eh, the funny thing is that Costco is full of those 'new luxury' products. Really, if you are shopping on price alone, you can often find better deals at other stores. But, one of the things I like most about Costco is that I can comfortably buy the cheapest product that appears to meet the requirements at Costco, and I'm fairly certain it will exceed my expectations for quality.
As far as I can tell, Costco is fairly up-market in it's target audience. Now, the setting is, uh, a bit more "masculine" than most stores, but I think that was part of their intent.
I have some friends with an upper end Lexus and a very nice, if smallish, A4 wagon in the garage. And a 5+ year supply of tea, that they bought in one of those Costco-size "box of boxes" units.
It's been over a year, and I still get a laugh out of that.
But yeah, around here, Costco is considered up-market.
As far as I can tell, Costco is fairly up-market in it's target audience. Now, the setting is, uh, a bit more "masculine" than most stores, but I think that was part of their intent.