I remember when my kids were little and didn't eat much food, a friend who had 4 teenage boys saying that she hated going to Costco but that she really had no choice. Her boys and all their friends went through food like crazy. At the time I didn't even have a Costco membership, but I remember thinking that shopping at Costco didn't sound so bad to me, and how much food could she
really be talking about? Well, as the mother of 3 teenage boys, (and Miranda becoming a teenager next month) and several practically live-in friends, I can tell you they go through a TON of food. Yesterday we were pretty much out of everything, so off to Costco I went. I have had a membership for years, and really like their products. I love that I can get everything I need in one store. I have bought furniture, electronics, pool and boat supplies, clothes, and of course FOOD. I've learned to avoid Saturdays and holiday weekends, but usually Monday mornings are safe. Well, it was crowded yesterday for some reason. I got one of those flat carts since I knew I would be loading up. We're trying to boost our food storage once again just for a little more peace of mind given how bad things are getting. So I was going to be getting a lot. I began in the canned food section and got several cases of things, carefully stacking them neatly and intelligently. I proceded to dry goods and got a 50-pound bag of flour and one of sugar and put them on the cart. Boxes of cereal stack pretty well. But then I started with things that weren't so stackable: bottles of oil, spices, etc. Bags of Costco-sized chips aren't very stackable, neither is bread or bottles of cleaning products. My cart was getting pretty full, and the heaps were becoming unruly and not so neatly stacked. Mind you it's a flat cart with no sides. The looks and comments you get are varied. Some just stare as if I'm an alien. It's as if they can't imagine what I could possibly be doing in a store that sells large quantities of food. Other people say things like "What army are you buying all that for?" or "Do you think you have enough?" About that time I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a long time and we chatted for about half an hour. I had already picked up my frozen goods which were now defrosting underneath the giant size bags of plastic cups and paper plates. The bags of flour and sugar it turns out had a slight slope shape to them, so everything I had put on top of them was not as stable as I had thought. As I left my friend to proceed to the produce section, weaving my poorly stacked mack truck through the maze of people, I turned just a little too sharp and yes, you guessed it, an avalanche of cereal, lunch meat, cheese, soggy frozen chicken nuggets, and a blur of several other items came spilling off my cart and into the already crowded walkway. Some people just looked annoyed and went around me. A few kind others helped me pick up all my lost items and together we threw them onto my cart, abandoning any desire for order now. I got the blueberries and oranges I needed, then very carefully and slowly pushed my moving mountain toward checkout. I saw the checker and bagger sort of sigh and roll their eyes as they saw me choose their lane. I normally wouldn't have. I've shopped there enough years to learn which checkers are friendly and which aren't. This guy is one I usually avoid, but his line was the closest and shortest and I just wanted out of there. He avoided small talk and so did I. A whopping bill and 2 hours later, I finally leave the store. I called the boys on the way home and had them meet me outside to unload. About an hour later, we finally had it all put away. As I was putting the last few things in the pantry, Rob's dental assistant, Megan, called me. I am the supply person who buys the paper goods and odds and ends for the office. "Hey," she said. "I was just wondering if you'll be going to Costco any time soon, we need a lot of stuff".
Now do you see why I have a love/hate relationship with Costco?
