I loathe going to Costco and 9 times out of 10, my husband will go since he has a more flexible schedule. But the problem here is Gaithersburg. It is the worst Costco on the planet. Hands down. Every single Costco I have been to is better than that one. Wheaton, Beltsville, Frederick, Columbia, even Pentagon City is better than Gaithersburg. I would give one of the locations a try before you totally write it off but, yeah, it's something you have to prepare yourself for. If it weren't for DH, we would no longer be members. It's not worth the savings to me.

All Costco's are bad. But Gaithersburg is a special kind of hell at all times.

Gaithersburg is widely known as the worst Costco in the world. (My personal favorite Costco is the one on Kauai!).

The only good time to go to Gaithersburg Costco is 7 pm on a weekday when it is pretty close to empty. (My kid has a soccer practice near there.).

The Wheaton Costco is definitely better. The Laurel Costco is even better. The Frederick and Arundel costcos are my favorites in Maryland (although that random one of i95 is also okay). The College Park one is controversial.

We only go to Costco maybe 6 times a year so it’s easy to combine with other things when we are gojng to be near Arundel, laurel, Frederick, etc.

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.

Other stores were a mess too with the storm coming. I went to Giant around mid-day and it was slammed.

This is why I never joined. I had lost it by the time I could even get into the parking lot.

I wish they had “scan and go” like Sam’s. No lines, and to get out the door you walk under a scanner - again no line. The parking lot is another story.
Costco delivery is an option, yes.

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.

Anonymous wrote:Gaithersburg Costco is its own special kind of hell. Save your sanity, drive up to Frederick or literally any other (except maybe Pentagon City).

The DC Costco is great!

Order the food to be delivered to your house!! I hate going and we were mostly keeping the membership for car rentals (highly recommend) My ds wanted a bunch of random stuff like a ton of Fairlife protein drinks and tuna, so I ordered for the first time last week: it came in literally one hour, all arranged neatly, and the fee was not high (I did tip extra) especially since not going in person meant zero impulse purchase. I will only order from now on.

I love Costco. But I learned awhile ago never to go over winter break, near Thanksgiving, or when snow is forecasted. Also, Fridays during the day may as well be the weekend. All year.

The sweet spot is Mon-Thu during toddler nap times. Mornings are full of retirees and small children with moms.

Dear DCUM,

I went to Costco on Black Friday. Is it always like that? How do people shop there?

So, what are everyone's favorite Costco items??

There are some really good threads here on this if you do a search. Here’s one: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1090539.page

Gaithersburg Costco is its own special kind of hell. Save your sanity, drive up to Frederick or literally any other (except maybe Pentagon City).

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.