Costco opens tomorrow -- the first one in Rust Belt, and it's right in our neighborhood. Bullock and I stopped there after work tonight to get our memberships so we're good and ready. Turns out they were having a pre-opening party with food and drink and wander-at-will tour of the store and the place was *packed*. Parking was as hard to get as the past two weeks on campus (don't get me started on that.) Though Bullock and I are familiar with Costco from relatives who are devotees, er, members, many Rust Belters had never been in one. There were many "oohs" and "ahhs" to be heard, as well as "Wow, that's a lot of Tic Tacs." (That last one was actually from Bullock. I don't know why it cracks me up so much. Maybe because Tic Tacs, like monkeys and the word "pants," are inherently funny. Pants-wearing monkeys eating Tic Tacs would be *hilarious*.) There were also lots of smiling, cheery employees. My god, they were cheery. It was almost a little cultish.
Anyway, I think it's a sign of my having drunk their figurative Kool-Aid or else just how boring I am that I'm *really* excited about the new Costco. Woo-hoo! And it's kind of crazy that so many people turned out for the pre-opening party. You couldn't even buy anything yet -- though you could see their wares, eat lots of free food, and get a free make-over if you wanted one. That's definitely a sign that we need more to do here in Rust Belt.
OK, right now I'm imagining a new reader stumbling onto my blog and thinking, "Hm, let's see what an intellectual who has devoted herself to a life of the mind is up to...Oh, I see, pre-shopping at Costco." Well hey, I appreciate a store that offers a good bargain *and* pays its staff a living wage with good benefits. And bulk often means less packaging -- it's good for the environment, too. So see, I'm thinking. Really, I am.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
All praise Costco
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10 comments:
1) monkey, monkey underpants.
2) Let's face it, at some point during the winter you and your family WILL NEED 12 pounds worth of hot cocoa. You might as well buy it once and have it ready.
3) Plus, yeah, it is fun to get a good bargain while not feeling moustache-twistingly evil.
4) Costco is actually bringing some higher-end merchandise into their giant warehouses.
You should visit the Fukuoka and Chiba Costcos when you get a chance. Not to be missed!
I have banned myself from Costco because I cannot resist buying the 12 pack of muffins from their bakery. And then I eat them.
We also have a one gallon tub of Swiss Miss Instant Hot Chocolate in our pantry that is now approaching five years old. Luckily it is so packed with chemical preservatives that no one needs to know that is an artifact of an early Costco run.
What's wrong with getting excited about low prices? Heck, I'm excited FOR you!
Costco rocks.
And yeah, Tic-Tacs are inherently funny. Especially when they approach the sublime by appearing in massive quantities.
I see Paris, I see France, I see monkey underpants?
Costco rocks: good stuff reasonably cheap (they only mark up merchandise 15%) as well as good ethics in employee hiring and compensation. Count me in as another member of the cult.
When you were a toddler I called you a little monkey. Costco could turn you into a big fat ape. Take it easy on bulk purchases.
BTW, bulk buys would be bad for the environment if people only consumed a fraction of it.
Addiction to Costco can precipitate other changes. I had to remodel a closet into a pantry in order to accommodate those shrink-wrapped six-packs of ketchup each bottle the size of a three-year-old child.
Costco is awesome.
I adore Costco. Love it, love it. But there is that storage issue. This is particularly an issue in my family since D. so loves a bargain that she tends to pick up, say, a 12-pack roll of paper towels or 18 bottles of seltzer even if we already have the identical 12 rolls or 18 bottles at home. At one point in the spring, we actually had something like 50 bottles of seltzer water. Or she'll pick up something that we totally don't need because "it was such a good price."
However, I must say that the prices really are usually great, and we eventually drank all of that water. And we always do eventually use the paper towels. And the store has a fabulous return policy, so when she really gets crazy I can always take things back.
Congrats on your new Costco!
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