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When I budget, I consider my Costco membership a luxury. After all, I could live without it. It’s always on the chopping block as a luxury item, an expense I could cut if needed. And if I ever cancel my Costco membership, one of these will be the reason why.
I’ve complained about the patience required to find a parking spot at our local Costco more often than is reasonable. After all, Costco is the third most popular retailer in the U.S., behind only Walmart and Amazon. I’m not sure what I expect. It’s not as though the parking lot is ever going to be empty during business hours.
Still, I dread navigating the hordes of people shopping at my nearby Costco at any given time. Don’t get me wrong; I like people. I just don’t like feeling trapped by their shopping carts coming at me from every direction.
Fortunately, my husband enjoys wading into a crowd. As long as we’re shopping together, he pushes the cart and reminds me that we’re having fun. Yes, living with Mr. Rogers can sometimes be irritating.
When I’m shopping alone, I just want to get in, stick to a budget, and get out. I think I’d be okay if Costco offered Scan & Go (like Sam’s Club does). Just knowing that I’m going to have to wait in a ridiculously long line to check out is enough to make me want to shop elsewhere. If I could scan my items as I shopped and then easily pay via an app, I would feel a greater sense of control and probably wouldn’t dread the idea of a Costco run quite so much.
By the way, he doesn’t know it yet, but when he retires, my husband will be officially in charge of all warehouse store shopping. I’m not kidding when I say he’ll be thrilled.
When I walk into our local grocery store, I pretty much know what I’ll find and where I’ll find it. There are no surprises and no reason to slow my pace. While Costco certainly carries many of the same products week in and week out, there are also those pesky limited-time specials to deal with. Offering unique products messes up my flow in two ways.
Over the years, some impulse buys have been real stinkers, but I must admit that the axe-throwing set was a winner. My family loves it. Still, Costco has a way of making it tough to avoid impulsive purchases, and for me, an impulse purchase sometimes means taking money from my savings account.
I almost always hit Costco on Saturday mornings (which helps explain the Super-Bowl-sized crowds). While there, I have a shopping list right in front of me. I pick up what I can and circle anything I need to buy elsewhere. Let’s say I need two lemons for a recipe, but the smallest bag I can find at Costco holds 12. I would circle lemons on my list.
Once I leave Costco, I shop for anything that’s been circled. By the time I’ve been to Costco and the “pick-up” store (or stores), I’ve blown off a morning shopping — a task I do not particularly enjoy.
Of my petty list of complaints, this is the most likely reason I would cancel my membership. There are 1,000 things I would rather be doing than running around town to shop.
The truth is, I’ll probably never cancel my Costco membership, if for no other reason than to keep my husband busy once he’s retired.
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Dana is a full-time personal finance writer, with more than two decades of experience. Her focus is on helping readers feel less alone as they navigate their personal finances and offering actionable insights.
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