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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
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    In the Grocery Store

    Yesterday I drove my neighbor to Costco (a warehouse style store). It is a big store but it is not real near so I never go there. It was quite busy, anywhere I stood I could see several people, maybe 500 shoppers in all. What struck me was the quiet. And everyone was very patient and friendly. An interesting experience.

  2. #2
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    The thing about membership stores is you have to have a job or be retired to join. People who work tend to be better behaved then most This also reduces the amount of bad checks they have to cover.
    Bill D

  3. #3
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    Mar 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The thing about membership stores is you have to have a job or be retired to join.
    Eh? Costco gives membership discounts to people in certain professions, but anybody with a valid government-issue photo ID and $60 can join.
    Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
    "Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
    We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
    The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
    The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
    You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee DeRaud View Post
    Eh? Costco gives membership discounts to people in certain professions, but anybody with a valid government-issue photo ID and $60 can join.
    Used to be you had to be employed or retired from a government or large employer. Ironic that costco was not really good enough to let their own workers join. But they bent the rules and let them shop there.
    Bill D

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Used to be you had to be employed or retired from a government or large employer. Ironic that costco was not really good enough to let their own workers join. But they bent the rules and let them shop there.
    Bill D
    You may be thinking of the UK version of Costco, which runs by different rules than its US counterpart even now. https://customercare.costco.co.uk/ap.../kw/membership

    One of Costco's predecessors (Price Club) required you to be a business owner, but that went away with the Costco/PriceClub merger in the '90. AFAICT Costco itself never had membership restrictions, just different membership price tiers.
    https://www.mashed.com/283026/costco...lot-different/
    Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
    "Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
    We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
    The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
    The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
    You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.

  6. #6
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    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The thing about membership stores is you have to have a job or be retired to join. People who work tend to be better behaved then most This also reduces the amount of bad checks they have to cover.
    Bill D
    Nope. If you can walk in the door and give them either $60 or $120, depending on Star Membership or Executive Membership, you are a member. Maybe you're thinking about some other firm.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
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    Oct 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    Nope. If you can walk in the door and give them either $60 or $120, depending on Star Membership or Executive Membership, you are a member. Maybe you're thinking about some other firm.
    I think the point is that low income people without jobs are unlikely to spend the $60 to shop at Costco, not that there is any restriction on joining.

    When Sam's Club first came to the Minneapolis area you had to work for certainly employers or be a member of certain organizations to be qualified to join. That requirement has been gone for years.

  8. #8
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    Jun 2012
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    I still recall my first visit to Costco (it was still called Price Club), the first week the store opened in Kitchener Ontario. I overheard two guys talking, I assume one was a automotive garage owner. They were looking at a barrel full of windshield wiper blades and one said "these are cheaper than I pay my wholesaler and I have to buy them in lots of 100".

  9. #9
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    About those restrictions...I remember when I was still in high school, 1959, there were several membership stores. GEMCO was pretty well known (Government Employees Membership Co-op, if memory serves), and SCOA (Serving Communities of America. They both had membership restrictions, which were eased up enough that my family could join, about then.

    I remember GEMCO very well, as I took my fiancé to the jewelry counter there to pick out an engagement ring in 1963. We found one with an almost invisible flaw in the diamond for $78, which was a weeks take home pay then. She still wears it, and will not take a better one.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  10. #10
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    Jan 2006
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    Schenectady, NY
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    Kind of sad commentary on our world that quiet, patient and friendly seemed unusual. Hopefully that experience becomes much more common.

    Happy New Year!!!
    Happy and Safe Turning, Don


    Woodturners make the world go ROUND!

  11. #11
    I've done a lot of grocery shopping for holiday meals lately and have found people patient and friendly. There are some people on the road driving wild though, be careful on the roads!

    Happy New Years to all!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
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    N CA
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    We and my daughter share a membership, meaning we have two cards to get in. Wife has one, daughter the other. We are making a Costco run on Monday when the car goes in for service. 45 min to 1hr away. The thing about shopping at Costco is once you get down to about 17 bars of soap you begin to get nervous. Our youngest daughter lives 10 minutes from a Costco and it is the go-to spot for them. Have to agree that it is not unpleasant at all shopping there and the quality of food and products is quite good.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Costco members for quite a few years now. I was actually at two of them yesterday; our normal location for stuff I needed plus for gas in my vehicle and a second to pick up the specific car battery I needed that was not in stock at our normal location. I was back at our normal one today to take back the battery core, fill up Professor Dr SWMBO's vehicle with gas (which I actually drive the most at this point) and to get two items I forgot yesterday since I was there anyway. We do very well on the things we regularly buy from them in price, get back a healthy rebate annually (much, much more than the membership fee) and get additional cash back with the Costco Citi CC that's our primary card for many things now. They have the lowest gasoline prices available and it's "Top Tier" fuel...with another 4% rebate using the above mentioned payment card. I paid $3.14 today and the local average is about $3.59 near where we live.

    A couple pieces of trivia...Costco sells more takeout pizza than any other outlet in the country (US). They are also the number one provider of hearing aids in the US. (me included) And where else can you get a decent quality foot long (literally) hotdog and 16 oz fountain drink for $1.50...
    Last edited by Jim Becker; 12-30-2021 at 8:57 PM.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #14
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    Apr 2013
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    Issaquah, Washington
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    FWIW - Costco's Headquarters are approximately 2 miles from me (moved from Kirkland to Issaquah) as is their flagship store where they stage for all their stores. Allways a pleasant experience and provides an interesting overview of the surrounding populace.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
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    28,504
    I was at the local Costco yesterday.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

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