Costco is always busy. It doesn't matter what time of day you go, it's always a madhouse. The problems start when I become indecisive. I ask The Man a question, he could care less, I hem and haw, he gets frustrated so I get frustrated and by the time we leave we're both cranky. Thankfully we know this and we plan for it.
However on our last trip a few days ago we managed to get in, get our list, get out and we were still happy people! It was amazing. I asked my questions, The Man answered and we went on our merry way. I did ask less questions and didn't hem and haw and The Man didn't get upset by my random ones so it all worked out. It was great! Hopefully we can do this again in the future!
On a completely different note, does anyone else go to Costco for free snacks? We ate PB&J sandwiches for lunch before heading out. Once we got there we were able to get samples of lots of yummy things...beef broth, veggies, egg rolls, bagels with cheese, bagels with ham, steamed buns with pork, chicken breasts, orange chicken...that's just what I remember! We were stuffed by the time we left. We don't usually buy what we sample...though we did buy the beef broth. It was super yummy.
Do you enjoy Costco/Sam's Club/BJ trips? Do you fill up on samples?
We used to live right by Costco when we were up in WA and we'd head there on the weekend as a family to get snacks! If we weren't satisfied by what the free samples were, we'd get hot dogs and fountain drinks afterwards (who am I kidding, we got the hot dogs regardless). I <3 Costco, but you are correct in saying that they are always freakin' packed!
ReplyDeleteWe have a Sam's membership and my hubby LOVES the samples!! Once I heard a report on the news about people who go to places like that on their lunch hour to get a free "meal" and they had a dietician break down how many calories you can expect to get lol. Must've been a slow news day.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of getting a Sam's membership, but I don't think I would use it that often. It's easier for me to go to the commissary. I cannot imagine grocery shopping once a month? How do you do that? I go once a week. It works for me.
ReplyDeleteI love our Costco membership- it totally saves on diapers and wipes and Goldfish! I usually go right as it opens, because it's less crowded then and they don't have samples that early. And I love the side-by-side kid seats in the cart.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone goes to Costco for free snacks. I have been banned from Costco and Sam's by OccDoc. I can't resist buying 1,000 packets of Splenda! It's such a deal!
ReplyDeleteOMG me and my husband would go round and round about the usefulness of going to our local BJ's, because he doesn't see the point in spending a billion dollars and only being able to get like 4 different things. ( he counts a crate of 20 cans of tomato paste as one thing!)So...needless to say it's been a bit of a sore spot :) There was actually one point that we got in an argument, so to spite him I did my entire grocery shopping at BJ's because I knew it would upset him :) We resolved that though...and I no longer shop at BJ's :)
ReplyDeleteWe have a Sam's Club membership (wish it was Cosco but as far as I know there aren't any in St. Louis) and get many of the same things you mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteIronically, we usually end up going during the week and miss out on all the samples but I remember going to Cosco with my dad as a kid specifically for them :)
You are correct. You do have to be decisive or else Costco trips turn into a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteMy family used to go ever few weeks for the samples. That's right, as a family. Mom, Dad, and two little girls in two. Can't decide if that was quality family time or just wee bit ghetto. haha.
I found that I generally overspend at those types of stores, so I am very careful! I mostly buy staples in quantities...like paper towels, trash bags, etc. Am now following your blog. Would love for you to check out my blog and follow back!
ReplyDeleteWe've been using BJs, but we've been talking about switching to Sam's Club. We normally just buy things like paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, etc.
ReplyDeletehave you bought their bruschetta? it's amazing. we've visited costco numerous times and i have seriously considered getting a membership just for the bruschetta. and maybe also for the panera broccoli cheddar soup!
ReplyDeletethe mans mom and dad love to shop there too.but.... we do the same thing you do. It must be hereditary!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a membership to any of those big warehouses, but I used to be a member of Sam's. I've thoughts about getting a membership again, but I don't know, sometimes I think I end up spending MORE money because I think about what a great deal buying in bulk is and then I never use the stuff. Plus, I have very limited storage in my house. Maybe if we get a bigger house.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Wife on the RC
Before we had kids we had Costco memberships and bought a lot of food stuff there.
ReplyDeleteNow we have Sam's club but tend to get things like cereal, drinks and stuff like that. Not sure why that is.
I do wish we had a Costco though.
your shopping trips sound like most of mine... I'm glad your last Costco trip was good. I wishing you many more of those :)
ReplyDeleteI loving going to Whole Foods on the weekends and eating samples.. YUMMY
I love Costco trips, but I definitely need a list or I go overboard. My dad works near a Costco so he goes on his lunch break to pick up items and "grazes". It's so funny how much he loves trying all the different samples.
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