5 ms·

Agree 100%. Costco exemplifies american dream... recent immigrants perusing well-stocked aisles, friendly employees, ample parking, cheap tasty hot dogs, etc.

by oa335 3mo ago

rustystump 3mo ago
The hotdogs. You know the world is ending when Costco raises the prices of their hotdog.
spike021 3mo ago
ample parking? Not at any locations in my area. Even on weekdays.
- baby_souffle 3mo ago
  Go within an hour or so of opening. I used to work right across the st from one and would spend most of my shift looking out at their parking lot and you could see it get more packed throughout the day, thin out a little bit in the early afternoon and then slowly drain towards closing. It's always least crowded right at open and then an hour (? or maybe two?) later they open for the "regular" people and once that's the case, it fills quickly.
  - dpark 3mo ago
    > Go within an hour or so of opening. Hah. It’s such a PITA that Costco includes an hour earlier entry on the top tier membership.
    - 0x457 3mo ago
      I regularly shop at Costco and its usually one of five which ever is more convenient at the time. In all of my experience with Costco there is exactly one that has shitty parking, the rest are fine. That is if you have enough wrinkles in your brain to notice that in front of the store there 10 cars waiting for spot and parking a little bit in a back is easier. I often see people cruising around still looking for parking while I already managed: to park, walk to the storefront, get myself a hot dog, eat my hot dog, grab a cart.
      - spike021 2mo ago
        I park in the back any time I go to Costco. the locations nearest to me are always packed to the brim. even the sort of "secret" extra spots that are behind the building and could be considered employee spots.
  - spike021 2mo ago
    My local locations are busy even during those times. it's a constant battle.
bellgrove 3mo ago
Perhaps this depends a lot on location. Parking is a nightmare at my local Costco. The employees are friendly enough most of the time. I truly admire the value and business model but Costco is pretty much the absolute worst shopping experience I can think of.
- joezydeco 3mo ago
  Agreed. The entire store is wired to encourage impulse buying and keep you from making rational decisions about whether you'll be able to finish that 3lb container of guacamole before it goes bad.
  - hx8 3mo ago
    I don't see how Costco prevents you from making rational decisions. If anything the incredibly plain atmosphere (wide open spaces, no flashing lights, no loud music) feels much more calm than the typical retail experience. My average food waste from a Costco trip is significantly lower than other grocery stores.
  - rexf 3mo ago
    Also Costco has a really annoying "treasure hunt" strategy where goods are re-arranged around the store trying to get you to explore aisles (aka get lost and waste time) to impulse buy more stuff. Other stores (Target, Walmart, etc) will let you look up the item's aisle in their app and be considerate of your time.
    - joezydeco 3mo ago
      Costco's app will let you search inventory, but not let you see location or quantity.
    - BatFastard 3mo ago
      I love Costco, but I hate that they constantly move shit!
- CapmCrackaWaka 3mo ago
furytrader 3mo ago
I find the experience of shopping at Costco very uncomfortable. The parking lots are jammed packed, everyone is darting around with large shopping carts, the lines for the cashier are long, sales people are trying to pitch me on travel deals as I walk by - it almost feels like going through a busy airport. I am a Costco member, but I only go to the store when I really need to. The fact that I can shop Costco via Instacart was a gamechanger for me.
PaulDavisThe1st 3mo ago
For lots and lots of Americans, endless consumerism, driving and junk food are not a part of the dream in any way.
jatins 3mo ago
> friendly employees Where are the employees? There are so few employees (other than cashier) on the ground in a football field sized warehouse. Good luck finding someone if you have a question

Agree 100%. Costco exemplifies american dream... recent immigrants perusing well-stocked aisles, friendly employees, ample parking, cheap tasty hot dogs, etc.

by oa335 3mo ago

Agree 100%. Costco exemplifies american dream... recent immigrants perusing well-stocked aisles, friendly employees, ample parking, cheap tasty hot dogs, etc.

rustystump 3mo ago

The hotdogs. You know the world is ending when Costco raises the prices of their hotdog.

spike021 3mo ago

ample parking? Not at any locations in my area. Even on weekdays.

baby_souffle 3mo ago
Go within an hour or so of opening. I used to work right across the st from one and would spend most of my shift looking out at their parking lot and you could see it get more packed throughout the day, thin out a little bit in the early afternoon and then slowly drain towards closing. It's always least crowded right at open and then an hour (? or maybe two?) later they open for the "regular" people and once that's the case, it fills quickly.
- dpark 3mo ago
  > Go within an hour or so of opening. Hah. It’s such a PITA that Costco includes an hour earlier entry on the top tier membership.
  - 0x457 3mo ago
    I regularly shop at Costco and its usually one of five which ever is more convenient at the time. In all of my experience with Costco there is exactly one that has shitty parking, the rest are fine. That is if you have enough wrinkles in your brain to notice that in front of the store there 10 cars waiting for spot and parking a little bit in a back is easier. I often see people cruising around still looking for parking while I already managed: to park, walk to the storefront, get myself a hot dog, eat my hot dog, grab a cart.
    - spike021 2mo ago
      I park in the back any time I go to Costco. the locations nearest to me are always packed to the brim. even the sort of "secret" extra spots that are behind the building and could be considered employee spots.
- spike021 2mo ago
  My local locations are busy even during those times. it's a constant battle.

bellgrove 3mo ago

Perhaps this depends a lot on location. Parking is a nightmare at my local Costco. The employees are friendly enough most of the time. I truly admire the value and business model but Costco is pretty much the absolute worst shopping experience I can think of.

joezydeco 3mo ago
Agreed. The entire store is wired to encourage impulse buying and keep you from making rational decisions about whether you'll be able to finish that 3lb container of guacamole before it goes bad.
- hx8 3mo ago
  I don't see how Costco prevents you from making rational decisions. If anything the incredibly plain atmosphere (wide open spaces, no flashing lights, no loud music) feels much more calm than the typical retail experience. My average food waste from a Costco trip is significantly lower than other grocery stores.
- rexf 3mo ago
  Also Costco has a really annoying "treasure hunt" strategy where goods are re-arranged around the store trying to get you to explore aisles (aka get lost and waste time) to impulse buy more stuff. Other stores (Target, Walmart, etc) will let you look up the item's aisle in their app and be considerate of your time.
  - joezydeco 3mo ago
    Costco's app will let you search inventory, but not let you see location or quantity.
  - BatFastard 3mo ago
    I love Costco, but I hate that they constantly move shit!
CapmCrackaWaka 3mo ago

furytrader 3mo ago

I find the experience of shopping at Costco very uncomfortable. The parking lots are jammed packed, everyone is darting around with large shopping carts, the lines for the cashier are long, sales people are trying to pitch me on travel deals as I walk by - it almost feels like going through a busy airport. I am a Costco member, but I only go to the store when I really need to. The fact that I can shop Costco via Instacart was a gamechanger for me.

PaulDavisThe1st 3mo ago

For lots and lots of Americans, endless consumerism, driving and junk food are not a part of the dream in any way.

jatins 3mo ago

> friendly employees Where are the employees? There are so few employees (other than cashier) on the ground in a football field sized warehouse. Good luck finding someone if you have a question