Bryan Caplan normally ignores self-congratulatory corporate publications, but he makes an exception for Costco:
See economic growth at work: How their product designers identify high-quality competitors, and figure out how to make them a little better and a lot cheaper. (Hint: Packaging, transportation, and shelf space all figure prominently).See reputation at work: CostCo doesn’t just improve products; it figures out where the competition is cutting corners — and then boldly makes its products with their corners intact.
One of Costco’s goals with its Kirkland-brand products is to achieve pallet efficiencies:
For example, when the jars containing Kirkland Signature cashews were changed from round to square, the number of jars that could fit on a pallet increased from 288 to 432, saving 600 truck-loads per year.