Manhattan's New Costco Carries Chanel

Good Lord-is nothing sacred anymore??

Very curious to hear what you discover... Fashionable minds want to know!

Costco will just have made every tourist's must-shop list. Still, it must be a one-off.

You feel like a total snob because you ARE a total snob.

It can't be true!

I can be pretty elitist about certain things, but even I think Costco selling Chanel is pretty awesome. I hope more Costco stores will follow suit. I absolutely love Costco (not only the things they sell, but the way the corporation is run), and I would love Chanel more if it pulled its head out of the clouds and tried to appeal to a broader demographic.

i absolutely love Costco..like Cheng said, because the way the corporation is run. anyway, but i too think it's sorta out there to sell Chanel at Costco. just plain weird..?

Costco has been carrying luxury goods in most major metropolitan stores for well over 5 years now that I have been shopping there! From Cartier to Breitling to Fendi, Gucci, Prada so on and so forth now spotted Chanel is part of the norm. Its just the same as discounted department stores such as Filene's having their Vault collection of luxury designers, what makes Costco so offensive? Anything can be bought and sold anywhere. As a matter of fact-customers should take advantage of these goods being sold at Costco-they may never get a chance to own such a classic item as Chanel! Enjoy Frugalistas on your designer budget!

I agree with KML, you are a TOTAL snob...and I am not talking in regards to bags.

Chanel Bags in Costco? That's just blasphemy!!!

wow...i'm shocked! chanel might as well start selling their bags online.

www.bagpoor.com

I remember reading somewhere that Costco was selling Coach or Prada bags at its stores a few years back and they turned out to be fakes.

It is very possible, they once carried Burberry handbags. If anything, I will say that not sharing Chanel with the rest of the world is unclassy and narrow minded, not the other way around. While I am fully aware Chanel bags are often fake, they very well may not be. As a customer who frequently shops at Costco, I can say that it is a fine establishment to shop at. Maybe not for Chanel bags, but for other items. Xoxo

Yayyyyy! So we can buy chanel in bulk? I'll have a dozen 2.55 in candy colors please

Uh, that is just WRONG! I think costco carries fake bags and was sued not too long ago. I am with the bag snob on this one.

Costo has been selling luxury items for a long time. I also heard they are gonna start selling some LV bags also. Costo has always been the Neiman Marcus of the warehouse stores. They have many quality high end things, cosmetics, luxury brand watches, etc. The seafood is way better quality than my local grocery store. You have to get the bulk out of your head and think outside the box. You will see many snobs with a family in Costco. Sam's Warehouse on the other hand is owned by Walmart and you can tell the difference by just pulling in the parking lot. Costco luxury SUVs, Sam's mini vans.

It's probably like anything else at Costco: hit or miss. They might be the well-made originals, or they might be copies with cheaper materials. Costco's company polices are admirable, as many readers noted above, and you can find some great deals: $8 a bottle for a good Chilean merlot that retails in supermarkets for $14!

Selling Chanel alongside mass produced makes it loose its magic.

Costco's awesome and this is a great way to reach new customers. Costco's quite reputable as a company so I don't think they would carry fakes. I was dissapointed to see this was written by Tina I don't think being a bag snob needs to be contradictory to buying in bulk or from warehouses.

I don't necessarily disagree with this practice, but part of the luxury shopping experience is going into boutiques! I enjoy an ebay hunt for certain brands, but I like going to the stores better, even if it is just to window shop.

My local Costco here in Hawaii has been selling Burberry, Prada and Fendi for years. I go to Costco almost every Sunday and there is no reason why a self-proclaimed bag snob with like me can't enjoy buying a 50-inch plasma tv along with a box of fudge bars.

Just out of curiosity, how discounted are the designer bags at Costco?

I rarely go to Costco. I used to go more and especially during the holidays, they carried some luxury items. I bought a Tag Heuer watch as a gift once. It was totally authentic. I doubt they would EVER sell fakes. I would imagine Chanel would only give them a small amount of bags.It does bother me. Although, I do enjoy a discount, it just seems wrong to sell Chanel at Costco. Am I a Bab Snob? I am.

Not that surprising given Costco's record of selling luxury brands. Besides, its just a bag, peeps.

I love Costco.....WE LOVE COSTCO.
I guess the economic crises got to the Chanel Snob Team as well as us. They should have more respect for their brand as it is now sold by bulk.......

I do enjoy the blog and the highlights it provides on the wonderful bags you feature. However, I find the judgemental tone of many of the posts to be off putting and likely will not continue to visit. Regardless of whether or not Costco should or should not be selling Chanel bags...most people shop at Costco to make the most of their money no matter how much of it they have. If you want to buy your gourmet groceries and other luxury goods (many of which you will find at Costco) at a specialty store and pay twice as much, all the power to you.

so with you tina...when we buy the bag, we're not just buying the bag...we're buying into the chanel brand, the aesthetic, the lifestyle, the EXPERIENCE! totally slob that it's being sold at costco =(

What is not to love about Cosco? They are my fav. However, since Chanel doesn't distribute to them, it's obvious that there is something weird going on. I call shenanigans.

You do not have to be a snob to turn your nose up at buying bloody steaks next to Chanel bags. The readers who are defending Costco obviously have a chip on their shoulders. I am a proud card carrying Costco member but I would never buy a Chanel bag there. Meredith is right, shenanigans indeed!

Thanks for posting the response, I am anxious to see what actions they take against Costco.

I do not enjoy the costco/sams club experience here in the US either and I am hardly a snob. Chanel must pursue this to the maximum extent of the law to protect their brand image. It has already lost much of its lustre in the last few years and if they allow this to continue they will lose their core luxury buyers.

Love Costco and just because they are not an authorized retailer (ie authorized by Chanel) that does not mean the bags are fakes. I purchase Waterford crystal at Costco (which they are not authorized to sell either) and it is 100% authentic at 40 percent off. All the term authorized retailer indicates is that the seller, in this case Costco, does not have Chanel's blessing, so there is no action Chanel may take unless of course the bags are not authentic.

Dont knock Costco!! I used to be like you. I have a family of four and find Costco to be the best thing. I think its senseless to spend three or four times the amount of money you will spend at Costco at the grocery store. I live in a tiny apartment and still find ways to store my Costco bought stuff. You should go back and give Costco a try. Its the best!!!

I don't have a problem with costco selling Chanel, but I doubt I would purchase one from there b/c 1. i'm sure it's not a huge discount like buying toilet paper in bulk, 2. I would always have a feeling it may be fake. That said, I have no problem with people buying Chanel bags from costco if they want to as this is a free country!
I do feel the need to defend Tina's comment. She said buying for her family of 3, costco can be excessive. Aside from stocking up on toiletries and maybe cleaning products, I have often found buying a giant 12 pack of muffins to be excessive as well. I'm not kocking Costocs b/c I do shop there b/c they carry the excellent quality products from groceries to even clothes! (I found organic cotton pjs for kids that rivals Hanna Andersons!)
That said, I don't think Tina is an elitist re life but rather she is a person of discerning taste. One can be have excellent taste and shop at Target or Walmart, they do not contradict each other. On the other hand, one can be completely classless and have a Birkin (ie Heidi Pratt)
I have been a bag snob since my teens as well. Chanel does not have the same cache as it use to (for that matter either does Hermes when every other pseudo celebrity has one). I hate to tell some of you, but I already see the mass carrying Chanel bags, so it they are in Costcos, it't not like Chanel came down from Mt. Olympus. (Plus all these top brands except maybe Hermes have outlet stores and they are probably discounted more than Costcos!)

My goodness, this is quite interesting. I don't currently live in the US, but have heard of Costco. I can't imagine finding luxury goods in a warehouse-type store. I'm not saying I'd disapprove, I would just find it odd.

What would I do if I did find myself in such a store buying, say, paper towels and sea food, and happened to stumble upon a Chanel bag? I'd be immediately suspicious of its authenticity. Obviously, having never been to Costco, I am ignorant of its usual wares, but I have been in a Sams Club and similar ones (an island near me has a Cost-U-Less and a Price Smart). I'd be reluctant to buy a Chanel at any of these stores, Costco included, because I'd always wonder whether it was a fake. And that would take away my pleasure in owning such a bag; if it's fake or might be fake, I don't want it! (And yes, I'm probably a snob.)

I'm curious to know what Chanel says...I'll stay tuned!

I see your update now- Chanel's response. I'm not surprised, as naturally they would never support or have anything to do with unauthorized dealers. I'm betting the bag is fake. As mentioned in my previous comment, when in doubt, I go with my instincts: I don't buy.

I don't see how the bags can be authentic if Costco is not an authorized dealer. If Chanel's not selling the bags to Costco, then how are they getting them? Cut-rate from an authorized dealer? Not likely. They've got to be fake.

Costco should become an authorized Chanel retailer.

Yes, Chanel is known for their quality and exclusivity--I get that. But that exclusivity is fueling the demand for fakes. The expense of original designs are often out of reach of many women so many will resort to buying counterfeit goods, especially in difficult economic times. I do not have the money for a $2500 Chanel flap bag, despite its timeless beauty and good quality. What about a lower cost line of Chanel goods as well as an expensive couture line?

Chanel and other design houses need to wake up and smell the coffee or they will lose more than exclusivity.

I always believed that the 'magic' about Chanel was shopping at a Chanel Boutique. Hearing that Chanel bags were at Costco really messes with my head! Was Karl Lagerfeld high? Did someone at the corporate level pull a fast one and slip something by Karl? I suddenly realized that the stock must be the stuff you would find being sold out of the trunk of a 1976 Yugo in the parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly. What do these 2 very different companies have in common..beyond the fact that they both begin with the letter "C"? Well, I guess if you remove the 'st' from Costco you will get 'Coco', but I would be looking at the labels on the bags to see if there were 2 "N's" in Chanel!What's next...Westwood at Wal-Mart?

So, it's ok for Bag Snob to send people (via "cash per click" advertising) to "sales" on Portero.com, of overpriced Chanel bags, but Costco selling Chanel is wrong?!

Unfortunately, Chanel can't control their stock. I have bought hundreds of Chanel bags, on sale at dept. stores, and have resold them on my website and eBay. So, there ARE authentic Chanel sales being done "outside" of Chanel.

People can and DO own authentic Chanel bags that they haven't bought full price, at the overpriced Chanel boutiques.

Even my Costco, which is NOT in a big city, has carried expensive (though not Chanel) bags at great discounts. I bought a bag that might have cost me $500 retail for $250 a few years back and I was thrilled to get it. But, Costco fan that I am, I would definitely think the Chanel brand would be tarnished if sold there. Dooney & Bourke? Not so much.

My husband worked for a confection company that sold to Costco. The AVERAGE annual income of a family that shops at Costco is $100,000. That is higher than Bloomingdale's. I always found that interesting since that means many make more plus they do have some great deals...just need to know where the deals are there. Each Costco has it's own buyer and I bet the bags are authentic and a one off. Said husband picked up a cute Longchamp tote for me there a few years ago. I say who cares.

Have to ask the question. Was it truly an accident? Or was Chanel trying to unload production rejects. Then there is the issure of knock-offs and what we is called parallel, which is a side production of the same bags that in production, made with the same patterns, but in lesser materials. Questions. Questions. Integrity. Integrity.

My apologies for my lack of grammar, but I was so excited when I saw this article that my fingers were abuzzed with typing. PLEASE PLEASE get to the bottom of this! Am dying to hear the full story about these bags! Thank you.

Just because they're not an authorized retailer doesn't mean the items are fake. Luxury goods hit a pretty serious slump recently, so there were probably quite a few Chanel bags sitting unsold somewhere that Costco obtained.
Regardless, since they have a bulletproof return policy you could always return it if you didn't like it or thought it was fake or whatever nonsense. If you want to pay more for the boutique experience, great, but Chanel is just doing it's usual job to try and keep it's brand from being tarnished by suggesting that non-authorized bags may be counterfeit even when in all likelihood they're just bags that couldn't sell elsewhere at full price.
Costco sells plenty of other expensive items, and as mentioned before the average income of a person who shops at Costco is actually fairly high, so yes people can and do buy their 60" HDTVs and luxury watches and bags next to the steaks (which I might add, are often USDA Prime).

I agree wtf if costco selling Chanel!.. Chanel has a big image and name and to be sold at costco thats kinda low..i mean i love chanel and costco and if they sold it there thts cool but it doesnt fit..

Thank you Tek.