Freeing yourself from crazy Costco crowds
A Toronto business wants to help you buy in bulk from comfort of your couch
If the thought of loading up at a crowded Costco on Saturday morning sends shivers down your spine, a new Toronto company will suffer for you — for a fee.
A start-up known as Comfort.to promises to bring the quintessential suburban shopping experience to Toronto’s urban dwellers.
Vitaliy Savitsky will buy your groceries at Costco Etobicoke and deliver the slabs of salmon, kilograms of coffee and multi-pack rolls of paper towel from the mega-retailer right to your door — for a $10 fee, no membership required.
“What we thought of is: Costco is great, but you struggle with traffic, you struggle with parking, you struggle with the actual experience there.
“You have to line up to pay, line up to check out, and then get back in traffic and then carry things home,” says Savitsky, a former equity research analyst who lives downtown and started the enterprise with his wife, a former teacher. They opened for business in November and have filled more than 1,150 orders.
About 25 per cent of the business comes from repeat customers; a busy weekend could mean 25 orders. Savitsky says he adds a slight markup to Costco prices.
He says people from across the GTA and further afield have contacted him, hoping to avoid physically shopping at Costco while benefiting from the prices and quality.
But for now, the delivery zone is limited to a section of the downtown core, west of the Don Valley Parkway.
Savitsky figures Costco prices are, on average, about half of what other major grocery chains charge on a quantity-adjusted basis.
Comfort.to is not affiliated with Costco, but Savitsky says the Etobicoke location is aware of it. Asked about the service, a national spokes-
“Costco is great, but you struggle with traffic, you struggle with parking, you struggle with the actual experience there.” VITALIY SAVITSKY FOUNDER, COMFORT.TO
man for Costco seemed unconcerned.
“The genesis of this company is its wholesale roots,” Ron Damiani says.
“Today, we continue to act as a wholesaler for many, many small businesses across the country in a multitude of sectors.”
The most popular items ordered are avocados, toilet paper and dishwasher detergent, Savitsky says. Also, a lot of chicken. Unlike many who become overwhelmed in the massive Costco Wholesale emporium, Savitsky has the layout memorized.
“I can walk in there with my eyes closed,” he says.