Most people think Black Friday at Costco means going to Costco on Black Friday. The members who capture the best Costco Black Friday deals do something different. They go to Costco in late October. This is the most commercially significant insight in the entire Costco Black Friday playbook: the same deals that generate weekend crowds and sold-out inventory on the Friday after Thanksgiving are available — at the same prices, with full inventory — four to six weeks earlier. And

There is a version of Costco membership that most members are using. And there is a version that a small, informed subset of members are using — the one that involves knowing not just where to find the best prices, but when. The when is where most of the real money is at Costco. Patio furniture bought in March costs 40 to 50 percent more than patio furniture bought in August. Holiday decor bought in December costs 50 to 75 percent more than the same items bought in January. S