Are Costco Window Treatments Worth It? A Local Dealer Tells You the Truth

My wife loves Costco. Rotisserie chicken, bulk paper towels, the $1.50 hot dog — we're members and we're not going anywhere. But when it comes to window treatments, Costco is one of the worst ways to spend your money. I say that as someone who has competed against their program for over 23 years in this industry, and I'm going to show you exactly why — not to bash Costco, but because you deserve to know how the model actually works before you write a big check.

How the Costco Window Treatment Program Actually Works

Costco does not install window treatments. A local dealer does — and you pay both of them.

Here is what most homeowners don't realize: Costco contracts with established local window treatment dealers to fulfill their program. The dealer you meet with is the same type of independent professional you could hire directly. The difference is that Costco inserts itself as a middleman between you and that dealer, and both parties need to make their margin.

The result: you pay the dealer's retail margin and Costco's retail margin on the same product. In practice, that typically means you are paying roughly double what you would pay if you contacted a comparable local dealer directly.

This is not speculation. A homeowner on Reddit's r/Costco community shared their experience recently that puts the number in real terms:

"Got a quote in 2021. Was around $28k. Local window covering place was $3,800 for exact same thing."

That is not a typo. Same product. Same type of installation. Seven times the price.

At Luxe Window Works, our quotes typically come in at roughly half of what Costco programs quote for comparable products and scope. We hear this from customers regularly — and the Reddit thread above confirms it is not unique to our market.

The Brand Lock-In Problem No One Talks About

When you buy through Costco, you are locked into Graber — and only Graber.

Costco's window treatment program exclusively offers Graber products. That might sound fine on the surface, but there are two problems with this that matter to you as a consumer.

Graber Is Now a Private Equity Brand

Graber was acquired by Springs Window Fashions, which is backed by private equity. As with most PE-owned companies, the priorities have shifted toward shareholder returns and margin management. That does not mean Graber makes a bad product — it means customer service and product innovation are no longer the primary driver of decisions. When you need support years down the road, that matters.

Your Dealer Has Better Options — But Cannot Offer Them to You

The independent dealer who walks through your home during a Costco consultation almost certainly carries multiple brands. Norman, Lafayette, Hunter Douglas, Alta — depending on your windows, your light needs, and your budget, one of those brands might be a significantly better fit than Graber. But they cannot offer it to you. You are a Costco customer, not their customer, and the program locks them into one product line.

That means you may be getting the right dealer but the wrong product — and you'll never know it.

Costco Owns the Customer Relationship. Not the Dealer.

If something goes wrong, you call Costco — not the person who installed your shades.

This is one of the most frustrating parts of the Costco model for homeowners. When you have a service issue — a shade that won't operate correctly, a bracket that came loose, a product that arrived with a defect — your first call has to go through Costco's program, not directly to the dealer who did the work.

That slows everything down. The dealer who knows your home, knows your windows, and knows exactly what was installed cannot simply respond to you directly. There is a layer of customer service infrastructure between you and the person who can actually solve the problem.

Compare that to working with a local independent dealer. At Luxe Window Works, when a customer has an issue, they call or text us directly. We know the job. We come back out. That is the relationship you are paying for when you hire local — and it is the relationship the Costco model specifically removes.

Additionally, if you want to add window treatments in the future — a new room, a motorized upgrade, a different product entirely — the Costco dealer who helped you originally cannot assist you if what you need falls outside the Graber program. You start over from scratch with someone new who has no history with your home.

The Fake Sale Problem (And It Is Not Just Costco)

"50% off" means nothing if nobody knows what the original price was.

This practice frustrates me more than almost anything else in this industry, and I want to be clear: it is not unique to Costco. Many window treatment companies do this. But Costco's version is particularly aggressive.

Here is how it works. You get a mailer or see an offer for a Costco shop card worth 10%, 20%, or 30% of your purchase. The promotion runs for a limited time. The message is: act now or lose the deal.

What the promotion does not tell you is that the base price was set high enough to absorb the discount and still deliver full margin. The "30% off" is not 30% off a fair market price — it is 30% off a price that was inflated specifically to accommodate the discount. The shop card feels like free purchasing power. It is not. It is your own money being returned to you in a different form after being held temporarily by the promotion.

At Luxe Window Works, we do not run sales. Ever. We price every job fairly and competitively from the first conversation, and that price is the same whether you live in a $200,000 home or a $2 million home. No promotions. No limited-time offers. No shop cards. Just honest pricing every single time.

What I have learned over 23 years of doing this is that when you offer everyone a fair price the first time, word spreads, trust builds, and your energy goes where it belongs — toward finding the right product for the customer instead of engineering the next promotion.

What Working With a Local Independent Dealer Actually Gets You

You get the same quality products, direct access to your dealer, multi-brand options, and typically half the price.

Here is what the Costco model cannot offer and a good local dealer can:

Multiple brands. An independent dealer can match the right product to your actual needs — not just the product the program allows.
Direct service relationship. When something needs attention, you call the person who did the work. No middleman.
North Idaho–specific expertise. If you are in Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, or the surrounding area, your window treatment needs are specific. Large windows, lake-facing exposure, north-facing bedrooms that need real insulation value, south and west exposures that need UV control. A local specialist who works in this climate every day brings knowledge a national program does not.
Continuity. The dealer who helps you today can help you again in three years when you add a room or want to upgrade to motorization.
Honest pricing. No fake sales. No shop cards. The same fair price for every customer, every time.

What to Look for in Window Treatments for a North Idaho Home

For Post Falls and the Coeur d'Alene area, start with insulation, UV control, and the right product for each exposure.

North Idaho homes present specific considerations that national programs often overlook. Here is what to prioritize:

Energy Efficiency First

Cellular (honeycomb) shades are the single best investment for insulation in this climate. The air pockets in the cell structure create a thermal barrier that makes a measurable difference in heating and cooling costs, especially in rooms with large windows or vaulted ceilings.

UV and Light Control by Exposure

South- and west-facing windows need solar shades that block UV without eliminating the view. North-facing rooms often benefit from lighter filtering shades that bring in as much natural light as possible. These are not one-size-fits-all decisions.

Motorization for Hard-to-Reach Windows

Vaulted ceilings and tall windows are common in newer Post Falls and Rathdrum construction. Motorization is not a luxury in these homes — it is a practical upgrade that makes the shades actually usable day to day.

Top-Down/Bottom-Up for Privacy Without Losing Light

These operate from either end, giving you privacy at eye level while keeping natural light coming in from the top. Especially useful in neighborhoods with close lot lines or street-facing living rooms.

The 3-Quote Rule

Before committing to any window treatment purchase — Costco, big box, or local — get at least three in-home quotes.

This is advice every honest dealer will give you. Window treatment pricing varies significantly for nearly identical products depending on who you are buying from and how their business model works. Three quotes takes a few hours and can save you thousands.

When you are comparing quotes, make sure each one specifies:

The exact brand and product line
Who measures and who installs
What the warranty covers and who handles service calls
Whether the price includes hardware, installation, and any follow-up adjustments

If a quote comes with a time-limited shop card promotion, ask what the price would be without the promotion. The answer tells you a lot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Costco install window treatments themselves?

No. Costco contracts with local independent window treatment dealers to measure, supply, and install. You are not buying from Costco's installation team — you are buying from a local dealer through Costco's program, which adds a layer of cost and a layer of service complexity between you and the person doing the work.

Are Graber shades good quality?

Graber makes a functional product that has been on the market for decades. The brand was acquired by a private equity–backed company, which has shifted priorities toward margin management over innovation and customer service. They are not a bad product, but they are not the only option — and in many cases, comparable or better products are available at lower cost through an independent dealer who carries multiple brands.

Why is Costco window treatment pricing so high?

The Costco model requires two layers of retail margin: the dealer's margin and Costco's margin on the same transaction. Both parties need to profit from the sale, so the consumer effectively pays full retail twice. Additionally, Costco's promotional model — shop cards, limited-time offers, percentage-off promotions — is built on base prices that are set high enough to absorb the discounts and still deliver full margin.

Can I use the Costco dealer directly without going through the program?

No. Once you come in through the Costco program, Costco owns that customer relationship permanently. Even a year later, if you want to follow up, add treatments, or request service, that contact has to go back through Costco — not directly to the dealer who was in your home. The dealer is contractually prohibited from working with you outside the program once you entered as a Costco customer.

This is one of the most important things to understand before you make that first call: you are not building a relationship with a local dealer, you are becoming a Costco customer who happens to have a local dealer assigned to your job.

What window treatments work best for North Idaho homes?

For the Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene area, cellular shades are the top recommendation for energy efficiency. Solar shades work well on south- and west-facing windows for UV control. Motorization is a practical upgrade for vaulted ceilings and tall windows. Top-down/bottom-up shades are a strong option for street-facing rooms where you want privacy without losing light. A local dealer who works in this climate regularly can walk you through the right product for each exposure in your specific home.

How much should window treatments cost?

The honest answer is that it depends on the product, the number of windows, and the complexity of the installation. What we can tell you is that in our 23 years of doing this, a fair competitive price from a local independent dealer is typically significantly less than a national program quote — often by 40 to 50 percent — for comparable products and installation quality. Get multiple quotes and compare them on equal terms.

What makes Luxe Window Works different from other local dealers?

We carry multiple brands including Norman, Lafayette, and Alta, which means we recommend the right product for your home rather than the product the program requires us to sell. We offer one price to every customer — no promotions, no shop cards, no fake sales. And when you need service, you call us directly. We have been building relationships in this community since we opened, and our goal is to be the local resource you can count on for the life of your window treatments — including products you did not buy from us.

Source: r/Costco — "Costco window treatments. What's your option."