16 Shopping Days Left

It’s a Costco World

By Alan Kleinfeld, 12-08-05

Nine times out of 10, when I buzz my mom on her cell phone, she’s at Costco. She loves the place and can’t seem to get enough of it. She’s not alone.

Albuquerque has two Costco locations, both of them apparently busy from opening to closing. When I lived in Washington, DC, the nearest Costco had a teeny parking lot, so not only did you have to wait in the checkout line indoors, but then you had to spend another 30 plus minutes just getting out of the parking lot. We used our membership twice in a 12-month period. We did not renew our $45 membership. Until we moved to Albuquerque.

We haven’t used it yet. We simply aren’t sure if the crowds, long lines and stuffed parking lots are worth it. Plus, we just don’t need that much stuff. There are only two of us in our home and we’re not convinced we need a five-pound bag of pretzels or tub of butter that can double as a fish tank. I’d rather pay a bit more and just be done with it at a regular grocery story, with regular sized quantities. But people like my mom swear by Costco.

These are actual phone conversations with my mother in the course of a few days:
Me: “Hi. Where are you?�
Mom: “At Costco.�
Me: “Again? What are you doing?�
Mom: “Filling the car with gas.�

Another call.
Me: “Hi. Where are you?�
Mom: “At Costco.�
Me: “Big surprise. What this time?�
Mom: “Picking up pictures of my trip.�

And yet another call.
Me: “Hi. Where are you?�
Mom: “At Costco�
Me: “Oy! What, do you live there?�
Mom: “What?! I’m getting a flu shot.�

And one more.
Me: “Hi. Where are you?�
Mom: “At Costco�
Me: “They must have named an aisle after you by now.�
Mom: “Please. I’m buying some kitty chow and a diamond bracelet.�

Okay. I made up that last one, but the point is that if she wanted to buy cat food and jewelry, she can do it at Costco. If she wanted to buy a car, book a trip to the Caribbean, fill a prescription, pick up some Budweiser, refinance the house, get a copier for the office and still buy some salsa, she could do it with one stop to Costco. Heck, she could even purchase a casket. A fricking casket! The question isn’t what can you get there, but what can’t you get there?

Choose from pants, DVDs, books, fresh produce, booze galore, dry goods, house wares, computers and stereo equipment. On the company’s Web site (www.costco.com), it lists about 14 shopping categories from appliances to movies to toys to furniture to apparel to urns to hardware to food and wine.

The hardest part of Costco is getting in and out with just the essentials. Walking through the aisles, you end up robotically collecting items just because you can. So even if you don’t intend to be a part of an already over-consumed population, you tend to be so at Costco. And why not? Who can refuse a 12-pack of tube socks for a few sheckles?

Is it a good deal? Maybe. I’m not sold yet. It certainly appears to be one-stop-shopping and the prices seem reasonable for what you get. If you have 23 kids or run your own Circle-K and need the large quantities, it might end up being worthwhile. If not, then stick with Raley’s.

In the past, we’ve purchased breakfast cereal and a case of cola (among other household goods) and when we calculated the cost of buying the bulk size compared to the regular grocery store size, the savings didn’t make the experience or membership worthwhile (of course, our test wasn’t scientific by any means). Plus, by the time two people finish the refrigerator-sized box of cereal, it’s stale. On the other hand, you can buy enough toilet paper in one package to last 15 years. You may never have to buy Charmin again!

I have friends and family that rave about the meat and produce, saying it’s better than any grocery in town. For large gatherings, it’s a blessing. You can get everything you need for the Christmas Dinner or New Year’s Eve party in one stop and still pick up a new outfit.

We knew it originally as Price Club when it first opened in Albuquerque. It merged with Costco Wholesale in 1993, becoming PriceCostco, which became Costco in 1997. The company operates 464 warehouses, most of them in the United States, but with locations in Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Mexico.

If nothing else, it's good to know that people all over the world can purchase their orange juice, tires for the car, eye shadow and ailing Aunt Gertrude’s final resting place all under one corrugated steel roof.

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