sbisson | You will be assimilated...

We seem to have become Costco members over the weekend, having somehow missed the opening of a branch in Croydon last year. Well, to be precise,

marypcb is a member, I just have the delightfully named "spouse card".

I spotted it online the other day, and discovered that either of us could be corporate members. We scared up the documentation for

marypcb's company, and tootled over to the monstrous establishment somewhere on an industrial estate. It's a cthuloid site, a huge temple to mammon and consumption with everything inside supersized or larger. Huge shelves and wide freezers fill the site, while you wheel around a trolley the size of a small family car.

We came out fully signed up, and, at the same time, have stocked up on many of the things we needed for the house. Apart from, of course, some of the things we went in for in the first place. It's probably some form of PTSD, as you get overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything there (though as

marypcb pointed out, it's just US style/size packaging in the UK!).

Now that we have our photograph-embellished membership cards, it's like being part of a cult.

A large cult, with very few rules (apart from "spend all your money here"), but a cult all the same.

Though not so much of one as the Ikea Family. Now that's a cult.

Why yes, we're members of that too.

Come, join the Family...

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My problem with Costco is that I have so many impulse buys of "look at this! It's cheap!" that I spend MUCH MUCH MORE than I would have carefully shopping at a regular store. Oh well.

*just* like Ikea!

Costco packages are bigger than normal US package sizes, too.

what I joked was that catering sizes here are US retail sizes, at least for things like nachos. There are bigger catering/Costco packs in the US but a bunch of stuff in the UK Costco is more like a family size pack in the US. Nachos here come in a bag that might be A4 but is half full of air; nachos in Trader Joes or Walmart come in something more like legal (or bigger) and rather better filled. they're to scale with US car sizes, which feel entirely natural after I've been in the US 3-4 hours... and gallon juice bottles fit in US fridges in a way they simply won't in UK fridges ;-)

I am used to shopping at US style stores and I find Costco overwhelming. If we go there together Jack wants to walk up and down every aisle and I....just....can't....do....that.

Whisper it, but some of the Costco prices don't seem all that good to me. The availability of product is occasionally outstanding - there are things that it's not possible to get elsewhere, at least Oop Norf - but some of the prices are definitely beatable.

Does your Costco have Christmas lights on sale yet? Oh how we laughed when we saw them on sale in the middle of August. (Sort of laughed, at least.)

"Whisper it, but some of the Costco prices don't seem all that good to me."

Way back when father had a Makro card we would find the same, also when I had the use of a friend's card for another cash and carry (can't remember which). We found you could make massive savings on some items, but others would be as cheap if not cheaper in the supermarket. In general, food in catering packs (as opposed to multi packs for resale) was the best buy, and non-food items the least economical

we call Costco the hundred-dollar store because we can't get out before spending a hundred dollars...

Peace

All the packages here in the US are also bigger than the US norm. Manufacturers bend over to create unique groupings, assortments, and gatherings-of-many-into-one to meet the requirements of the warehouse-store masters.

I too was in Costco in Croydon last week - quite incredible. We bought food and drink for a party but I am seriously considering going every week!

You will be assimilated...

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Is that a big package I see in your hand?

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