My Costco Fun

I like Costco. It is an interesting wholesale warehouse style store. It seems to have a bit of everything for everyone, almost like Walmart but much better. I have gone there for years, always with friends that had a membership, never having one of my own.

I have a good friend that I go to Costco a fair amount with. He is a big fan of the store. He especially likes the return policy. Most stores give you 2 weeks to 30 days to return a product and always with conditions attached. Costco will give you up to 90 days and longer depending on situation and warranty. My friend has had problems with products from Costco and he was able to return stuff after the 90 days for a full refund due to the situation regarding each product and its warranty. The people at Costco have treated him pretty good each time and because of that he keeps coming back.

When we make plans to go we usually make it an afternoon event. I will make up a small list of things I want to check out and he has his list of what he wants to get. We typically try to go when the traffic isn't too bad and the store is not overly busy; we are not always successful. Once there we grab our cart and take our time walking up each aisle from being to end. My friend has this need to check out everything. He seems find something every time that he wants to buy that was not on his list.

About 50% of the time we have been able to arrive there when several sampling stations have been set up. This gives us the opportunity to enjoy some snacks as we browse. A couple times there have been so many sample stations that by the end of our shopping and our purchases had been made we were full and didn't need dinner.

Not long after I became employed by VIHA I discovered that as an employee I am entitled to some company discounts and deals around town. One of these deals is with Costco. Since learning about this it sparked my interest once again for getting my own membership card. So this week I had some free time and went out to Costco in the truck and decided to check out memberships. Sixty dollars later I had my first years worth of a membership, only a basic one. I figure I would give it a try, after a year I would be able to look back and see whether I had received my $60 worth. At that time I would decide to either renew or let it expire.

I figure that whether I have a membership of my own or not it is irrelevant as I can always go with my friend, buy stuff on his card and just pay for it then/there or reimburse him. Unfortunately doing it that way is a bit of a hassle. Costco is becoming a bit more strict with enforcing their policies and are making it harder for people without memberships to go shopping with their friends who have one and buying products that way. The last time I went with my buddy they told us that I had to pay cash for anything I was purchasing, they wouldn't accept me using debit. Because my buddy is an outspoken individual he raised a small stink about it and they let me use my interac that time. Next time they wouldn't be so lenient, she said. Sometimes it depends on the cashier.

Personally I think that is ludicrous as I and many others I know feel that debit is the same as cash; all the debit commercials promote it that way. With debit you are using the money you actually have in your account. In the end it is no different than you going to the bank and withdrawing the cash. Debit is just a more convenient and safer option. Why constantly go to the bank or ATM to remove cash when debit is quicker. Debit is also safer as you don't have to carry sums of money with you.


The only draw back to debit of course is that it is harder to keep track of the money you are spending. I know I tend to spend more than I realize even though I try to keep a tally in my head of when/where I have been spending my money. It is something I constantly work on.

Now that I have a Costco membership it will be less of a hassle when I go shopping. As a member I am welcomed by the store employees as I flash my card. Much different than before when I would just be on the receiving end of a stare when I would walk in with my friend. My friend always gets a big smile because he has the Executive Member card which has more perks attached to it. They like their Executive members! I have the basic Gold Star card so I now get a smile: it is just not as big! Oh well, c'est la vie.