How Costco became a 'third place'

[AdagioM]

I love Costco. I buy a lot of the same stuff that @wtg does.

On my usual list:
Eyeglasses when I need them! So much cheaper than the optician at eye doc office
Eggs (free range) 18 count
cheap wine for Mr. AM (he doesn’t care)
Kirkland prosecco
Nicer bubbly (currently Brut Cattin)
TP
Frozen shrimp, salmon burgers
Frozen blueberries
Quinoa
Olives (stuffed with jalapeno and garlic, yum)
Tuna
Sardines
Sneakers (Skechers $30)
Sometimes prepared food that I can keep in the freezer for when I don’t feel like cooking
Clothes
Gasoline

Anyway, I like it. I’m not making friends there, though. Oh! My niece works there, too.

[Mary Anna]

Costco is fine, if you were already planning to buy a carp ton of something. Quirt is our household's Costco-lover, but I can totally see the value for things like toilet paper that aren't perishable and that you're definitely going to use, presuming you have space to store them in Costco quantities.

There's always the danger of buying a carp ton of something you think you'll use, but you don't. (This is why we'll be taking expired over-the-counter meds for the rest of our natural lives.) Since I'm more of a just-in-time shopper, I pay more per item, but I waste less. It's really hard to do the math on that kind of thing.

I particularly dislike buying a carp ton of something that turns out to be disappointing. I got a bag of green beans last week that were beautiful--emerald green and no strings to speak of--but they literally tasted like nothing. I'd liken them to solid green water. Now there's a container of the leftovers in the refrigerator making me feel guilty, because I do not want to eat them. On the same trip, I got a box of cherry tomatoes. They're delicious and they stayed fresh forever. You just can't know until you get the stuff home and taste it. This is always true, but the waste stings when you've bought a lot of something and it's not good.

As for the original post, I cannot fathom Costco as a third place or as any kind of pleasant social experience. I routinely leave the place hoping I never again have to see another human being.

[RealPlayer]

I’ve noticed that you can get used to buying some item regularly and then BAM, suddenly it’s gone. It all has to do with whatever deal (or lack thereof) that Costco has made with the manufacturer.

[Daniel]

Speaking of buying a carp ton of things, I've bought a lot of household supplies from Walmart.

W...+ is a subscription I like. I'll do things like buy 18 rolls of toilet paper 2 in cart, 13 gallon garbage bags (x2), 32 gallon garbage bags (x2), cleaning vinegar (x2), dishwashing soap (x4), Zep spray bottles (x4), etc.

I guess it's a kind of hoarding. It's partly a trauma response for sure

The problem is the one you might expect. I have some items stocked for months, meaning some amount of that money has been put into the future, that could have been used to pay present bills or could have been used to pay a bill in the present into the future.

As far as the social interaction, it says it- we'll leave your order at the door.

Then do that.

Don't knock.

Non-contact delivery shouldn't include contact.

I'm not rude about it but it's annoying.

[Daniel]

@realplayer I've been entertaining myself watching the price of stock items in stores rise in real time.

It's not just me. People are creating YouTube channels with short videos. Go in one day. Video the price of something. Go in a week or two later...

My favorite (and least favorite I'll admit) so far are- car models in toy section of CVS.

$8.99 for years. Then one day suddenly $19.99.

The other is my analog Casio had a $13 actual price (not retail) for 10 years.

I buy a new one every few years when the face gets scratched up and hard to read, the band starts as soft but becomes less comfortable after a few years, and occasionally the replaceable battery will die but the watch is worn out.

I went to the Wal-Mart site, found it, and bought it a few months ago.

I paid between $25 and $30.

Now I feel like I should be wearing gloves when I handle it.

I actually store it in a locked file cabinet.

[ShiroKuro]

@mary-anna i get the “never want to see another human” part, when we go to Sam’s Club, it’s always just chaos and people seem to be walking around with their eyes closed or something. Maybe if we could go at off-times, but that won’t be an option until I retire.

Another thing I don’t like is the warehouse feel…. That’s what I meant about it being sad that the mall is being replaced by Costco as a gathering place. At least malls had plants and nice places to sit, soft lighting, acoustics that weren’t horribly echo-y… instead we get the warehouse feel, harsh lighting, horrible acoustics, and people trying to run over you with their carts which are piled to the ceiling with soda.

Yay.

[Mary Anna]

@ShiroKuro I agree! I don't know how a Costco warehouse is supposed to function as a third place where people can gather and socialize. If you tried to have a conversation in an aisle, people would be irritated that they couldn't get past you with their carts, and I actually wouldn't blame them. It's not set up as a place to hang out.

Even the food area is crowded and loud. We just get our hot dogs and go, which is fine for what we want to do, but it's not where you'd chit-chat with friends.

[wtg]

Guess you guys aren't doing what the people who were profiled in the article are doing!

[ShiroKuro]

@wtg said:

Guess you guys aren't doing what the people who were profiled in the article are doing!

Nope, not even a little bit!

The popularity of Costco for socializing reminds me of the trends in restaurant interiors as well.

Industrial design is everywhere. It's cold, hard, and noisy.

No thank you!

Maybe disliking this kind of thing is also similar to disliking the trend of gray-everything in houses too....

[Rontuner]

While I have run into a few neighborhood folks at our local Costco, I would never look at it as a gathering place, though there are always lots of folks eating...