How Costco became a 'third place'
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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.
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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.
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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.
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@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.
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@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.
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@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.
@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.
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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....
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C'mon guys, all together now: "GET OFF MY LAWN!!"
So it's 1980. People meet in person, right? At school, at work, at church? If you had told me back then that I would have a bunch of online friends whom I've never met and that I've been part of the group for nearly 20 years, I would have thought you were crazy. And that some of us would meet and marry, having first met online? Fantasy world!
For a bunch of a different reasons, you couldn't drag me to a shopping mall, a Taylor Swift concert, or a Star Trek convention, but clearly a lot of people find those venues inviting, and I think that's great. They've found their comfy places to land, to be with people who share their interests. Costco nerds are just another flavor of that.
This thread has gotten into what we like/don't like about Costco and the bigger point that's being missed is recognizing that we human beings continue to find new ways to connect with each other. Costco is just one example. Not a terribly important one, but just another way. And it may not be yours.
It's not that complicated.
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C'mon guys, all together now: "GET OFF MY LAWN!!"
So it's 1980. People meet in person, right? At school, at work, at church? If you had told me back then that I would have a bunch of online friends whom I've never met and that I've been part of the group for nearly 20 years, I would have thought you were crazy. And that some of us would meet and marry, having first met online? Fantasy world!
For a bunch of a different reasons, you couldn't drag me to a shopping mall, a Taylor Swift concert, or a Star Trek convention, but clearly a lot of people find those venues inviting, and I think that's great. They've found their comfy places to land, to be with people who share their interests. Costco nerds are just another flavor of that.
This thread has gotten into what we like/don't like about Costco and the bigger point that's being missed is recognizing that we human beings continue to find new ways to connect with each other. Costco is just one example. Not a terribly important one, but just another way. And it may not be yours.
It's not that complicated.
If you had told me back then that I would have a bunch of online friends whom I've never met and that I've been part of the group for nearly 20 years, I would have thought you were crazy.
Oh absolutely!!
the bigger point that's being missed is recognizing that we human beings continue to find new ways to connect with each other. Costco is just one example.
I'm beginning to think that no one read the article....
I actually did read the article, when you first posted it. And when I posted that it seems sad that malls are being replaced by Costco (which looks like a warehouse), I wrote that based on reading the article, and also based on the fact that "cozy spaces" seem to be being replaced with cold, metal and concrete spaces. That might be a "get off my lawn" take, but it is most definitely an aesthetic take. (Which is why I mentioned the gray trend).
But back to your larger point... In fact, I think a lot of us humans (self included) are having a harder and harder time finding ways to connect with each other. For those who do manage to connect, whether it's at Costco or somewhere else, great! For the rest of us.... Well at least we still have WTF!
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If you had told me back then that I would have a bunch of online friends whom I've never met and that I've been part of the group for nearly 20 years, I would have thought you were crazy.
Oh absolutely!!
the bigger point that's being missed is recognizing that we human beings continue to find new ways to connect with each other. Costco is just one example.
I'm beginning to think that no one read the article....
I actually did read the article, when you first posted it. And when I posted that it seems sad that malls are being replaced by Costco (which looks like a warehouse), I wrote that based on reading the article, and also based on the fact that "cozy spaces" seem to be being replaced with cold, metal and concrete spaces. That might be a "get off my lawn" take, but it is most definitely an aesthetic take. (Which is why I mentioned the gray trend).
But back to your larger point... In fact, I think a lot of us humans (self included) are having a harder and harder time finding ways to connect with each other. For those who do manage to connect, whether it's at Costco or somewhere else, great! For the rest of us.... Well at least we still have WTF!
but it is most definitely an aesthetic take
No one I know goes to McDonald's for the food, coffee, or atmosphere.
We have a friend who goes to McDonald's every day for a gathering with a bunch of buddies. Every day at 10 and they're there till noon. During COVID they would sit outside on the benches.
In the olden days, it would have been a group of women and it would have been called a "coffee klatch".
It's all about the people.
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but it is most definitely an aesthetic take
No one I know goes to McDonald's for the food, coffee, or atmosphere.
We have a friend who goes to McDonald's every day for a gathering with a bunch of buddies. Every day at 10 and they're there till noon. During COVID they would sit outside on the benches.
In the olden days, it would have been a group of women and it would have been called a "coffee klatch".
It's all about the people.
It's all about the people.
I want to agree with this, but at the same time, it's also about the acoustics! I can't stand trying to talk to someone where there are bad acoustics, and industrial design is always noisy. (I don't have anything to say about McDonalds because I haven't been inside a McDonalds in many, many years).
But having said that, if there was some place I could go to find people to connect with, chat, make some new IRL friends... well that would be wonderful.
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When we moved downtown, we decided to choose bar seating when we went out to eat. (pretty common dinner choice) We have met a very interesting mix of people - both local 'bar rats' as well as the people in town for conventions and other events. Getting to know the bartenders and other staff has benefits too.. Yes, community is where you find or create it!
We have a number of places within a 10 minute walk and if we need more steps that day there are way more worth the walk a little farther away.
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but it is most definitely an aesthetic take
No one I know goes to McDonald's for the food, coffee, or atmosphere.
We have a friend who goes to McDonald's every day for a gathering with a bunch of buddies. Every day at 10 and they're there till noon. During COVID they would sit outside on the benches.
In the olden days, it would have been a group of women and it would have been called a "coffee klatch".
It's all about the people.
sorry, I have to disagree.
I used to go to McDonald’s for the coffee. Two reasons. 1- I have no taste in coffee. 2- they used to have a senior discount at a dollar a cup.
I would never do anything foolish like speak to any human beings there, but I would grab my one dollar coffee and go for a nice walk…
edit- and no, there’s no real point in me posting this other than to be annoying…
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Since I participated in the thread drift and I'm sorry about that, I have now read the article.
I think the article's point that people are starving for a place to be together is completely valid. The stories of people who have found community and love are touching, and I totally support people finding ways to connect. Some people find that at Costco. Some people find it at the stalwart malls that are still limping along. (We have one of those about five minutes from the house, which is even a teeny bit closer than Costco.) Whatever works!
My father and his friends used to get breakfast at a local burger chain, and I've known other people that had the same setup at McDonald's. I find fast food places marginally more welcoming than Costco's food court, although it occurs to me that they may vary by location. Our Costco's food court is very crowded and loud. Places like McDonald's are a little better laid out for dinner table conversation.
Coffee shops are nice. I can walk to several from the house, and I frequently meet friends there. It would be nice to be able to go there as a regular and chat with people as they come in, but I don't sense that happens often.
There's also an independent bookstore a short walk from here, and I've attended events and led the mystery book group there. I had coffee later with one of the book group members but, again, it was arranged and not that "third place" kind of thing where you hang out and talk to the people who show up. I wonder if many people have access to that kind of place these days. The article makes me think they probably don't.
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