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I want to live like Costco people

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Re: I want to live like Costco people

#441

Post by kshacker »

senkora wrote: post #171
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…

Trader Joe's is probably closest to what you want. It targets single shoppers with small quantities and low prices, and it rotates products frequently to keep things interesting. Anecdotally I feel like a lot of TJ's shoppers shift into Costco shoppers as they age up.

Or vice versa as kids move out and you don't need all that food. We will shop at Costco monthly but TJ is way more common.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#442

Post by OkayPhysicist »

fundad wrote: post #291
nemo wrote: post #238

"I will never purchase Costco clothing" Much of my wardrobe is from CostCo, effective suburban camouflage as well as being fine as clothes.

+1 I can't think of another clothing retailer that has garments right there in front of you that you can touch and hold up to your body, the experience is far superior to just looking at photos.

huh? Have you never bought clothing in person before? Is Costco really your only exposure to buying clothes in a physical space? Is "big shop full of clothes" an American thing no one has ever pointed out to me?

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#443

Post by werdnapk »

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 will not buy coffee at Costco. I've had Costco coffee beans and it's terrible. I only buy premium beans at specialty shops and always will. The masses can drink their subpar coffee from Costco if they wish.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#444

Post by defrost »

ishouldstayaway wrote: post #415
variaga wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nit: a gourmand is the opposite of a gourmet

How so?

Quantity.

The original usage of Gourmand was synonymous with gluttony and excess; while a gourmet might be satisfied with exquisitely prepared micro portions tucked away within an expansive plate criss crossed by a drizzle of ??, a gourmand wants the full stack pyramided to the maximal stope angle.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#445

Post by wbxp99 »

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…

That Danbury one is aggressive for sure. I've found the ones in the South Bay to be more crowded but less angry customers.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#446

Post by crazygringo »

beloch wrote: post #303
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…

Nobody is going to come to your funeral and tearfully wail that you had fabulous taste in handbags. Brands may serve as camouflage when you're trying to conform, but conforming is not an identity. Your identity is based on what you create, not what you consume.

Depends on which funerals you go to.

I've absolutely heard eulogies that talk about stylish grandma was up to the very end. The could go on about how she never left the house without looking like she could have been ready for a photo shoot. How she brightened every gathering she was a part of, and even had this marvelous ability to pick the perfect accessories, including -- yes -- handbags.

You seem to be conflating two things that are different -- "fabulous taste", and "conforming/consuming". Putting together and accessorizing an outfit is an act of creation. Looking sharp is usually quite the opposite of conforming.

Remember that when you dress with style, you're brightening the day of the people who look at you, like a walking work of art. Some people look at it as vain, but other people understand it's making the world a more pleasant place, just like good manners or a helping attitude. If you can appreciate the way a tasteful statue adorns a park, you can appreciate the way a tasteful outfit -- handbag included -- does the same.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#447

Post by daedrdev »

jldugger wrote: post #350
tekla wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's wild that you can look at a physical testament of the sheer abundance and affordability that capitalism has created for almost every consumer good, and people will call it a dystopia because they experience traffic or fight over the right to buy cardboard childrens toys

I guess it feels less abundant when there's a million people in the store and you're basically in line to check out the minute you step in.

This is Costco literally suffering from success, they have had an enormous growth in subscriptions yet opening stores takes time, faces regulations, has limited availability

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#448

Post by roncesvalles »

Costco is America's most important "third space". For many people including myself, it's a consistent weekly outing with friends, roommates, girlfriends, wife, the kids. I've even taken tourists there.

Notice how almost no one goes to Costco alone, and contrast it with the supermarket, where most people now go alone.

Costco is a theme park. So is Ikea.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#449

Post by wbxp99 »

initatus wrote: post #426
RajT88 wrote: post #373

Costco is my least favorite part of middle age. Although, I do generally like their products and pricing. For some reason my wife likes taking more time there than other places we shop for food, and I get anxious to get it over with. You can bet most of the times I wander off to get things off our list that she's herself wandered off, and the Costco we go to doesn't have good cell coverage. So I then end up both anxi…

I figured out that when I push the cart, my wife runs all over and I struggle to keep up and navigate the cart between the crowds and it's an anxiety inducing experience trying to keep up before she turns a corner, then another, never to be seen again. When she is encumbered with navigating the cart, it's quite easy to stay nearby as all her movements have to be more considered . This also generally restricts her to…

I like to pretend I'm driving a boat and enjoy the sightseeing and people watching. If he finds something he likes, he has to find me with the cart eventually!
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