Shopping at Costco (The New Normal) for now...

[geist1223]

Went to Costco for Senior Hour. The Sign Board said they were out of everything for which I was willing to Wait to include Flour. So off to Fred Meyer (Kroger). Nope that had nothing on my List. To Wal-Mart. They did have 3 bags of Flour on the shelf. I bought one. Also had Isopropyl Alcohol. Store limit was one. Went to Mega-Food next to Wal-Mart. Got oranges 8 lb bag for $2.50. Earlier as I was leaving Costco I saw a Semi-Truck pull in the back of the store. So I went back. Got eggs (limit 1 24 Egg Container) and Milk. Jep I still drink Whole Milk for most meals.

 

[dsmrp]

A few weeks ago, some friends were kinda incredulous that DH and I shop at Costco almost every week. I have asked them almost every time if there's anything they want, to save them a trip, but they hardly ever do, or it's for items which are always out of stock such as hand sanitizer.
It's our one shopping trip for the week.

We buy milk, bread, fruit, veggies, beverages etc. I split/share some things with DD.
DD asked us recently why we go to Costco, rather than our local supermarket. We have gone to local market, but DH prefers Costco because the aisles are much wider, and he feels he can keep social distance much better in the warehouse. He says the local market aisles are narrower and have more people inside. The markets are not limiting how many are inside at one time.

 

[DaveNV]

DD asked us recently why we go to Costco, rather than our local supermarket. We have gone to local market, but DH prefers Costco because the aisles are much wider, and he feels he can keep social distance much better in the warehouse. He says the local market aisles are narrower and have more people inside. The markets are not limiting how many are inside at one time.

And depending on what you're buying, Costco can be cheaper.

Dave

 

[pedro47]

Have anyone check Ace Hardwares for bleach. They are smaller than the big major chains stores?

 

[Beachclubmum]

I went to Costco yesterday morning as we were running out of laundry soap plus all the usual Costco things. Wanted to resupply chicken breasts but meat man said they wouldn’t get a delivery until the next day. DH has to pick up his rx there on Wednesday and plans to go for senior hour (one nice thing about having a 61 yo DH!)

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

Just came back from a Costco run, at the Geezer hour. Plenty of beef, pork was in short supply. No pork chops, but was able to buy small pork sirloin roasts. Chicken was 1 pack per customer. They did have toilet paper and paper towels. Bought 1 pack each. At the checkout, both I and the check out clerk found that canned salmon was one pack of 6 per customer. (Wasn't marked with a limit.) Plenty of tuna. They had bread, bought 4 loaves. Bought some wine. (2 cases - I always buy wine by the case, I have a refrigerated wine storage unit (220 bottle capacity - still have a couple of 2000 Bordeauxs left ). Also some other odds and ends. (Already have big pile of canned goods.)

I stood out like a sore thumb, with my full respirator (in hot pink - 3M HEPA filters only come in hot pink), jacket, gloves, ect. (No googles, have to have eyeglasses, wore them instead). About a third didn't have even a cheap mask.

Now for the 3 week self quarantine. . .

 

[SmithOp]

Have anyone check Ace Hardwares for bleach. They are smaller than the big major chains stores?

The one near me just closed, out of business. I used it frequently for small purchases since it was much closer than HD or Lowes. The building was decrepit, may have had something to do with it, during the closeout sales we had rain and there were buckets all over catching drips from the leaky roof.


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[dioxide45]

The one near me just closed, out of business. I used it frequently for small purchases since it was much closer than HD or Lowes. The building was decrepit, may have had something to do with it, during the closeout sales we had rain and there were buckets all over catching drips from the leaky roof.


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ACE Hardware stores are all pretty much independently owned and operated. It also doesn't seem like ACE really has any minimum standards. Some stores are new and great and some look like they are in a former garage and the upkeep is poor. I think the big box hardware stores make it hard for them to compete.

 

[IngridN]

Have anyone check Ace Hardwares for bleach. They are smaller than the big major chains stores?

That's where I finally found some bleach last Thursday after looking everywhere for the last month. It was the germicidal bleach which I understand has a higher concentration of bleach, ~2.5% for regular and ~5.x% for germicidal. A very happy camper here.

 

[DaveNV]

I made a Costco run this morning, with a limited, specific shopping list. Interesting changes over the last few times I've been in the warehouse. One thing is that Senior Hour isn't just for seniors, apparently. Woman in front of me in line couldn't have been over 25. Didn't matter to me, really, that if she wanted to stand in line before opening with the rest of us. I just found it odd they didn't say anything to her. There were about twenty people in front of me this morning, and by the time I got in the door, maybe 50 more behind me. In three trips at this same time over the last month for Senior Hour, the line has been progressively longer each time. So it seems the word is out about the line first thing in the morning.

The warehouse had just about everything in stock I would have expected, and only a few empty shelves. So it seems they're getting their supply chain moving again. I was able to get flour, pasta, and some canned goods I wanted, plus some cleaning supplies. I walked by the deli and meat cases without stopping, but they looked pretty full. The freezer cases were the same. Like last time, the warehouse back wall was full of TP and paper towels. Lots of bottled water and trash bags. I didn't need any of those so didn't buy any. No Clorox wipes or Lysol today, but I was told they had Lysol yesterday, and had sold out of it by early afternoon. They said they haven't had Clorox Wipes in several weeks. So it goes.

I took a turn through the clothing section - things were fully stocked with seasonal clothes (lots of t-shirts and shorts), but nothing leaped out at me, so I didn't get anything. Lots of plants and gardening stuff, as you'd expect. It's that time of year. Again, I didn't need anything, so didn't buy anything. I managed to get out of there cheaply (for me.) Less than $100 is a very small day for me. (I made up for it at Safeway, where I stopped to get what I couldn't get at Costco.)

As I was leaving, I saw the Warehouse Manager. He was looking a bit overwhelmed, so I said Hi, and we chatted for a minute. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated all the extra steps they are going through to ensure people's safety, and the weird changes they've had to do to stay open. He thanked me, and said it was definitely a very crazy time, but they were doing everything they could to support the members and get through it. He's a good guy, and he tries very hard to run things properly.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

I made a Costco run this morning, with a limited, specific shopping list. Interesting changes over the last few times I've been in the warehouse. One thing is that Senior Hour isn't just for seniors, apparently. Woman in front of me in line couldn't have been over 25. Didn't matter to me, really, that if she wanted to stand in line before opening with the rest of us. I just found it odd they didn't say anything to her. There were about twenty people in front of me this morning, and by the time I got in the door, maybe 50 more behind me. In three trips at this same time over the last month for Senior Hour, the line has been progressively longer each time. So it seems the word is out about the line first thing in the morning.

Maybe she is a health care worker.

 

[DaveNV]

Maybe she is a health care worker.

Could well be. All tolled, there weren't THAT many people waiting, so I'm sure nobody was denied entry because of someone ahead of them in line. By the time I left the warehouse (after maybe 20 minutes) there was no line at all. So everybody was in the door pretty quickly.

Dave

 

[rickandcindy23]

I need to go to Costco. Not looking forward to it. I used to love my Costco trips, and now it feels like work, there is always the concern of getting sick, and then my healthy stuff is out of stock. I do need some things. I have been eating salad every day and ran out a long time ago and just bought some at WalMart, which isn't as fresh or as good as Costco's. I also need salad dressing, broccoli, cauliflower for my healthy pizza crusts, cucumbers, tomatoes (fresh and canned Rotels), bread flour (I like it better than regular and especially in the big bag), frozen fish, pulled pork (love that stuff in the deli case), and some spices. We won't get out for less than $100.

 

[DaveNV]

I need to go to Costco. Not looking forward to it. I used to love my Costco trips, and now it feels like work, there is always the concern of getting sick, and then my healthy stuff is out of stock. I do need some things. I have been eating salad every day and ran out a long time ago and just bought some at WalMart, which isn't as fresh or as good as Costco's. I also need salad dressing, broccoli, cauliflower for my healthy pizza crusts, cucumbers, tomatoes (fresh and canned Rotels), bread flour (I like it better than regular and especially in the big bag), frozen fish, pulled pork (love that stuff in the deli case), and some spices. We won't get out for less than $100.

Cindy, go first thing in the morning during Senior Hour. Fewer people in the warehouse, and the building has been sitting overnight with virtually nobody in it, so is less likely to be contaminated. It's probably safer than a regular grocery store at any hour. Stock up, and then you won't have to worry about going again for awhile. You're a successful business owner, a great wife, and even more importantly - you're a mom. You can do this.

Dave

 

[IngridN]

Have anyone check Ace Hardwares for bleach. They are smaller than the big major chains stores?

Just went to Ace to pick up a garden hose. Last Thursday they had about a dozen gallon bottles of bleach. Today they were fully stocked at several dozen. I think you'll find your bleach at Ace. Wish I had gone there sooner!

Ingrid

 

[DaveNV]

Just went to Ace to pick up a garden hose. Last Thursday they had about a dozen gallon bottles of bleach. Today they were fully stocked at several dozen. I think you'll find your bleach at Ace. Wish I had gone there sooner!

Ingrid

I saw pallets of bleach at Lowe's last week. They had it near the check out area, which tells me people were asking about it a lot.

Dave

 

[alwysonvac]

Costco Instabug Newbie

I had my first Costco Instacart delivery today. I placed my order on the Costco website on April 3 for a April 15 appointment since nothing was available earlier but I loved it and will definitely use it again.

Once the they started shopping today, I received updates immediately via text and the Costco website. Watching the Costco shopping list online from home was the best. As they shopped, items on the list were checked off and items that were out of stock were refunded (no eggs, bacon or toliet paper) but I got lots of other stuff. I also had the option to approve replacement items real-time via the Costco page as they shopped.

Here are some screen shots of the Costco webpage as they shopped.

 

[jtp1947]

What is the difference in cost of T P in the store vs online?

 

[dioxide45]

What is the difference in cost of T P in the store vs online?

Their Kirkland brand is usually $16.99 in store. Online it is $19.99.

 

[Ken555]

Their Kirkland brand is usually $16.99 in store. Online it is $19.99.

Sadly, currently it’s priceless online, at least in my area.

FYI, online orders also have a $3 shipping fee.


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[dioxide45]

Sadly, currently it’s priceless online, at least in my area.

FYI, online orders also have a $3 shipping fee.


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True, I was going to mention the shipping fee but that can be removed with a certain preset order minimum.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

Cindy, go first thing in the morning during Senior Hour. Fewer people in the warehouse, and the building has been sitting overnight with virtually nobody in it, so is less likely to be contaminated. It's probably safer than a regular grocery store at any hour. Stock up, and then you won't have to worry about going again for awhile. You're a successful business owner, a great wife, and even more importantly - you're a mom. You can do this.

Dave

Dave, this is what I have been doing, I go during senior hour (never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be happy to be a senior LOL) and I'm able to get in and out and now that some time has passed they always have what I'm looking for...

 

[rickandcindy23]

A few weeks ago, some friends were kinda incredulous that DH and I shop at Costco almost every week. I have asked them almost every time if there's anything they want, to save them a trip, but they hardly ever do, or it's for items which are always out of stock such as hand sanitizer.
It's our one shopping trip for the week.

We buy milk, bread, fruit, veggies, beverages etc. I split/share some things with DD.
DD asked us recently why we go to Costco, rather than our local supermarket. We have gone to local market, but DH prefers Costco because the aisles are much wider, and he feels he can keep social distance much better in the warehouse. He says the local market aisles are narrower and have more people inside. The markets are not limiting how many are inside at one time.

Produce always lasts well beyond the date on the package. I love their cucumbers, broccoli, salad, cauliflower and tomatoes.

 

[alwysonvac]

Costo Instacart offered free delivery for an order over $35 and automatically added a 5% tip which you can modify. I gave a 10% tip.

Yeah, similar to buying things online at Amazon, prices might be slightly higher.

 

[CO skier]

Sure, it was a Thursday at 2 p.m., but there was no line to get in, so in I go.

Just looking for decaf coffee (no more whole beans available at Costco, only the 3 lb. can of ground). Found it, and a six-pack of choice NY strips that were as good as the prime strips, a $4.90 rotisserie chicken, (no onions of any kind in the produce section), and an impulse purchase of a two-pack of lobster ravioli.

No line to get out. I just stepped up to a waiting clerk. (Never happened in the before C19-land).