You can buy just about anything at Costco, from groceries and gas to computers to patio furniture to a three-pound container of chocolate-covered almonds you think will last you a lot longer than it will. Random bulk items you probably don’t need in such large quantities are Costco’s forte.
But it seems the giant chain wholesaler has entered the sports realm and is now selling tickets to events, including college football games for South Carolina, Rutgers and Louisville.
It’s unclear if this is a new thing Costco is doing or if it’s been selling tickets to sporting events for a while and people are just now noticing. But people are noticing, like Scott Eisberg, the sports director for South Carolina ABC affiliate WCIV, who tweeted a photo Thursday night of Gamecocks tickets for sale at a Costco in Charlestown.
Getting a TON of responses to this… here are any specific details listed on the placard. https://t.co/m9Y4uERNdP pic.twitter.com/xp6G4FJCZJ
— Scott Eisberg (@SEisbergWCIV) August 3, 2022
Two tickets for South Carolina home games are going for $89.99, which Costco claims is up to 40 percent off. The price is somewhat comparable to the other college football tickets Costco is selling online with two tickets for Rutgers games going for $99.99, two for Louisville for $69.99 and two for Fresno State at $74.99. (In other sports, it’s selling tickets for D.C. United and Atlanta United games.)
South Carolina, Rutgers, Louisville and Fresno State — kind of a random group of teams from four fairly different conferences.
This could be a desperation move by some of these (mostly struggling) teams or an effective strategy to capture impulse buyers — or maybe a little of both. But South Carolina seems to have high hopes for it.
More via The State (Columbia):
The ticket deal will be available inside Costco locations in the state of South Carolina, according to Lance Grantham, [the Gamecocks’] senior associate athletic director for ticketing.
“We’re expect good results from it,” Grantham told The State — 800 have been sold so far, he said. “It’s a really good value for the fans.”
According to one of Eisberg’s photos of the Gamecocks promotion, the tickets are valid for any regular-season home game — so Georgia State, Charlotte, South Carolina State, Texas A&M, Missouri and Tennessee — except for Georgia on September 17. Per Costco’s website, Rutgers’ blackout game for this deal is the Scarlet Knights’ home opener against FCS team Wagner, while the Cardinals and Bulldogs don’t seem to have any exempt games.
Look what is available at Costco now #Rutgers #Chop pic.twitter.com/1TMaqUD1Qp
— Jon 'SOZ' Zins (@zins67) August 3, 2022
Either way, the next time you’re at Costco, you may be able to buy tickets to see the Gamecocks or the Scarlet Knights or the Cardinals or the Bulldogs — whether it’s an impulse purchase or a well constructed ticket strategy.
