretty good plants and take good care of the plants. Other places can have a lot of junk in the stores and the plants often languish from lack of care. Big box stores know that the demand for plants in each county is going to be very different, so they give a lot of buying choices to regional managers. If you give good input to these managers as to what you would like them to carry it can have a good effect.
Oscar

gunnar429

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #34 on: March 03, 2014, 07:44:52 AM »
 How would you like it if your only choice in mango trees was Tommy Atkins, Haden, or Glenn?   Big box stores only carry the two or three options, best known, of anything. I can go to Bender's Grove and he has a ridiculous number of mango varieties on site and has good access to any he does not have in inventory. Do you want the big store buyer choosing for you?

Agreed.  Plus, IMO the customer service is better.  Especially if you are a return customer.   Big Box stores may have low prices (though Mike does as well), but I don't think they will pick up a tree from another nursery 60 miles away and have it ready for you with brown paper sleeves to ensure nothing spills out in the transit home.  Plus, he has many of the varieties growing right there on the property so he is knowledgeable as to how they grow.

Plus, he often has info regarding new varieties that are coming soon.  He even has the fruit for sale, which allows the customer to taste what they are buying...and to see what produces fruit at what times of year.

I love doing business there, but I am sure that there are other nurseries that care about the collector/hobbyist/fruitnut and cater to them accordingly.  These are the people to support, if we want this thing of ours to continue.   ;D
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fruitlovers

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #35 on: March 03, 2014, 05:46:30 PM »
Here Wal-Mart has for many years brought in plants that will never fruit in most places here, like high chill apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, persimmons, etc. Unaware people foolishly buy them because they are familiar and fond of these fruits from having lived on mainland, and they think just because Wal Mart sells them they will grow here also?  :o They get a great price on the trees and so feel they got a "bargain"... so what if it will be soon be dead?  :'(
« Last Edit: March 03, 2014, 05:48:05 PM by fruitlovers »
Oscar

Bush2Beach

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #36 on: March 03, 2014, 07:56:16 PM »
Here Wal-Mart has for many years brought in plants that will never fruit in most places here, like high chill apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, persimmons, etc. Unaware people foolishly buy them because they are familiar and fond of these fruits from having lived on mainland, and they think just because Wal Mart sells them they will grow here also?  :o They get a great price on the trees and so feel they got a "bargain"... so what if it will be soon be dead?  :'(
What a crock. That is quite a deceptive business practice. Add it to the list for Walmart. Yet another reason to never step foot near a walmart. I wonder if the nursery they source from knows their works are for not. They probably sell in such huge amounts , they don't even know some get sent to hawaii for retail.

ricshaw

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #37 on: March 07, 2014, 09:52:50 PM »
Was at Costco today they have 3 gal. fruit trees for 24.99 from PIN, mango, miracle fruit, peach and a few others... just thought I would pass it on, some even had fruit on them

Heads up.  At the La Verne Nursery tour today we saw Manila Mango trees that being grown for COSTCO stores on the West Coast.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2014, 09:55:03 PM by ricshaw »

wslau

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #38 on: March 07, 2014, 09:56:01 PM »
....and I recall hearing at the tour today that grafted mangos will be sold at the Fountain Valley, CA Costco location!  The buyer at FV Costco is supposedly a CRFG member.
Warren

nch

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #39 on: March 07, 2014, 10:00:08 PM »
Thanks, Warren and Ric, for the heads up.

shaneatwell

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #40 on: March 08, 2014, 12:00:32 AM »
And someone said that the Lemon Grove HD buyer is another rare fruit fan.
Shane

ricshaw

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #41 on: March 08, 2014, 01:55:16 AM »
Recently I visited two SoCal Home Depot garden departments, 10 miles apart, on the same day.

It was like night and day, one had a fair selection of fruit plants, the other a poor selection.

fyliu

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #42 on: March 09, 2014, 01:24:38 AM »
And someone said that the Lemon Grove HD buyer is another rare fruit fan.
That's Tom Del Hotal! He's a past CRFG chair and used to work in (run?) a nursery. See some of his presentations online at www.crfgsandiego.org

Anyway, he does try to get some less common varieties. But for any HD I think you can get them to order plants from a catalog they have in the store.

JF

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #43 on: March 09, 2014, 02:09:40 PM »
I support the local nurseries they seem to have a better selection. Costco FV exotic plant sale two years ago was a huge success but they just need to get a reliable source for their tropical trees like Pine Island who wouldn't dare sell a Mamey seedling for $40, what a joke, or bogus Haden,Valencia Pride, NDM, Thomson....

I was one who bought a fake Thomson, 3 years ago, with a La Verne nursery label, Paul Thomson would be turning over in his grave if he would've tried this horrible mango, I just top work my faux Thomson with Eunice's real Thomson.

FRUITBOXHERO

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #44 on: May 25, 2014, 06:35:01 PM »
Listen, I support the local "little guy" as much as anyone else, I have bought trees from BENDERS among other local "little guys". I just NEVER say trees for sale inside of Costco (they have no garden center) and all there trees were from Pine Island.... I DID NOT BUY ANY, was just amazed they sold them and cheap for a 3 gal tree....
Joe

fyliu

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Re: Fruit trees at Costco
« Reply #45 on: May 25, 2014, 06:58:02 PM »
I just saw semi-dwarf pixie at Costco. It should be okay if it sells quickly and gets planted. The warehouse doesn't have enough light for a lot of the plants. Maybe the famous fountain valley store is better with it.