The Costco Connection app review: all things Costco-related

Introduction

Stay connected to all things Costco with this handy Newsstand app. The Costco Connection is a monthly publication that you'll get delivered right to your Newsstand and it's free of charge. You will have to register to get it but after that's done you're good to go.

All things Costco

According to the mega wholesaler this publication actually has the largest-circulation for a monthly magazine in the United States. I find that fact quite surprising but who am I to argue with Costco? The magazine is designed to appeal to all types of readers by offering a large variety of stories in a chatty and relaxed manner.

I know that this is a magazine straight from a store but I find the content pretty good. Sure there were stories I would flip right past but that’s all in personal taste. They even have an impressive lineup of columnists including Rhonda Abrams, who is an expert in small business matters, and Suze Orman.

In the latest issue there was a story in which one of the writers spoke to J.J. Abrams about the latest Star Trek movie. Now this is no small movie and J.J. Abrams is a pretty big deal in Hollywood, not someone I would expect to find in the pages of The Costco Connection!

 

It's All About the Presentation

While the content was something I could definitely get on board with I have to say that the presentation of the material and the user interface left me pretty disappointed. It’s not that it doesn’t work well or that the app is hard to use, it’s just that it feels far too simple. With such high-caliber content I just wish the user interface lived up to the same standard.

There were some interactive features which I appreciated such as some tutorials and product demonstrations. They were high-quality and fun to watch but I would like to have seen more like this with a great focus on engaging features. As well, the digital edition gives you a search feature where you type your topic in and it searches through the issue you have open. You also get the ability to view the content in print page layout.

If you get the paper edition of the magazine the content will be almost the same, which is why I’d like to see a lot more added bonuses that entice you into reading the digital edition instead.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy to use
• A wide variety of interesting and entertaining content
• Register for free to receive the magazine monthly
• There are some interactive features such as videos
• The ability to use the bookmarking tool
• The ability to change the font size for easier reading

 

Cons

• User interface feels tired and too simple
• The content may not be appealing to all

 

Worth the Download?

I really appreciated that this publication was free and yet it still delivered some really neat and interesting stories. I was willing to look past its shortcomings as far as its user interface.