What’s The Difference between Nanaimo Hearing and Costco? A Comprehensive Breakdown

With a Costco Wholesale store just five minutes away from our clinic, we’re often asked a very understandable question:

“What’s the difference between buying hearing aids from Nanaimo Hearing compared to buying them from Costco?”

There are a few differences at play here—warranties, services, technology options and even lifestyle considerations—but if you’re wondering the same question, then we’re here to provide some answers.

Both options differ greatly; some people prefer one over the other, which is understandable. Our goal is to be as transparent and fair as possible as we go through the differences.

Hearing Care versus Hearing Aids

Many people are of the impression that hearing aids are the one-stop solution to hearing loss, which, unfortunately, isn’t the case. Many people need both hearing assistive technology and help from a hearing care professional to receive long-term, lasting benefits.

There’s no shortage of places to get hearing aids – but what you should look for in your hearing health journey is a trusted expert that can not only provide top-tier hearing aid performance but also assistance for other hearing care-related concerns you may have.

The main point of contention between working with a team of people at Costco versus working with hearing care professionals like our team is the fact that while both are there to help you, only one will have specialist knowledge on all things audiology.

So, What’s the Difference?

Costco offers a lot of good services in their in-house hearing centres: hearing assessments, premium technology, Costco value pricing, complimentary cleanings and checkups and several warranty periods (dependent on model).

At a glance, they offer good services; Costco’s hearing tests are quick and straightforward but only do a surface-level check to see if you’d benefit from hearing aids – they don’t look into other conflicts associated with hearing loss.

Nanaimo Hearing’s comprehensive hearing assessments review all areas of your hearing health, from earwax impaction to infection, to see if we can pick up signs of major medical conditions. We then go through several hearing assessments and help you understand what options you have available to help it.

Another significant difference is the level of ongoing service; with an independent audiology specialist, you’ll receive follow-up appointments and in-house repair services for your devices. Regular visits and adjustments are key to maintaining strong hearing health, and we regularly reassess your hearing to keep up to date with what you need.

Costco’s retail setting makes this tricky. With so many people as members, getting immediate help or repairs could take weeks of time to get, meaning you could be without your hearing devices for extended periods of time.

Costco has good hearing aids and good people working there – the difference is the business model. Costco’s main goal is to sell lots of products quickly and cheaply, which includes their hearing aids.

For some, this works perfectly for what they need out of hearing care. However, for others, this ends in frustration and disappointment; hearing care is much more than just hearing aids.

Our Hearing Wellness Blueprint works to treat hearing loss with hearing aids, but takes into account your unique needs, including creative fittings for difficult cases, a brain retraining program to help your brain adapt to hearing more with your hearing aids, and ongoing coaching to help you hear better, longer.

We work to treat the effects of your hearing loss on your entire life – not just what it looks like you need based on your hearing test.

Regardless of whether you start your hearing health journey with Nanaimo Hearing or with Costco, the most important step—and often the hardest one!—is seeking out help in the first place. Hearing loss is complex, and no two people have similar needs.

With a few key differences between our team and Costco, we hope you’ve come to understand which choice would be the best one for you, your lifestyle and what you’re looking for out of hearing care.