I am not cut out for Costco

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Pentagon City Costco?

I left DC in 2009 and still have nightmares over the Pentagon City Costco parking lot. It is the stuff of legends in my house. We still use it as a measure of reference in our house.

[Anonymous]

This is true for EVERY costco. I hate it. The inside is worse. They need to require training in order to get your card. Like...don't park you cart in the middle of the aisle to roam around. Don't walk 5 across one cart. Leave kids at home. Push your cart from the handle not drag it from the side. They should implement the "commissary" ways from days gone by: You park your cart in a cart lot inside the store and bring your items to it. The carts are too freaking big for the overcrowded store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is true for EVERY costco. I hate it. The inside is worse. They need to require training in order to get your card. Like...don't park you cart in the middle of the aisle to roam around. Don't walk 5 across one cart. Leave kids at home. Push your cart from the handle not drag it from the side. They should implement the "commissary" ways from days gone by: You park your cart in a cart lot inside the store and bring your items to it. The carts are too freaking big for the overcrowded store.

This is true. I had never heard of a cart lot but that sounds brilliant. Once you've filled your cart in this pen then you just roll it to a register? My guess is people would buy less and they don't want that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right before it snows is NEVER a good time for Costco. Let alone most people still are not back to work from the holidays. You picked a bad day to go.

+1 Wait a few weeks for the weather and holiday to calm down. This was a bad time to have your first Costco experience!

I’m less familiar with the MD stores but in VA, it’s known to avoid Fairfax, Sterling, and Pentagon City and to try Chantilly and Alexandria Mt. Vernon instead. Springfield is also not bad but they are smaller and don’t have as much stock. I’ve been to Woodbridge once and thought it was fine I just hate driving around there.

Just a humble brag. I live one mile from the Mt Vernon Costco. If the "light gods" are in my favor, I can be inside the Costco three minutes after I pull out of my driveway (yes, I've timed it!) It is the closest "grocery store" to my house and I will often stop by even if I only need one item. It is the smallest Costco I've ever been to so it doesn't carry as much stuff. We used to go to the Springfield/Newington one before ours opened - I occasionally still stop in there and it is HUGE compared to the Mt Vernon one.

I agree with so many other posters on here on times to go and times to avoid:

GO: right when they open or an hour before close. Late afternoon is also good - 3:00pm ish. It's too early for people getting off work. It's too close to elementary school pickup times. I usually gas up before they open (between 8:00am - 9:00am) and never have to wait.

NO GO: The day after a closure. The day before a closure or any holiday. Saturdays and Sundays. Lunchtime (11:00am - 1:00pm during the week.). The gas lines are usually crazy on Sunday nights - people topping off their tanks before the work week.

Hello neighbor! The Engleside Safeway is closer to me. The Lorton location is supposed to get gas pumps and I might just go there most of the time if that happens because the Mount Vernon is small and does seem to get an smaller selection of items. For instance, no rugelach at Mount Vernon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Snow is coming, OP! This isn’t the time to go to Costco or even Giant!

Seriously, OP. I went to Wegmans on Friday because I knew not to bother the weekend of forecasted snow, and they were already out of ground beef, so I ended up at Aldi, too. Both places were bonkers, but moving along thanks to self check-out. But I knew what I was in for: when people start talking about snow, the groceries are going to be insane!

[Anonymous]

Just did a quick spreadsheet on Costco things vs Walmart. Coffee (Walmart starbucks much cheaper than costco brand), dish detergent (cascade platinum plus much cheaper at Walmart vs Costco)

I don't get the appeal. I would NEVER breach the doors of Costco for a couple burritos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haha this post is so well timed. I joined Costco for the first time in November and the first time I went I was like "omg I can't do this."

My second visit was better though it's still big and overwhelming.

We got the membership for a specific large appliance purchase and got a very good deal on it, plus our membership was super cheap due to Black Friday pricing, so it's worth it even if I never go back. I don't know if we'll keep it past this year. A lot of stuff is not actually any cheaper on a per unit basis at Costco, you just are forced to buy a lot of it. But there are some things that are a deal. So far batteries, all purpose flour, olive oil, and toothpaste have been the best deals on everyday items. I also might buy some lamps and bed pillows there.

Sheets, winter gloves, wool socks, nuts, coffee, expensive fruit (eg raspberries, cherries, mangos) and kerrygold are also awesome deals. Stuff like meat, pasta, beans, apples, electronics tends to be equal to the regular store sale price.

No way coffee is cheaper at Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You picked the absolute worst possible Costco location on earth to visit. The Gaithersburg store was a disaster 20 years ago when I went there for the first time after moving to the area. I never returned until 2 weeks back and it was like deja vu. I usually go to the Wheaton Costco which is a lot better. And everything that I can get shipped I do.

I grew up in the area and remember when it was called “Price Club” it’s always been a zoo.

So price Club became Costco? I wondered what had become of Price Club. We belonged to Price Club in the 80s in Tucson when it was mostly IBM-ers.

I live 1/2 mile from Wheaton Costco and long for the days when it was my Hecht's in the 90s.. I would stop in 2x a week after getting off the Wheaton Metro on my walk home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Pentagon City Costco?

This is the original inspiration for the Hunger Games. No.

[Anonymous]

If you can’t visit Costco at odd times, it’s seriously not for you. I don’t go on weekends, evenings, or anywhere near a holiday or forecasted weather. I also don’t go on Fridays or right when they open on weekdays. It’s very limiting but I have a lot of flexibility so it works. If I couldn’t go in the middle of a weekday, I would just drop my membership.

[Anonymous]

This is why Instantcart exsists.

[Anonymous]

I, too, decided I wasn’t cut out for Costco. I haven’t had a membership in close to 10 years. They don’t offer any goods or any savings that are worth the hassle!

[Anonymous]

Our family love Costco
My husband and I love Costco for different reasons.

My husband literally love Costco. He can go there every day.
For me, I love it because I saw how crazy Costco fans like my husband are. So I bought Costco stock when it was 280 for 200 shares.

With dividends and capital gains, plus cash back from Costco credit cards, we pretty much shop there for free throughout these years. ❤️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Pentagon City Costco?

This is the original inspiration for the Hunger Games. No.

I went to the Pentagon City Costco a few years ago with a coworker/Costco member to get stuff for a retirement party. Probably at around 2:30 on a weekday, and the parking lot and store were not too crowded at all. I was so impressed by the prices and selection, I got my own membership and headed out to my nearest one, in Gaithersburg. I’m with you, OP! I never even made it into the terrifying parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about Pentagon City Costco?

This is the original inspiration for the Hunger Games. No.

I went to the Pentagon City Costco a few years ago with a coworker/Costco member to get stuff for a retirement party. Probably at around 2:30 on a weekday, and the parking lot and store were not too crowded at all. I was so impressed by the prices and selection, I got my own membership and headed out to my nearest one, in Gaithersburg. I’m with you, OP! I never even made it into the terrifying parking lot.

2:30 on a non-Friday weekday is about as good as it gets post Covid. WFH ruined a lot of weekday shopping.