NFLX vs COST Comparison

Netflix's relatively simple business model involves only one business, its streaming service. It has the biggest television entertainment subscriber base in both the United States and the collective international market, with more than 300 million subscribers globally. Netflix has exposure to nearly the entire global population outside of China. The firm has traditionally avoided a regular slate of live programming or sports content, instead focusing on on-demand access to episodic television, movies, and documentaries. The firm introduced ad-supported subscription plans in 2022, giving the firm exposure to the advertising market in addition to the subscription fees that have historically accounted for nearly all its revenue.

Costco operates a membership-based, no-frills retail model predicated on offering a select product assortment in bulk quantities at bargain prices. The firm avoids maintaining costly product displays by keeping inventory on pallets and limits distribution expenses by storing its inventory at point of sale in the warehouse. Given its frugal cost structure, the firm is able to price its merchandise below that of competing retailers, driving high sales volume per warehouse and generating strong profits on thin margins. Costco operates over 600 warehouses in the United States and has over 60% share in the domestic warehouse club industry. Internationally, Costco operates another 280 warehouses, primarily in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the UK.