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Thread: In the Grocery Store

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758

    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
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,882
    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
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Schenectady, NY
    Posts
    1,500
    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!

  4. #4
    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!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    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...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    N CA
    Posts
    1,279
    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.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Issaquah, Washington
    Posts
    1,320
    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.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    I was at the local Costco yesterday.
    Ken

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

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
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    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    I like some of their meat as the do carry USDA Prime graded in some varieties. Their Stew Beef is USDA Prime and priced competitively to Kroger's USDA Choice. Of course you have to get a 3 or 4 pound package instead of 1lb. Mine gets broken into multiple packs and frozen.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
    Posts
    3,046
    We've been Costco members for years. It's a great place to pick up a bale of toilet paper

    Seriously though, they are tough to beat for paper products, household staples like detergent, meat, fish, booze, wine, and especially items that are normally high markup like appliances, electronics, jewelry, and the like. Their cost plus business model works out well there.

    We buy all our meat and fish there. The salmon is especially good, as is the pork loin. Like Jim K, I portion both out and freeze. The steaks are usually decent but were better pre-pandemic.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2021
    Location
    Spartanburg South Carolina
    Posts
    386
    I have a Sam's Club and Costco memberships. I think Costco staff seem happier in general. If you look at the bulletin board outside the office that has pictures of employees many have been there decades.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    I like some of their meat as the do carry USDA Prime graded in some varieties. Their Stew Beef is USDA Prime and priced competitively to Kroger's USDA Choice. Of course you have to get a 3 or 4 pound package instead of 1lb. Mine gets broken into multiple packs and frozen.

    jtk
    I also buy meat and fish from them. Yes, the package quantity tends to be larger, but I routinely vacuum bag individual portions of things like steaks, chops, fish, etc. with anything other than fish pre-seasoned and ready to go into the Sous Vide bath after thawing. I'm certainly careful about how much I buy because we have limited mouths and even more limited freezer space. But it's a very economical way to buy meat. One thing...packages often do not have uniform portion sizes in them. That works for us because Professor Dr SWMBO prefers much smaller portions than I do, but it can be a consideration for some. When I opt to buy, say...NY Strip...I choose the biggest/thickest ones and they cut in half before vacuum bagging. Yea, not the same "shape" on the grill, but even a half-of-a-steak is a hefty portion!
    --

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

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Montfort, Wi.
    Posts
    799
    We shop at Costco when were in town (65 miles away). We always get gas but have decided no to tires. The wait time is unpredictable. I may have an appointment but have waited over an hour anyway. That said, we do stock up on paper products, fish, some meat and canned good when they have them. It's hard to pass on all the prepared meals and yummy looking stuff however. I need blinders I guess like the old horse used to have. The credit card is sweet and the rebate lasts for a long time as our cash reserve.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    Dave, I use Costco for tires and don't even make an appointment once my tires are there...I arrive about a half-hour before the store "officially" opens and when the gates go up at fifteen minutes before the "official" opening time, quickly make my way to the tire center desk and do a walk-in for which my store permits. They generally pull mine in before the day's appointments start a half hour after "official" opening time and have the work done in about 45 minutes...just enough time to spend too much money in the store. Even if I had to wait, I'd still buy my tires there because of the excellent install/road hazard/lifetime rotate/balance that comes with the very low installation fee. And the tire price is better than I can get anywhere else with the usual manufacturer rebate-discount plus the membership rebate plus the Costco-Citi card rebate.
    --

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

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Moscow, ID
    Posts
    428
    My wife and I are going to Costco this afternoon for our annual big buy, where we stock up on non-perishables for the year. We have and use the Costco Visa (Citibank) and love the cash back on purchases, especially for gas. Last time I got gas at our Costco, it was $2.92/gallon, whereas our local stations in Moscow were all $3.67. This was about a month ago. Our local stations have since come down a whopping 7 cents, to $3.60. I don't know what Costco is but I will find out today as I will be filling up.

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