I know there are a few members on here who are loyal Costco shoppers (cough, Patty). Thought some may be interest in this NYTimes article about them. I had no idea their first store was in Anchorage, AK, but it makes sense.

 

An interesting article.

 

I've had a free membership through my work for years but I hate shopping there. It may work for others but I don't like it. Sorry if I offend any loyal customers here.

The crowds here are pretty large in my region, parking is always full and long lines inside at checkout. It is very busy and people must be finding good deals if they shop there is such large numbers. I hated it when I found a product there which I liked and then it would disappear or not be available on future visits. I also can't do my entire grocery shopping there, the variety of product names is not as good as other grocery stores IMO. I always need to go to a different grocery store to get all of the items we need. I assume it may be cheaper to shop there but we don't like shopping in bulk. It is very easy to spend a lot of money there due to the fact you are buying more items than you would at an alternate store, even though the cost per item may be cheaper. Lastly I dislike being checked by their "security" person on my way out, I spend a lot of time finding parking, navigating through the place, and checking out, then some guy needs to review my receipt before I am allowed to leave. I don't like their fruit and vegetable department, the selection is very limited from visit to visit, and not always fresh enough for me. Their restaurant food is gross, I would never eat there.

I don't mind their gas bar but that is it.

 

I hear you about the crowds. It varies from store to store and at different times of the day but I hate going when it's crowded. I don't buy groceries there, except for Bison or chicken that I can freeze. The Irvine, CA store I go to is always a zoo. I got there to buy gas, mostly. The Timnath/Fort Collins, CO store I go has become more crowded over the seven years I've lived in Loveland.

 

When living in MN we had Costco for a while. It was good for a lot of things but yeah the crowds were insane most of the time. Once our son grew up we bought a lot less large bulk items and we buy our beef from a farm so we dropped the membership. I did like to make the rounds and hit all the samples on Sundays though, gave me a mini meal during shopping!

 

I have had three free memberships over the years and I still hate the place. The parking lot is packed and the store is filled with old farts standing around trying to get their fill of free samples. Now don't get me started on the checkout area!

I prefer Sams or BJ's.

 

Where we live now there are more Sams close to us so if we get another membership that will be where we go. And yep, the checkouts at Costco were a nightmare. Always took an eternity to get out of there.

 

I am a loyal Costco member for several reasons:
* About three years ago I got a letter in the mail from Costco. Much to my surprise it stated that it had come to their attention that a batch of their cashew nuts were not up to their quality standard and the send me a refund check. Even though I had not complained or had an issue with the cashews.
* With my Citi Visa card via Costco I get a 4% rebate on gasoline (BTW their gas is Top Tier and is about twenty cents per gallon less the other stations around me). 3% at restaurants, 2% for Costco purchases and 1% every where else. Last year that gave be a refund of over $500.

Regarding the crowds: I have learned the best times to go to avoid them. It is my understanding that the store in Fairfax, VA is the number one grossing Costco in the country.

I also found it interesting that a friend of mine that lives in Riverhead, NY worked for Costco and even though he applied to clean their baking equipment at night, he had to go through a forty hour training program to learn how to do every job in their warehouse. So everyone is cross trained.

 

I've never been to a Costco, pretty sure same as Sams club which I have been to a few times, but definitely not our usual shopping place. Don't think there's a costco near us, probably 30 miles away.

 

I had a membership for a while but there really isn't one close to me.
Eons ago I had bought an overhead projector from costco. A few years later it quit.
It was out of warranty but I was trying to get it repaired when he service guy asked where I bought it.
When I replied Costco, he said bring it back and they will give you a new one or a credit.
I boxed it up and brought it back really with the intent of fixing it.
Instead they looked at my receipt and counted out the ~$1200 or so and handed it to me..