19 ms·

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, what

by type4 4mo ago

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.

dolebirchwood 4mo ago
I won't set foot in that place unless: (a) it's 30 minutes before closing, at which point the crowd has died down, or (b) I've toked up.
- wil421 4mo ago
  The one near my office is like Mad Max Fury Road if you try to go at lunch time. Good luck getting gas much less checking out with 200+ people all trying to get back to the office.
snark42 4mo ago
I hate going there and mostly use Instacart to avoid having to, but even with a Instacart mark-up and tip it's cheaper and higher quality than most other options, happy to pay someone else to do my shopping.
- fromMars 4mo ago
  Is it really higher quality? I had a membership for a year and didn't find much I was interested in purchasing food wise, at least.
  - wil421 4mo ago
    I’m in the same boat. The quality to terrible. No I don’t want a bunch of pumpkin seeds that you’re using as filler for products. The produce isn’t great either. A huge portion of the food is either premade factory food that’s chilled or frozen. I don’t want a bunch of cellulose in my cheese either.
    - strange_quark 4mo ago
      I seriously question if you’ve ever actually been to Costco. The produce is generally fine but everything else is good to great quality. I always load up with a huge wedge of parmigiano reggiano, Spanish olive oil, Barolo wine (all Kirkland branded and DOP labeled) for literally half the price of anywhere else. Everything else is generally solid too. Just looking around at the other Kirkland food I’ve got right now, their tofu, sparkling water, eggs, salted butter, huge loaf of sourdough that I freeze, are all solid. I’m struggling to think of a Kirkland signature food product I’ve been dissatisfied with.
      - wil421 4mo ago
        Your local grocery store must be terrible if you think Costco has good food and produce. No, I’m not talking about wine, oil, or water. I buy those 3 things plus paper towels and toilet paper (not Kirkland toilet paper post Covid). Everything you mentioned is a prepackaged, premade item. It’s not fresh. The Kirkland Parmesan is cut and sealed in a factory. Not cut by my local grocery or Whole Foods from a giant wheel that has the Italian markings. The last bag of chicken breasts I got were almost the size of turkey breast and it was woody and stringy. Google if you don’t believe me.
        scottyah 4mo ago
        > a giant wheel that has the Italian markings Ah, therein lies the difference. You don't make any mention of taste or texture, just the marketing.
  - JoshTriplett 4mo ago
1899-12-30 4mo ago
Costco buisness centers are usually a lot quieter, and don't have the free sample venders clogging up the aisle. Memberships work for both.
- rahimnathwani 4mo ago
  Costco business centers for 50lb bag of bread flour. Regular Costco for rotisserie chicken. In life you can't have everything.
  - tshaddox 4mo ago
    I've noticed that my local Costco business centers actually tend to have a larger selection of things like soft drinks and single-serving packaged snacks, and not in obscenely large quantities (any more than normal Costcos).
dboreham 4mo ago
Perhaps worth noting that this Costco experience is localized. I've experienced it myself in Los Angeles when visiting, and when I lived in the Bay Area. No carts. Takes 10 minutes to get a parking spot, etc. But here in Montana Costco is very chill. The same people have worked there for 25 years and will ask you how your kids are doing. Plenty carts. Plenty parking. There is still the cell phone guy but even he can be defeated with a cheery "my company pays for my service".
- jhatax 4mo ago
  Your observation makes sense given the population density and sheer number of people that the Bay Area has relative to Montana. If the Costco in where-you-are Montana weren’t chill, there would be similarities between that area and the Bay Area / LA.
- whycome 4mo ago
  The experience definitely differs. I’ve never even noticed a cell phone person in Canadian Costcos. There’s a booth off in the electronics section but no one bothers you. If you can get there on a Monday, the place seems fairly empty.
foobarian 4mo ago
The one thing that brings me back there is their croissants. There are none other like it, and their product is a 12ct pack for a very reasonable price.
- iancmceachern 4mo ago
  And the salmon
- cayleyh 4mo ago
  You can buy them frozen, directly from the baking counter, in 144 count boxes... Just saying...
- kakacik 4mo ago
  > There are none other like it Heh, I guess you mean apart form true French ones. You won't find them anywhere else in the world, there is always something off in dough or overall process so result is different and worse. But its true that ignorance is quite often a bliss.
adolfojp 4mo ago
These days I just go to Sam's Club. Hear me out. It's right next to Costco, literally in the same mall. Products are kind of shittier but they're good enough. But good enough is better for me because the rest of the experience is just better. Walking through Sam's Club is often a breeze whereas through Costco I waddle like a penguin sandwiched between a waddle of penguins, each competing for enough space and quiet and mental clarity to score a good purchase. It can be panic inducing. At Sam's Club I don't even walk to a cash register. I pay with my phone and I'm out. They don't even ask me to show my ID at the door.
- insane_dreamer 4mo ago
  Do they even have Sam's Club in the PNW? I've never seen one. But even if they did, no way am I shopping at Sam's Club for the same reason that I'm never shopping at its parent company, Walmart. Walmart arguably did more to destroy small town America than any other company, and it also treats retail employees like shit. On the other hand, Costco is one of the best places to work as a retail employee (which is why they have so little turnover).
  - adolfojp 4mo ago
    Not shopping at Sam's Club because its parent company destroys small town America is a perfectly reasonable sociopolitical stance so I respect it. Bravo. But if you're still shopping at Costco then you don't really care about the effects that these big box stores have on small town economies. You're just into performative activism. But Costco does have better working conditions so I'll give you that.
    - gamblor956 4mo ago
      Costco doesn't have any stores near small town economies... Walmart does, and it achieved its dominance by deliberately targeting and destroying small town America economies.
    - cucumber3732842 4mo ago
      >Not shopping at Sam's Club because its parent company destroys small town America is a perfectly reasonable sociopolitical stance so I respect it. Bravo. Not saying you specifically, but it drives me up the wall that the same people who complain big business bad have so much overlap with the people who champion government policy that makes it so only the big businesses that can amortize the fixed costs of doing business over absurd quantities can exist competitively.
alanbernstein 4mo ago
Is the super-consumption aspect of it really so different than any other big box store?
- daemonologist 4mo ago
  The consumption aspect is perhaps similar, but the crowds at Costco are much, much worse (in quantity mainly) than any other grocery or big-box store I've ever been to. I also refuse to go to Costco these days. Every once in a while my memory fades and I agree to accompany a family member or friend, and am quickly reminded why I should stick to Aldi.
SubmarineClub 4mo ago
I mean, I just go first thing Sat/Sun morning. Parking is easy, the store is quiet, there are no vendors set up yet. I have my list of things I need, I get it, get out, easy. Idk, I’ve never felt the pull of ‘I MUST buy some new electronics’ when I walk by the tvs. I don’t really understand the hate against ’consumption’ either. I’ve gotta eat and I’ve gotta shit, so I might as well go and by the cheap toilet paper and food. I don’t pay attention to all the other stuff.
irjustin 4mo ago
> Yet, I keep going. Then I think Costco has done its perfect job and exactly the goal the founder set out to create: Quality goods at affordable prices. They optimize for those 2 things first. Consequently, everything else becomes a management of chaos (the part that stresses you out and thusly hate). If they did try to make the experience better, it would cost them someplace. And honestly, you're just at whole foods at that point.
- xp84 4mo ago
  This is a great perspective! Somehow it makes it feel better to think of it that way, that basically this is likely as good as it can get on those two very important metrics, and that improving other things would probably cause those to decrease. Better than optimizing for short-term shareholder value like most other firms...
- stasomatic 4mo ago
  The Costco episode on the Acquired podcast was really good, imo. It covered the trajectory from genesis till today. Highly recommended: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco
xp84 4mo ago
This is relatable. I'm constantly baffled by the selection - half the items you find will be there in a month, the other half you will never see again, or maybe see seasonally. And then at random, they move things. Like halfway across the store. I remember loving a Costco trip with friends at age 18, because we'd walk every aisle, and there were always so many cool things and at prices we could afford. But now as an adult with a stressful and rushed lifestyle due to children, it kills me that it's so difficult to find the 10 things I need quickly and get out, without walking every aisle. They clearly really want you to walk every aisle!
fooker 4mo ago
Watch the Costco clip from Idiocracy, matches your description to the letter.

by type4 4mo ago

dolebirchwood 4mo ago

I won't set foot in that place unless: (a) it's 30 minutes before closing, at which point the crowd has died down, or (b) I've toked up.

wil421 4mo ago
The one near my office is like Mad Max Fury Road if you try to go at lunch time. Good luck getting gas much less checking out with 200+ people all trying to get back to the office.

snark42 4mo ago

I hate going there and mostly use Instacart to avoid having to, but even with a Instacart mark-up and tip it's cheaper and higher quality than most other options, happy to pay someone else to do my shopping.

fromMars 4mo ago
Is it really higher quality? I had a membership for a year and didn't find much I was interested in purchasing food wise, at least.
- wil421 4mo ago
  I’m in the same boat. The quality to terrible. No I don’t want a bunch of pumpkin seeds that you’re using as filler for products. The produce isn’t great either. A huge portion of the food is either premade factory food that’s chilled or frozen. I don’t want a bunch of cellulose in my cheese either.
  - strange_quark 4mo ago
    I seriously question if you’ve ever actually been to Costco. The produce is generally fine but everything else is good to great quality. I always load up with a huge wedge of parmigiano reggiano, Spanish olive oil, Barolo wine (all Kirkland branded and DOP labeled) for literally half the price of anywhere else. Everything else is generally solid too. Just looking around at the other Kirkland food I’ve got right now, their tofu, sparkling water, eggs, salted butter, huge loaf of sourdough that I freeze, are all solid. I’m struggling to think of a Kirkland signature food product I’ve been dissatisfied with.
    - wil421 4mo ago
      Your local grocery store must be terrible if you think Costco has good food and produce. No, I’m not talking about wine, oil, or water. I buy those 3 things plus paper towels and toilet paper (not Kirkland toilet paper post Covid). Everything you mentioned is a prepackaged, premade item. It’s not fresh. The Kirkland Parmesan is cut and sealed in a factory. Not cut by my local grocery or Whole Foods from a giant wheel that has the Italian markings. The last bag of chicken breasts I got were almost the size of turkey breast and it was woody and stringy. Google if you don’t believe me.
      - scottyah 4mo ago
        > a giant wheel that has the Italian markings Ah, therein lies the difference. You don't make any mention of taste or texture, just the marketing.
- JoshTriplett 4mo ago

1899-12-30 4mo ago

Costco buisness centers are usually a lot quieter, and don't have the free sample venders clogging up the aisle. Memberships work for both.

rahimnathwani 4mo ago
Costco business centers for 50lb bag of bread flour. Regular Costco for rotisserie chicken. In life you can't have everything.
- tshaddox 4mo ago
  I've noticed that my local Costco business centers actually tend to have a larger selection of things like soft drinks and single-serving packaged snacks, and not in obscenely large quantities (any more than normal Costcos).

dboreham 4mo ago

Perhaps worth noting that this Costco experience is localized. I've experienced it myself in Los Angeles when visiting, and when I lived in the Bay Area. No carts. Takes 10 minutes to get a parking spot, etc. But here in Montana Costco is very chill. The same people have worked there for 25 years and will ask you how your kids are doing. Plenty carts. Plenty parking. There is still the cell phone guy but even he can be defeated with a cheery "my company pays for my service".

jhatax 4mo ago
Your observation makes sense given the population density and sheer number of people that the Bay Area has relative to Montana. If the Costco in where-you-are Montana weren’t chill, there would be similarities between that area and the Bay Area / LA.
whycome 4mo ago
The experience definitely differs. I’ve never even noticed a cell phone person in Canadian Costcos. There’s a booth off in the electronics section but no one bothers you. If you can get there on a Monday, the place seems fairly empty.

foobarian 4mo ago

The one thing that brings me back there is their croissants. There are none other like it, and their product is a 12ct pack for a very reasonable price.

iancmceachern 4mo ago
And the salmon
cayleyh 4mo ago
You can buy them frozen, directly from the baking counter, in 144 count boxes... Just saying...
kakacik 4mo ago
> There are none other like it Heh, I guess you mean apart form true French ones. You won't find them anywhere else in the world, there is always something off in dough or overall process so result is different and worse. But its true that ignorance is quite often a bliss.

adolfojp 4mo ago

These days I just go to Sam's Club. Hear me out. It's right next to Costco, literally in the same mall. Products are kind of shittier but they're good enough. But good enough is better for me because the rest of the experience is just better. Walking through Sam's Club is often a breeze whereas through Costco I waddle like a penguin sandwiched between a waddle of penguins, each competing for enough space and quiet and mental clarity to score a good purchase. It can be panic inducing. At Sam's Club I don't even walk to a cash register. I pay with my phone and I'm out. They don't even ask me to show my ID at the door.

insane_dreamer 4mo ago
Do they even have Sam's Club in the PNW? I've never seen one. But even if they did, no way am I shopping at Sam's Club for the same reason that I'm never shopping at its parent company, Walmart. Walmart arguably did more to destroy small town America than any other company, and it also treats retail employees like shit. On the other hand, Costco is one of the best places to work as a retail employee (which is why they have so little turnover).
- adolfojp 4mo ago
  Not shopping at Sam's Club because its parent company destroys small town America is a perfectly reasonable sociopolitical stance so I respect it. Bravo. But if you're still shopping at Costco then you don't really care about the effects that these big box stores have on small town economies. You're just into performative activism. But Costco does have better working conditions so I'll give you that.
  - gamblor956 4mo ago
    Costco doesn't have any stores near small town economies... Walmart does, and it achieved its dominance by deliberately targeting and destroying small town America economies.
  - cucumber3732842 4mo ago
    >Not shopping at Sam's Club because its parent company destroys small town America is a perfectly reasonable sociopolitical stance so I respect it. Bravo. Not saying you specifically, but it drives me up the wall that the same people who complain big business bad have so much overlap with the people who champion government policy that makes it so only the big businesses that can amortize the fixed costs of doing business over absurd quantities can exist competitively.

alanbernstein 4mo ago

Is the super-consumption aspect of it really so different than any other big box store?

daemonologist 4mo ago
The consumption aspect is perhaps similar, but the crowds at Costco are much, much worse (in quantity mainly) than any other grocery or big-box store I've ever been to. I also refuse to go to Costco these days. Every once in a while my memory fades and I agree to accompany a family member or friend, and am quickly reminded why I should stick to Aldi.

SubmarineClub 4mo ago

I mean, I just go first thing Sat/Sun morning. Parking is easy, the store is quiet, there are no vendors set up yet. I have my list of things I need, I get it, get out, easy. Idk, I’ve never felt the pull of ‘I MUST buy some new electronics’ when I walk by the tvs. I don’t really understand the hate against ’consumption’ either. I’ve gotta eat and I’ve gotta shit, so I might as well go and by the cheap toilet paper and food. I don’t pay attention to all the other stuff.

irjustin 4mo ago

> Yet, I keep going. Then I think Costco has done its perfect job and exactly the goal the founder set out to create: Quality goods at affordable prices. They optimize for those 2 things first. Consequently, everything else becomes a management of chaos (the part that stresses you out and thusly hate). If they did try to make the experience better, it would cost them someplace. And honestly, you're just at whole foods at that point.

xp84 4mo ago
This is a great perspective! Somehow it makes it feel better to think of it that way, that basically this is likely as good as it can get on those two very important metrics, and that improving other things would probably cause those to decrease. Better than optimizing for short-term shareholder value like most other firms...
stasomatic 4mo ago
The Costco episode on the Acquired podcast was really good, imo. It covered the trajectory from genesis till today. Highly recommended: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco

xp84 4mo ago

This is relatable. I'm constantly baffled by the selection - half the items you find will be there in a month, the other half you will never see again, or maybe see seasonally. And then at random, they move things. Like halfway across the store. I remember loving a Costco trip with friends at age 18, because we'd walk every aisle, and there were always so many cool things and at prices we could afford. But now as an adult with a stressful and rushed lifestyle due to children, it kills me that it's so difficult to find the 10 things I need quickly and get out, without walking every aisle. They clearly really want you to walk every aisle!

fooker 4mo ago

Watch the Costco clip from Idiocracy, matches your description to the letter.