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I want to live like Costco people

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Re: I want to live like Costco people

#391

Post by snark42 »

fromMars wrote: post #266
snark42 wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate going there and mostly use Instacart to avoid having to, but even with a Instacart mark-up and tip it's cheaper and higher quality than most other options, happy to pay someone else to do my shopping.

Is it really higher quality? I had a membership for a year and didn't find much I was interested in purchasing food wise, at least.

I think so.

Stuff like USDA Prime meats are substantially cheaper and same quality as anywhere else. I smoke a lot of meats though.

Organic produce is super cheap. Especially stuff like pre-cut broccoli, lettuce mixes, etc.

Protein powders, crackers, chips, organic yogurt, organic milk, organic eggs, cheese, prosciutto, etc.

Also liquor including decent beer and wine selection.

I get all this stuff, mid to high quality compared to Whole Foods or whatever grocery store. Sure, I could buy higher quality organic meats directly from the farmer over USDA Prime at Costco or more sustainable seafood and what not, but it would easily cost 3-5x.

I don't buy it alot, but people love the bakery - croissants, pies, cakes, etc. and they're high quality, comparable to most local bakeries.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#392

Post by FireBeyond »

nkurz wrote: post #243
FireBeyond wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jarvis Cocker wrote Common People about a girl he did actually know, who was "identified" as Danae Stratou, daughter of a Greek textile magnate, and while she said "the only person who knows for sure is Cocker himself", emails between her and her husband indicated that she saw herself saying and doing several of the things he references, "yeah, I'm rather ashamed to admit it, that -does- sound like me and things I'd…

You probably know the details better than I do (and perhaps there's a later twist I'm unaware of) but in 2022 Cocker denied that it was Stratou: Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life (via The Mirror), Cocker addressed claims that the inspiration was Danae Stratou, a Greek woman who attended St Martin’s at the same time as Jarvis, but confirmed that “it wasn’t her because she had blonde hair and the girl had da…

Huh, interesting. I do know someone else (Katerina Kana) had claimed it was her, not Danae, but that Cocker hadn't commented on her claim.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#393

Post by maxglute »

SoftTalker wrote: post #11
Lucent wrote: post #9

Costco's gimmick is relieving you of choice and price shopping. They find the best stuff and don't mark it up. If Consumer is your identity yet you fear executing its labors, let Costco step in and become your denomination of consumerism, complete with tithe, proscribed usury, and communion hot dog.

Also the reason that small specialty shops, and mom-and-pop grocery, fruit, dairy, bakeries and butcher shops are largely gone. They just cannot compete with Costco and Sam's Club/Walmart's buying power.

I remember reading costco has leverage on their supplier-producers, enough that they than enforce better standards above regulation (i.e. meats/produce), which is something mom-pop can't do.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#394

Post by cucumber3732842 »

fragmede wrote: post #346
malfist wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me too, it's such a fantastic truck. Built like a tank, huge battery and insanely fast charging for a 400V architecture. The only thing that sucks about it is it's a bit bouncy, and the software can be stupid. But I love it. We bought it mostly because we wanted an EV for power backup for the house. We get ice storms in the winter and it can knock out power for days, and we need to be able to keep almost 1,000 gallon…

The frunk on the F150-Lightning has not been praised enough. It's a really great truck, but having that giant storage space that locks makes it so much better than anything else out there if that's what you need.

You'd think they'd emphasize the singe cab at least a little since the frunk does the job most people use the second row for.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#395

Post by jdpigeon »

austinl wrote: post #361

Feudal Japan had a measurement called the "koku", which is roughly the amount of rice needed to feed a person for a year: about 330 lb. You can now buy 50 lb. of rice at Costco for $30, which is a few hours of work at minimum wage. To me, that is a modern marvel. I don't want people to buy things that they don't need, and I also don't like the crowds, but I can't help but feel grateful for a stocked grocery store tha…

That's about $200 a koku at Costco

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#396

Post by apsurd »

Aurornis wrote: post #8

> Something about the whole thing always registered to me as, like, lame—too normcore, too boring, perhaps even too cheugy to an informed and taste-driven millennial ur-consumer like me. The kinds of brands I like to buy aren’t what they sell at Costco Good example of how people can build identities through their brand choices and purchasing habits. It’s a foreign concept for many of us who seek out the best product…

But there's a cult following for various Costco products including food. The frozen croissants, the ~$5 rotisserie chicken, the vodka. The generic clothes items, shirts, socks etc. The pizza.

I don't even have a Costco membership! Maybe this is a Socal/urban thing?

In any case, I think you're overthinking it, people love Costco.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#397

Post by ethagnawl »

> the great parking lot of dreams

I don't know what Costco parking lots in the PNW are like but in the NE, they're a nightmare. People racing around, lining up and jockeying for spots, enormous carts careening around and being left ... wherever because people can't be bothered to put them back. My family has a membership but I permanently opted out after one trip to the Danbury, CT location.

> otherwise you are rarely confronted by the staff here, and I like that.

That is, until they try to stop you from leaving the store with your property until you show them a receipt.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#398

Post by PacificSpecific »

yabones wrote: post #137

I get the allure, but it's not for me and my partner. We live in a small apartment. We drive a small car. The pantry has a good amount of dry bulk & canned food, but we largely shop one week at a time. Sure, we could "lock in" on two or three foods, buy weeks worth of them at a time, and save some money. But like most people we like a bit of verity. It's just not possible to buy such massive quantities of things with…

Not sure if there's anything preventing this from happening in North America but in Japan there are stores that literally just sold broken down bulk items bought at Costco.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#399

Post by jjulius »

ethagnawl wrote: post #397

> the great parking lot of dreams I don't know what Costco parking lots in the PNW are like but in the NE, they're a nightmare. People racing around, lining up and jockeying for spots, enormous carts careening around and being left ... wherever because people can't be bothered to put them back. My family has a membership but I permanently opted out after one trip to the Danbury, CT location. > otherwise you are rarel…

> ... I don't know what Costco parking lots in the PNW are like but in the NE...

I live near, and commute by, one of the PNW Costcos in the PDX area the author explicitly references. I can confirm that just the mere sight of the parking lot, at all hours, has been the primary factor in my refusing to get a membership. Plenty of friends and family I trust love Costco, and I'm sure they're right and that I'd find lots to appreciate, but that damn parking lot madness is such a hump for me to get over.

FWIW, I'm referring to the Beaverton Costco right next to Nike.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#400

Post by variaga »

Terr_ wrote: post #309
elzbardico wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In some countries I had to make a conscious effort to try to wear clothes from acceptable brands and swap my functional laptop bag for something more stylish to avoid letting my purchasing habits become a point of judgment from others. It is kind of fascinating, having come from such a culture, to realize that in the end, Americans, at least the average of the America I met, are not nearly brand conscious as I and…

> It is kind of fascinating, having come from such a culture, to realize that in the end, Americans, at least the average of the America I met, are not nearly brand conscious as I and everyone in my place supposed them to be. Speaking as an American with a formative decade overseas, I think some of that may come from the economics of international trade. People think about a faraway place based on what gets transport…

Nit: a gourmand is the opposite of a gourmet
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