She’d forgotten. I had an apprehension it might be gruesome.
It was gruesome.
It was shopping cart gridlock near the free food handouts, which were in the main aisles.
I got the requisite broccoli, succumbed to a food sample [smoked salmon and jalapeno cheese: I got some] and headed for the Nitrile Exam gloves…
All went well. Until I lost my credit card and receipt on the way between the register and the door. Someone did see my credit card fall, and gave me that, but then I had to go get the checkout person to prove I’d paid for the stuff. 4 bags of broccoli. Gimme a break. I’m stealing four bags of broccoli, a packet of smoked salmon and a quarter round of cheese?
Then Costco. Scored the short hose, but the kid at checkout in the garden dept didn’t know that cow manure and steer manure were operationally equivalent in the garden. Then he sent me outside to load the steer manure. But no compost. I went back in, about equivalent to facing the Greenbay Packers in the doorway, a tide of shoppers with geraniums and rocking chairs (a special, I gather)—and I got to where the compost might.
The bags are waterlogged and weigh like juvenile sin. I got them onto the cart, and FINALLY one of the loaders showed up and asked if he could help. Oh, yes, indeedy, I don’t fancy slinging those leak-prone bags UP into the car bed with the broccoli…
Holidays at either of these two stores are nowhere I want to be in the near future…
I’m curious: Why not Costco’s pharmacy and eyeglass shop? I’m especially curious about the latter as I need new glasses, multiple pairs. All opinions solicited.
And the broccoli does what in the garden? Would growing broccoli have the same effect?
Their glasses aren’t bad. I got two pairs of bifocals (clear progressive and tinted regular) for less than $300, with a coupon that took a bit (maybe $25) off. That’s about half what Lenscrafters charges, and at least as good quality.
The secret to Costco is to go in early on weekends, or on weekdays before everyone gets off work.
Costco is a good company—pays its employees very well, while the CEO declines anything but a very nice living. The store has good merchandise, a great returns policy—if it doesn’t work, or you don’t like it, bring it back. And another secret is figuring out (use the internet) where in town it sells its returns. Our return-resale is a little hole in the wall shop that’s pretty well dedicated to weird stuff and Costco returns, which it does not/cannot advertise it does: I had to ferret it out by googling something like ‘Costco returns resale spokane’ or some similar search string. They’re only a mile or so from Costco proper.
Walmart is about 5 miles closer to us, and while I despise Walmart, the traveling optometrists (2) are both excellent, the office staff is very nice, and they are available without an appointment—if you have an emergency, you go, you wait, and they work you in usually within 30 minutes, which, if you’ve scratched your eye, is a real relief. At Costco, not so easy: they’re busier and more tightly scheduled and don’t really handle optic first aid.
Love Costco. Our store (Coralville Iowa) recently got a new optometrist, a woman. My ophthalmologist told me about her and gave her training and experience rave reviews. I can’t switch (need the ophthalmologist) but have been telling people about her, and my son and I recently looked over the possibilities for glasses, though we aren’t getting any just yet. Impressed with the prices and the available frames.
If I weren’t already at Walmart, and if they weren’t my ‘first aid’ for the frequent acts of stupidity I commit re vision—I’d be over to Costco like a shot.
Thank you CJ & PJ & NHSj (and TIA anyone else).
Thanks for the info anent return sell offs, though a Costco worker told me (some time ago) that all contracts required the seller to accept return (though, I suppose, they could do so through an agent); the gist of the worker’s remarks was, don’t worry about Costco, our contracts protect us.
What worries me about Costco–more as an investment than a store–is that they seem to have dropped good value in favor of gold-plated mediocrity and have little for singles or older/dieting couples (which is demographic suicide!) A $100+ shaver is ridiculous; and a $300 blender, more so; buying several pounds of refrigerated anything is silly unless you’re a family of four-plus: do you really want to eat it for every meal until it expires?
So while I used to be able to shop Costco carefree, I now have to worry about value and time-to-expiration. Having to think while I shop Costco is probably not something they want, and I deplore the loss of the care-free attitude I could formally adopt. I still use them, but it’s becoming marginal.
Their return policy, though, is what keeps me a member. I bought a $300+ camera I may or may not keep. Being able to try then decide is good. Unlike Jane, I can’t abide a “luggable” camera: the term luggable apropos portable computers with CRTs. If I get an SLR, I won’t lug the body–much less a good selection of lenses; if I don’t have it, I can’t shoot with it. Still, the camera I have on spec(ulation) from Costco is oddly fuzzy and of little more resolution or light gathering than my previous camera, nearly a decade old. The camera manufacturers are going to have to get on the ball unless they want to follow sliderule manufacturers into technology’s dustbin.
(CJ, Jane and others: comments on punctuation, wording, and other nits appreciated. I tend to get a little strange reading P.O’B.)
Ack: …I could formerly adopt… (Third paragraph.)
With Costco, like anything else, you have to do due diligence to make sure you’re getting a good buy. I agree about the return policy being a big draw. I’ve only had to return a few things over the years, one of which was a standalone storage drive (3 TB) which cagged after 9 months. It took some research on the part of the returns desk, but they eventually tracked down the record (they had stopped carrying that particular drive), refunded, and were able to direct me to a replacement. We also used Costco Auto to buy our Honda.