I want to live like Costco people

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I want to live like Costco people

speckx

Comments (609)

Aurornis
> Something about the whole thing always registered to me as, like, lame—too normcore, too boring, perhaps even too cheugy to an informed and taste-driven millennial ur-consumer like me. The kinds of brands I like to buy aren’t what they sell at CostcoGood example of how people can build identities through their brand choices and purchasing habits.It’s a foreign concept for many of us who seek out the best product or deals for each purchase and will change brands in an instant if another company releases a better product. Yet the crossover between brands, identities, and lifestyles is deeply held by many people.I know some will try to turn this into a criticism of Americans, but in my travels and international business experience I wouldn’t even rank Americans in the top 10 for integrating brands and identity. In some countries I had to make a conscious effort to try to wear clothes from acceptable brands and swap my functional laptop bag for something more stylish to avoid letting my purchasing habits become a point of judgment from others. It’s actually refreshing to come back to America where as long as you’ve made some effort to look more or less appropriate for the occasion few people care about the brand of your clothes, laptop bag, or car. Some people are proud of their Audi or designer bag, but I rarely run into situations where I’d be judged for arriving in a sensible Subaru instead of a Mercedes.
austinl
Feudal Japan had a measurement called the "koku", which is roughly the amount of rice needed to feed a person for a year: about 330 lb. You can now buy 50 lb. of rice at Costco for $30, which is a few hours of work at minimum wage.To me, that is a modern marvel. I don't want people to buy things that they don't need, and I also don't like the crowds, but I can't help but feel grateful for a stocked grocery store that is accessible to basically everyone—isn't that the dream?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koku
type4
I have a really mixed feeling about Costco. I hate it, I going there, I hate the crowds, the parking, the people, being hawked a credit card, a cell phone, whatever the vendors are selling. It makes me feel like a pig in a slaughterhouse waiting to get out of the store, I feel like it's the platonic form of consumption. We all go to the nice little consumption center like good piggies to get our sustenance and to get milked further (maybe I should buy some electronics!)Yet, I keep going. I like the cranberry bread, the cheap chicken, the granola, I like not thinking about what to buy so much. I like that it's of an acceptable quality at an acceptable price. I like that I can return stuff easily without getting shit for it. I like "scoring" deals on stuff that seems like a good value.
Lucent
Costco's gimmick is relieving you of choice and price shopping. They find the best stuff and don't mark it up. If Consumer is your identity yet you fear executing its labors, let Costco step in and become your denomination of consumerism, complete with tithe, proscribed usury, and communion hot dog.
yabones
I get the allure, but it's not for me and my partner.We live in a small apartment. We drive a small car. The pantry has a good amount of dry bulk & canned food, but we largely shop one week at a time.Sure, we could "lock in" on two or three foods, buy weeks worth of them at a time, and save some money. But like most people we like a bit of verity. It's just not possible to buy such massive quantities of things with nowhere to store them.What I want is an anti-costco. More like a bodega. Still curated, maybe a larger mark-up, but smaller quantities of everything. Half loaves of bread, small bags of frozen veg, enough sugar or flour to bake just a couple batches.
ncrc74
You'll never live like Costco people You'll never do what ever Costco people do Never fail like Costco people You'll never watch your life slide out of view And then dance and drink and screw Because there's nothing else to do
tavavex
The author's view is alien to me. It paints Costco as some sort of cultural retirement home. A boring place for boring people, not just a big store in a warehouse. I know that displaying brand affinity towards some companies is seen as tasteful and praiseworthy in our cultures, but I didn't realize many people extended this view to something as basic and pragmatic as the place they go to buy flour or whatever.
narrator
I think the most extreme hoi polloi, kings and paupers experience I've had in the U.S is at the DMV. No matter how rich you are, you have to show up in person with everyone else, from the poorest mentally ill welfare/SSDI recipient who has to get someone to help them because they can't read the forms in any language, to the extremely wealthy. Everyone has to sit there and wait on those generic plastic chairs.
throw0101c
Always found Costco's largest source of profits interesting:> Revenue from membership fees accounts for the majority of the company's profits, accounting for over 72% of the company's net operating income in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, and 65.5% in fiscal year 2024.[115][a]* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco#Business_model
Sohcahtoa82
> The bakery muffins really are smaller now than I remember them being as a kidCostco bakery muffins are HUGE. If they're smaller now than they used to be, I'd argue maybe that's a good thing.> They’re always in far-off placesMy Costco is only about 1 1/2 miles away. Literally walked there for lunch once.> the building, an aircraft hangar–size warehouse spectacle operated very much in line with casino design: a place with no outside source of lightOdd, the author mentions living in Portland, and every Costco in the Portland metro area has skylights.
legitster
I grew up in a post soviet country. To me Costco, has perfected the soviet ideal of shopping more than any soviet economy ever could.In a Costco, we are all equal. I could be shopping for the same set of beige slacks right next to the CEO of a multi-million dollar company and never know it. We'll own the same Waterpik. Identical towels. Our lawn furniture will look the same.Everything is purchased at a fair price. And we know it's a fair price because it's Costco. The workers are happy because they are given a fair wage and respect by an executive team that doesn't think they're better than them.Yes, you have to admit to yourself that a certain part of shopping at Costco is rejecting iconoclasm. You must be okay being part of a crowd. But the other side of that - are you able to surrender? Can you deny yourself when you find something that is legitimately good? Must you be different to the point of self-detrimental?So yes, I will go to a store that has better olive oil or coffee or oranges. But how can you not love Costco?
qrush
I just got (at 38) a Costco membership this year, thanks to my in-laws gifting us a membership. There's another huge discount retailer here in Boston (BJs) that I have gone to for years, but Costco is another 10+ min drive away so I've resisted thus far. I will say... I'm still adjusting.- No aisle signs or labels anywhere. I understand the retail strategy here but the lack of efficiency in MY experience kills me. Clearly they can't move the bakery, or meat department. But after ~5 visits I still have no idea where some basic products can be found.- Who is buying a kayak, or shed while shopping for groceries?- I continually make the mistake of going during the weekend when it is the most packed store on Earth. There were no less than 3 Cybertrucks in the parking lot.I don't have the "must-buy" item yet, but every time I go, I feel like I need to take a nap after.
paulinho1
I'm from East Asia, where every supermarket brand is basically the same aside from a few different products. When I moved to North America, this whole concept of tiered supermarkets felt really weird and exotic to me. Like, this is the most basic stuff you need, and you still need to tier it down? I'm kinda used to it now, but it still feels very American to me.
nostrademons
It's interesting how Millennials seem to be embracing boring practicality as they get older. Brands like Costco, Toyota, Ikea, minivans, etc are all staging a comeback as middle-aged Millennials decide they don't have time to deal with hassles or money to pay for overpriced status symbols.
declan_roberts
Once or twice a year I have a chance to go to costco in the middle of a work day and I'm absolutely blown away at how busy the place is at that time. People everywhere young and old, even kids! Long lines and nobody is rushed.I want to live like Costco people because apparently they don't work in the middle of the day!
kristjansson
> petroliferousSent me to the shelf, but one has to appreciate the word choice. Evokes the peanut oil spilling everywhere, the reach for geologic terminology captures the lithic aspects of the peanut butter underneath.
lifeisgood99
I shop at Costco not because of the price or the bulk formats. It's not always a good deal vs other places. The value to me is not having to worry about quality. Any product that is not satisfactory gets returned with no hassle.
MegaDeKay
> I love Adams crunchy peanut butter, but an 82-ounce jar is so massive and petroliferous with oil that you’d need a paint mixer to properly incorporate it all.I cannot recommend Kirkland Natural Creamy Peanut Butter highly enough. Ingredients: 100% roasted Valencia peanuts. Sold as a package of two 1kg jars.
gadders
CostCo has dropped off a bit in the UK. They've oversold the memberships (which were being abused anyway) and now the stores are always crowded, often it seems with people who don't know what a shop is or who can't push a trolley in a straight line.
cwoolfe
Acquired did a fantastic podcast about the history of Costco. https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco
Gabriel54
I'm reading the comments here and confused by one thing... Do people here not purchase fresh fruit and vegetables on a regular basis (i.e. multiple times a week)? I am not an expert on Costco but it seems insane to visit a store the size of Costco every couple of days just to buy some tomatoes and parsley.
tetromino_
Part of growing up is realizing that the places where a person eats or shops, what music and entertainment they consume, what clothes they wear - are entirely uncorrelated with their personality and character and worth. And cringing hard at your own past teenage past self who confused such superficial identity markers with personality.Unfortunately, it sounds like the article's author is only on their first step of this realization.
pruetj
I have a Costco that is walking distance from my office. If I need to decompress, I walk to Costco for lunch solo, get a hot dog and a slice of pizza, sit down, and watch both the people and what's in their cart. It's so diverse and pretty fascinating.
mostertoaster
I love Costco. Jim Senegal (former CEO of Costco) is what I wish more CEOs were like.I have a large family, so we buy almost everything at Costco.When I was kid I was so mortified when my parents suggested to buy clothes at Costco.Now I think half my clothes come from Costco.
didgetmaster
As a long-time Costco member, I can relate to this story. I don't expect to find everything I need there, but buying the 'staples' there saves money.My biggest complaint has always been the enormous size of perishable items. Yes, you can buy a 10 lb bag of apples for much less than other stores; but does it really save you if almost half of it goes bad before you eat it all.Even when my four always-hungry children lived at home, we had trouble consuming many things we bought. I always thought that Costco would make a killing if they broke up their fruit bags and assembled assorted fruit baskets to sell. Buy 10 lbs, but get it as a mix of apples, oranges, grapes, and lemons.Also cut their chocolate cakes in half. They would sell more than twice as many.
ykl
I wonder how many other people do this: when my wife and I do long roadtrips, we use Costcos as waypoints. Need to refuel? Costco gas is always cheaper than whatever other fill up station is nearby. Need to re-up on snacks (and maybe see what weird snacks the locals have that we don’t have back home)? Costco. Realize you forgot to pack enough socks halfway between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City? No prob, the St George Costco had the same exact socks I have at home because all of my socks are from Costco. Ran over a nail and need a tire swapped? Costco tire warranty babbbyyy. Bathroom? Costco bathrooms are very basic but always clean.In big adventure RPG games there’s always some kind of shop in every new area that is the same inside everywhere that you can reliably go to for whatever gear you need, to heal, to save your game, whatever. Costco is that but in real life.
tantalor
I'm guessing the title is a reference to Pulp - Common People
thatmf
Mortified that this guy calls himself a Portlander yet mail-orders subscription coffee from L.A.
danbarak
My motto in life is, "If I need it and it's available at Costco, I buy it at Costco"I don't feel the need to demonstrate my unique personality through where I buy groceries.
bdcravens
I like Costco, but it also helps there's one around the corner from my house. That said, I prefer the shopping experience at Sam's, with their mobile checkout. Of course, they're currently building one just a mile from my house. :-)
sicvita
> I will never buy Costco coffee—I know too much about coffee, and my allegiance to a coterie of indie micro roasters (Yes Plz subscription for life) and esoteric brewing methods has ruined me for life from enjoying the simple pleasures of a Kirkland Signature K-Cup pod.You can pry the 2-lb bags of Mayorga Cafe Cubano dark roast coffee from my cold, dead hands.
aaronbrethorst
I'm 43, own a home, live in Seattle, and feel attacked by this article."every Costco shopper has a certain item or two they’re compelled to purchase on each visit"Organic, single-serving guacamole and Magic Spoon cereal for me.My toddler is obsessed with their mammoth two dollar slices of cheese pizza and talks constantly about wanting to go to Costco to have pizza with his little bestie.
anon
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Night_Thastus
I tried to go the Costco route, but somehow it didn't click for me. The portion sizes were too large.As a household of 1, it just doesn't make sense to buy that much of most things, unless I'm sure they're almost entirely non-perishable. Maybe it would be fine for my cereal or something, but not a lot of what I buy. And, by design, they limit their SKUs a fair amount.So ultimately I end up in a situation where I can buy a couple things at Costco, but then still need to do regular grocery trips.Now I need to drive to 2 separate stores, which is extra trips there and back.The math just didn't work out. If I could truly do 100% of my grocery shopping there I would.
ethagnawl
> the great parking lot of dreamsI don't know what Costco parking lots in the PNW are like but in the NE, they're a nightmare. People racing around, lining up and jockeying for spots, enormous carts careening around and being left ... wherever because people can't be bothered to put them back. My family has a membership but I permanently opted out after one trip to the Danbury, CT location.> otherwise you are rarely confronted by the staff here, and I like that.That is, until they try to stop you from leaving the store with your property until you show them a receipt.
RajT88
Costco is my least favorite part of middle age. Although, I do generally like their products and pricing.For some reason my wife likes taking more time there than other places we shop for food, and I get anxious to get it over with. You can bet most of the times I wander off to get things off our list that she's herself wandered off, and the Costco we go to doesn't have good cell coverage. So I then end up both anxious about spending all day shopping, and annoyed that I can't find my wife.I am sure I'm not the only one. I try to go alone, or stay in the car this happens so often.
blobbers
"the solo adult men with AirPods in (also sold at Costco), listening to God knows what podcast: Are they thinking about a dead relative’s favorite Costco items, too?"-- this is me. I am seen.
b450
I've become a Costco person in recent years. At least in my perception, inflation has affected grocery stores unevenly:Whole Foods: eye-bogglingly expensive (and no, I don't think it always was)Wegmans: substantially more expensive than a few years ago, and a noticeable decline in produce qualityTrader Joes: incredible value on many prepared foods, but not the best source for staples like rice or paper products.Costco is not inflation-proof by any means but they have pretty much 0 margins and they're reliably the best value on just about whatever they sell. The selection can be limited in some ways compared to a supermarket, and they can be a bad place to be health conscious (as it can be hard to resist massive containers of ultra cheap and delicious treats of various kinds) or to try to try to be an ethical consumer (and please spare me the HN cynical line on this, I get it, I have no real agency and I'm pathetically guilt-ridden): I've read bad things about their meat sourcing, they rarely have coffee with bona fides like fair trade or shade grown, I see controversial products like bird's nest soup, etc.
miek
PSA: You don't need a Costco membership to buy from Costco.com. You pay a surcharge of 5%. A membership is $60, so if you spend less than $1200/yr on their website, it's better not to buy one.
rdl
Where I live (Puerto Rico) Costco is basically the only decent midrange to upper midrange store. There are a couple higher end butcher shops, but local groceries are "smart and final" or other discount-US grocery equivalent, with prices at mainstream NYC levels, while Costco is basically the same prices as most of the US, and ~70% of the selection of Bay Area Costco. Easy choice (along with Amazon and other online shopping).
sva_
As a European, I think I mostly liked Costco when I visited. But what I'll always remember is that pizza slice you can get when you leave. The amount of fat and especially salt made me feel like I'm about to have a stroke. I can totally understand how some Americans are unhealthy/obese. It was overall a great experience - 10/10 would do again.I can't imagine you could buy a pie of that shit to take home.
roncesvalles
Costco is America's most important "third space". For many people including myself, it's a consistent weekly outing with friends, roommates, girlfriends, wife, the kids. I've even taken tourists there.Notice how almost no one goes to Costco alone, and contrast it with the supermarket, where most people now go alone.Costco is a theme park. So is Ikea.
teepo
My family and I recently completed this Costco 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle made by Dowdle Folk Art(1). And I have to say, I had a very similar feeling to what the author of this piece is describing. Lots of different people, all walks of life, and no words requiring a dictionary! (looking at you, "Contrapuntal")(1)https://boardwalkpuzzles.com/products/costco-treasure-hunt-1...
wbxp99
What's the best deal at Costco? The aluminum foil I got for 4x the price that lasted me 20x as long seems up there.
deepsun
There was the best university in the world -- Costco University, in the movie Idiocracy.
rdiddly
It's giving "Frasier Crane goes to Costco."But yes, you can buy many different items there. Many come in large packages. The public can be found there shopping too. You are not required to purchase every item. Welcome to the 90s and holy shit thanks for the journalism.I let my Costco membership lapse because it's cheaper, healthier and more pleasant to buy 1) small quantities, of 2) fresh foods, in a 3) nice store, that is preferably 4) nearby, and 5) quietly forget to buy all the other crap you don't need.
coldtea
>The kinds of brands I like to buy aren’t what they sell at CostcoIf what food you buy is "brands", it's shit to begin with. Just that some of it is more expensive shit.If you want to be uppity about it, buy mostly local, fresh produce and meats, not packaged brands, as much as you can.
clircle
There's nothing appealing about costco to me anymore. Living is suburban DC... The parking lots are packed and dangerous, there's too many people in the store, the produce quality isn't there, and it takes forever to checkout. It doesn't fit my lifestyle anymore, and I'm the perfect candidate for someone that could benefit from going there once in a while.
binarymax
My favorite Costco story is when it opened up in my town, we joined. We were there one day and bumped into some very good friends of the family there (since passed sadly).They were talking about how they were admiring all the services offered to members, and said they considered buying a cruise vacation package, but then immediately realized “we’d just be on the ship with people from Costco”
petterroea
Living in Japan, I have a membership because it's a good source of western food at a cheaper price than most import shops. Good bacon and cheese isn't common over here.
silisili
I've only been to Costco a handful of times in my life. It seems like each time, there were hordes of people standing lifelessly in a huge line waiting to check themselves out(sometimes with help from an employee), which took longer than it should. Then, once that task was accomplished, they'd then stand in another huge line waiting to leave. Is this the typical experience or did I just happen to pick the worst times/locations?I happily pay more at places like Publix to -not- have to do that.
oa335
Costco encapsulates the American Dream; offering quality, value, and fair dealing to upwardly mobile strivers from all backgrounds.
ChoGGi
Wow, reading some of these comments. I think I love my Costco.If I'm grabbing an item or two and they haven't been moved I can be in and out in under 10 minutes.Lethbridge AB, some of these other ones sound like an adventure.
edwcross
It must be an issue with the European implementation, but I have a Costco not very far from home, and yet I never stepped inside.Because simply asking to see what it sells requires me to subscribe upfront.It's not like I cannot buy without a membership card; that is perfectly understandable. But I cannot even see what's sold inside, which prevents me from knowing if I actually want to become a member. They do have a "catalogue" of sorts... showing the prices of about 30 products or so. That's all. And the website describing the general aisles, with a few pictures.So, they want me to subscribe to something before I can even see what they have to offer? What the heck is with that?On the other hand, you can just walk straight to the food court and buy pizza, soda, and cookies, without being a member.Is this how things work in the US as well? If so, how is that justified?
analog31
I want to live like Costco people too, but my house isn't big enough. Fortunately, one family member shops there, and splits the stuff between two households.
mannyv
Has anyone else noticed the lack of free soda cups after they switched back to Coca-Cola products?Back in the Pepsi days there were always free cups around from people that didn't like Pepsi. Now - nada.
throw7
The nearest costco to me is an hour and half away. I've been in costco only once, and I guess I got it, but I also was like: do i need this? This year they're opening one nearby (~10mins). I have this nagging growing feeling of fear I will be joining.
Rocka24
Costco culture is the haze of infinite feeds, sequels, casinos with no right turns, the feeling that there is no new art, and the death of the novel.Stay repeat indulge enjoy
anon
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jccalhoun
I've never been to Costco but there is a Sam's Club here. People talk about Costco hot dogs but Sam's Club hot dogs are pretty awesome.
rbbydotdev
when you consider the setup and infrastructure going to and fro the mega warehouse of dry and perishable goods, also considering the required equipment, (a sedan, or large car) - It begins to become apparent the genesis of costco largely rises out of Americas car culture and suburbia.Alternatively elsewhere, small shops, many locally owned, butchers, vendors convenience stores replace the existence of 'costco'In these facts, I dont know if its necessarily a bad thing, but there is something empty, soulless and anti social about it.Maybe a few grape tomatoes for thought between the world salad of this article, "cognitive pattern. It is a jarring thoughtscape, remarkably compelling and nondiscursive and utterly hard to shake." - That is what the author too is getting at?
nemo
"I will never purchase Costco clothing"Much of my wardrobe is from CostCo, effective suburban camouflage as well as being fine as clothes.
JoshTriplett
> You shift into Costco mode somewhere at the ten-minute driving mark. They’re always in far-off places, and so the last ten or twenty minutes of the drive feel like a rushOr you just order from Costco as one more store on Instacart or similar, and don't make it part of your identity.I have memories of a Costco similar to the author's, but I have no desire to ever go to a store again if I can help it.
jerf
Ah, the terrible agony of realizing the hoi polloi aren't entirely wrong about everything after all.
jbrooks84
I don't get it, Costco is objectively great
lbrito
Only an American could come up with an article like this, psychologizing about a supermarket.Guys. Its a supermarket with a monthly fee. Based on your monthly expenses it might or might not be worthwhile to shop there. That's about all the philosophizing there is about it.
salamandars
This whole comment section reads of Costco astroturf haha
loloquwowndueo
This article seemed mildly interesting to perhaps kill 5 minutes. I clicked through only to be slapped by a cookie consent and a newsletter signup pop up, together they entirely obscure the content on mobile. Too much friction, so I decided to just close it, this saved me from wasting 5 minutes of my life reading, which I instead proceeded to use cleaning a toilet. All in all, a good outcome I would say.
proee
I find the quality of Costco food is lacking, especially things like Chips, which are usually quite stale. The overall experience is also off-putting, compared to a place like Whole Foods, that generally get me excited about cooking.
jms703
Author missing out on good wine deals for no apparent reason.
carabiner
I want to do whatever Costco people do.
b0rtb0rt
this article is pretentious garbage and makes me glad i no longer live in the pacific northwest
scosman
Did anyone else read this in Anthony Bordain voice?
JauntTrooper
The article had Don DeLillo vibes.> And this is where we wait together, regardless of our age, our carts stocked with brightly colored goods. A slowly moving line, satisfying, giving us time to glance at the tabloids in the racks. Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks. The tales of the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The miracle vitamins, the cures for cancer, the remedies for obesity. The cults of the famous and the dead.
jutworks
I need that 82oz jar of Adam's at my costco
tonymet
Costco is the last holdout of true American abundance. In the 90s abundance seemed everywhere, even if out of reach. The difference in quality of a service or product was clear at higher price points. Now as a rich adult I generally feel poor, even at fancy restaurants. Nearly everything feels meagre, flimsy & rationed, despite being insanely expensive. Like that scene in Jojo Rabbit where the kids are wearing cardboard uniforms .I buy 95% of my food and most of my household items from Costco. I will blindly buy any item without reading reviews. Out of thousands of purchases I can count the failures on one hand.Many ridicule Costco for being excessive. But frugal buyers can produce great value out of 25 lbs of flour, 10 lb bags of rice and so on. With proper home economics you can still eat like a king on a lower-middle-class budget. I'm very proud of the nutritious and luxurious meals I produce with what most people are paying for Doritos & Mountain Dew.I will never live out of reach of a Costco. It's the second most important factor when I live somewhere.
acheron
I resisted joining Costco for many years, because it seemed too culty, or just too popular in general (with my assumption being that most popular things are bad). Eventually they sucked me in though, and yes, it really is good.
Ifkaluva
I will brave the downvotes and say: I don’t like Costco.It’s not out of snobbishness, their quality is excellent at excellent prices.My problem is that I find I spend more at Costco than at conventional grocery stores like Trader Joe’s.The paradox is, it’s cheaper, but I spend more. I buy things I wouldn’t normally buy, and ant higher quantities. Even worse, I somehow eat it all quite quickly.I spend more and eat more when I shop at Costco.Unfortunately that’s neither healthy for my wallet nor for my waistline.
lerp-io
WELCOME TO COSTCO I LOVE YOU
onecommentman
You can do better with corn in bulk at a grain elevator. Takes about 8 bushels (56 pounds, 25.4 kg) to provide the calorie requirements for an adult for a year. Current price for corn in USA is $5/bushel plus transport. So $40/person/year (modulo transport, cooking, dying of pellagra, etc.).Look at Richie Rich paying $200 plus prorated membership for his subsidence calories (in white rice, no less, which is a premium starch in some Asian countries)…
motohagiography
The main reason i don't shop at costco is the lack of serendipity. i won't set foot in a walmart for the same reason. My expectations for any random human encounter there are net negative.
gib444
I've been to Costco (UK) a couple of times. It mostly seems to be: 4x the quantity for 4x the price (i.e. same price as any other store). I don't get it? I honestly think a large majority of people think it being in bulk MUST equal a saving?Is it just for like catering companies or families of 20 where the bigger size is kind of helpful?They do some nice discounts on Macs online though (can't say I'm a fan of their customer service either though based on my experience returning a Macbook)
sergiotapia
I've been a costco member for more than 10 years now since it's about a 7 minute drive from my home. It's really fun to discover new things they bring in, like a flea market kind of vibe.These past 2 years it has gotten significantly worse. Too crowded. Too many people who have no common decency of not blocking the lane. And way way way too many instacart delivery people FLOORING IT to get their next item pickup and leave. Looking at their phone and bumping into people/stuff. I don't like the vibes.The one cool thing they have now is the 9am executive hours where you can go in earlier than normal. That feels more like the costco of 2016 to me.
freetime2
When I lived in the US, I was a Trader Joe’s person. They had lots of interesting and gourmet-ish items at pretty reasonable prices. Not a lot in the way of fresh produce though, so needed to go to a supermarket for that.Their staff felt a bit cultish, but they were always pretty friendly and helpful so from a customer perspective it was nice.I tried Costco once and everything was too big. By the time we got to the end of anything we were absolutely sick of it.
leemelone
normcore?
arjie
If I’m being honest I find a lot of this kind of stuff pretentiously performative. It’s a wholesale market with a membership fee. The food is nutritious and cheap and there are economies of scale to be had.There are no Costco people. There are no Whole Foods people. There are no Gus’s people. In San Francisco, I live a block from Whole Foods, a block from Safeway and a block past that is Gus’s. Costco is six blocks away. We go to all of these places at various times. My gym is near Gus’s. Whole Foods has the biggest selection. Safeway has Envy apples. Costco is where we get the base load of stuff when we do weekly shopping.As commentary on consumerism has filtered down from philosophy to the masses it really has become incredibly middle-brow. Copy-paste opinions about shopping substitute for any intellectual examination of food availability. Like LLM text the language is sound but the ideas are incredibly shallow shadows of the ultimate concept.It really brings home the idea that if you can’t appreciate living in an era of abundance where fruit of high quality is available throughout the year and it has been bred to high perfection and eggs, milk, and rice are practically costless compared to the past, that perhaps there is nothing that can bring you joy. All the “this is late stage capitalism where you consume consume consume without thought and reason” takes have the shape of meaning but carry nothing. They’re some kind of cargo cult mimicry of some concept.We have solved food. Costco is the solved form. $2.99/lb of chicken.
hn_acc1
Stopped reading at "cheugy". Born near Seattle and now lives in Portland - like two of the biggest non-conformist regions out there..
anarticle
With dynamic pricing and other consumer predatory schemes out there, Costco feels like the only one that fights for the consumer. The checkout is lightyears faster than any local supermarket, return policies are good, and I don't feel like the warehouse is trying to waste my time. The low price of good quality meat alone is worth the price of admission. If you cook, you come out doubly saving money."Something about the whole thing always registered to me as, like, lame—too normcore, too boring, perhaps even too cheugy to an informed and taste-driven millennial ur-consumer like me." -> What even is this? Get over yourself.Remember that the CEO of Costco wears his name tag to work, and eats the Costco hotdog like everyone else. I'd buy that for a dollar!
alliao
shopping at Costco reminds me of reading news in a bad way, Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect way. And it's bit of a shame because there's this already implicit trust that have formed over the years, but it just seems really hard to keep enshittification at bay. For Costco to continue they really need to up their game and make consumer their absolute fan by first stop destroying their gut health. Junk food's fine, but chicken mince honestly don't need all that additives.
anon
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pembrook
This could possibly be the most cringe piece of coastal elite content I've ever read.Aesthetically-minded hipster writes a think piece on reluctantly aging out of high school fears of being "uncool," finally grows up and has a family, but 15 years too late.Discovers the concept of economies of scale and also that families in the center of the country who spend their weekends at Costco instead of marching at pride events might not be nazis after all...and actually it's kind of convenient to go to a big warehouse full of curated bulk items and buy shit when you have kids.I imagine its exactly the type of thing boomer hippies (the hipsters of their generation) wrote about in the 80s/90s after they realized dropping acid in nudist drum circles gets old after a while and that communes don't actually work. Just rewrite the title to "I want to live like Kmart people," and voila, you've got a New Yorker thinkpiece from 1986.
tristor
This is kind of a weird take on Costco, but I also somewhat resonate with it. I've always seen Costco as somehow the perfect aspirational ideal of the American middle class. Personally, I love Costco, and my love for it has grown as I've become more affluent, because I can actually attain that aspirational lifestyle. On any given day in my local Costco, I'm probably the highest earning person in the store, but that doesn't matter because I want the exact same Kirkland Signature toilet paper as the next guy. As someone who often obsesses over trying to acquire the best things so that they last longer (BIFL), Costco tickles my internal register of "good enough". I don't think I've ever regretted a purchase at Costco other than occasionally upsetting my wife for getting something that wasn't on the list.
arian_
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dmoy
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