Costo - it's like a cult

[quote]But I did jump in tonight to buy some stuff.

Crocs OP?

"Costo," OP?

I think it's the scale of the store that's daunting and stultifying / stupefying. The parking lot is huge. The shopping carts are huge. The inside of the store is huge. It's actually not really set up very well, as far as flow. Yes, the most popular items are all the way at the back. But there's lots of junk in there that hardly anybody looks at.

People go there in pairs or packs. As a single person who mostly enjoys being along, I would actually prefer to have someone with me while shopping at Costco.

*

They've been around forever.

I liked their Frozen delivery program. You could order $100 with free shipping and every time I did it the order came frozen and well insulated in dry ice and usually several actual bottles of frozen Kirkland water. Dead to me as of June 2023.

Costco is raising their membership fee.

Don't even think about going the week of Thanksgiving. You won't even be able to find parking. It's a madhouse.

It reminds me of when I lived in Utah as a child. That "buy large amounts of everything to store in the cellar/basement in case of (fill in blank)" is full-on prepper mentality. I'll pass.

We've had a membership for about 5 years and rarely shop in store but it's been worth it for the reduced gas prices.

During the pandemic I was able to get various things with Costco shipped to me - including disinfectant wipes and TP - that were a challenge to find elsewhere. And when I have had things shipped it's always free (I order whatever the threshold is for that).

I can only convince my partner to go in maybe once or twice a year so we go late when fewer people are there and just stock up on the standards. We actively avoid the areas where we might get sucked into, say, buying 24 jars of peanut butter or what not.

I was just there today. Not sure I see the “cult” analogy.

FASCINATING

If you get lost in Costco your family can declare you legally dead two days later

Popular with Pod people

Another single guy here who doesn't need a gross of bagels. However, it is absolutely worth my membership for the deals on razor blades, multivitamins, electric toothbrush heads and two-packs of large-size Sensodyne and Listerine. I maybe go twice a year and always tell myself, This is just going to take as long as it takes. Fortunately, the people watching is pretty... interesting. But as I only ever buy those four or five things I do always wish they had an express lane.

R15 Our nearest store has several self checkout registers and those are the ones I always use. The nice thing about that is if you have <15 items or so it really does make it easy to check out. Not that they say those registers are limited to small orders, but....for the most part, Fraulene and her 300 dollar order aren't doing self checkout, so it kinda does turn into an express lane.

I'm single and there's plenty you can get there. I often get the turkey jerky, rotisserie chicken, hardboiled eggs, hummus, tortilla chips/salsa, boxed meals like pho and lentil madras, razors, laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, beverages, socks and underwear, etc. I live really close so it's almost worth it just for the gas and the odd cheap food court treat.

[quote]"Costo," OP?

The forgotten "C" wasn't on sale. OP said, "Fuck it, I'm not paying the zombie price for another letter" and kept on shopping.

It's worth it for the gas and liquor.

[quote] But as I only ever buy those four or five things I do always wish they had an express lane

No self checkout? We never buy much either - chocolate buns for my breakfast, OTC medication (Kirkland version of Zyrtec, Pepcid and Prilosec), some fish, various sundries like cooler bags. Takes mere seconds at self checkout.

I love to stock up on piss pads

Another single person here who goes for the salsa, kalamata olives, rotisserie chicken, pesto, wine, occasional liquor, pet supplies.

It's not all 48 packages of napkins.

R22 didn’t need to know your list

I will say they have the best rotisserie chickens I've ever eaten. Never disappointed and they're always fresh.

At our local Costco, the rotisserie chickens are usually ready at about 11am - and there's ALWAYS a line and people scramble for them.

R25 who is this “our” shit? Are you a twosome or a single person who is of enormous size who could pass for 2 people??

Jeez, R26, I meant the Costco near to where I live with my partner and kids. Sorry if my grammar/choice of words offended you.

Well it did r25! I appreciate your apology

I live in a city with only 1 Costco within a 400 mile radius. The damn store is always packed to the rafters.

They will open up additional check-out lines if there are more than 3 people waiting in any one line.

I was just there on Tuesday. Got the new lemon-raspberry muffins. Smaller than the other package of muffins.

I love that store.

Frau fave

Their popular roast chicken use to be so good

The last few time I bought it, it sucked. It tasted bad -like the chicken was rotten. Will never buy it again

I love their shrimp cocktail and wonton soup.

There's a Costco about 2 miles from me that I've never been to, but I've been curious about it. My mother has a Costco membership. Can she add me to her account so I can get a free card through her membership?

I buy Michelin tires there. They are discounted maybe 2X per year.

Single person here.

Quit drinking a few years ago, but used to buy wines at Costco.

I buy: dish soap, laundry soap, cheeses, salsa, fruits, and vegetables.

Yes, R33. I believe that you get to sign up two people per membership.

You just have to go get your picture taken for your own card.

No, you can't just add another person to your account. They have to have the same address as you and Costco will ask to see an ID (that states the person's address).

I know this because I tried to add someone.

If you can do it religiously the gas is often 30 to 40 cents cheaper than surrounding gas stations and they keep longer hours than the actual store, so those tail end times are basically dead and you can usually pull right up to the gas.

Single guy but it’s useful for gas, psych meds, and copious amounts of alcohol.

Also, toilet paper, paper towels, dog food, cleaning supplies, various sundries, etc. Also, furniture once in a blue moon.

Costco makes me anxious. It encourages hoarding and vapid consumerism. Viewing motherloads of fish, meat and vegetables piled foor to ceiling reminds me why this planet is in the shitter.

Huh? As long as that food is not wasted / thrown in trash, I don’t see a problem.

It's not just for fat whores. It's also for introverted people who don't like making too many trips to the store every month and prefer to buy in bulk. Because quite frankly people suck.

This is exactly why I won;t step foot into one, I’m happy with Walmart.

The same people that go to Costco probably go to mega churches.

[quote] I live in a city with only 1 Costco within a 400 mile radius

How is that possible?

The Costco I've been going to since 2012 is in Port Chester New York. It's never excessively busy and since the set up self serve about 1 1/2 years ago it's even better. I buy things I don't need if I want to maintain my lovely figure. Friday July 5 I went there and among other things I bought a 2 1/2 pound jar of Almond Biscotti- good ingredients- Butter, eggs, sugar, almonds.

R46, high neighbor! I go to that one too. I can only handle it about 2x a year.

If anything shrinkflation is a thing there now too and some of you are exaggerating how big some of the items are.

R47- Hello there. I go there about once a month.

[quote] psych meds, and copious amounts of alcohol.

How do these two items mix, R39?

One just opened in my community. The hype about it opening was astronomical. I've never been in one, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

Sam's Club is much better.

[quote] Sam's Club is much better.

And it's owned by fucking Walmart.

Fuck no, R44. I would think quite the opposite. People go to Costco in part because we know how well their employees are treated and how they are paid and the fact that they close on every major holiday.

Fuck Walmart and Sam’s. They’re owned by assholes who don’t pay living wages. Did you see the pictures of one of those cunts’ mega-Yachts? Their employees have to receive food stamps and other public benefits. Come the fuck on.

Well, R45, I live in a border town. Now, technically, there is a Costco in Juarez but since I never step foot in that city, it doesn’t really count for me, does it? I’d have to go to Tucson or Albuquerque for the nearest one.

I wonder if ciastconwill last. Lots of people years ago used to spout the bull (and the foods they bought) with family members. Usually the older mom, the grown daughters and sometimes cousins, etc in families would do the shopping and budgeting and figure it all out so it made a difference in price and they goods were big enough to be divided.

But families are getting smaller. Schools are closing in my densely populated suburban area because of falling birth rates. Younger people want fewer processed, food, more organic food, more vegan food. They also are ver6 much into delivery culture. I’m always reading on social media where they’re bitching about having to lay delivery fee plus tip for their Starbucks they ordered at 9pm. It wasn’t delivered until 10 pm and “He left it right in front of my door. I could knock it over if I opened my front door! Now I have to go out the back door and walk all the way to the front yard — in the dark — to get my drink that I paid $28 dollars for!”

Another one I read said “I decided to stay in today because I’m not feeling well. I ordered (proceeds to list things like a vegan burrito, guac, some gluten free cookies) and it was very messy. They forgot to give me hot sauce!”.

Then they list 2 more meals they had delivered and what was missing from each order.

How about you keep a couple of cans of soup in your house for when you’re not feeling well? And get a coffee maker? Coffee come in pods now, it’s real easy. No beans to grind.

I don’t see that generation getting up off their asses and going to a COSTCO warehouse or supermarket. Or even to McDonald’s.

I am not a fan of the Costco experience. My elderly CPA parents treated it as a cross between a trip to Mecca, a Protestant piety ritual and Christmas.

Mostly I only shop Costco online these days, missing out on the cheap gasoline price is a regret (but it's a long drive out there so the gas savings probably evens out anyway).

It's kinda like a trip to another state or to the DMV, where you look around aghast at your fellow humans

"high neighbor"!, R 47?

R55 I too am shocked by the delivery so many people use, I don't want strangers picking my produce or meats, that's weird to me, but I'm 58 and don't run with that let crowd my neighbor gets delivery and bitches when something isn't right?!!! And there's always something wrong it seems, and then the tips, no more tips from me.

Costco gives me hives but I force myself to soldier on for paper goods, razor blades, and other sundries.

R58- I'm 58 too ( not that it's important or relevant) but I'm mentioning it anyway- I eat a lot of produce and there's no way I could order my fruit ( vegetables maybe) online especially honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon. I need to see the melons in person and squeeze them etc before choosing them. This even applies to apples- I like to choose them for myself.