CLBB Refugees discussion

I know many people appreciate shopping at Costco, and since it is a Northwest business I'm grateful for its impact on our local economy (though don't get me started on the Costco-liquor privatization law passed last year in Wa.). But I find the Costco shopping experience utterly grim.

So, rather than me telling you what I think ;-) What did you think?

Looking forward to your book review, Jessica. I've had it on my to-read list forever, because out library doesn't have it, and I've waited too long since it was published for them to order it.

FWIW, I've found Costco's meats/seafood to be of superior quality to what I can get at our market, but we don't often buy it due to the massive quantities. I'm not sure why we keep our membership-- we only buy toilet paper and tissue, really, and I can probably get them on sale for the same price.

I will be the dissenter. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Costco. I go about once a month and get a lot of things at a better price than I could at our regular grocery store. The Quinoa at $8 for 4 pounds is a steal! Here it is close to $4 a pound! I buy a lot of our staples - rice, canned tomatoes, beans, go-go squeeze for the boys' lunch box, bread (Natural Ovens 2 loaves for $3), Fruit/veggie blend juice boxes, lean ground beef, chicken, wild blueberries, kefir, natural go-gurts, annie snacks for the boys.... Granted, we have A LOT of storage space and an extra freezer and refrigerator. My list for Costco goes on and on.

I love to go and push up and down the aisles and see what is new :)

You've really made me want to read the book! Does it focus specifically on the warehouse stores, or is it broader (e.g. Walmart, Dollar Stores etc.)?

We are Costco expats. In the days of diapers and formula, our membership absolutely paid for itself, and the prices at the optical shop were unbeatable (sunglasses and glasses for me, contacts for DH) but I've never had the storage to handle the bulk food. Plus the one we belonged to in NJ was a miserably crowded shopping experience from the parking lot to the half-hour long checkout lines. Fast forward to Delaware, and a friend convinced me to try BJ's, which I'd always thought of as the poor relation of Costco (despite never having been in one). I love BJ's. Membership is cheaper than at Costco and there is one very close to our house. Many of their items are bundled in smaller quantities than at Costco, which makes it more manageable for me (e.g. 2 half-gallons of milk instead of 3) and they even have local produce in season. I regularly buy our organic milk, Chobani yogurt, bread, some produce, diapers (hopefully not for much longer!), Muir Glen tomatoes, and several snack food staples there. And they have an optical shop which has pricing similar to Costco. So it's a happy medium for me...not as crowded, savings over the grocery store but smaller quantities than Costco. OTOH, grocery store options in DE are grim in general (wherefore art thou, Wegmans?); I might be less enamored if we had nicer options elsewhere.

When the boys were younger and I had the storage space, I was a Costco shopper all the time. Now, its strictly for my contact lenses. I do still sometimes run in for some other things as well. When I buy meat/chicken, I repackage it into smaller portions and freeze them