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They do not do PET meds on line so I must drive 90 miles (each way) to get several meds for my dogs. Still the quarterly savings on drugs and other stuff more than cover the cost of gas, even for my Suburban.
We have had a very different experience here, though we are only 6 miles from Costco corporate headquarters which could affect it. We have 3 within 20 minutes, in Issaquah, Kirkland, and the newest in Redmond. Since that new one opened Issaquah is not nearly as crowded, but Redmond never has more than 2-3 people in line at each checkout, and we have never had to wait for gas, since there are 4 sets of 4 pumps, 2-side so 32 cars can fill at once. We gave up our Sam's membership when they quit carrying several of our favorite items, and because the nearest is 45 minutes away. All of our Costco employees have been friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. The Redmond store customers are probably 50% from India, so they carry a lot of Indian foods we have never heard of, and reminds me of the one in Vancouver, B.C. They still have all the usual stuff, it's just a bigger store, well planned based on area demographics.
The nearest Costco is over 50% Indian...the rest is about half Chinese, half other. Tiny parking lot, tiny gas station, rude employees, packed store, rude customers...so many reasons to not go there.
First of all, I love Costco. I've been a member for almost 20 years. But...a couple of pet peeves:
Price Matching Their Online Items: I've had this happen a couple of times. I buy something on their site, then it goes on sale afterward. So I take the item to the store, and they will refund my purchase and then I can order it again at the lower price. That's all well and good. But they won't simply give you the difference and let you return home with the original item. That is SO inefficient on their part.
The original item is now used and can't go back into the inventory, and another item has to be shipped out. I realize that Costco would have a corporate account with the shipper, so a second shipping doesn't really cost them what it would you or I, but it's still a waste.
Self-Service Checkout: Loved it, but they discontinued them. For single people like me that never really fill up our cart, they were great to get through quickly.
My local Costco used to have the self-service checkout stands, too, and I miss them.
About the only reason I hate going to Costco is because they get SO incredibly packed, no matter what day of the week but the weekends are especially bad.
I had a strange one. Bread loaves of one brand were individually packaged, but sold as pairs. The customer must put two bagged loaves in a third bag. I did not notice the sign with the instructions. I did not want two loaves, but the store refused to sell one loaf. The third bag is a waste of packaging. Next time I may wonder what crazy BS will they pull on customers who don't notice some sign with special instructions.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,580 posts, read 81,186,228 times
Reputation: 57818
Quote:
Originally Posted by RationalExpectations
No one goes to Costco anymore; it's too crowded.
Ah, wasn't that Yogi Berra?
We were at ours in Redmond WA last Thursday about 3pm, and honestly I have never seen it so quiet. We got toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, AAbatteries, a few other things and our usual foods, went to a checkout with only one person ahead of us. It's about 6 miles (20 minutes) away, and from our door back to our door took only about an hour, to spend $180.
Crowd levels vary significantly ( with no apparent rhyme or reason) and sometimes we go and the lines are insane, and most times, very minimal.
Ours has the self checkout.
Mostly I do love Costco but I have also found their price match to be very tiresome. (but hey, I am not "above" returning and rebuying it it's all identical and small enough and I get $ back.
Here's a CostCo tip, for getting thru the line bullet fast.
Orient your items with the SKU facing upwards.
If you have only a few items, DO NOT REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR CART.
This will expedite your transaction so much faster.
Don't have them remove from the cart to place on the belt. And then have to replace BACK in said cart...
Don't request "boxes."
They'll just scan everything in your cart, you tap your card, get your receipt and walk to the door. If they don't have to move your bananas outta the way, it takes 13 seconds to complete the whole transaction.
Try it next time.
EDIT~ Yes, I realize this is a necro'd thread of 2017, but maybe, juuust maybe, someone will do what I listed above, and then I won't have to wait for them to get their damn change...
Last edited by NORTY FLATZ; 11-29-2020 at 09:35 PM..
Reason: Sometimes, it just might make a difference...
Wish Costco would keep carrying CheckUps- Kirkland brand dog dental chews. I stock up every time our Costco has them. Wish they would just stock them.
Other than that, I love shopping at Costco. I go early in the day and buzz right through. Keep back stock of organic garbanzo beans, organic basmati rice, paper towels, ...
I can buzz through once a month. Two two weeks later, we are in need of more produce and milk, so I do a quick shopping trip at our local grocery store.
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