The Reasons Behind Costco’s Reluctance In Doing Tire Alignments

Costco, a brand nearly everyone knows represents a place full of everything a consumer might want, wish or think about buying. With a wide array of products and services available such as appliances, computers, food, drugs, and automotive servicing, it is surprising that one cannot get his or her tires aligned in such a place. Costco, though they almost have everything, can’t provide a simple tire alignment service? Let’s explore the reasons why the giant store doesn’t offer tire alignments.

The Equipment is Expensive

With every business decision, various costs must be taken into consideration before offering the service. Costs such as equipment maintenance are expensive due to the depreciation of said equipment. There was no difference in Costco’s case and purchasing alignment equipment would have been expensive to install and maintain for the years to come. Costco would have had to provide the services at every branch, making it an expensive endeavor that doesn’t bring that much profit in the end.

Skilled Technicians Required

A technical machine such as the one used to align your tires requires highly skilled and trained technicians. Each Costco store would have had to employ highly skilled and paid technicians to operate the alignment machines. This would increase the overall operating expenses, and Costco doesn’t seem to be willing to dive into it. Indeed, with highly skilled labor, comes a hefty salary payment.

Low Demands, Low Services

Alignments are jobs that may be recommended every three years or so if a mechanic deems it necessary when you get your tires replaced. Cars are usually built to last a couple of years at least, meaning that tire alignments are not a recurring job that must be done frequently. This makes the service simply unnecessary if it is rarely recommended by mechanics. Furthermore, some people will never need a tire alignment in their entire life! That’s how rare this kind of service is needed. Obviously, it’s not the case for everybody, but considering this, can we blame Costco for not making the jump?

Decreases Revenue

Tires are well known to have a high-profit margin for vehicle shops. Tire alignments only bring in approximately $80 to $200 each. Adding such service would limit customer capacity and revenues for a new set of tires which can go up to $400. Not very eco-friendly you could say, and you would be totally right, but that’s the world we live in! Costco could lose major revenues by providing an infrequent and expensive service which would decrease customer capacity at the same time.

What about indirect revenues?

Costco’s usual business plan is based on the sales volume of a product or service which makes tire alignments seem unnecessary or too costly to provide. That said, providing such a service could make their stores an attractive destination for people seeking new tires and tire alignments.

In the process of waiting, customers could potentially purchase items at the store, which could increase revenues indirectly. It is debatable how much these indirect revenues would be worth on the grand scale of things, and they were probably not all that great if Costco higher-ups decided to not go with it.

What other stores provide tire alignments?

So now that we made it clear that Costco doesn’t provide any sorts of tire alignment services, what are the best alternatives? Here are our top 3 tire alignment providers you can use:

• Sears: was once a retail giant with a strong brand image, unfortunately, Sears has been going downhill in the past few years. That said, their Sears automotive centers generally provide tire alignment services and sell tires as well, making it convenient to buy and get them aligned at one location.
• Jiffy Lube: Only some locations provide the tire alignment service, which is understandable from a cost perspective. If a Jiffy near you provides it, it is convenient to get an oil change and an alignment all in one place.
• Tire Plus: Tire plus is generally reputable in providing excellent customer service, though not all locations of Tire Plus provide tire alignments. If you’re in need of new tires and a tire alignment, Tire Plus employees could become your new best friends.

What to do if my car maintenance fees are becoming too high?

The answer is clear that although tires can be bought at Costco, tire alignments do not fit into Costco’s visions of selling high-volume products and services at great prices to consumers. Vehicles usually get old, faulty, dangerous, and eventually, all the maintenance fees become too costly to pay as the vehicle ages.

If a tire alignment is recommended and the repairs are substantially expensive, you might want to think about selling or junking the vehicle at a scrapyard or online. By selling your old faulty vehicle, you would be saving a lot in future costs, gaining some extra money in the process, and mitigate future accidents.

Costco as it seems is not changing anytime soon from their business model, meaning customers who want tire alignments for their vehicles must seek this kind of service elsewhere.