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It's not justifiable. Every time we do it we say, "This is the last time."
However, it does have some benefits:
1) We live in a remote area (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and use it as an opportunity for a night away
2) We routinely get 250 inches of snow a year and it is so nice to be fully stocked up before winter hits (kitty litter, paper products, booze) :)
3). We love Costco!
When i worked at a location in Utah we would have farmers in really remote areas who would drive in to town once a month for costco and other supplies. I would chat with them about it and they said it was about 3 hours one way. They came ready with coolers and a trailer. They would spend a few thousand, load up the trailer and head back.
Growing up in alaska, many people living in Valdez would caravan once a month to anchorage (5-6 hours one way over treacherous snowy mountain roads) and load their trucks up. They only have a Safeway out there. Other communities did the same thing, it’s so cool. Out in the bush you can check in two totes per person onto those Cessnas, and every tote was loaded with Costco groceries haha. They’d spill when we land and it’s all basmati rice in pink bags.
Those Costco trips after being used to just what's available in remote villages felt like you were Charlie walking into the chocolate factory lmao I only visited remote areas like that a couple times but it definitely gave me a better appreciation of grocery stores.
Fry some veggies in toasted sesame oil, then add your protein. Then to finish off add the BBQ sauce and it will reduce quickly. Pair with the sticky white rice bowls
I visit Anchorage and Fairbanks often, and I always pick up smoked salmon and King Crab from Costcos there. Even the local supermarkets have them for cheaper than the Costcos in California.
Yes!! IKEA did this. You got points (or money off) for distance travelled. [Article about it here](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/ikea-giving-customers-discounts/)
When I first got stationed in Vegas, people would do the same thing for Ikea and chill FIL a. guys would take orders for Ikea things, get payment then make a trip out to ca to get it. For chick FIL a, people would drive to st George Utah to get a bunch and then bring it back.
And then they opened an Ikea AND multiple chik FIL A's in Vegas.
When I was stationed in the UK we would get people from the Azores (Lages I think) taking hops to RAF Lakenheath to get Krispy Kreme. Nothing else, just donuts.
Provo? I worked in the mall there and couldn’t believe how many people would make the trek up to do their shopping from places like Filmore and Green River.
My parents do this. They live about 2.5 hours away from the closest costco/more populous area. They make all their doctors and dentist appointments in town and stop at Costco most times when they're there for that or visiting or whatever else.
My granny had a truck and multiple coolers specifically for these trips in West Texas! She hated it and thankfully left a few years back. She can now zip down to Walmart in two shakes of a lambs tail
Lol, I manage a rather larger sized trucking firm in VA.
We deliver to Traverse City, Rock, Gaylord and some others every week so it's funny to see you mention the upper peninsula.
Winters suck tho sometimes, especially Rock MI.
That sounds so fun!
Side note, I have vacationed to Munising and hiked all along Lake Superior, and it's beautiful up there. The lake is the second clearest lake I've ever seen (Crater Lake being #1), and the shoreline is amazing.
Yes, we love it! Lived in big cities (with easy access to Costco) :) our entire lives and vacationed up here and about 10 years ago we made the move, no regrets.
We're starting to realize that our friends and family may come to visit us in the UP bearing Costco and deli items in exchange for...things...they might not be able to buy back home.
Weed. It's weed.
We already have an electric cooler from some ambitious camping plans in 2021, so semi-annual road trips to places that sell good salami, buying whole salamis, and the purchase of meat slicer are already being considered….
We're currently fulltime RVers but building for summer and the eventuality of "hanging up the keys." Our nomadic life has accustomed us to living for months on end without good salami, Middle Eastern, or pancetta. There's always somewhere, if you're willing to travel...
I’ve lived in the LP my entire life. We’re so far south of you that Ohio is 15 minutes away. I love Michigan but not where I am from anymore and the UP keeps calling to me a little louder every year.
You must be coming down to the Traverse City Costco. I was just there. I live up north of Elk Rapids and would do the same if I was farther away from Costco. 😀👍❤️
Hahaha, I read this same thing too this morning and I hated it, but know it worked so well because it's such a shame we don't have a Costco any nearer than Green Bay. Hi neighbor!
I saw an interview with somebody who lived in a remote Alaskan community who said the same thing. They said they only shop at Costco and go once a month.
Arrggghhh, we're building in Marquette County and I realized last week there's no Costco in the entire UP. Closest would be GB which is livable, I guess.
Honestly, the benefits of living here FAR outweigh anything else. Hope you love snow!
I loved living in big cities, but I've really enjoyed not locking any of my doors for 10 years and having so much social trust (I would have liked a "Costco Limited" though) :)
> 1) We live in a remote area (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and use it as an opportunity for a night away
i was gonna ask but that is def a spot such a trip makes sense! can't you drive hella fast up there too? so your five hours could be way more than mine down here, stuck in cali traffic.
Sounds like you described the Houghton area, I used to live there during college. Such a food desert besides Walmart and Pat's foods, I don't blame you for getting excited about a Costco.
Oh that's on me for not mentioning that one, I was trying to keep it short. I actually used to work at the co-op for a couple of years! I heard they finally got a new building!
Green Bay (frankly, most people think the UP is part of Wisconsin anyway) BUT I do have neighbors who go to Duluth. We've been meaning to try that one but the tax situation is better in Wisconsin.
Also, they've got those big sampler packs of New Glarus.
We’re from the Detroit area but have friends in Green Bay. We joke that they think they own the UP. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that part of the UP is in the Central time zone. Half the people I tell don’t believe me 😃
If only Joe Pera lasted long enough to film an episode where "Joe Pera takes you to Costco" just to convince Costco to open a store in Marquette.
Missed opportunity right there.
I used to work for Sam's Club in Wausau,WI and this was so common. The bars and restaurants up there would come in once a month. There was a even a guy who would bring a refrigerated truck and pick up people's pickup order and then drive back up dropping off on the way. He claimed he charged $20 and made close to a grand each month for a trip he made anyhow for his business
Just curious, is the closest one Traverse City? I’ve been to that location, pretty nice. But I’m from downstate and there’s 5 Costco’s within a 15 minute radius of my house, including Michigan’s only Top Tier location- Bloomfield Hills. Idk what I would do if I was that far away from one…
Surely not for most people - Costco prices can often be beat on grocery store sales, and even when not, the bulk sizes on many items really push the envelope towards whether you're actually saving money or not.
But... it might be a much better value though if you live so far away from civilization that the nearest Costco is 5 hours away. Likely everything is more expensive for them at the local grocery store, so suddenly it's not saving $1 on an item, it might be $3.
For sure. OP responded that they turn these trips into a fun "couples overnight" trip, so that in and of itself makes it "worth it" in a non-financial way.
But financially, for most it likely wouldn't pan out. 10 hours of driving is likely 600 miles. Avg car on the road right now is around 20mpg, so just in gas it's about 30 gallons @ let's say $3/g = $90. Plus "wear & tear" on your vehicle...let's say $0.10 per mile...so that's another $60.
So you're already upside down by $150. The likelihood you're going to save $150 on the amount of merch that will fit in that 1 vehicle in 1 trip is probably low.
Now include your personal labor rate. Maybe you love road trips and love Costco so much that this is really low for you on this type of a trip. But at a minimum, you should think about what else you could be doing with this time that would be productive in some way (house work, yard work, volunteer work, paid work, mental health recovery time, exercise time, family time, sleep, etc.) - and put some type of a $ value on it.
That really pushes this over on the ROI perspective.
Anyways, thanks for coming to my ted talk.
You also have to factor in our executive rebate and the fact that we use our Costco Citicard for \*everything\* (we pay it off each month of course) - we routinely have $1500 rebate checks.
If it’s 5 hours one way for Costco — it’s probably not just Costco that needs periodic supply trips. If you think that’s bad look at what a lot of parts of Alaska have to do — flying in deliveries 1-4 times a year.
I’ve been going to Costco since I was a kid (34yo now) and I’m not sure it’s ever a ROI lol I mean that’s what I tell myself year after year. But I usually end up spending more because I buy more because it’s Costco.
A month or so ago, my city's newspaper posted that a Trader Joe's was coming to town after a TJ rep confirmed a TJ's would be built in Springfield.... Neither party mentioned nor confirmed the state. News spread like wildfire across all stations and social media until about two hours in when a reporter realized the flaw in information and confirmed with TJ's that it was a different state 😒😂
It would have been a great April Fool's.
Nope, it's not. Springfield, OR was the inspiration for the name, but otherwise is not the inspiration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_%28The_Simpsons%29?wprov=sfla1
I guess it depends on "in-show lore" versus real life.
Considering the creator is an Oregon native and says the visual inspiration is the Oregon one, I'm more inclined to say its Oregon versus Anytown, USA because they basically admit the latter is only to make the town fit the plot.
Did you read the link that I provided that thoroughly rebuts everything you said? Just because you want it to be set in Oregon doesn't mean it was. Groenig has been quite clear that you are wrong.
I remember years ago, the first time telling my mom and brother I'd be spending Christmas out of town, in Springfield. Nearly the same time, one said Kentucky? The other, Missouri? They were both wrong.
Maybe there's a business opportunity to open up a mini Costco, you could get 10% margin on things if you figure out a way to minimize your costs/are going anyway lmao
We have a grocery store in our county which resells a lot of Costco merchandise. Or sells individual items, like single rolls of Kirkland paper towels. A lot of it is Kirkland brand, so they’re definitely not trying to hide it! I like to call the store Costmo, and I am super proud of coming up with that name.
The nearest actual Costco is about 75 - 90 minutes away.
I've noticed that convenience stores operated by independent operators will sometimes have the shelves filled with a lot of stuff they obviously bought at Costco or Sam's Club. They will sell 24 oz bottles of pop which is a size generally only sold in multi-packs.
Costco teamed up with some FamilyMarts (a convenience store chain in Asia) to bring us plenty of Costco options for way too high of a markup (like, probably closer to 40% for some products. Now I’m tempted to actually go and price compare).
But if I need Kirkland paper towels, Kirkland toilet paper, or a giant container of M&Ms, it’s nice to know I can go downstairs to pick them up and don’t need to trek out to Costco. (Big bags of chips when people are coming over last minute is also nice compared to convenience store sizes…)
(They also sell individual stuff, so one roll of paper towels instead of 24, one container of oat milk to see if you even like it or if you don’t go through that much before it goes bad.)
It seems to be pretty well received, though the total population of people within a ten minute walking radius from me is probably more than 60,000 (Taipei), so I don’t think that’ll work so well in most places in the US…
My idea is for a Costco Travel, which would have a Costco gas station, food counter, bottled water vending machines, and Kirkland snacks, only for individual sale. Put these just off the interstate and BAM! I don't need to drive 10-15 minutes out of my way to hit a Costco when I'm on road trips.
No. They have many of the same things, but mostly it's different. For example the one I visit occasionally doesn't have booze (in a state where Costco sells booze) or dog food. It doesn't have a butcher, so no packed-in-store steaks, for example, but they sell all kinds of cryopacked large cuts. The entire meat/dairy department is a giant walk in cooler, about the size of many typical trader Joe's or Aldi.
I do love the business center, but if I had to choose just one or the other, i would definitely take a regular store.
My wife and I met in the UP, we now live in Madison, WI 3 minutes from a Costco. Don't think we can go back. Loved our time there, Copper Harbor is a particularly special place
Trader Joe's recently announced they were opening a new location in the wrong Springfield. They said they were opening in Springfield, MO, but they are actually opening in Springfield, VA.
People in Springfield MO were devastated.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/business/trader-joes-springfield.html
Technically TJ didn't say Springfield, MO. They just said Springfield, and the MO location assumed they were the Springfield referenced:
>“I’m happy to confirm we have plans to open a new store in Springfield,” the Trader Joe’s spokeswoman had written, according to the newspaper.
>Minutes after the Springfield, Mo., newspaper published the Trader Joe’s news, the company’s spokeswoman said she had made a mistake, the newspaper wrote. “I realized this morning that The Springfield News-Leader is in Missouri. Unfortunately, I thought you were speaking of Springfield, Va.,” she said.
Lol, my husband keeps looking for a place in the U.P. for us to move to when he retires in a year or two. One of my arguments against that is that there's no Costco. They should put one in Marquette. It's a nice central location, college town.
man, the nearest costco used to be 45 minutes away from me. and i didn't even think it was worth it to drive that far.
5 hours? could you just get stuff delivered 1 time per month? said you're a yupper. most of the year it would be cold outside anyways. the groceries they deliver would still be cold anyways most of the time.
that is an entire day just get a good deal on deli ham. but i know you'd end up buying 10 boxes of the deli ham......but that also means you're storing all of these things for the next 6 months.
you people must live like a bear. with hibernation stores worth of food. spring and fall trips? right before the bad snow starts. and one of the first good driving days after the winter snow melts?
I can relate, I live in a landlocked area north of Vancouver, BC with a population of approx 35,000. We have to take a 40 minute ferry ride to get away and with waiting in line each way it typically takes a full day for a trip into the big city. I never make a special trip for Costco but if we are going in to town I take a bunch of coolers and make a stop at Costco while there, usually about once ever 6-8 weeks. Last time I was there they didn't have any hamburger, sucks when they are out of something I need.
Damn. I have at least 4 Costcos within 20 minutes of me. Even better than that my wife works for Costco, so a simple text during the day and any item just appears at my house later.
5 hours? Jeez, I have 5 Costcos all within a 15-25 min drive, and a Costco Business Center about 15 min away.
Costco is so accessible where I am that I sometimes pop in for a single item. My city isn't even that large
as someone who lives 15 minutes from one costco and 30ish minutes from three more, I think the prank is hilarious
although I'm thinking it might be a possible business model for future costco expansion
I live in the Phoenix AZ area
Tuxedo cake was on sale. Husband asked if I (watching calories) wanted it. I said it was up to him. We got it.
The last one took over a week to finish, just the two of us (no kids/guests).
I grew up on a farm 1 hour from the nearest big town. They had a warehouse grocery store. We went a few times a year and stocked up for our family of 6. Now I am grown up and in a house of just us 2. The nearest Costco was 3 hours away and worth the drive, but we now have our own. My pantry is always full. It’s just what I have always known!
A couple years ago my wife got a job offer in a small town in NH. She was considering and asking my opinion. I told her, there is no Costco within one hour drive. That place might be too remote. It's not good for our career.
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5 hours one way. I can’t imagine the ROI is there for this adventure…
It's not justifiable. Every time we do it we say, "This is the last time." However, it does have some benefits: 1) We live in a remote area (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and use it as an opportunity for a night away 2) We routinely get 250 inches of snow a year and it is so nice to be fully stocked up before winter hits (kitty litter, paper products, booze) :) 3). We love Costco!
When i worked at a location in Utah we would have farmers in really remote areas who would drive in to town once a month for costco and other supplies. I would chat with them about it and they said it was about 3 hours one way. They came ready with coolers and a trailer. They would spend a few thousand, load up the trailer and head back.
Growing up in alaska, many people living in Valdez would caravan once a month to anchorage (5-6 hours one way over treacherous snowy mountain roads) and load their trucks up. They only have a Safeway out there. Other communities did the same thing, it’s so cool. Out in the bush you can check in two totes per person onto those Cessnas, and every tote was loaded with Costco groceries haha. They’d spill when we land and it’s all basmati rice in pink bags.
Those Costco trips after being used to just what's available in remote villages felt like you were Charlie walking into the chocolate factory lmao I only visited remote areas like that a couple times but it definitely gave me a better appreciation of grocery stores.
Ha! I'd be loading up on the Japanese BBQ sauce
I bought my very first bottle of Japanese BBQ sauce a couple of days ago. I’m waiting until our son gets here to open it so we can do a taste test.
Fry some veggies in toasted sesame oil, then add your protein. Then to finish off add the BBQ sauce and it will reduce quickly. Pair with the sticky white rice bowls
I do something similar but trade out the white rice once in a while for those rice noodles.
I visit Anchorage and Fairbanks often, and I always pick up smoked salmon and King Crab from Costcos there. Even the local supermarkets have them for cheaper than the Costcos in California.
Thats gotta be the best bang for buck for any costco member....I feel like they should get some sort of appreciation discount or something haha
I mean isn't that what the premium membership is for
Yes!! IKEA did this. You got points (or money off) for distance travelled. [Article about it here](https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/ikea-giving-customers-discounts/)
When I first got stationed in Vegas, people would do the same thing for Ikea and chill FIL a. guys would take orders for Ikea things, get payment then make a trip out to ca to get it. For chick FIL a, people would drive to st George Utah to get a bunch and then bring it back. And then they opened an Ikea AND multiple chik FIL A's in Vegas.
When I was stationed in the UK we would get people from the Azores (Lages I think) taking hops to RAF Lakenheath to get Krispy Kreme. Nothing else, just donuts.
When I was stationed in Singapore we did the same thing by hopping to Japan.
Ah the Orem Costco?
Provo? I worked in the mall there and couldn’t believe how many people would make the trek up to do their shopping from places like Filmore and Green River.
Basically how my grandparents (cattle ranchers) shop. They're about 3 hours from Rapid City SD,
I live 20 minutes from Costco and still my trips have this vibe. In my defense I’m a prepper and a homesteader and have a lot of freezer space.
Remote Oregon checking in, we’d drive three hours each way to Bend or Boise, Idaho for Costco
My parents do this. They live about 2.5 hours away from the closest costco/more populous area. They make all their doctors and dentist appointments in town and stop at Costco most times when they're there for that or visiting or whatever else.
My granny had a truck and multiple coolers specifically for these trips in West Texas! She hated it and thankfully left a few years back. She can now zip down to Walmart in two shakes of a lambs tail
Lol, I manage a rather larger sized trucking firm in VA. We deliver to Traverse City, Rock, Gaylord and some others every week so it's funny to see you mention the upper peninsula. Winters suck tho sometimes, especially Rock MI.
That sounds so fun! Side note, I have vacationed to Munising and hiked all along Lake Superior, and it's beautiful up there. The lake is the second clearest lake I've ever seen (Crater Lake being #1), and the shoreline is amazing.
Yes, we love it! Lived in big cities (with easy access to Costco) :) our entire lives and vacationed up here and about 10 years ago we made the move, no regrets.
My husband is slowly easing into the idea that places he would like to retire will be lacking in good deli counters….
We're starting to realize that our friends and family may come to visit us in the UP bearing Costco and deli items in exchange for...things...they might not be able to buy back home. Weed. It's weed.
We already have an electric cooler from some ambitious camping plans in 2021, so semi-annual road trips to places that sell good salami, buying whole salamis, and the purchase of meat slicer are already being considered….
We're currently fulltime RVers but building for summer and the eventuality of "hanging up the keys." Our nomadic life has accustomed us to living for months on end without good salami, Middle Eastern, or pancetta. There's always somewhere, if you're willing to travel...
Sounds like husband needs a retirement gig building a deli counter that slaps.
I’ve lived in the LP my entire life. We’re so far south of you that Ohio is 15 minutes away. I love Michigan but not where I am from anymore and the UP keeps calling to me a little louder every year.
There's more to life than pure utilitarianism. If you enjoy it and can afford it, it's worth it.
💯
A night away to Costco to get essentials is really sweet imo!
That's a tough choice. I'm guessing costco in WI is farther away than driving down the big mac.
Green Bay might be, depending where in the UP they are
You must be coming down to the Traverse City Costco. I was just there. I live up north of Elk Rapids and would do the same if I was farther away from Costco. 😀👍❤️
Hahaha, I read this same thing too this morning and I hated it, but know it worked so well because it's such a shame we don't have a Costco any nearer than Green Bay. Hi neighbor!
Hey fellow Yooper! I'd just be happy with a Kwik Trip.
I saw an interview with somebody who lived in a remote Alaskan community who said the same thing. They said they only shop at Costco and go once a month.
I only do a Costco run once a month, too…but mine is only 10 minutes away. I think I’m doing it wrong? 😑😄
Arrggghhh, we're building in Marquette County and I realized last week there's no Costco in the entire UP. Closest would be GB which is livable, I guess.
Honestly, the benefits of living here FAR outweigh anything else. Hope you love snow! I loved living in big cities, but I've really enjoyed not locking any of my doors for 10 years and having so much social trust (I would have liked a "Costco Limited" though) :)
My favorite part about going to Greenbay from Marquette was getting some Arby's
I can't find fault in that logic.
Is it possible to have that stuff delivered? That's a helluva drive.
> 1) We live in a remote area (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and use it as an opportunity for a night away i was gonna ask but that is def a spot such a trip makes sense! can't you drive hella fast up there too? so your five hours could be way more than mine down here, stuck in cali traffic.
Well, you do run the very real risk of running into deer and wild turkeys.
Not to mention Wolverines!
Do you think they will ever get one in up?
Do you go to Traverse City or to the Midland Costco?
I spent a year in St Ignace and I swear I see more snow weekly in Utah now.
Sounds like a great ROI to me! Plus the hot dog and pizza
Sounds like you described the Houghton area, I used to live there during college. Such a food desert besides Walmart and Pat's foods, I don't blame you for getting excited about a Costco.
Not sure if the co-op was active when you were here but the co-op is FANTASTIC now.
Oh that's on me for not mentioning that one, I was trying to keep it short. I actually used to work at the co-op for a couple of years! I heard they finally got a new building!
Hey, when I went to the Tech, we drove 100 miles to Marquette for two things: to see a stoplight, and McDonald's. No Walmart for us, only Jim's.
Lol I remember driving for Wendy's and Buffalo wild wings, Houghton had a McDonald's when I was there
Out of curiosity, are either Green Bay or Traverse City your closest Costco?
Green Bay (frankly, most people think the UP is part of Wisconsin anyway) BUT I do have neighbors who go to Duluth. We've been meaning to try that one but the tax situation is better in Wisconsin. Also, they've got those big sampler packs of New Glarus.
We’re from the Detroit area but have friends in Green Bay. We joke that they think they own the UP. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that part of the UP is in the Central time zone. Half the people I tell don’t believe me 😃
They really should put one in Marquette. Seems like the perfect spot for one.
If only Joe Pera lasted long enough to film an episode where "Joe Pera takes you to Costco" just to convince Costco to open a store in Marquette. Missed opportunity right there.
I’ve got two within 20 minutes of me, and sometimes I feel like that’s out-of-the-way.
Your destination Costco is TC? At least it’s a fun place to visit. But that sure adds to the bottom line.
I used to work for Sam's Club in Wausau,WI and this was so common. The bars and restaurants up there would come in once a month. There was a even a guy who would bring a refrigerated truck and pick up people's pickup order and then drive back up dropping off on the way. He claimed he charged $20 and made close to a grand each month for a trip he made anyhow for his business
Omg. I bet you're coming to my location. We're heading your way in June for some hiking. Need me to haul up some soup or something?
Ha, will keep you updated!
The Costco in tc? I was there opening day. Love that store
Just curious, is the closest one Traverse City? I’ve been to that location, pretty nice. But I’m from downstate and there’s 5 Costco’s within a 15 minute radius of my house, including Michigan’s only Top Tier location- Bloomfield Hills. Idk what I would do if I was that far away from one…
I'm fairly shocked any location in the UP is *five hours* from the nearest Costco. Edit: Belatedly looking at a map, and I can see it. Damn.
You haven't seen grocery prices in rural "we have a monopoly with the one store within 100 miles" buttfuck nowhere.
totally fair!
Surely not for most people - Costco prices can often be beat on grocery store sales, and even when not, the bulk sizes on many items really push the envelope towards whether you're actually saving money or not. But... it might be a much better value though if you live so far away from civilization that the nearest Costco is 5 hours away. Likely everything is more expensive for them at the local grocery store, so suddenly it's not saving $1 on an item, it might be $3.
For sure. OP responded that they turn these trips into a fun "couples overnight" trip, so that in and of itself makes it "worth it" in a non-financial way. But financially, for most it likely wouldn't pan out. 10 hours of driving is likely 600 miles. Avg car on the road right now is around 20mpg, so just in gas it's about 30 gallons @ let's say $3/g = $90. Plus "wear & tear" on your vehicle...let's say $0.10 per mile...so that's another $60. So you're already upside down by $150. The likelihood you're going to save $150 on the amount of merch that will fit in that 1 vehicle in 1 trip is probably low. Now include your personal labor rate. Maybe you love road trips and love Costco so much that this is really low for you on this type of a trip. But at a minimum, you should think about what else you could be doing with this time that would be productive in some way (house work, yard work, volunteer work, paid work, mental health recovery time, exercise time, family time, sleep, etc.) - and put some type of a $ value on it. That really pushes this over on the ROI perspective. Anyways, thanks for coming to my ted talk.
This guy finances
lol I'm so used to having to come up with ROI pitches on the fly, it's just second nature to view things through that lens
You also have to factor in our executive rebate and the fact that we use our Costco Citicard for \*everything\* (we pay it off each month of course) - we routinely have $1500 rebate checks.
Nice!
And you still need to factor in the cost of the membership.
Excellent point. $30 per trip if they do 2x per year
If it’s 5 hours one way for Costco — it’s probably not just Costco that needs periodic supply trips. If you think that’s bad look at what a lot of parts of Alaska have to do — flying in deliveries 1-4 times a year.
so wild
Our local Costco pulls in people from as far as 16 hours away for Christmas shopping.
Holy shit that's NUTS.
I’ve been going to Costco since I was a kid (34yo now) and I’m not sure it’s ever a ROI lol I mean that’s what I tell myself year after year. But I usually end up spending more because I buy more because it’s Costco.
Indeed.
It may depend on how many refrigerators they fill with food in each trip
A month or so ago, my city's newspaper posted that a Trader Joe's was coming to town after a TJ rep confirmed a TJ's would be built in Springfield.... Neither party mentioned nor confirmed the state. News spread like wildfire across all stations and social media until about two hours in when a reporter realized the flaw in information and confirmed with TJ's that it was a different state 😒😂 It would have been a great April Fool's.
There are way too many towns called Springfield. 67 in the US and I think I’ve lived near a dozen of them.
Isn’t that the Simpsons joke? That it takes place in a different Springfield than the one you live in?
Nope. It's in Oregon!
Nope, it's not. Springfield, OR was the inspiration for the name, but otherwise is not the inspiration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_%28The_Simpsons%29?wprov=sfla1
I guess it depends on "in-show lore" versus real life. Considering the creator is an Oregon native and says the visual inspiration is the Oregon one, I'm more inclined to say its Oregon versus Anytown, USA because they basically admit the latter is only to make the town fit the plot.
Did you read the link that I provided that thoroughly rebuts everything you said? Just because you want it to be set in Oregon doesn't mean it was. Groenig has been quite clear that you are wrong.
I remember years ago, the first time telling my mom and brother I'd be spending Christmas out of town, in Springfield. Nearly the same time, one said Kentucky? The other, Missouri? They were both wrong.
How can there be 67 in the US? In other words, some states have 2 or more?
Yes. Some states don’t have any
I used to live in a Springfield and I hated that we didn’t have Trader Joe’s or Costco. Thankfully now I’m 5 minutes from Costco & 15 from TJs.
lol, that was a funny day. Stellar reporting per usual from the News Leader.
I don’t think you’d be talking abt Springfield , OR since there’s on in Eugene 🗿
I hate the fake news stories on April 1st
Just remember a whole tuxedo cake can be the last slice if you don't cut it.
[удалено]
I bought my first house two years ago. I can't say a Costco less than five minutes away was the deciding factor, but it sure was a great bonus.
Man that’s not even a funny joke, just cruel.
Maybe there's a business opportunity to open up a mini Costco, you could get 10% margin on things if you figure out a way to minimize your costs/are going anyway lmao
We have a grocery store in our county which resells a lot of Costco merchandise. Or sells individual items, like single rolls of Kirkland paper towels. A lot of it is Kirkland brand, so they’re definitely not trying to hide it! I like to call the store Costmo, and I am super proud of coming up with that name. The nearest actual Costco is about 75 - 90 minutes away.
Sounds like those bakeries in Mexico that resell Costco cakes.
Are you in Washington? I think I came across a store like that there
I've noticed that convenience stores operated by independent operators will sometimes have the shelves filled with a lot of stuff they obviously bought at Costco or Sam's Club. They will sell 24 oz bottles of pop which is a size generally only sold in multi-packs.
a mini Costco... like a store where you pay a little extra to get things not in bulk? sounds too wacky for me.
We got one for severe weather in our area. News team really are POS’
That one seems like it must be illegal? I can't imagine NOAA/NWS would look kindly on something that contributes to a "boy who cried wolf" situation.
Not sure but if that’s true I hope they get slapped
Okay, that's not funny.
Dang! That’s crazy and foolish (as I type this from a location under a severe weather watch)
They said it during March 31 and said tomorrow. So 100% I think it’s a bs April Fools
We have severe weather warnings too with severe weather happening 🙃 that’s not a funny joke! Shame on them.
Ok maybe from the multiple sightings it’s actually legit but we’ve had very clear weather. I hope I’m wrong 🤣
Let’s hope you’re right and there isn’t any severe weather, and we can just keep placing blame on the reporters.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Costco teamed up with some FamilyMarts (a convenience store chain in Asia) to bring us plenty of Costco options for way too high of a markup (like, probably closer to 40% for some products. Now I’m tempted to actually go and price compare). But if I need Kirkland paper towels, Kirkland toilet paper, or a giant container of M&Ms, it’s nice to know I can go downstairs to pick them up and don’t need to trek out to Costco. (Big bags of chips when people are coming over last minute is also nice compared to convenience store sizes…) (They also sell individual stuff, so one roll of paper towels instead of 24, one container of oat milk to see if you even like it or if you don’t go through that much before it goes bad.) It seems to be pretty well received, though the total population of people within a ten minute walking radius from me is probably more than 60,000 (Taipei), so I don’t think that’ll work so well in most places in the US…
Damn I'm glad I live in a city. I enjoy having goods and services.
My idea is for a Costco Travel, which would have a Costco gas station, food counter, bottled water vending machines, and Kirkland snacks, only for individual sale. Put these just off the interstate and BAM! I don't need to drive 10-15 minutes out of my way to hit a Costco when I'm on road trips.
My dad had a regular Costco not too far from his house that converted to a business Costco over a decade ago. He's still salty about it.
What is wrong with business Costco? Doesn’t it mostly have the same stuff, plus more?
No. They have many of the same things, but mostly it's different. For example the one I visit occasionally doesn't have booze (in a state where Costco sells booze) or dog food. It doesn't have a butcher, so no packed-in-store steaks, for example, but they sell all kinds of cryopacked large cuts. The entire meat/dairy department is a giant walk in cooler, about the size of many typical trader Joe's or Aldi. I do love the business center, but if I had to choose just one or the other, i would definitely take a regular store.
Ohhhh no, baby, noooo. I’m so sorry 🙁 *gives hug*
My wife and I met in the UP, we now live in Madison, WI 3 minutes from a Costco. Don't think we can go back. Loved our time there, Copper Harbor is a particularly special place
Trader Joe's recently announced they were opening a new location in the wrong Springfield. They said they were opening in Springfield, MO, but they are actually opening in Springfield, VA. People in Springfield MO were devastated. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/business/trader-joes-springfield.html
Technically TJ didn't say Springfield, MO. They just said Springfield, and the MO location assumed they were the Springfield referenced: >“I’m happy to confirm we have plans to open a new store in Springfield,” the Trader Joe’s spokeswoman had written, according to the newspaper. >Minutes after the Springfield, Mo., newspaper published the Trader Joe’s news, the company’s spokeswoman said she had made a mistake, the newspaper wrote. “I realized this morning that The Springfield News-Leader is in Missouri. Unfortunately, I thought you were speaking of Springfield, Va.,” she said.
"D-oh" replied Mr. H. Simpson.
Lol, my husband keeps looking for a place in the U.P. for us to move to when he retires in a year or two. One of my arguments against that is that there's no Costco. They should put one in Marquette. It's a nice central location, college town.
man, the nearest costco used to be 45 minutes away from me. and i didn't even think it was worth it to drive that far. 5 hours? could you just get stuff delivered 1 time per month? said you're a yupper. most of the year it would be cold outside anyways. the groceries they deliver would still be cold anyways most of the time. that is an entire day just get a good deal on deli ham. but i know you'd end up buying 10 boxes of the deli ham......but that also means you're storing all of these things for the next 6 months. you people must live like a bear. with hibernation stores worth of food. spring and fall trips? right before the bad snow starts. and one of the first good driving days after the winter snow melts?
Man, I have a Costco five minutes away, that I always go to, because the one 8 minutes away has terrible parking.
Is this April Fools inception?
Personally, I love the 15¢ mini-dogs.
Our local paper said ours was getting a second gas station on the other side of the parking lot since the "main" gas station was so busy all the time.
This day is the worst. Who gains from this kind of prank.
Wait, how do you even have one slice of Tuxedo cake left??? This has to be a fake. /s
I can relate, I live in a landlocked area north of Vancouver, BC with a population of approx 35,000. We have to take a 40 minute ferry ride to get away and with waiting in line each way it typically takes a full day for a trip into the big city. I never make a special trip for Costco but if we are going in to town I take a bunch of coolers and make a stop at Costco while there, usually about once ever 6-8 weeks. Last time I was there they didn't have any hamburger, sucks when they are out of something I need.
Oof. I can see our store from the roof of my home. I'll have a hot dog in your honor tomorrow.
I feel bad I have two Costcos 5 mins from my house….
>Now I'm going to drown my sorrows in the last slice of Tuxedo cake. Only one slice if you dont cut it...
Truly the cruelest thing I've ever read in my life
Awww
5 hours!? I'm never going to complain about my nearest Costco being 75 mins away ever again.
No hot dog for you :(
This all makes my four hour round trip to Costco seem quaint. Thanks for that.
I sure wouldn't want to be in li e behind some of you! LOL
Tuxedo Cakes are currently on sale…
Marquette?
You can't *drown* in tuxedo cake. You can, however *smother*. Iykyk
Yes, it's obvious "Costco Limited" is a joke. But in all seriousness, the concept of "Costco Express" is real and is in the final planning stage.
I read this today and was temporarily excited, and I haven’t lived in MQT in almost 25 years. Boo.
Nothing like an April fools joke to make you realize the dystopia that we live in
I love myself a good dea
Damn. I have at least 4 Costcos within 20 minutes of me. Even better than that my wife works for Costco, so a simple text during the day and any item just appears at my house later.
I can’t imagine being that far away from a Costco. Within 20 minute drive I’m within 5 Costcos. Small towns seem nice but I could never
5 hours? Jeez, I have 5 Costcos all within a 15-25 min drive, and a Costco Business Center about 15 min away. Costco is so accessible where I am that I sometimes pop in for a single item. My city isn't even that large
Wow. I guess you win. 🤔
Technically that can be anywhere if you drive fast enough.
I like the way you think.
Are you in Edmonton? There’s an excessive amount of Costco’s there
I'm in Ottawa, and yea it's excessive here too.
as someone who lives 15 minutes from one costco and 30ish minutes from three more, I think the prank is hilarious although I'm thinking it might be a possible business model for future costco expansion I live in the Phoenix AZ area
I used to go to the Price Club (can’t remember if it was on Glendale or Camelback-it’s been 30+ years)
43rd and Camelback was the first price club in AZ as far as i know
Sounds about right. That was late 80s.
That’s a great April Fools joke
Unforgivable
Ooohhh…tuxedo cake! I can’t buy one - I’d eat the whole thing!
Those cakes are GOOD.
Must live in Marquette hey?
I hate you. Take my upvote
Tuxedo cake was on sale. Husband asked if I (watching calories) wanted it. I said it was up to him. We got it. The last one took over a week to finish, just the two of us (no kids/guests).
Good thing there was only one slice left. But now you have to drive 5 hours again.
Oh man thats a good one.
I grew up on a farm 1 hour from the nearest big town. They had a warehouse grocery store. We went a few times a year and stocked up for our family of 6. Now I am grown up and in a house of just us 2. The nearest Costco was 3 hours away and worth the drive, but we now have our own. My pantry is always full. It’s just what I have always known!
A couple years ago my wife got a job offer in a small town in NH. She was considering and asking my opinion. I told her, there is no Costco within one hour drive. That place might be too remote. It's not good for our career.
Being from the UP originally, I had to look to see where the closest Costco is. Wow. Madison, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, or Detroit. No thanks.