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I want to live like Costco people

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Re: I want to live like Costco people

#691

Post by tpmoney »

Spooky23 wrote: post #538
jatora wrote: post #533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dont understand this. All Costco memberships are functionally $65 at most. How is this beyond literally anyone in America? Am I so out of touch? Why would corner stores have to pool together to get a membership when they absolutely negate the cost of the membership from the cashback? You only have to spend roughly $6,500/year for the executive membership of $130 to cost zero. That seems like something a corner stor…

You’re probably a professional with a good wage. The working poor are too poor to have much and too rich to be poor and get benefits. They are cashflow constrained. When I coached little league, we had parents who walked miles to games because the bus fare (1.50) for 3-4 people would push them over the edge. Vulture companies like dollar general exist because they sell consumer staples in smaller quantities at a slig…

I’ve never been “need to stop at the food bank” poor thankfully, but I have been “dinner this week is rice and 50¢ frozen pot pies”, “living with 4 other people to make rent”, “boss I need more hours or I literally can’t afford the gas to come to work for the hours you’ve scheduled me” poor. And even in those times one of my very first purchases was a BJs membership (Costco like club) because it was absolutely cheaper to buy a lot of my groceries and food stuffs that way.

It is possible to be too poor to afford a membership club (even Sam’s Club). But you absolutely do not need to be a “professional with a good wage” to afford it or benefit from it.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#692

Post by wcfields »

alhazrod wrote: post #144
legitster wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "What's great about this country is America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you can know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All th…

An Italian man once told me, "Coca-Cola is American champagne." Take it as you will.

It's only Coca-Cola if it comes from the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée of Atlanta, otherwise it's only a sparking cola beverage.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#693

Post by tpmoney »

bschwindHN wrote: post #566
jatora wrote: post #533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dont understand this. All Costco memberships are functionally $65 at most. How is this beyond literally anyone in America? Am I so out of touch? Why would corner stores have to pool together to get a membership when they absolutely negate the cost of the membership from the cashback? You only have to spend roughly $6,500/year for the executive membership of $130 to cost zero. That seems like something a corner stor…

> $65 is the cost of one or two fast food meals. Okay I'm really curious, where do you live and what are you eating for a "fast food meal"? That's at least 10x what I pay for a fast food meal, and although I know California and other places are expensive, I wouldn't have guessed they are that expensive.

These days Taco Bell for two people will easily hit $15-20 and that’s at the drive through. If you’re crazy enough to order it through door dash, that’s closer to $40

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#694

Post by jsbisviewtiful »

aorloff wrote: post #326
jsbisviewtiful wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Costco is a store... where coffee, usually gas and most food + home goods are reliable in quality and priced well comparatively. Comparing the price of salmon fillets at Costco to Whole Foods or elsewhere is eye-opening. Would I buy clothes or furniture from Costco? No - because both are bland. The end. If the writer wants to make it anything more than that... They are a bit too obsessed with self-image vs wasting mo…

I think you might be missing a subtle point about Costco, and how it fits into the social order. Costco pledges (I have no idea if its true) that they offer goods at cost, no markup, and their profits (net income ? this is where it gets fuzzy) are simply the membership fees. In fact, I think there's a lawsuit from a Costco purchaser to get back some tariffs if Costco gets refunded tariffs. So the idea is premium groc…

> I think you might be missing a subtle point about Costco

It's not a subtle point. Members buy a membership and if they shop there enough recoup the cost of the membership and more. It's their entire business model.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#695

Post by tpmoney »

insane_dreamer wrote: post #586
jatora wrote: post #533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dont understand this. All Costco memberships are functionally $65 at most. How is this beyond literally anyone in America? Am I so out of touch? Why would corner stores have to pool together to get a membership when they absolutely negate the cost of the membership from the cashback? You only have to spend roughly $6,500/year for the executive membership of $130 to cost zero. That seems like something a corner stor…

> How is this beyond literally anyone in America? not only is the membership cost up front, but because you're buying in bulk, the cost of the food is also up front; that doesn't work if you're literally living 2-week paycheck to paycheck. Nearly 40% of Americans have less than $500 in savings. > $65 is the cost of one or two fast food meals ... Am I so out of touch? yes

When I had less than $50 in savings and lived paycheck to paycheck, I still had a BJs membership. When I was growing up living in a single teacher income home and “K-Mart” was our luxury store, we had a BJs membership. Sales clubs like Costco and BJs are absolutely affordable even to the working poor.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#696

Post by dzonga »

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…

people like to shit on carbs - but they have done wonders in terms of ensuring food security & population growth.

that same "koku" ensures - you can buy your portion of rice once a year & as long as you keep it dry - you're certainly sure you won't starve.

same applies to boxed pasta boxes, beans etc.

storing meat would surely be more expensive & a much bigger hustle.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#698

Post by Dylan16807 »

mft_ wrote: post #621
Dylan16807 wrote: post #564

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> enough cash to cover You don't need to buy the membership with cash. Credit card, pay off $3-5 a week with your food savings, you'll barely pay any interest. Also not having $400 would have to be the number after buying food with your paycheck, right? If you get the membership as part of your first food purchase, including that nice bag of rice, you'll be okay.

You’re not mathematically wrong, but you assume that everyone has a rational disciplined approach to their finances, and a reasonably stable income behind that. And for buying in bulk (which is basically what Costco offers) to work, you need a larger amount of available cash up front, and a home with sufficient safe space for storage. And of course you need some sort of transport to bring your bulk purchases home fro…

> you assume that everyone has a rational disciplined approach to their finances, and a reasonably stable income behind that.

I'm not assuming that. If you get a paycheck at all you can impulse buy a $65 thing.

> And for buying in bulk (which is basically what Costco offers) to work, you need a larger amount of available cash up front, and a home with sufficient safe space for storage.

The bag of rice is cheap and compact, along with many other options. Your upfront need can be covered by your normal spend.

Yes it does need a mild amount of safety.

> transport

For sure, but I was responding about the $65 issue.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#699

Post by HDThoreaun »

antonvs wrote: post #250
legitster wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "What's great about this country is America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you can know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All th…

Andy Warhol was an apologist for the toxic consumer culture in the US. It’s a big part of why he was so successful. Coke is a great example. There’s no product more useless and unnecessary than that flavored fizzy sugar water. Or should I say, high fructose corn syrup water. If you drink it, why? Probably because you were indoctrinated since childhood. Same goes for pretty much all fast food. There’s nothing good or…

Absolute shit take. Coke provides untold joy to countless people. You can psychoanalyze why until youre blue in the face, but the joy is real.

Re: I want to live like Costco people

#700

Post by HDThoreaun »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #477
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…

> Of course, America is a fucking giant and diverse place, and I think that even native born Americans have no fucking idea of how many different Americas exist, so, take my views of America with a giant grain of salt. I've been around a good amount of the US and yeah, being very judgey on brands just doesn't seem to be much of a thing. Maybe if I hung around rich people it'd be different, but I do know some rich peo…

> Maybe if I hung around rich people it'd be different

Most rich people I know not only dont give a shit a brands, they actively judge you negatively for buying expensive brands that they see as non-utilitarian. Not even a tech thing either, maybe it's because chicago has a generally blue collar vibe and it would be different with rich people on the coasts, but I know many rich people and almost all of them judge for wasting money and buying into advertising psyops

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