Trust Costco for Tires, not Sears

Tomorrow I'll blog about the fabulous Eco Gift Festival I attended in Santa Monica this weekend, but first I must rant Sears vs. Costco when it comes to tires.  Costco builds installation and warranty into their price while Sears nickels and dimes you.  What kind of business quotes a price on a tire -- not including the tire valve stems?

I got a flat Sat. nt on the way home. AAA put the donut tire on my car on Sun. am. After internet research it looked like Sears' prices might be close to Costco, so I drove down the street to Sears -- taking my Macbook along to show which tires I was considering. I had picked out a Michelin tire with ICE in its name (costing about $80) which is for colder, icy climates and not even carried in Santa Monica. Sears quoted me $331 for 2 tires w/road hazard and about $662 (before $56 rebate) for 4 tires - and had me convinced I'd be a fool to only replace two tires.

I didn't like the price and drove to Costco. The Costco tire man also inspected my tires and said I had plenty of tread on two of the tires - especially since I frequently ride the bus or walk rather than drive to keep my carbon footprint low. He actually heard me when I said I drive less than 7000 miles a year whereas the Sears man must have had commission dollars dancing in his head. Costco sold me two BF Goodrich tires (after telling me BF Goodrich is owned by Michelin). Instead of paying $331, Costco charged me approximately $184 including tax - and my car performance tires rather than the Michelin passenger tires Sears wanted to sell me for $109 each.

Where Sears picks your pocket is on road hazard, tire valve stems and a couple of other items whereas Costco builds installation and tire valve stems into its price.

There is a big drawback about Costco -- you do have to wait unless you time your arrival perfectly. I killed 4 hours waiting for them to get to my car and install the tires. When I called, the wait was 2 1/2 to 3 hours. By the time I arrived - about 30 minutes later, the wait was 4 hours.