Great piece! You should read up more on the psychology of Costco sometime. Most of that disorientation and congestion you're feeling is by design and it's to make you shop more.
Parking lots almost always have a center traffic lane spitting the aisles, which makes the lot feel chaotic and getting a space like landing a deal- it primes you for the feeling of getting a deal inside.
The congestion adds to that sense of getting a deal- "I'd better grab this before somebody else does" even though there are literally pallets of each product. The congestion also makes it hard to backtrack or shop in a non-linear way. You have to stick with the flow of traffic, so you have to grab something when you see it rather than think about it and go back later.
There are no sightlines once inside- each aisle is intentionally cavernous so you only see what's right in front of you- not to the back of the store or anywhere else. This forces you to go down each aisle.
All that being said, I LOVE Costco and do all that I can to avoid getting a cart. I usually grab an empty box off the shelf and use that as an impromptu hand basket. It allows me to weave like a "motorcycle" around all the "SUVs."
One thing I've noticed is that I think the Costco carts are large enough for two children to sit in, instead of just one, so they're extra wide. That's something I appreciate - but it does come at the cost of large carts and aisles.
When my children were little, there was one supermarket in particular that I patronized solely because they had carts with a plastic car attachment thing in front that two children could sit in. I could put my older two in the front thing and the baby in the cart seat. It was otherwise a normal sized cart, though - just a bit longer.
Great piece. I haven't been to Arlington Costco much recently (didn't realize there's now a parking structure!) but the phenomenon you describe is identical at the Fairfax Costco. I will say that I enjoy the artificial challenge of getting through the store quickly...
The one in my hometown doesn't quite fill up that badly, at least not all the time. But it's probably at the low end of a place dense enough to support a Costco. All the others I've ever been in feel mobbed all the time.
Damn! We JUST became Costco members 2 days ago... Having visited once I probably didn't pick up on all the details. Initial impression was that the store was massive, as if it went on forever. Was this an airplane hanger in its previous life??? Given all that space, the aisles didn't strike me as unusually wide. I think that's because so many pallets are left parked in the aisles with the bargains du jour distributed on them. Some of these are genuine deals, assuming it's something you can use. Otherwise it's just another obstacle. This haphazard display does make you think Costco is working hard to get you a deal, that they're more focused on scoring the goods than on tidy display of same. Also, there are an amazing number of shelves packed with stuff of all sorts, somewhat chaotically organized. Many items elicit an immediate reaction of "who would buy this?!" But obviously someone does because they have a lot of it. In fact Costco disproves the notion that you can't please everyone. Turns out you probably can - if you're willing to stock a lot of things that any individual customer will look at and think "really?!"
I don't know if Costco reproduces the land use and transportation imperatives of suburbia, but it's definitely a product OF suburbia, in the same way that Walmart's best use case is suburbia. Pressed for time, a person can make a large dent in the hunting/gathering needed for the household, and get some deals on the needed stuff. In my old more urban home I wouldn't be making these get-it-all shopping trips because I wouldn't have to. Within a mile or 2 of my house I could find 2 pharmacies, 2 groceries, a hardware store, etc. Also a decent beer store, a little Italian market, a lighting store, and a great stereo store. Shopping could be done in smaller bites requiring less heavy lift capacity.
My wife and I are probably not the best use case for Costco. We joined for the eyeglass deals, the pharmacy, and a few select food items. To see a true Costco customer you need to follow my son-in-law on his weekly Costco run - the big cart full to the rails with food items, paper goods, things from the pharmacy, perhaps the odd beer selection that turns into a full minivan. Families with kids are the ones who can really take advantage of a Costco. Meanwhile, having read this, I will remember to take a large shopping bag with me for my wander through the Costco aisles, sans cart.
I think the sheer volume of stuff in Costco contributes to the crowded feeling. I used to get so overwhelmed that I would end up randomly buying a 5-quart jar of ketchup or something and having to leave immediately. It was also the place that my children were guaranteed to have giant audio-visual meltdown tantrums. I gave up trying to shop there, after a particularly lengthy and loud freakout by my then-four-year-old because I wouldn't buy the five-pound bag of M&Ms. I have this memory of her screams and headbanging on the floor echoing throughout the cavernous building...[shudders in recollection].
I haven't been to a Costco in about 4 years, but our closest Costco always was crowded and it felt crowded. The lines were insane, everything is huge. We had a membership for many years but finally didn't renew. We found that most things are actually not a better deal, at least what we normally buy. Also it is an hour drove from our house. I do alot of out shopping in our local Walmart which I also don't enjoy but ot is a better experience than Costco and only five minutes away. One of my favorite places to shop is actually our local Grocery Outlet. I never take a cart just a basket, it is small enough that I let my kids roam a bit, and it is always fun to see what they have on sale. We also love the farmers market in the summer. We do have another local grocery store which is very nice bit unfortunately the prices are so high that I don't shop there much.
I SO noticed carts when I came back to N America after a decade away! I’m used to daily grocery shopping and baskets and small stores. Not only are the stores huge but these stupid carts are everywhere, taking up all the space. Half of the stores don’t even offer baskets. It’s such a crappy experience compared to grocery shopping at a street market. Just another way N American life is made worse by virtue of car worship, lol.
The Costco in sf feels a little different since it’s squeezed into such an urban place (but still has some of the elements here). Trader Joe’s is a different beast since I feel like they promote overconsumption in a different way (too much packaging, grabbing little extra items etc) as opposed to bulk buying. I also find costcos produce better than tj’s
Great piece! You should read up more on the psychology of Costco sometime. Most of that disorientation and congestion you're feeling is by design and it's to make you shop more.
Parking lots almost always have a center traffic lane spitting the aisles, which makes the lot feel chaotic and getting a space like landing a deal- it primes you for the feeling of getting a deal inside.
The congestion adds to that sense of getting a deal- "I'd better grab this before somebody else does" even though there are literally pallets of each product. The congestion also makes it hard to backtrack or shop in a non-linear way. You have to stick with the flow of traffic, so you have to grab something when you see it rather than think about it and go back later.
There are no sightlines once inside- each aisle is intentionally cavernous so you only see what's right in front of you- not to the back of the store or anywhere else. This forces you to go down each aisle.
All that being said, I LOVE Costco and do all that I can to avoid getting a cart. I usually grab an empty box off the shelf and use that as an impromptu hand basket. It allows me to weave like a "motorcycle" around all the "SUVs."
Great comment and good idea!
One thing I've noticed is that I think the Costco carts are large enough for two children to sit in, instead of just one, so they're extra wide. That's something I appreciate - but it does come at the cost of large carts and aisles.
When my children were little, there was one supermarket in particular that I patronized solely because they had carts with a plastic car attachment thing in front that two children could sit in. I could put my older two in the front thing and the baby in the cart seat. It was otherwise a normal sized cart, though - just a bit longer.
Interesting!
I hate driving in suburbs. I think this helps explain why. There are huge, wide streets, but they always somehow feel crowded.
Great piece. I haven't been to Arlington Costco much recently (didn't realize there's now a parking structure!) but the phenomenon you describe is identical at the Fairfax Costco. I will say that I enjoy the artificial challenge of getting through the store quickly...
The one in my hometown doesn't quite fill up that badly, at least not all the time. But it's probably at the low end of a place dense enough to support a Costco. All the others I've ever been in feel mobbed all the time.
Damn! We JUST became Costco members 2 days ago... Having visited once I probably didn't pick up on all the details. Initial impression was that the store was massive, as if it went on forever. Was this an airplane hanger in its previous life??? Given all that space, the aisles didn't strike me as unusually wide. I think that's because so many pallets are left parked in the aisles with the bargains du jour distributed on them. Some of these are genuine deals, assuming it's something you can use. Otherwise it's just another obstacle. This haphazard display does make you think Costco is working hard to get you a deal, that they're more focused on scoring the goods than on tidy display of same. Also, there are an amazing number of shelves packed with stuff of all sorts, somewhat chaotically organized. Many items elicit an immediate reaction of "who would buy this?!" But obviously someone does because they have a lot of it. In fact Costco disproves the notion that you can't please everyone. Turns out you probably can - if you're willing to stock a lot of things that any individual customer will look at and think "really?!"
I don't know if Costco reproduces the land use and transportation imperatives of suburbia, but it's definitely a product OF suburbia, in the same way that Walmart's best use case is suburbia. Pressed for time, a person can make a large dent in the hunting/gathering needed for the household, and get some deals on the needed stuff. In my old more urban home I wouldn't be making these get-it-all shopping trips because I wouldn't have to. Within a mile or 2 of my house I could find 2 pharmacies, 2 groceries, a hardware store, etc. Also a decent beer store, a little Italian market, a lighting store, and a great stereo store. Shopping could be done in smaller bites requiring less heavy lift capacity.
My wife and I are probably not the best use case for Costco. We joined for the eyeglass deals, the pharmacy, and a few select food items. To see a true Costco customer you need to follow my son-in-law on his weekly Costco run - the big cart full to the rails with food items, paper goods, things from the pharmacy, perhaps the odd beer selection that turns into a full minivan. Families with kids are the ones who can really take advantage of a Costco. Meanwhile, having read this, I will remember to take a large shopping bag with me for my wander through the Costco aisles, sans cart.
I always considered Walmart’s best use case to be small towns in rural areas.
I think the sheer volume of stuff in Costco contributes to the crowded feeling. I used to get so overwhelmed that I would end up randomly buying a 5-quart jar of ketchup or something and having to leave immediately. It was also the place that my children were guaranteed to have giant audio-visual meltdown tantrums. I gave up trying to shop there, after a particularly lengthy and loud freakout by my then-four-year-old because I wouldn't buy the five-pound bag of M&Ms. I have this memory of her screams and headbanging on the floor echoing throughout the cavernous building...[shudders in recollection].
I haven't been to a Costco in about 4 years, but our closest Costco always was crowded and it felt crowded. The lines were insane, everything is huge. We had a membership for many years but finally didn't renew. We found that most things are actually not a better deal, at least what we normally buy. Also it is an hour drove from our house. I do alot of out shopping in our local Walmart which I also don't enjoy but ot is a better experience than Costco and only five minutes away. One of my favorite places to shop is actually our local Grocery Outlet. I never take a cart just a basket, it is small enough that I let my kids roam a bit, and it is always fun to see what they have on sale. We also love the farmers market in the summer. We do have another local grocery store which is very nice bit unfortunately the prices are so high that I don't shop there much.
I SO noticed carts when I came back to N America after a decade away! I’m used to daily grocery shopping and baskets and small stores. Not only are the stores huge but these stupid carts are everywhere, taking up all the space. Half of the stores don’t even offer baskets. It’s such a crappy experience compared to grocery shopping at a street market. Just another way N American life is made worse by virtue of car worship, lol.
The Costco in sf feels a little different since it’s squeezed into such an urban place (but still has some of the elements here). Trader Joe’s is a different beast since I feel like they promote overconsumption in a different way (too much packaging, grabbing little extra items etc) as opposed to bulk buying. I also find costcos produce better than tj’s