Anonymous wrote:What about Pentagon City Costco?

The Costco is fine. The parking lot is thunderdome.

What about Pentagon City Costco?

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.

Gaithersburg Costco is a complete Hell scape. I remember going there as a kid when it was Price Club and it was fine. When I moved out on my own 15 years ago I remember trying to go there a few times and was always turned off by the crowds and lack of awareness of shoppers and personal space.

I now live in Urbana and go to the Frederick location which is much easier to navigate than the Gaithersburg location.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people are not working the Friday after New Year’s Day. It’s the perfect time to take a few days off to have a five-day weekend.

I hear you though. Costco can be nuts at times.

Most people are not working?? Really? Have they been off since the 23rd too? How much PTO do people have? I am a SAHM but my husband has worked every day except the 24th, 25th and 1st.

We haven't worked since the 23rd. Going back on Monday. Maybe your husband finds working during the holidays a bit of a vacation.

Anonymous wrote:OP, you had the sheep instinct and followed the herd without thinking. I go to Costco between 7 and 8 PM. The Fairfax Costco is the biggest one on the East Coast. I've gone on midday Sundays and it was a zoo every time. Getting gas? That is another line and the wait there is outrageous. Why are people willing to wait (burning gas) for 40 minutes to get gas that is 20 cents cheaper.... will never understand this.

I waited about 5 minutes. I bought 20 gallons. That's $4. I need that every other week, $104. That's paid for the membership.

Anonymous wrote:OP, you had the sheep instinct and followed the herd without thinking. I go to Costco between 7 and 8 PM. The Fairfax Costco is the biggest one on the East Coast. I've gone on midday Sundays and it was a zoo every time. Getting gas? That is another line and the wait there is outrageous. Why are people willing to wait (burning gas) for 40 minutes to get gas that is 20 cents cheaper.... will never understand this.

I don’t get this either but my closest Costco is Wheaton and there isn’t any gas there anyway. But at the Beltsville Costco the non-Costco prices are almost as cheap! Why are you waiting in that line?

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax is equally bad. It's a DMV costco thing.

We've been to others out of state and down south and they're much more navigatable.

You just have to mentally prep for it - crowds, slow people, big carts, and block off 2 hrs of your day (depending how far of a drive it is).

It’s definitely a DMV thing. I’ve been to costcos all over the country and none are as terrible as the ones out here. There aren’t enough costcos here to support the population

Anonymous wrote:
My husband is not allowed to renew his Costco membership because then he squirrels away large quantities of food in our tiny house.

So I agree that for various reasons, a lot of people are not cut out for Costco!

My husband comes home with vast quantities of stuff he already bought last week. I have started returning it the next day.

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.

To be fair, there are so many bad days to go, but yes, don’t go before it snows and during any sort of holiday. I like to go on a Monday or Tuesday morning right when it opens.

You know that you are a real Costco pro when you can shop at Costco in less than 30 min, spend less than $200, buy fewer than 10 items, buy fewer than 5 unplanned items, or all of the above. Fun fact, the Costco I frequent the most is located in Salt Lake City, and it is the largest Costco in the world. It used to open at 7 am, but now it’s 8 am, which is still pretty good.

Anonymous wrote:Most people are not working the Friday after New Year’s Day. It’s the perfect time to take a few days off to have a five-day weekend.

I hear you though. Costco can be nuts at times.

Most people are not working?? Really? Have they been off since the 23rd too? How much PTO do people have? I am a SAHM but my husband has worked every day except the 24th, 25th and 1st.

Most people are not working the Friday after New Year’s Day. It’s the perfect time to take a few days off to have a five-day weekend.

I hear you though. Costco can be nuts at times.

Anonymous wrote:Spending two hours at Costco sounds horrible. We have a family of 7 and I really don’t think the prices are even that good. I don’t understand the appeal.

I don’t really buy food there. Somehow I can go there and spend $500 and have nothing for dinner. Their two pack of quiche is decent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the Gaithersburg one is the worst. I use instacart for costco and refuse to step foot in there.

every 3 months or so I will drive out to the frederick costco and it’s a dream in comparison.

Instacart fees plus the Costco fee probably negate any savings.

Nope-And there are things that I can only get at costco. Also have non perishables shipped all the time and that alone makes it worth it. But I have 3 teenage boys so obviously my circumstances make bulk shopping a necessity. We also have a sam’s membership (I only do pickup) and walmart plus. I will do whatever to make things easier for myself 🙂.

Also a mom to three teenagers and one thing that I would buy in bulk (but can only find at certain costcos) are the organic bean and rice burritos. They are literally three times as expensive at Giant as they are at Costco and my kids can mow through those like crazy.
(Someone will say I can just make them at home….yes but this is what they eat when I work late or am on work travel or where they are up at 2 playing video games. Or as a snack before practice after school). Drives me nuts that they don’t stock this at all the costcos!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did the Wheaton location yesterday and it was not bad at all by Costco standards. but yes, I definitely have to be in the right mood for it and just expect/accept that every 4th aisle I will be stuck behind some couple who is blocking the entire lane to eat their salsa sample. It’s worth it for the Costco high

I went to the Fairfax location yesterday to top off the gas tank, just in case it snows. It wasn't terrible, but it was busier than a typical Thursday afternoon.

The "sample sharks" are amusing.

I saw this guy the other day who seemed to be going to every sample stand, grabbing three of everything and stuffing them in his toddler daughter’s mouth. Bit pathetic really.