I was a Costco member for 38 minutes today ( warning: very long)

[alaskanseminole]

Your wife paid $300 for what was essentially trash?

Yup. Isn't that what most "vintage" stuff is, something old that someone else threw out? That darn thing is heavy too. I wound up anchoring it to the wall.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

The best furniture is hand made from people pretending to be Amish with a nice store front in the suburbs.

 

[hawkirugged17]

 

[jonesy5960]

Sounds like maybe a Karen problem to me.

 

[GES4]

I've never encountered workers as rude as the ones there. **** that place. It takes a lot for my wife to get pissed and she was ready to throw down.

Incident #1. Walked up to a sample booth with my 5 year old. There were kids going up and grabbing samples left and right, no parents with them. My kid, who is right next to me, grabs a sample. Lady flew off the handle about him needing to be 18 and I have to grab them for him. I laughed, legit thought it was a joke, and she gets up from her perch and starts laying into me. Cool, been a member for 5 minutes and had no idea, thanks for calmly explaining your rules and doing a bang up job enforcing them.

Incident #2. As we were walking up to the checkouts, they had 3 drink sample stands that we stopped at. The final one didn't have a trash by it so I just held on to my cup and told my son to do the same until we found a trash. We get up to the checkout and my wife starts unloading the cart while I have my membership scanned by the checker, I had my wifes card as well because she had a 3 card slot on her phone that has her ID and 2 cards, so i was holding it. My son noticed people eating hot dogs and wanted one, so I told my wife I was going up to get him one while she checked out. 2 birds, one stone. 30 seconds later I hear my name and see my wife waving for me. She told me she can't use her card with my membership. Huh? Then the guy, in a very rude tone, explains the membership name has to match the card name. Again, didn't know that, was not told that signing up, thanks for the condescending tone. Then I hear "Jesus, I fricken absolutely hate it when people do this! There are garbage cans right next to the stands." I didn't even know what was happening, then see that my son crumpled up his cup and threw it in the cart. He looks up at me with sad eyes, and I simply told him it was OK, but he needs to throw trash away, not in the carts. I also told him that it's never ever OK to talk to people that way. In the middle of this, douchnozzle interups ne to ask if I needed boxes. I told him to hold on a second while I finish talking with my kid and he responded with "fine, take your chances on their being boxes out front, I'm loading your cart." At that moment I hear my wife yell NOPE, just leave it all.

We walked up to the guy that signed us up and told him we wanted out money back. He finally did after explaining the scenario to him. What a bunch if ****ing clowns they have working there. We did absolutely nothing that deserved the attitude and ass chewings we got. CSB/Ctl alt del. I look forward to the comments of them being amazing and we must have done something.

Dude. Relax.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Dude. Relax.

Sounds like maybe a Karen problem to me.

So customers aren't allowed to have bad experiences? Doesn't sound like OP made a scene. He made one justifiable, passive aggressive comment "it's never ever OK to talk to people that way" and went to the counter to cancel his membership. Despite the fact I love Costco, if that'd been my first experience I might have reconsidered my choice as well. JMO.

 

[Finance85]

I've never encountered workers as rude as the ones there. **** that place. It takes a lot for my wife to get pissed and she was ready to throw down.

Incident #1. Walked up to a sample booth with my 5 year old. There were kids going up and grabbing samples left and right, no parents with them. My kid, who is right next to me, grabs a sample. Lady flew off the handle about him needing to be 18 and I have to grab them for him. I laughed, legit thought it was a joke, and she gets up from her perch and starts laying into me. Cool, been a member for 5 minutes and had no idea, thanks for calmly explaining your rules and doing a bang up job enforcing them.

Incident #2. As we were walking up to the checkouts, they had 3 drink sample stands that we stopped at. The final one didn't have a trash by it so I just held on to my cup and told my son to do the same until we found a trash. We get up to the checkout and my wife starts unloading the cart while I have my membership scanned by the checker, I had my wifes card as well because she had a 3 card slot on her phone that has her ID and 2 cards, so i was holding it. My son noticed people eating hot dogs and wanted one, so I told my wife I was going up to get him one while she checked out. 2 birds, one stone. 30 seconds later I hear my name and see my wife waving for me. She told me she can't use her card with my membership. Huh? Then the guy, in a very rude tone, explains the membership name has to match the card name. Again, didn't know that, was not told that signing up, thanks for the condescending tone. Then I hear "Jesus, I fricken absolutely hate it when people do this! There are garbage cans right next to the stands." I didn't even know what was happening, then see that my son crumpled up his cup and threw it in the cart. He looks up at me with sad eyes, and I simply told him it was OK, but he needs to throw trash away, not in the carts. I also told him that it's never ever OK to talk to people that way. In the middle of this, douchnozzle interups ne to ask if I needed boxes. I told him to hold on a second while I finish talking with my kid and he responded with "fine, take your chances on their being boxes out front, I'm loading your cart." At that moment I hear my wife yell NOPE, just leave it all.

We walked up to the guy that signed us up and told him we wanted out money back. He finally did after explaining the scenario to him. What a bunch if ****ing clowns they have working there. We did absolutely nothing that deserved the attitude and ass chewings we got. CSB/Ctl alt del. I look forward to the comments of them being amazing and we must have done something.

You seem to have trouble at every turn. Why do you suppose bad things are always happening to you?

 

[alaskanseminole]

You seem to have trouble at every turn. Why do you suppose bad things are always happening to you?

Ruh Roh. Have I missed a trend? Do share.

 

[OrlandNole]

We just spent six grand on a couch that we had to put together ourselves.

 

[GES4]

So customers aren't allowed to have bad experiences? Doesn't sound like OP made a scene. He made one justifiable, passive aggressive comment "it's never ever OK to talk to people that way" and went to the counter to cancel his membership. Despite the fact I love Costco, if that'd been my first experience I might have reconsidered my choice as well. JMO.

None of those things individually sounded particularly egregious to me. Maybe collectively it ruined his day but rules is rules.

 

[83Hawk]

I'd bet the Costco employees there had an entirely different take on "what happened"....

Yeah.....there is probably more to the story.

My wife and I have never, ever, had anything but positive experiences at Costco.

 

[alaskanseminole]

None of those things individually sounded particularly egregious to me. Maybe collectively it ruined his day but rules is rules.

You solved your own query.

 

[GES4]

You solved your own query.

Personally, I'd give it another chance. That 5 year old is going to need trail mix.

 

[jasonrann]

Still sounds easier than our King Bed project. Wife picked up two vintage front porch posts for a mere $300, then took me to an antique store to find a matching vintage, 5-panel door. I had to strip everything, sand, paint, seal, saw, blah blah blah...

Turned out well, though. Just bought a metal bed frame and attached it to the posts with 7/16 bolts.

I hope you obliged her with a long trip to pound town and cuddled afterwards.

 

[JupiterHawk]

Pretty sure the test food servers do not work at Costco because they claim they don't work there whenever I ask where a product is.

 

[Derekd3408]

You seem to have trouble at every turn. Why do you suppose bad things are always happening to you?

And what trouble am I having currently other than an issue with rude employees at Costco yesterday?

 

[BGHAWK]

I believe it's something they put in the water in the DesMoines/Ankeny area.
I never take the samples based on a couple of reasons.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Personally, I'd give it another chance. That 5 year old is going to need trail mix.

Oh, I absolutely agree. Perks to Costco:

Best prices around for:

• Olive Oil
• Blue Agave
• TP and Paper Towels
• Printer paper
• TVs
• Random things as you're walking around the store you didn't know you needed
• Did I mention the life-time warranty? I replaced an 11-year-old coffee pot that died for FREE!
• Favorite item: Pizza by the slice!!

I'd let Costco employees call me an a$$hole every time I checked out to maintain my membership.

 

[fakenewsking]

Not a Costco member, never been. How are the booze prices? Asking for a friend.

Unless Iowa recently changed its law's, you do not need a membership to buy booze at Sams or Costco.

 

[bdcolt45er]

If it hasn't been pointed out already the sample people don't work for Costco. They are brought in by an outside company.

 

[Tenacious E]

Pretty sure the test food servers do not work at Costco because they claim they don't work there whenever I ask where a product is.

I was going to say the same thing. I asked a woman posted up in the chilled prepared foods area if they had chilled fresh pasta dough and she just shrugged her shoulders and said she had no idea as she did not work there.

 

[Tenacious E]

Oh, I absolutely agree. Perks to Costco:

Best prices around for:

• Olive Oil
• Blue Agave
• TP and Paper Towels
• Printer paper
• TVs
• Random things as you're walking around the store you didn't know you needed
• Did I mention the life-time warranty? I replaced an 11-year-old coffee pot that died for FREE!
• Favorite item: Pizza by the slice!!

I'd let Costco employees call me an a$$hole every time I checked out to maintain my membership.

I would add booze and wine, raw meat, milk, eggs, common fresh vegetables, soy sauce, seltzer water, peanut butter, mayonnaise. Well, everything.

 

[bdcolt45er]

The best furniture is hand made from people pretending to be Amish with a nice store front in the suburbs.

I have in laws that own a suburban Amish furniture store. I know it is legit Amish because we ordered some chairs through him and we literally drove to Amish country and picked them up.

 

[alaskanseminole]

I would add booze and wine, raw meat, milk, eggs, common fresh vegetables, soy sauce, seltzer water, peanut butter, mayonnaise. Well, everything.

 

[OrlandNole]

And what trouble am I having currently other than an issue with rude employees at Costco yesterday?

Those are legitimate gripes. In the 15+ years I've been going to the Costco near me, I've had a negative experience like that two times. It's either a really crappy store or you have rotten luck.

 

[Derekd3408]

Oh, I absolutely agree. Perks to Costco:

Best prices around for:

• Olive Oil
• Blue Agave
• TP and Paper Towels
• Printer paper
• TVs
• Random things as you're walking around the store you didn't know you needed
• Did I mention the life-time warranty? I replaced an 11-year-old coffee pot that died for FREE!
• Favorite item: Pizza by the slice!!

I'd let Costco employees call me an a$$hole every time I checked out to maintain my membership.

If we lived within 20 minutes I would have given it another chance. Living an hour and a half away made it a simple decision to just walk away from it. I agree that they have some really good prices in things we would have used daily. I had some vodka and joggers that were like $11 in the cart. Oh well. I would have continued, but the wife had enough when my son took it personal.

It was really interesting how many people were eating in afterwards. Every table full and people waiting.

 

[alaskanseminole]

If we lived within 20 minutes I would have given it another chance. Living an hour and a half away made it a simple decision to just walk away from it. I agree that they have some really good prices in things we would have used daily. I had some vodka and joggers that were like $11 in the cart. Oh well. I would have continued, but the wife had enough when my son took it personal.

It was really interesting how many people were eating in afterwards. Every table full and people waiting.

Ya, I wouldn't drive 1.5 hours for Costco. I'm 5 min away, so I'm there weekly. I love their pizza so much, it was pretty common for that to be my Fathers Day lunch spot.

 

[Tenacious E]

Those are legitimate gripes. In the 15+ years I've been going to the Costco near me, I've had a negative experience like that two times. It's either a really crappy store or you have rotten luck.

It is rotten luck. I have been to that same Costco many many times with nary an issue. Then again, I almost never take samples, and I am alone and not with a 5-year old. But, kids are there everywhere on the weekends. My only problem with kids there is when there parents don't have control of them and allow them to buzz around them like a bee around a hive. Kids just being kids, but more than once I almost ran one over with a cart after he dashed out into the main aisle/corridor from around the corner. But that isn't a costco thing, that is a parent thing.

 

[Tenacious E]

Ya, I wouldn't drive 1.5 hours for Costco. I'm 5 min away, so I'm there weekly. I love their pizza so much, it was pretty common for that to be my Fathers Day lunch spot.

I've had the hot dog but not the pizza. The hot dog seems the same as the kirkland brand hot dogs they sell in the chilled section. Good but I'm not sitting around in that picnic bench hell when I can just have one at home. Is the pizza the same pizza they sell as take and bake, or is it different?

 

[Derekd3408]

Those are legitimate gripes. In the 15+ years I've been going to the Costco near me, I've had a negative experience like that two times. It's either a really crappy store or you have rotten luck.

Starting to think it was bad luck. The sample lady probably just had her ass chewed about kids touching samples and we were the lucky ones to come uo after that.

Cart loader probably cleans sample trash out all day and we were the straw that broke the camels back. Still no excuse for it, it was quite unfortunate. My son talked about how sorry he was for throwing it in the cart at bedtime still.

 

[JupiterHawk]

It is rotten luck. I have been to that same Costco many many times with nary an issue. Then again, I almost never take samples, and I am alone and not with a 5-year old. But, kids are there everywhere on the weekends. My only problem with kids there is when there parents don't have control of them and allow them to buzz around them like a bee around a hive. Kids just being kids, but more than once I almost ran one over with a cart after he dashed out into the main aisle/corridor from around the corner. But that isn't a costco thing, that is a parent thing.

I always try to go during the magic hour which is 8:00 PM.

 

[alaskanseminole]

I've had the hot dog but not the pizza. The hot dog seems the same as the kirkland brand hot dogs they sell in the chilled section. Good but I'm not sitting around in that picnic bench hell when I can just have one at home. Is the pizza the same pizza they sell as take and bake, or is it different?

From what I'm told it's different and much better. I've never gotten the take-home one from inside the store.

 

[desihawk]

Their brisket is fairly priced but I can’t speak to the quality. I have smoked pork butts, baby back and spare ribs from Costco and all have been good quality and well priced. Their ground beef is underrated also IMO.

Sorry that OP had a bad experience there, I’ve never had a problem there personally but our list doesn’t vary much from our usual list of about 20ish items we always buy there, we grab a couple new items now and then but it’s rare they become go to items. I recently got a new pillow there which is one of the best I’ve ever slept on and I always avoid samples there, just a personal preference of mine.

might i ask which pillow? i’m looking for a good one…thanks

 

[Tenacious E]

I always try to go during the magic hour which is 8:00 PM.

I will swing by after work two or three times a week. It is on the way home, more or less, and that particular location is relatively quiet then. I avoid it on the weekends if I can.

 

[Tenacious E]

From what I'm told it's different and much better. I've never gotten the take-home one from inside the store.

Looks good enough to me!

 

[alaskanseminole]

Looks good enough to me!

Guess where I'm going for lunch today? LOL

 

[Derekd3408]

It is rotten luck. I have been to that same Costco many many times with nary an issue. Then again, I almost never take samples, and I am alone and not with a 5-year old. But, kids are there everywhere on the weekends. My only problem with kids there is when there parents don't have control of them and allow them to buzz around them like a bee around a hive. Kids just being kids, but more than once I almost ran one over with a cart after he dashed out into the main aisle/corridor from around the corner. But that isn't a costco thing, that is a parent thing.

There were kids all over hell. Lotta big families there yesterday. I can 100% understand some frustration by workers with kids running around like they were, but mine was 2 ft from me at all times, I know this because he played garbage man the entire time. Its funny you mention that because I almost planted a few kids that ran in front of me out of nowhere.

 

[alaskanseminole]

There were kids all over hell. Lotta big families there yesterday. I can 100% understand some frustration by workers with kids running around like they were, but mine was 2 ft from me at all times, I know this because he played garbage man the entire time. Its funny you mention that because I almost planted a few kids that ran in front of me out of nowhere.

Crap. I just realized you went on a Sunday.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I get that we're all different and bothered by different things, but I'm not sure I would have given what was described a second thought, certainly not a story worth retelling, and definitely not going through the process of canceling membership while there.

To me, the worst part of Costco is the popularity. All the customers with massive carts, randomly stopping.

 

[JupiterHawk]

There were kids all over hell. Lotta big families there yesterday. I can 100% understand some frustration by workers with kids running around like they were, but mine was 2 ft from me at all times, I know this because he played garbage man the entire time. Its funny you mention that because I almost planted a few kids that ran in front of me out of nowhere.

I refuse to go on weekends. Nothing to do with kids but just too many people in general. It's like Christmas Eve shopping which is nightmarish for me.