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My love letter to Costco

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  • My love letter to Costco

    I think the letter I emailed their customer service is probably as effective a way of demonstrating the sighting as any eloquent story that I can tell.

    I'll be blunt and to the point, I'm not sure that the Reno NV (located on Harvard Way) club can be fixed at this point. Every time I've gone there parking has been a nightmare, the store has been difficult to navigate, and the lines have been long, but I've tolerated it because of the quality products and service, but this location no longer even has that.
    Two weeks ago I tried calling to get information about scheduling an eye exam with the optometrist on site and after 15 minutes of trying to get through gave up without ever having an associate answer the phone, I ended up going to Sam's Club who had someone answer the phone in under a minute and had me scheduled in less time than it took for me even attempting to get someone to answer the phone.
    I was willing to write this off as a one off experience, everyone has off days, until I went in yesterday. I went with a friend, he smokes, when we saw he busy it was inside he decided that it was probably better to smoke before entering rather than waiting until we were done, I informed the greeter that he was with me, could I go in and start shopping and have him just come in later, and the greeter informed me that shouldn't be a problem. 10 minutes later my friend called me to let me know that the greeter wasn't letting him in because he neither had a membership nor was present with someone who has one and I had to fight through the crowd (which says a lot about how poorly designed the store is that a 3:45 on a weekday afternoon crowd impedes movement) to get back to the front to remind the greeter that he was with me.
    My next problem stems from the fact that I came in for four things, Kirkland brand kitty litter, Kirkland brand cat food, 24 ounce bottles of Diet Pepsi, and a case of Samual Adams Winter Laggar. I will admit to being a raving fan of the Kirkland brand, especially when it comes to the pet supplies... but, I was a little disappointed to see no Winter Laggar, but I guess not overly surprised, I don't normally think of Costco as a place to go for seasonal specialties (my friend had come along also hoping to get beer for himself as well, needless to say, his first impression of this location will probably be his last). I was however shocked by the lack of any Pepsi products other than 12 ounce cans. I don't know, nor do I particularly care, what the reasons are for carrying only cans instead of bottles, the cans don't stay cold for my entire 8 hour shift at work and the bottles do, so simply getting two 12 ounce cans as a substitute is no substitute.
    So, at this point, every time I drive from the South Meadows neighborhood into this store (a 10 mile trip that takes over 20 minutes if you include the ridiculous traffic in the shopping center that the Costco is located), I end up having to stop at Sams Club (only 2/3 of the distance and a fraction of the traffic) on my way home to get the things that Costco doesn't carry. At this point, it's becoming more worthwhile to just skip Costco and go straight to Sam's Club. If you want a suggestion, either open a South Meadows location (there is plenty of open space still open off of Steamboat Parkway between Damonte and Veterans as well as on Virginia between South Meadows and McCabe) or accept that more and more people are going to get tired of the inconveniently located, poorly planned, and poorly run Harvard Way location.
    Not mentioned in the letter, was that the bagger (for lack of better terms) made a comment about how it didn't matter how old I was, I wasn't an adult until I had my own "real" smart phone. I didn't include it in my email to them because I don't remember the guy's name and the receipt doesn't have it on there... and frankly compared to everything else, is kind of a minor annoyance. Oh, and for the record, an adult is someone who knows how to budget and recognizes whether or not they can afford a "real" smart phone and whether or not they really need it... no my phone doesn't have facetime or 4G or a 12 megapixel camera or any of that other really fancy stuff, but it does what I need (make phone calls and send texts) and a lot of what I want (facebook and a basic web browser for when I want to kill time while I'm waiting in line or at the DMV or whatever) and it is within my budget... how exactly is that not being an adult?
    If you wish to find meaning, listen to the music not the song

  • #2
    The only reason we have any cellphones at all is at my wife's insistance...if it was up to me I'd be perfectly content with the good ol' Model 2500 phone (Wiki it)! So I guess by this bagger's standard I'm not really an adult?? In the famous words of John Stossel, give me a break... :P

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    • #3
      I have a flip phone that calls and texts and nothing else. I must be a 34-year-old infant. While my 9-year-old niece must be an adult.
      https://www.facebook.com/authorpatriciacorrell/

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      • #4
        I love CostCo myself, but I've found it doesn't matter which one I go to OR time of day, it's always a clusterfuck.

        I did get my eye exam there, though, and I'm not sure it's the same at Sam's Club or not, but I was informed each eye doctor located with each CostCo is actually an independent optometrist, so they wouldn't be able to directly transfer the call. Doesn't make up for the phone stupidity, though.

        And down here, it's not the Pepsi products in short supply, it's ALWAYS Coca-Cola (Ha! You see what I did there??). We're a Coke loving state, and I'm a Pepsi fan. I love their deals on meats and pantry staples, too. Cleaning supplies aren't bad, my our cats are Purina brand all the way. If we try to change it, they might kill us.

        Sorry to hear about your experience though. I hope you get a response.

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        • #5
          I don't even have a cell phone, so I guess I'm a 25 year old child.

          That place sounds like a zoo. You're right sounds like they should open a second one. And train the greeters to pay more attention!

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          • #6
            While my phone is technically a smartphone (very low-end, nothing near an iPhone or similar), we have no data plan to feed it, so it makes calls and takes photos and occasionally acts as a notepad when I don't have pen and paper handy. Hubby's phone only does the phone calls (his camera is crap and we can't get the pictures off of it without data), so he's worse off than me. Guess neither of us is an adult.

            And suddenly I'm very grateful for a very nice BJ's (out of the gutter, people) location in town here, because your Costco sounds terrible.
            "Enough expository banter. It's time we fight like men. And ladies. And ladies who dress like men. For Gilgamesh...IT'S MORPHING TIME!"
            - Gilgamesh, Final Fantasy V

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            • #7
              I have a basic phone for calls and texts and some basic web. It's all I need. So what if I don't have the latest toy? (And aren't toys for kids?) If my favorite store had that many problems, it wouldn't be my favorite store anymore. I have little patience for that kind of stuff.
              "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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              • #8
                I'm 53 and only have a simple cell phone so I guess I am a really old child
                I'm lost without a paddle and headed up SH*T creek.
                -- Life Sucks Then You Die.


                "I'll believe corp. are people when Texas executes one."

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                • #9
                  I'm 62 and have a flip phone that I can only call and text on. Oh, and take some (usually) really bad pictures so I must be an even older child.
                  "They gave me a badge with my name on it. In case I forget who I am." Dr Who - Closing Time

                  "I reject your reality and substitute my own." Adam Savage-Mythbusters

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                  • #10
                    Yeesh. How smart is it to get a phone that does a bunch of stuff I'll never use?

                    I guess working for 35 years, owning my own home and paying all my own bills isn't enough to make me an adult.

                    As for the rest of your post, that's very disappointing. I've only ever heard good stuff about Costco and supposedly one's coming to our area. I hope it's better run than the one you went to.
                    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                    • #11
                      I've got a smart phone, however, it's mostly because I have twitchy ass clients that need to know that you're always available to work on their crap. Plus, it allowed me to ditch my $35/mo hotspot since the phone itself can be now fill that role. I really need to get a keyboard for it at some point, and just code right from the phone in emergent situations :P.
                      But the paint on me is beginning to dry
                      And it's not what I wanted to be
                      The weight on me
                      Is Hanging on to a weary angel - Sister Hazel

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                      • #12
                        I have a phone that sends text messages and makes phone calls. It does exactly what I need it to do. My parents are always calling me to ask how to fix their smart phones. My mother especially since she is always pushing wrong buttons, or downloading things she shouldn't. A lot of the time I search on the net to figure out what is wrong, then run them through the solution. Yes, I google their problems with my laptop, which they could very easily do with their own smart phones.

                        My family can't understand why I don't have a smartphone when I am usually totally up to date with all things technology. My workmates can't understand why I don't have a smartphone since I repair smartphones as part of my job.

                        No one understands that I want a phone to just be a phone. I have a GPS, so I don't need that in my phone. I have a laptop if I want to get online, and there is nothing crucial that I need to get online at every minute of the day. If I want to read a book, I have my e-reader. My e-reader doesn't play music or videos. Or I could pick up something out of the bookcase, you know a book. My mp3 player plays music (or it did, I have to replace it as it died ) My microwave has no additional functions that I won't use.

                        Fun fact, my grandparents had a top of the line microwave that my aunty insisted they needed, and they used it for 3 things, to defrost bread, heat up a cup of water in the morning, and warm a cup of milk at night. My microwave is a low to mid-range machine, where I have used every function on it.

                        I guess I don't believe in paying for unnecessary functions that I will never use. And since I have trouble hearing people on the phone, I don't believe in spending hundreds of dollars on a smartphone that will do the things I can do on my laptop, e-reader, mp3 player, etc, when it can't improve my use of the primary application of a smartphone, you know, to make calls. Plus I charge my phone once a week or two. Not every night like everyone else. Those extra functions really blow the battery life.

                        As for Costco, the first one in Queensland is being built near me so I might check it out when it opens. See what all the fuss is about.

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                        • #13
                          Doesn't matter what kind of phone I have, it simply isn't a stranger's place to comment on my maturity level.

                          I do hope you get some kind of feedback on this smiley. I really prefer Costco over Sam's just because they are polar opposites in their treatment of employees. Sadly, I think you are spot on in your assessment; this place needs some work.

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                          • #14
                            If you are willing to drive a little farther, try the Sparks Costco. Coming from OC in SoCal*, it's awesome. I like the optometrist, too.

                            *(My husband was once hip-checked by a little old lady trying to get in front of him in line and I wasn't suprised when he told me)

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                            • #15
                              Quoth wheeitsmee View Post
                              If you are willing to drive a little farther, try the Sparks Costco. Coming from OC in SoCal*, it's awesome. I like the optometrist, too.

                              *(My husband was once hip-checked by a little old lady trying to get in front of him in line and I wasn't suprised when he told me)
                              I was going to comment that it is so much further away, then I actually googled it and it turns out that the Harvard Way store is 10 miles and the Galleria Parkway is 17... which is still nearly twice as far but not as far as I was expecting. Which may be worth it. The Reno Costco has really disappointed me, the Murray Utah Costco was amazing, it blew Sams out of the water both in treatment of employees, but customers also, lines were reasonable, the store got busy but never crowded, employees were helpful, and there was a really good product variety.
                              I did get feedback from Costco, and for my complaints about them not carrying everything I wanted it came down to them admitting that the store was poorly planned (there exact reasoning was that due to insufficient space and high demand they could only carry the most popular items). You know it's bad when their response is basically "we know we suck." The thing is that there is abandoned retail space adjacent to them in the same shopping center that could fairly easily be converted into an expansion for them... it wouldn't solve the parking and traffic problems, but would at least help with the store crowding and limited selection. My understanding though is that they have no interest in expanding.
                              If you wish to find meaning, listen to the music not the song

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