My in-person shopping has been rather limited in these recent couple of years. The one place that I have on rotation is Costco – a store that I didn’t really frequent much until now.
The reason why I shop at Costco now is because it carries most of the household items I need so I don’t have to run around. Literally, from groceries to cooked foods to clothes and shoes to toiletries and cleaning products – what more can you ask for?
You have to have a Costco membership in order to shop at Costco (most of the time at least – there are some exceptions).
You can choose to either be a Gold Star Member or an Executive Member. Although the Executive Membership is twice the cost of the Gold Star Membership, you do get 2% cash back on all qualifying purchases – trust me, this can add up quite quickly.
Now, where does the “hate” stem from? I’m personally a bit confused with this right now but my shopping experiences can range greatly and I realize that it’s because some people come across very “rude”! I’ve tried to be as rational as possible when analyzing this because people are the same everywhere so it would be weird if Costco attracted “rude” people!
I believe people are more “aggressive” while shopping at Costco because it’s always so busy. In order to get what they want, people will behave in a more “aggressive” manner.
Although the isles are wide, the carts are also quite big so you can imagine the bottleneck that can happen on each end of the isles where samples are now being offered again…….
Most things are sold in bulk – unless you have a big family, some food items might spoil before you can eat it. This is quite convenient for some businesses though because I do see carts full of muffins and other baked goods which makes me question if what I buy at a cafe is really baked fresh in-house.
Costco is also notorious for rearranging where they stock their products. You might find yourself having to wonder aimlessly to find what you’re looking for. I understand that the goal is to have customers walk through more of the store and hopefully pick up more items but this can be rather frustrating.
As busy as Costco is, their fruits and produce can sometimes be far from being “fresh”. Though this is the case, the prices are never reduced like other grocery stores. In these instances, I recommend that you shop elsewhere – I’m not joking, your tummy and wallet will appreciate it.
When the shopping experience isn’t ideal, go check out Costco’s food court. There’s nothing a hot dog and pop combo with an ice cream can’t fix – it’s worth a try at least!
Happy shopping!
