Back in my lover's arms
I am, of course, speaking of the Costco. You know how some families are Ute fans and others "Bleed Blue" and still others refer to themselves as "Aggies" and don't realize that the rest of us have no idea who they even are? Well in my family we're Costco supporters. I tried the Sam's club thing up in L**** when my job came with a business membership, but it just was not the same. GH, of course, does not get this, and does not understand that Costco is The True Store and that Sam's Club is just Satan's Counterfeit.
Last night a lovely friend offered to meet me at Costco because she has a membership. (The reasons why I do not currently have one are varied and complex and are soon to be irrelevant because I just cannot fight the love.) I swear, the moment I walked through the heated doorway I felt like I was back home. All the memories came flooding back.
The time my Dad announced that his retirement dream was to run a forklift at Costco.
The Calvin Klein Mom Jeans I wore in high school, courtesy of Costco. Thanks for that one.
The time my parents tried to set me up with the Seafood Guy by inviting him home for Christmas Eve Dinner. They were ecstatic at the idea of 1) Marrying me off, and 2) Having a Costco seafood supplier in the family. ("What!? You say there are no guys to date! We just found you one!")
The year Amyjane and I shared a membership as Domestic Partners and I warned her that if anyone questioned me I was fully going to state that we were lesbian lovers and so she'd just better get her poker face ready.
The year Amyjane and I bought the hugest, most hideous Christmas cards known to man and then actually mailed them to people. It was because our sense of size gets thrown off in that store. Suddenly an 11"x 17" red velvet Christmas card starts looking downright dainty.
All the 6-lb brie wheels, and the tire-sized pumpkin pies, and the cheap books, and that amazing greeting card set.
My gorgeous, lovely bed with its Egyptian Cotton sheets. (Big warm male sold separately and may take longer to arrive.)
So yeah. It was a bit of a Marcel Proust moment, and before I knew it I'd been in there an hour and had dropped $150. But I got such wonderful, wonderful things, like food-supply water and toilet paper and a 4-pack of shaving jel and frozen edamame and trail mix and Lehi Roller Mills flour and goat cheese the size of a baseball bat. Did you know the Kirkland brand now makes environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies? They've classed themselves up with the environmentally friendly stuff and the natural peanut butter and the IZZE sparkling drinks and I know not what. It's like they want me to love them all over again but MORE.
(Note: I got the dish soap and the laundry detergent. The dish soap smells lovely, the laundry stuff just smells soapy. I might put in a few drops of lavender essential oil to kick it up a notch, since I have become used to thinking of laundry as "my time to huff laundry detergent for its aromatherapy benefits.")
So. Anybody else want to share their Costco love? Favorite products, happy memories, size-perception-errors-which-resulted-in-lack-of-judgement, I'll take whatever.
I'm Steph, a librarian and mom of 3 (not sure how that happened). Let's chat books, food, Sumptuous Literary Adaptations, poop, knitting and maybe some crazy Mormon Feminism.
47 comments:
Costco is pretty much our home away from home. It is a fantastic date. You can't beat if for family night. When we all meet up for a tender, intimate lunch it is also ideal.
The Costco here is the busiest store I've ever seen. Ever. Last summer you could wait 15 minutes to buy gas. Around lunch time, they just about need to hire a private security firm to keep everyone moving and in order. It is its own economic recovery plan.
Things we love at Costco that are either the BEST deal there or that we just can't live with out: said laundry products, raw tortillas found by the deli stuff, Kirkland canned chicken and albacore tuna, Kirkland brand olive oil, Izzee lightly carbonated fruit juices (PERFECT with popcorn on movie night), wipes, diapers, formula, kiwi, avocado, raw/breaded chicken, chicken nuggets . . .
I'm getting hungry.
I love Costco too, especially since I have two kids that actually eat like human beings now, and my hubby works at home so we eat all our meals at home. We go through so much milk, cheese, and bread lately that it's not even funny. Good thing they're cheaper at Costco. Plus my kids love to go shopping there with me for the 'tastes'.
I have a limited budget so I mostly stick to things like bread, milk, cheese, etc. to keep costs down. I only cook with butter so I always buy it there. You can also get great deals on veggie burgers and veggie 'sausage' (morningstar farms is our favorite brand for veggie burgers). I did once talk myself into buying a giant thing of Spray-n-Wash and will probably be using it for the next few years at least. Oops. Oh, and I love buying the giant boxes of tampons there because they are a great deal. Saves you making those extra trips to Target every month for overpriced supplies
Oh, one thing I have to recommend. We got a box of 'panko breaded tilapia' from the frozen section that was awesome. Tasty, tasty fish. It's divine with some mango salsa.
I wouldn't even know where to begin. I drive twice as far to go to Costco instead of Sam's because you're right, it's not the same. On Monday I ended up dropping over $400 at Costco and when I got home and talked it over with the hu'band, we both couldn't manage to feel bad about it...
I bought a really cute chocolate rainbow cake for my dog's sixth birthday (shut up!) there in January. I invited my whole family over for cake and ice cream, and then we had a horrible blizzard and only my parents lived close enough to safely brave the weather. I was left with a TON of delicious cake. I gave a bunch to my parents, a bunch to my sister, ate cake until I was ready barf, and threw the rest away (probably 1/4 of the cake).
I'm not sorry, though. That was really good cake. And my dog's worth the $17. :)
It's all about the dried mango. Also, cocoa-rolled strawberries, Tyson's mesquite chicken breasts, amazing sun dried tomato chicken burgers with mozzarella, these low-fat but really good frozen burritos, and best of all SAMPLE SATURDAY!
I had my mom's second card - despite the fact that I haven't lived at home for 10 years and live 3,000 miles away - until she got remarried last year and took it back to give to her husband. Not the way to create warm fuzzy feelings toward the new addition to the family.
Now I know what to ask for for my birthday.
So I'm probably in the midst of a Romeo and Juliet type of relationship with you all because I love good deals on big things, but have never been inside a Costco. The reason why is because there's not one close enough to me, but there IS a Sam's Club literally down the street. I'm sure if I ever went to a Costco, I may feel the same but until then, I make do with what I have. Still... I can't seem to get enough of big things and cheap milk. My 2 year old drinks the CRAP out of whole milk so I seriously buy like 5 gallons every time I go there. What's funny to me is that there's this one cashier who always seems shocked that I'm buying that much stuff and will make comments like "Wow, that's a lot of milk!" or "Holy diapers!" HELLO? YOU'RE AT SAM'S CLUB! I'd like to punch her in the face if I'm being honest... so I try to avoid her line unless it's the absolute shortest.
Verification word: basturc... what I'd like to call the cashier with no common sense. You know where I'm going with that one.
"All the 6-lb brie wheels, and the tire-sized pumpkin pies, and the cheap books, and that amazing greeting card set."
I have indulged in ALL of these!
Jason and I are both Costco loyalists, but neither Rhode Island, nor any of the Southern Mass shopping meccas have one. The only thing I miss about working in the Boston suburbs is the easy access to Costco.
That doesn't mean we don't go. It just means that if we're going to make the 45-minute drive, we make it worthwhile. We have to tape our freezer closed when we get home with everything.
I remember almost crying when we moved to upstate NY and found out that the closes COSTCO was two hours away in Canada! We had to deal with Sam's Club for four years and hated it. So I totally know how you feel when you walk into COSTCO again. I'm loving that there's one close by again.
My favorite thing they have here at the bags of Baby Bel cheese...it's the cheapest way to buy them. I also love the 3lb bag of 60% cacao ghiradelli chocolate chips (except i couldn't find them the last time i was there...i'm really hoping they didn't stop carrying them).
Oh, Costco. I wasn't too sold on the store until I had a baby . . . then all of a sudden, Costco and their gigantic cans of formula and huge packages of diapers and wipes became a dear friend. They hooked me with the baby supplies and have since reeled me (and the rest of the family!) in with the tastiness of their chicken basil raviolis, the chipotle chicken flautas, the cheesecake, the pumpkin pie, and others . . . not to mention the super-sized boxes of tampons and other toiletries, like the vats of cetaphil lotion that keeps my daughter's body happy and baby soft. And then they have fantastic things like JJ Cole diaper bags. I now love me some Costco shopping.
I thought there was nothing better than Costco's uncooked tortillas, but just the other day I was there and I noticed they had uncooked whole wheat flatbread! It's a dream I didn't even know I had came true.
Nadia and Jeremy, we are about to move to upstate NY and so I'm trying to prepare to wean myself. But Sam's Club will never be an option for me.
My favorite thing about Costco? The ginormous hot dogs and a soda for a buck-fifty. Can't beat that!
Aw! They were out of the goat cheese when I was there last month!
Costco...I want to have an affair with Costco. I could go there every day and be a happy woman.
I have to sneak in with friends and family b/c I'm too cheap to buy my own membership. Or is it because I really would go there every single day?
Really--not only can I feed my kids lunch via the sample tables, but they sell things like sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil in the hugest jar imaginable. And the goat cheese. That's all I need--goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.
I am currently living in the Land of No Costco (also known as Georgia). I had a yearlong affair with Costco while living in Maryland and being Enrichment Counselor (A church calling that REQUIRES a membership. How can you not get a membership when God Himself calls you to provide dinner to 50 women every quarter?)
I got a Sam's Club membership here, and when I walked in I was almost fooled into thinking it would feel the same. Heck, they even had the same pictures of hot dogs and fruit smoothies on the snack bar!
But no. Sam's just doesn't fulfill me the way Costco did (or make chicken salad that I'd sell my firstborn for). I feel dirty and used when I leave Sam's.
Just wait till you have a baby and you can swoon over giant month long supply boxes of diapers and wipes. And formula, if necessary. I swear a membership is worth it for those things alone.
I do miss being domestic partners, but now Sean's work pays for ours. So that's nice too.
My Mom arranges family trips there every few months (although during the summer it's a bit more often) and it's always fun, especially with little kids in tow.
Even though I must agree that Costco is superior, I still love that my little niece called Sam's club "Sammy's store" thinking that her older brother Sam was somehow involved in it's hugeness.
Mmm... I really want me some Costco cheesecake now.
Oh, and I just remembered how when I was a sophmore, my friend's parents took her and some of her friends (including me) to St. George for the weekend, and it was one of my friend's birthday, so they bought this killer chocolate cake with chocolate shavings on it from Costco, and how we ate it all weekend until we couldn't stand to look at it anymore.
Good times.
I live 1.5 hours from Costco (each way) and I still go at least twice per month. There is a Sam's about 10 minutes away, but I'm not about to whore myself like that.
I love getting dryer sheets there (once every 2-3 years), as well as butter, toilet paper, detergent, diapers, wipes, books, etc. I often misjudge the size of various bakery products and convince myself that my husband and I can eat 12 giant muffins before they get stale. When I was pregnant last summer, the two of us ate an entire sheet cake (carrot with cheesecake filling and cream cheese frosting, YUM) in 3 days. It was AWESOME.
I LOVE COSTCO.
I love Costco. I hate Sams. My husband hassles me every year when I renew our membership only he would actually die a little inside if we didn't have it.
I love Costco.
I just bought a 500 lb bag of chocolate chips. You know. In case.
We may have catered part of our wedding reception with Costco cheesecake.
And I had to have an intervention with my husband a month back re: flowers.
"Where should I get your Valentine's flowers?"
"Costco."
"Seriously?"
"They have the best prices and the best quality."
"On flowers?"
"ON EVERYTHING."
Costco, or what I like to call Mecca - right up there with Grandma's delicious farm - has always been an OH SO important member of my very large family. I recall fondly the day I learned you could actually hold a temple recommend with out having a Costco membership. Shocking! For sometime I believe I was under the impression those two little cards were interchangeable.
The happiest day of my marriage was the day my sweet husband realized the true value of Costco, purchased a 5 gallon bucket of formula, and declared we would always be true Costco members, with no bouts of inactivity to plague our sincerity.
The day the nearest Costco opened 45 minutes close to my new home town, I of course was there with more than bells on. We had already pre-purchased our membership cards at the pre-opening Costco lovers celebration.
It was truly like coming home again. I was giddy with excitement and joy to be reunited with my dear Costco.
I am a true and dutiful supporter, and do my best to squash the corruption of Sam's club that has taken such a strong hold in my poor ignorant community.
I regularly invite non-believers to my monthly pilgrimage. I have been successful in bring many into the true fold. It is an overwhelmingly rewarding experience.
Kirkland is the only true brand.
word verification, sparke: That feeling of pure joy, only experienced while peering at a Costco receipt, showing the most amount of money you can possibly spend at one time when not signing the deed to your new home.
We have both paid for by the company.
Sam's is better if you're in certain kinds of business because more of their stuff comes individually packaged and they have more items for the trades. They stock things like 12 tablecloths in one package... that kind of dealio. They also have better deals on generic things (shredded cheese comes to mind).
Costco is better if you're into organic and natural stuff or brand names. The selection is much, MUCH bigger when it comes to those things. Tillamook cheddar is cheapest at Costco for instance. The jerks just stopped carrying the only fruit strips that actually have FRUIT in them. Now all they carry are those horrible gummy HFCS nuggest of doom. Bah!
Diaper prices are awesome at both though (as previously noted by others). You can get Huggies for about $.20/ea. If you're good at scrounging the ads and clipping coupons, you can do better on that price. But it's much easier to walk in and just buy the things without all the hassle.
(Word verification: cycho
Honey, be careful - that cycho chick just cut me off with her cart at the spinach dip samples)
(2nd Word verification (wth??): sultancy
Our local Costco is bigger than the Sultancy of Brunei)
I am also a lover of Costco. It is my favorite store ever. I buy everything there from cameras, fruit trees, furniture, those cool gift cards you mentioned (I'm addicted), clothes, produce, cheese, milk, frozen foods, organic foods, TP, shampoo/ conditioner, car products.... the list goes on forever. I also love Costco's AM EX cards- you can get a nice rebate check in the mail every February. The more you spend, the bigger the rebate. :)
Oh, and don't forget your year supply box of condoms or pregnancy tests. It is good to stock up your food storage/ year supply. You wouldn't want to run out of birth control when the world is ending and you can't get your pills.... :)
I appreciate Costco even more now that I live in California--land of extremely expensive Safeways and organic farmers markets, tasty but pricey.
I love stocking up on chicken, salmon, ground beef/turkey, pork tenderloin for the month and not stressing about the price. I may still hit the farmers market for the sweet oranges that taste like crack, but Costco for everything else.
I used to have this teacher in high school that said she and her friends used to slip unwanted things into unsuspecting shoppers' baskets if they had wandered a couple of feet away--like a 2 gallon bucket of coffee into a Utah county citizen's overflowing basket. I'm sure that there were a few people who got home without realizing that coffee had been in their cart.
I know, heartless, but just a little funny. At least Costco lets you return just about anything? . .
My parents also tried to set me up with a Costco employee, but a cashier. They even picked me and my roommate up one evening to go back to Costco because they had just been there and seen this cashier there.
My uncle is currently trying to set my younger sister up with a different cashier.
Moments ago I purchased the Chocolate Macadamia Clusters for conference treats. Then I had to call daltonboy and beg him to come home before I eat them all.
I can't leave Costco without dropping at least $100, but somehow they make you feel like you're doing the right thing. I don't know how they do it.
I heard a rumour that Costco is coming to Australia. Now I'm eager.
I am presently eating their truffley Truffettes and Doug is munching on some strawberries - all courtesy of Costco. Also...they are 'the place to work' if you are going to do retail pharmacy. The internships at their store are quite coveted.
Did you know you can order a casket through Costco? Pretty awesome.
Did someone not mention the muffins? Because their cinnamonny apple ones are AWESOME. And the chocolate ones rock too. You pretty much can't go wrong with anything in that bakery.
The fact that my contact lenses are WAY cheaper than the Dr's office makes the membership worth it.
my husband and i seriously considered buying a house that would have added 30+ minutes to his commute so we would be in commuter distance to costco when we moved to ct seven years ago. they did finally build a costco 25 minutes from me which i went to for a couple of years. but then they built a BJ's five minutes away and i now go there (with four kids - it's nice to be able to go weekly for milk). it's much better than sam's (sam's truly is of the devil), but nothing could compare to costco. oh, how i miss costco!
Two thing:
1. Spinach and Artichoke dip. Better than any resturaunt.
2. Chicken and Cheese Flautas. (I think I spelled that wrong.) I just love them.
Problem: I have a Sam's Club card because it's free. Which actually is probably a good thing considering how bad for you the dip is and how much I would eat it.
Costco came in handy during our newlywed poor days...we would walk the aisles and eat their free samples! Sometimes, we were able to find samples that fit into all food groups. We got our entree, veggie, & dessert, can't beat that!
(found your blog on mormon mommy blogs!)
you have no idea how excited i am about that line of cleaners. it's sad really.
sams club is owned by wal-mart. tell that to people and it usually shuts them up.
costco is like target. it's superior. it just is.
Costco is great for things like vitamins, soap, toothbrushes, tampons, and other bathroom items you need on hand. I love their salmon and their chicken. I can't really justify owning that much fruit (I'm not feeding a family) but it definitely was the place to buy a pineapple in Hawaii. They also have really good deals on tires and car insurance (I have friends that joined Costco for the cheap insurance).
My family and I were converted by our home and visiting teacher who were from Washington state. We found Mecca when we walked in.
My one biggest mistake purchase there was a food storage impulse purchase of canned chicken salad. We tried it once and it was horrible and gross. We kept in the food storage and eventually it just expired there.
Verification word is gratilu. I feel great gratilu when I walk into Costco.
Also wore the Calvin Klein Mom jeans from the Costco in high school. And loved them proudly. Also, I can get Mexican Coca-Cola at my Costco. Which is awesome because A) no HFCS and B) cool green glass bottles. Oh, and you can taste the yummy cane sugar. And I had to talk myself out of buying 'Drood' today at Costco because I won't have time to read it until after June. Sad, but true.
Ha! Our family won't go on vacation without taking our Costco card. Then we dutifully, pose in front of the store to take a "Costco Memory" picture.
We're going to Mexico for spring break. . . Do they even have Costco in Mexico?
word verification: evynight
When we lived in Hawaii we would take people that came to visit to Costco. That's the beauty of Costco...regional specialties. Their friends had no idea that their Mac Nuts especially picked out for them from Hawaii actually came in bulk from Costco! Loved it.
Nem...I'm surprised you didn't include our flight to Kauai when coolmom had an ecstasy moment upon reading the in-flight magazine and saw the ad for Costco in Kauai. She jumped from her seat and raced up the aisle yelling to you about Costco. It was out first stop upon arriving. Where we dropped about $500 on all good things.
Now that I know you can buy coffins from Costco, I want to be buried there under the floor. You know like you see in some old churches.
Daltongirl, we call Costco the hundred dollar store.
And we're spoiled. Mine is less than 15 minutes from door to door. We bought an 8-man tent there last week: even the tents are bigger.
I love Chosha for her spelling of "rumour." It sounds so much more secretive than the American "rumor."
WV: Philif
Said Miss Lizzy to Mr. Darcy, "I cannot bear the thought of shopping at Sir Sam's club; the place is covered in philif and the products are second rate."
The double pack of 26.5 ounce jars of Nutella that I buy everytime I go. I say they are for food storage but I just can't seem to keep them stored!
I'm a Sam's Club woman... let the stoning begin!
But I also am southern and not very fancy... so goat cheese and brie don't quite do it for me. And I have not gotten all organic yet.
And I love the pizza crusts at Sam's Club, and I have a free membership, and it is in my "comfort zone".
Also, I am starting a business where I will be purchasing large quanities of foam cups and there is a big price gap there... like $15 per 1000 at Sam's and $20 per 1000 at Costco... so you can keep your Costco! Sam's is better on the business side. At least for me! And they have some great clearence sometimes!
And the Wal-mart connection don't bother me none... I am all about saving money with the proverbial boil on the butt of America... Wal-mart!
Costco rules. And you must get a slice of cheaper then cheap cheese pizza when you are done. So tasty! Last time I was there we spent over $100 as well but I adore it. I found an awesome smoothie mix-just add milk! Totally healthy breakfast!!
Am glad to hear that I am not the only one who thinks Costco is the only "True Store" (Sam's Club=Walmart=Evil=Satan).
However, it does always hurt a little when Costco stops carrying something that I love and have fully incorporated into my diet, such as Gardenburgers (but I hear the Morningstar brand veggie burgers are also good).
Buying things in bulk gives me a rush. My whole married life, no matter the tiny size of our apartment, I have always managed to find room for those huge Costco items. I have never been able to understand people who say, "I can't buy that at Costco, it's too big, I have no where to store it." What!? Make room! Buying things in bulk not only means a good deal, but also means that I do not have to remember to buy more for a long long time.
I love that Costco tries to carry some products that are locally made and/or strongly appeal to a specific area's demographic. My Costco carries a good selection of bread made by a very local breadmaker (for a price that is better than the price the breadmaker has in their store a short walk from my house), a mind boggling selection of locally made cheeses and sometimes Scharffen Berger does roadshows!!
I love my Costco. I am lucky enough to live very close to it, which means I never have to buy gas anywhere else and their pizza is always an option for dinner.
If you shop there a lot, I recommend you spring for the Executive Membership, it will pay for itself.
Ah Costco, what would I do without you?
We live at Costco in San Antonio. The mega-Charmin jumps in my cart...with four daughters, you can believe it jumps often, I swear they all use half-rolls each and every time they potty. Their Kirkland signature laundry detergent, fabric softener, tissues, candies, you name it, we buy it. I felt despondent when they quit carrying the Borghese Fair (not Light! I am not Light!) foundation, but have since recovered enough to be buying the Costco-only Skintimate shave gel. Heaven!
I renewed my membership today. I didn't even bat an eye. I shop there twice a month, though I would like to even more often.
I heart their uncooked tortillas! Produce! Cheeses! Bread! Tires! Frozen fruit and frozen organic vegetables, life vests & swimsuits for the kiddos, diapers, pasta, rotisserie chicken, canned goods...Seriously, I buy almost everything there.
Love Costco. On our vacation we visited two different Costcos, because you just never know if they are going to have something that your Costco doesn't have. Unfortunately, I couldn't try any of the samples at the Costco in St. George because of the unsanitary conditions. They just lay the food on the tray for people pick up with their bare hands--no toothpick, paper cup, or napkins. Do you know how many germs are probably on those trays? Is this a Utah thing? Kind of like how very few restrooms in Utah have the paper toilet seat covers. Do Utahns just no worry about germs?
Audra, I'll stand with you on this one. I'm a Sam's Club person myself. And the fond memories I have of Sam's Club go back more than twenty years now.
In fact, I'm planning on going to Sam's Club this weekend. :D
Cultural Hall pictures are available at local Costcos in the Phoenix area from time to time for HALF OFF!!!!! Got me a purdy temple picture for super cheap!
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