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I want to live like Costco people

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Re: I want to live like Costco people

#501

Post by ethagnawl »

asdff wrote: post #476
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…

My secret is just parking immediately on the edge of the lot and walking the 100 yards on in. People will play this stupid game for 10 minutes getting steaming red waiting for a spot near the front and I'm already shopping.

This is a good option if there are any spots available. At my local Costcos (Danbury and Orange, CT) the lots are often completely full and there's a queue just to enter the lot.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#502

Post by brailsafe »

qrush wrote: post #6

I just got (at 38) a Costco membership this year, thanks to my in-laws gifting us a membership. There's another huge discount retailer here in Boston (BJs) that I have gone to for years, but Costco is another 10+ min drive away so I've resisted thus far. I will say... I'm still adjusting. - No aisle signs or labels anywhere. I understand the retail strategy here but the lack of efficiency in MY experience kills me. C…

Ya I don't see the appeal either. Imo it's just a place that takes advantage of suburbanites' love of buying excessive amounts of crap they don't need while simultaneously avoiding the spaces outside their car, work, or home. All the more power to them!

I'll join on an occasional trip if I feel like it's a chicken month, but ultimately it seems like a place designed to make it as easy as possible to spend more than I normally would on large amounts of mediocre or bad food and products. It's not remotely a natural optimization of my normal buying habits.

Ironically, I do have a must buy item though, which is the plush blankets.

It makes way more sense to me to just always have a backpack and pick up a few items at a time from smaller shops or other chains, and pay to live closer to these places

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#503

Post by kemitchell »

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…

I wish Costco were accessible to basically everyone. Among some poorer people I've got to know in the SF Bay Area, having the card and confidence in the means to use it are a mark of the middle class, an aspirational thing.

Membership is an up-front cost. That excludes those who can't part with the cash for no immediate benefit. Depending on what you buy, and what else is available around you, breakeven can take a good part of the year and a sizable number of purchases. Basically, you have to have the cash flow to play with money over time, even over a short timeline like an annual membership cycle.

Costco also sells many if not all items in relatively large quantity, so membership makes more sense for those who can afford to pre-buy and store more than they need. It's the inverse of something like a so-called dollar store, which is too often where poor people get stuck buying smaller than grocery-standard quantities at higher per-unit costs.

Of course, sometimes it makes sense to pool funds, buy together on one membership, and break packs. That costs coordination. Corner stores in poorer areas where I live often do this, with business memberships and resale certificates. At a margin, of course.

I can't pretend to truly understand what it's like not being able to afford Costco. But I've had some opportunities to hear people who see it as out of reach. And to make some trips with "guests".

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#504

Post by alliao »

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…

https://x.com/patrickheizer/status/2051972462414307659

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#505

Post by alliao »

mc3301 wrote: post #454
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…

Too bad in Japan that it's about 30USD for an 11 lb (5kg) of bad of rice. Japanese rice, in Japan, is nearly 5 times more expensive. (Note that last year, 5kg bags were as much as 8000jpy for standard rice, prices have come down a bit, but not a lot.)

tariffs made Japanese rice farmers lazy.. just drop it and Japan will go back and eat rice

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#506

Post by HWR_14 »

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…

Rice is not created equal. Don't you need brown rice for the nutrients?

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#507

Post by cucumber3732842 »

NathanielK wrote: post #496
cucumber3732842 wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Lightning was crew cab only.

I know. I think that's dumb. At least offer extended if not single.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#508

Post by malfist »

b0rtb0rt wrote: post #435
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…

f150 power boost is superior, has all the features you mention but you can use gasoline to keep your generator going

Why would I want to lug around an engine everywhere I go? I'd only need it like once or twice a year.

As for the generator aspect, with its 135 kWh battery pack, I can power the aquariums for weeks and weeks.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#509

Post by alliao »

shopping at Costco reminds me of reading news in a bad way, Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect way. And it's bit of a shame because there's this already implicit trust that have formed over the years, but it just seems really hard to keep enshittification at bay. For Costco to continue they really need to up their game and make consumer their absolute fan by first stop destroying their gut health. Junk food's fine, but chicken mince honestly don't need all that additives.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#510

Post by alliao »

gessha wrote: post #440
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.

I often times walk through a local store chain and see 30 types of mustard on the shelves and I think to myself: “Who needs so much choice?” Another thing on the top of my mind is oatmeal - I’m not a oatmeal connoisseur but I can’t taste the difference between the 5-10 types of oatmeal in the store, not that I’ve an active choice to try them. Do we need that much diversity in oatmeal choices? And so on and so on.

unfortunately when there are so many choices the usual reason is because they are all bad...
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