Kirkland Stainless Grill - is this a new thing?


 
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Chris-IL

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I was in Costco today and they had the 899 Weber but then beside it they had this all stainless Kirkland branded grill. I know Sam's has the Members Mark brand but I don't recall that Kirkland had its own house grills in the past?

Anyway it is all stainless and claims 304 "where it's needed most" but the firebox is I think just stainless instead of cast aluminum and the whole thing felt lightweight quality to me....20230430_101603.jpg20230430_101614.jpg20230430_101621.jpg
 
Costco is a solid company that treats their workers well and has rigorous vetting for everything they sell, from what I read and hear first hand.

In addition, their return policy is second to none, in my opinion.

So that made in China grill is probably a good value.
 
It's not Costco's first venture into Kirkland Signature gas grills. I bought one back in 2007. It was a beast. All 304 SS but for the oven...yes, it had an oven. Infra-red sear burner and Infra-red rotisserie burner plus a solid brass side burner. Cover and heavy duty rotisserie unit included. It was made by Nexgrill. Don't know who makes the new one.
They do have a good return policy but I believe all the talk about how well they treat employees comes from folks that have never worked there or in the retail industry.
Also, pretty clever concept to get customers to pay an annual fee to buy your goods. It's $60/ year for the basic membership and I've never seen a deal for less. Sam's Club routinely has $15-$25 annual membership specials. BJs too.

The $899 Genesis seems like a better grill all things considered.
 
It may well be that if you buy this grill, it's positives in construction will give you a great experience, and should it fail unacceptably you supposedly can bring your proof of purchase to that store and get a replacement. (That might be a DIFFERENT grill by then, but from what people say, Costco will do right by you.)

A few years back, I reviewed Costco's "Signateur" grill they were selling at the time. I believe it may have been after the one Jay refers to and before this one posted above.

Signatuer JPG.jpeg

tvwbb.com

Grills I saw at Costco

Well, tax season is finally over:D! So, I had time to go with my wife on a trip to Costco. We had to patrol almost all the aisles, but I was at least able to take a brief look at the grills being offered. I was especially interested because of several posts here about grills others had looked...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

It, too, had lots of 304 stainless, but it also had a peculiar solid sheet of stainless steel - much like used on pellet grills - that covered the burners. It was supposed to be an ultimate flare-up preventer, but many buyers complained of inadequate heat. Now you are pretty much on your own for keeping these Signateur grills going as support is essentially non-existent, and owners lament not being able to get help.

One thing I really liked about this discontinued grill was the FLAT stainless grates. I would bet they would lay down perfect sear marks!

Signateur Grill FLAT stainless grates.jpg

I have seen a couple of these pop up for sale used and pretty cheap. I just have too many other unfinished projects to go down that rabbit hole, although I was tempted just to get the set of grates!
 
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Ah okay thanks guys. I didn't know if Kirkland ever had their own grills in the past but apparently yes. I always just noticed the Webers
 
I had a Kirkland grill maybe 15-18 years ago. It was made by Charbroil. I enjoyed cooking on it, as it could sear meat really well and throttle down as needed (it did not have a sear burner). The majority of it was stainless steel (inside of the cabinet doors were not ss). Cast Iron burners and grates. IIRC, most parts of the grill had a crazy 99 year warranty. I wound up replacing the burners twice, and grates once. Only charge was for shipping, which was fairly trivial. Once the value of warranty parts exceeded the original cost of the grill (~$400?), Charbroil wouldn't honor the warranty any longer.
I was planning on returning to Costco at some point, but friend of mine swapped it out for a new Vermont Castings grill for me without telling me. That Vermont Castings lasted several years, then parts were NLA.
That started me on the Weber rabbit hole.
 
I looked at it extensively. If I were going to buy a new gasser tomorrow I would have no issue at all buying the Costco. It hits all the buttons of what I want in a gas grill. I am all for Made in USA but even Weber cannot truly claim that either as noted by the Hecho En Chine sticker I photographed right off the Weber box. And at best theym're likely an assemblage of parts from China simply "boxed" here so it can claim "assembled in USA" Is that better? Not in my eyes. Bottom line unless I can actually buy a true Made in USA product, I have given up caring about it. But, if I could find an actually MADE here not simply an assemblage of Chinese made parts? I am all over that thing whatever it is.
I personally know people who work for Costco as well and they are extremely happy with how they're treated by their company. Sam's? Not so much. But every Costco employee I know personally and of those I have asked on an impromptu query have all been VERY enthusiastic about the company and love working there. If you ask enough folks would you find someone who isn't? Sure. But to date I have not met anyone not enthused about working for them.
 
I was in Sams CLub today and they are actively marketing their grills against Weber. Every grill had a sticker of comparisons between it and the Weber equivalent. The seemed to look and feel like fairly good competition, especially when you consider price.
 
Bruce said:
I was in Sams CLub today and they are actively marketing their grills against Weber. Every grill had a sticker of comparisons between it and the Weber equivalent. The seemed to look and feel like fairly good competition, especially when you consider price.
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They do stack up really well. But, what I like on that Kirkland is it hits my "hot buttons" for a gas grill plus it is VERY innovative. By mounting the IR sear burner up high it can sear a steak off from above rather than incinerate it from below. Plus it can do rotisserie. Not only that it comes ready for dual fuel
And also at Sam's they really do a great marketing comparison on the pellet grill to Traeger
 
Jay D in Jersey said:
I believe all the talk about how well they treat employees comes from folks that have never worked there or in the retail industry.
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Some actual datapoints from someone who actually knows. :)

My brother joined with an entry level job, then worked in the bakery, became bakery manager, then became assistant store manager before leaving to become a partner/general manager of an Ace Hardware store. Maybe 25 years at Costco?

Another brother worked in the food court, then became food court manager, then a receiving manager, then a retailing manager, then voluntarily stepped down to a non-managerial position for better work life balance. He still works there today, also about 25 years.

Yet another brother works there now stocking the store, probably 15 years. He's hoping to transfer to the gas station.

There can be drama working at Costco as there can be in any workplace. Some managers are jerks, some are not. There will always be some unhappy employees, for whatever reason. But as a point of comparison, I have yet ANOTHER brother who worked at The Home Depot for about 15 years, and while he was a good and valued worker, it was not even close to Costco when comparing notes with his brothers.

Jay D in Jersey said:
Also, pretty clever concept to get customers to pay an annual fee to buy your goods.
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I don't think Costco and Sam's are pulling the wool over anyone's eyes. People like warehouse shopping because they feel they're getting value for their membership fee.

Here's a good comparison of Costco and Sam's. There are some interesting differences:

www.investopedia.com

Costco vs. Sam's Club: What's the Difference?

Our comparison of Costco vs. Sam’s Club reveals some similarities and surprising differences in pricing, products, services, membership fees, and savings.
www.investopedia.com www.investopedia.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS​

  • Costco and Sam's Club have very similar business models.
  • Costco is a publicly traded company, while Sam's Club is a subsidiary of Walmart.
  • Costco's membership fees are more expensive, but its prices are slightly lower—thanks in part to its private branded products, such as Kirkland.
  • Costco has more stores worldwide, but Sam's Club has more stores in the U.S.
  • Costco's stores are almost 9% larger on average based on square footage.
 
Also, pretty clever concept to get customers to pay an annual fee to buy your goods.

Costco's business model and execution are absolutely brilliant. A fabulous company that delivers gobs of value to customers, employees and shareholders. And the annual membership fee is the key to the magic.

Costco sells stuff at razor thin margins. They pretty much break even on their merchandising activities. Their business goal is to keep providing customers more and more and more and more and more value.

For us TVWBB types, we all know they have the absolute best prices on K Pro charcoal, briskets, ribs, pork shoulders, steaks and rotisserie chickens. They also provide great deals on toilet paper, gas, auto tires, travel/vacations, insurance, wine, TVs, etc. etc. etc. Great customer service and almost unlimited returns. And what is the point of selling you all that stuff at basically zero profit?

The point is to make the customer experience so awesome that, come the end of the year, folks understand that the membership fee is peanuts as compared to the value delivered.

The vast overwhelming majority of Costco's profits come from selling just one single item ... memberships. Where the margin is essentially 100%.

The membership fee is why/how Costco can, at the same time, be the low cost provider and also pay above peer employee wages. Win win win. Business model genius. And here's the proof.

Annual membership renewal rate is...wait for it...92.6%!!!
 
I don’t know about other warehouse clubs, but Costco has something called “executive membership” that costs more but returns 2% on most purchases.

My wife and I go to Costco frequently, and we have gotten back our membership fee plus a few dollars every year for as long as I can remember, so the membership is essentially “free” for us.

I read an article many years ago about the process that suppliers must go through in order for Costco to sell their goods- it seems like Costco won’t sell it unless it’s a good product.

And I have a few friends and relatives who work for Costco. Any job dealing with the general public isn’t going to be easy, but wage and benefits wise, Costco treats their employees fairly.

As far as made in (or even assembled in) the USA, to me personally it’s all about jobs. I will try to support a fellow citizen trying to put food on the table and paying taxes if possible.

The ancillary jobs from people producing packaging, providing utilities and infrastructure, local restaurants and shops where those workers spend their wages benefit our country also.

A box labeled “made in xxxxx”, not so much.

This is all my opinion and how I choose to spend my hard earned dollars.
 
John_NJ said:
My wife and I go to Costco frequently, and we have gotten back our membership fee plus a few dollars every year for as long as I can remember, so the membership is essentially “free” for us.
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If you can't make this argument, you really shouldn't be shopping at club stores. And even if you can, you still need to ensure that you actually needed everything you purchased at the club store, and that you needed 50 pounds of it, and that you didn't mind storing it, and that it was in fact actually cheaper there than at regular stores. Even so, you are still going to generally be down at a club store because the break even point for most people comes late in the shopping year.
 
John_NJ said:
I don’t know about other warehouse clubs, but Costco has something called “executive membership” that costs more but returns 2% on most purchases.

My wife and I go to Costco frequently, and we have gotten back our membership fee plus a few dollars every year for as long as I can remember, so the membership is essentially “free” for us.

I read an article many years ago about the process that suppliers must go through in order for Costco to sell their goods- it seems like Costco won’t sell it unless it’s a good product.

And I have a few friends and relatives who work for Costco. Any job dealing with the general public isn’t going to be easy, but wage and benefits wise, Costco treats their employees fairly.

As far as made in (or even assembled in) the USA, to me personally it’s all about jobs. I will try to support a fellow citizen trying to put food on the table and paying taxes if possible.

The ancillary jobs from people producing packaging, providing utilities and infrastructure, local restaurants and shops where those workers spend their wages benefit our country also.

A box labeled “made in xxxxx”, not so much.

This is all my opinion and how I choose to spend my hard earned dollars.
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Sam's offers a similar cash back or merchandise credit back membership too. Costco's execution of the membership warehouse retail model is far better than Walmart with Sam's with the exception of the online retailing portion.
I worked in retail after I left law enforcement. At the store level, it's generally not a well paying career and the hours suck...not as badly as in law enforcement...but close. The corporate level is different and better in my experience and the salaries obviously are better. Costco doesn't have a lock on that piece at that level , that's a fact.

I'm not bashing Costco as a retail corporation. Their concept works internationally. Not every US based big box retailer can claim that...Lowe's failed in Canada and was bought out by a private equity firm and Home Depot's attempts in Latin/South America were a disaster.
Beyond Costco, I can't think of many other successful retailers that operate on every continent successfully...perhaps IKEA?
However, I don't put Costco on the pedestal that many do. Their products are generally good quality and they do certain aspects of retailing well and suck at others. Their front end is antiquated and generally a disaster.
The checkout lines in most locations border on intolerable on weekends.
They do have a generous return policy...but the customer service desk is rarely staffed adequately. Kind of typical for a destination retailer.

All I'll say to the perpetual "Made in America " argument is, that if you think that you're "buying American" more by shopping in Costco you're living in your own world and convincing yourself accordingly. Beyond grocery items, the majority of their inventory is not sourced in the US any more or less so than any other big box retailer. That includes Walmart/Sam's Club, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target.
 
Scott Smith said:
If you can't make this argument, you really shouldn't be shopping at club stores. And even if you can, you still need to ensure that you actually needed everything you purchased at the club store, and that you needed 50 pounds of it, and that you didn't mind storing it, and that it was in fact actually cheaper there than at regular stores. Even so, you are still going to generally be down at a club store because the break even point for most people comes late in the shopping year.
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This is accurate. There are some exceptions...a small business owner that buys various supplies for the business, large families, those that know they will be purchasing several big ticket items, i.e...appliances, TVs, furniture, Weber grills;) over the course of a year.
 
A thought about the clubs. Both Costco and Sam's have an "Executive" type membership. I forgot what Sam's is called. But in both cases I get so much back, the memberships MORE than pay for themselves, I buy gasoline exclusively at Costco as well since on avg their price is .30 to as much as .60 less than ANY surrounding stations except Sam's (unless I trek up to WI which I also do regularly) The station at Sam's sadly is so poorly designed though, I can drive the 3 miles further to Costco, fill and be going past the other in less time than waiting in the lines. The Sam's station makes it look like 1973 gas lines LOL
In any case, in Sam's I actually earn so much cash back it pays for my membership and that of my daughter as well. Costco, almost the same. I get excellent quality products in both stores (especially meats). Far better than any supermarket and at far better pricing.
Also, one other thought. I am VERY cynical and analytic by nature. Also brutally honest. I purchased that MM pellet grill last year. Other than an electronic glitch in the control panel................it has been exemplary and continues to make me extremely happy. Yesterday turning out a tri tip to die for. It's proven itself to be so good I am actually looking at getitng a second one. I took my Genesis apart ostensibly to bring it up to Bruce to have the frame repaired. Honestly for as many years as I loved and used a Genesis. I don't even find myself missing it.
Anyway if I felt the product was not well made and performed well. I will say so. But even at it's full price I cannot find a better made one for the $$$.
Anyway just my $.02
 
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