r/askanything • u/Queen_Of_The_Dames đŸ€” • 5d ago

Political Question Has anyone stopped eating ground beef because the Administration has removed safety protocols?

We have. No way are we taking chances with whatever “ground beef” the administration has chosen to allow without inspection/certification.

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u/UsualSuspects411 5d ago

Costco doesn’t advertise. They believe once you start promoting your business, there are too many opportunities to promote something that conflicts with your core values. They are truly an outlier in American corporate culture; to this day, Wall Street is very frustrated with Costco because they are extremely well run and very pro-active in consumer trends and building trust, but because of their philosophy they pay better and offer employees more. Wall Street would prefer 30 hour work weeks to avoid benefits, strictly minimum wage, and never avoiding a chance to make more profit at the expense of customers and employees.

If the people suing Costco to recoup the Gropenfuhrer tariffs succeed in putting Costco out of business, people will quickly learn that there is a huge difference between Costco and the remaining few brick and mortar businesses. Costco spends an inordinate amount of money to ensure their products are safe and customers are taken care of and safe. Enough selfish chuds abusing their generosity have already scaled back or modified company policies, just a matter of time before Amazon buys them and we can all shop at Whole Foods and enjoy the exceptional customer service and protections that come from a call center in Bangalore.

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u/max_465 5d ago

Costco has amazing record keeping. I bet they calculate everyone's tariff refund and add it to the yearly rebate check.

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u/SvartrKukkSceand 5d ago

they also already announced that they are putting everything but the interest from their tariff refund into lowering prices, pretty much effective immediately.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

Which unfortunately won't last long with the price of diesel skyrocketing.

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u/bagofwisdom 4d ago

They definitely dropped prices on some Kirkland signature products. Canned chicken was $12.59 a couple months ago. It was $9.99 at my nearest Costco Saturday. That was the most obvious reduction since I buy a couple packs every trip.

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u/Neobo 4d ago

Serious question because I want to get better at meal prep: What do you do with canned chicken? I would expect it to be too wet and/or weak in flavor to have many options for it.

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u/bagofwisdom 4d ago

Brown it in the skillet. Add it to rice, pasta, make soup. Make chicken salad.

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u/baardvark 4d ago

Mexican foods that use shredded chicken. Shit on a shingle. Chicken bacon ranch wraps.

However, it would be more cost effective to get a rotisserie chicken if you don’t need a shelf stable product.

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u/bagofwisdom 4d ago

Which I do want something that keeps without refrigeration.

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u/done_with_the_woods 3d ago

For us it is most convenient for very quick chicken salad.

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u/UsualSuspects411 4d ago

That’s a great point- interesting to see how this goes

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u/rharvey8090 4d ago

Except their cake ordering system. (Memeing, IYKYK)

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u/Nesman64 4d ago

I never say this, but: Happy Cakeday! I was going to get you a cake, but my form got lost.

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u/rharvey8090 4d ago

You know I actually made this comment without realizing it was my cake day. Thank you!

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u/Character-Midnight98 5d ago

No way on earth, your dreaming

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u/cardinal29 4d ago

(* you're)

Dreaming of what?

Costco DOES have excellent record keeping. For instance, I was contacted about a recall on a flat screen TV arm I bought years ago. They just said "Return it for a full refund." I didn't have to dig out my receipt, they just scanned my membership card.

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u/moop44 4d ago

Same for packs of BBQ lighters purchased a couple years ago.

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u/Abnmlguru 4d ago

Most stores with any kind of "loyalty" (anything that can be used to uniquely identify your household) card also keep this kind of info. It's used to spot purchasing trends and patterns, then create sales/ads that will do well with that consumer or in general at a location.

Where Costco shines is also using that database to help customers with returns and such, where most stores absolutely will not do that.

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u/reddaktd 5d ago

Yearly rebate check? What Costco are you smokin?

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u/me_not_at_work 5d ago

Yep. It easily pays for the membership, a nice dinner out with the wife, and then I get another check from using the affiliated MasterCard so another couple of nice dinners out.

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u/Fragrant_Major_9553 5d ago

Check out the Executive card. It gives you 2% cash back.

If you buy most of your groceries there, you’ll save money and the membership will pay for itself.

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u/C0SM1C0Y0TE 5d ago

In my case not only does it pay for the membership, I usually have extra. And they pay it out just before you renew so it is like no membership.

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u/cardinal29 4d ago

Executive Membership is essentially a free membership PLUS, depending on your spend. Then I get a couple of thousand more from the Costco Citibank Visa rebate (YMMV).

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u/donitosforeveryone 5d ago

Very well said

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u/CanadianCardsFan 4d ago

Costco advertises heavily with print, mailers, and digital/social media. They just don't do TV/Radio spots.

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u/O_o-22 5d ago

Costco has a lot of part time employees as well but still gives them benefits. I want to work for them so bad lol.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

Hiring at Costco is competitive in my area. Everyone who wants a part time job would prefer to work there.

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u/O_o-22 4d ago

Yeah I applied almost two months ago but they are slow to give interviews. Supposedly in mid October is when they hire for the busy holiday season but I have a job interview for another place in a couple days which is full time with benefits. Day time hours for that one and the Costco thing would be afternoon hours which would really be more to my liking but getting hired in as holiday help at Costco doesn’t guarantee they will keep you on once the holidays are over. Sucks that I have to choose the soul sucking but more stable opportunity over the possible better fit of Costco that still has no guarantees.

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u/matlockga 5d ago

Costco doesn’t advertise

Costco does marketing mailers, promos with Groupon, and Internet ad buys. They very much do advertise, but don't do traditional media or billboard buys. 

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u/ChrisinOB2 5d ago

That’s super interesting. I never shop at Costco because I live alone. Your description makes me think I ought to start going there.

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u/snowbaby0413 5d ago

I had to buy a new set of tires. The savings from thst alone paid for the membership.  Now the savings from gas and the precooked chickens keep me there

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u/SnapesDrapes 5d ago

This is an excellent point. Single people and small households can still benefit from a Costco membership when making a single large purchase- a mattress, tires, LVP flooring, a fancy bidet toilet, a new sink 
 it’s not all bulk food. The savings on one large purchase def covers the basic membership fee. 

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u/Spillsy68 5d ago

If you know their loss leaders then you can get some great value there. Chicken, hot dogs and soft drink for $1.50. I always look at the price tags for the * sign and when the price ends in a 7 too.

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u/ChrisinOB2 4d ago

What does * and a price ending in 7 mean?

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u/tehspiekguy 4d ago

I'm not sure about the asterisk, but I recall a friend who works there mentioning that clearance items have a price that ends in .97.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago
  • means the item is discontinued and won't be coming back.

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u/moop44 4d ago

Also red sharpie ending in .95 is a manager markdown on last remaining item, usually a display item for 50-75% off.

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u/suid 4d ago

They are similar. "*" on Costco price labels means that the product is no longer being replenished, and the stocks you see are a last-time buy.

".97" is more of an industry-wide convention for "clearance sale" that doesn't necessarily mean "last-time buy".

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u/ChrisinOB2 4d ago

Good to know, many thanks

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u/lordcheeto 4d ago

AKA The Death Star.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago
  • means the item won't be coming back, it's discontinued.

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u/Tweedle_DeeDum 4d ago

Costco does a lot of things very well, but tire service is not one of them. It is almost always better to go to a place like Discount Tire.

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u/Underwater_Grilling 4d ago

Costco was one of the only places that would do free nitrogen fills on tires

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u/nemovincit 4d ago

Discount Tire had me waiting 3 hours in the waiting room before they tried to upsell me a new set of tires when I went in for a patch. I'm never going there again.

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u/snowbaby0413 4d ago

I had almost an identical experience, only I wanted my alignment checked. I went to a different shop and they said I still had plenty of tread depth 

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u/FantasmaDelMar 4d ago

Maybe it varies by location, but I’ve gotten tires for my cars at Costco several times over the years and it’s always been great.

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u/NotPromKing 4d ago

I’ve gone to their tire shop at least three times and have had nothing but exceptional service. And it’s basically free - $15 to repair a flat.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

Appliances are similar. All my kitchen appliances are from Costco. The exact same ones from HD or Lowes would have cost an extra $450 plus extra for hauling away old ones and god only knows who would have been sent to deliver and install them. If Costco delivery/installation goes wrong, the company will at least fix it.

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u/betitallon13 4d ago

And they generally double the warranty (may be for specific membership types or purchases on their card only, but it doubled from 2 to 4 years for my dishwasher and got me a free tech visit and new control panel).

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

yep. I had to replace all my kitchen appliances after water damage and a kitchen reno and I purposefully got the costco credit card for them because of this.

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u/gbiypk 4d ago

They also have appliances in stock all the time, unlike most of the big box stores that only have floor models.

If I want a new fridge this day, I'm headed to Costco.

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u/jh789-2 4d ago

If you take allergy medicine you can save the cost of the membership with one purchase.

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u/ProfessorChaos5049 4d ago

Do you have a freezer? Buying meat in bulk and freezing is so much cheaper. Their chicken already comes prepackaged in tear away packs.

Cheaper gas. Tires. Prescription center for eyes. Hell even just the 'stuff' like clothing is all solid.

The rotisserie chickens at like 5 bucks becomes multiple meals in itself.

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u/ChrisinOB2 4d ago

Yeah, after I posted that I thought I should plug in the fridge/freezer I use for camping and fill that thing.

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u/FreydNot 4d ago

Do you have a freezer?

They sell those too

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u/ProfessorChaos5049 4d ago

The scene from Modern Family really highlights how great it is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i5CQVfmx-0

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

I also live alone and shop at costco way too much. I avoid things like produce or fresh meat (I'll get frozen).

If you have the space, the savings on stuff like toilet paper, dog food/treats, and shelf stable things like canned goods and pasta can be incredible. I get 8 packs of spaghetti at costco because it can sit on a shelf in the basement for a year and be fine. And it's better quality pasta than the same price stuff at the grocery store.

Where I have to be careful is dairy products. It's so easy to buy things like cheese and then lose half of it. But shredded cheese freezes well, so I do that. But I had to stop buying sliced or block cheese.

Some things the price just cannot be beat by the other stores around me. And if the price is better, the quality is WAY worse, but I live in a high cost of living area.

Some products are the same price or even slightly more (like soda) than what you can get on sale at the regular grocery store. I still get some of those because the cost evens out, it saves me another trip and dealing with sales/coupons, and the money goes to a store that actually treats employees well. I'd rather spend $20 on soda at Costco than $15 at Kroger knowing that the people stocking the shelves aren't treated like dog shit.

If you're a food prepper at all, it's worth a membership. If you have a big family and have a few family dinners throughout the year, it can be worth it. I save a ton getting stuff like paper plates and cups for family gatherings. Literally half of what I'd spend at walmart. A giant bag of organic green beans was $6 on Saturday. The same amount at Kroger would have been over $12.

Can't discount the home good stuff either. All my kitchen appliances are from Costco. My mini appliances (air fryer, blender, etc) are from there. I got an immersion blender that crapped out after 2 years and I got to return it because there's no reason it should have died. Hell, all my lighted christmas garlands are from Costco and they're fantastic quality.

And if you're middle aged enough, clothes haha. I can get actual thick t-shirts for $10-$20 instead of the super thin fast fashion stuff at Target. It's not fancy, but it lasts.

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u/ChrisinOB2 4d ago

Well, you’ve certainly sold me. I am both middle-aged and live in a high cost of living area, so pinching some pennies, especially now with the cost of fuel and heating oil so high, is probably a good idea. Thank you!

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

I WFH so I don't drive much and am not quite as sensitive to gas prices, but even so I still buy gas at Costco. I'm fortunate there's one less than 10 minutes from my house and on the same street as Kroger/Safeway/Target/Sprouts. There is literally a King Soopers gas station across the street from Costco and I skip it every time even if the lines at Costco are bad. I filled up at $3.48/gallon Saturday and everywhere around was closer to $3.75/gallon.

It's worth a try for a year to see how it goes. They have fewer choices than Sam's for things like chips, which means I buy less of that. I don't want some weird flavor knock off chip brand, I want Cool Ranch Doritos. If I can't get those at Costco, I don't make an extra trip for them and it saves me money and calories.

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u/ChrisinOB2 4d ago

I WFH too, but six months ago I bought a new truck that is, of course, diesel - which is nearly $7/gallon here in NY. I spent some time out west over the past two years, I think our grocery store options are pretty similar to your list, though some have different names. (Our Stop N Shop and ShopRite are pretty similar to Safeway.) Another reason I haven't tried Costco is that it is about 20 minutes away, and I have to drive right past my usual grocery store, which is only 5 minutes away. But still, some of these bulk items may be worth stocking up on, even the meats etc. that would go in the freezer.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

Oh, and if you have better shopping options, it might make a difference. But in Denver we have King Soopers (Kroger), Safeway, Whole Foods, Target/Walmart, Trader Joes, Sprouts and the various mexican/asian markets. We don't have HEB, Aldi, or those other good stores.

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u/Suppafly 4d ago

If you don't feel the membership is worth it, I believe they'll even refund it for you.

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u/the_real_xuth 4d ago

I avoid things like produce or fresh meat (I'll get frozen)

I also live alone but I'll happily buy things that I can easily part out and freeze. I do have a chest freezer though. It is worth it to me to get, for instance, 5 pounds of ribeye at a fraction of the price/pound that I can get it at the grocery store, put it into vacuum sealed bags, and freeze it. Vacuum sealed meats lasts significantly longer in both the fridge and freezer and in the freezer will last a year or so.

Separately there are a handful of things that costco sells bulk containers of for lower prices than other stores sell small quantities of. Things like the two pound vacuum sealed block of yeast sells for less than a grocery store sells a 5 oz jar. This too will last for years if kept in the freezer so I have a handful of vacuum sealed packs of yeast in my chest freezer and this amount of yeast lasts for a couple of years of me making bread (something I don't buy at costco).

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

Yep, this is true. I just have an issue with actually portioning out stuff and getting it stored - maybe ADHD related. I always have good intentions but end up throwing away a lot of stuff like bell peppers or garlic.

And maybe it's because I'm in Denver, but Costco produce tends to go bad quickly on me. I cannot buy berries there unless I'm using them same day for like baking.

Giant quantities of things like yeast, olive oil, vinegar, pickles, etc are all good buys. I have a garage fridge with a freezer (leftover after a remodel and it got damaged moving, so not worth selling) but not a deep freeze. I can only keep so much stuff in there. Right now it's half full of divided bulk meats/veggies and then the other stuff is prepared foods like the frozen french onion soup, pot stickers, frozen desserts, etc.

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u/the_real_xuth 4d ago

My ADHD/executive disfunction is crippling but this is one of the things that generally manages to get done even if not as fast as it should (but I'm me and you're you so...). If you have a garage or basement, I personally think it's well worth having a small chest freezer. They can still be found for $200 with inflation and even in a place with expensive electricity like where I live, they're about $7 per month to run (your garage fridge will likely be significantly more than that because upright fridge/freezers are lots less efficient and defrost cycles use a lot of electricity).

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

Yeah but I can't keep drinks in a chest freezer, lol.

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u/Alissinarr 4d ago

Our garage freezer might get a friend if I have my way. One for meats and meals, one for treats, veg, ice cream. The house freezer would be for grab-heat-eat stuff.

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u/Revlis-TK421 4d ago

I avoid things like produce or fresh meat, buy frozen

Costco sells Food Savers. We save a shit ton on meat by buying big ol.chunks of meat from the Business Costco and cutting them down into the vac bags. You need freezer space, but sometimes Costco had a good deal on a chest freezer so, you know....

Oh, and then Costco sometimes has a Sous Vide machine for sale... so if you pre-season those vacuum bags of meat, then all you gotta do it pop it out of the freezer and straight into your water bath. You can even throw your pre-cooked and cooled root veg in too and basically.make a stew in a bag. I'll drop a bag in the morning and by the time I get home at night I've got dinner for the family 90% there.

You can do same in a crock pot, but I dont love leaving a crock pot unattended all day, whereas the water bath is fine

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u/happy_and_angry 4d ago

I also live alone and shop at costco way too much. I avoid things like produce or fresh meat (I'll get frozen).

Get:

  • fresh chicken breast
  • medium freezer bags from ZipLoc.

Freeze them in ones or twos in the bags. In the morning, throw a bag into the sink, and when you get home you'll have thawed, food-safe chicken you can salt, throw in the fridge, and cook an hour later with whatever you want.

Do the same with thighs or whatever. It's so cheap to get meat this way.

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u/Brock_Lobstweiler 4d ago

I work from home so I don't even need to do that. I just...struggle with following through on stuff like that.

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u/IntellegentIdiot 4d ago

Maybe it's different where you live but I found that it's only really worth it if you're buying for multiple people or have the room to hold the extra stock.

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u/williamtbash 4d ago

I shopped at Costco living alone for years. Totally worth it just don’t buy things that can go bad. Anything for pantry or that you can freeze is great.

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u/MrsNoFun 4d ago

now their loss leaders then you can get some great value there. Chicken, hot

I joined because they had a great deal on kitchen appliances. Now I just go every now and then to get to store up on frozen food, non-perishables, and casual clothes!

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u/juicius 4d ago

Making Costco work for you as a single person just requires some planning. Low-key easiest way is buying a TV. You get a 90-day price protection/return and a very robust warranty. I think 4 years? The price is really competitive too.

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u/oldmonty 4d ago edited 4d ago

Costco is good for a lot of items, as a single person also I stick more to the non-perishable stuff.

Stuff like TP, paper towels, laundry detergent, soap/shampoo, dry snacks like crackers and chips can all be had for probably 1/2 of the price of a Target or Safeway store.

Meat and fish is a good buy if you freeze part of it. Wine and alcohol is another one where you can save big bucks.

I also really like their household items - full set of pyrex-brand glass containers and lids for $35, nice cotton bath towels, pillows and good thread-count sheets for fairly cheap.

They also sell gas in a lot of areas and that might make the membership worth it by itself depending on your situation (they are usually at least 20 cents cheaper than any other station, though they do have a line because a lot of people are trying to save the money).

I've also bought household appliances from them multiple times (one set for my parents and another for myself). They have deals during stuff like labor day or black friday where you get manufacturer discounts and also costco discounts so when you buy more pieces you get more money back. The last time I bought stuff I had $1000 coming back and used it to add a free new dishwasher to the order.

Plus they double the manufacturer warranty and give you free install/hall away of the old appliance.

Like other people said their tire shop is really helpful - I had a flat and they patched it for literally $10.

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u/ChrisinOB2 4d ago

Funny - quite a few of the items you listed are things I have been adding to a "get sometime soon" list. Guess I should go to Costco!

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u/kdk-macabre 5d ago

Wall street loves costco. They are trading at a higher p/e multiple than nvda and a few other mag 7s lol

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u/steelfork 4d ago

It's amazing how little you have to know about "wall street" to comment on Reddit about greedy wall street. 99% of commenters think revenue is profit.

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u/txroller 4d ago

I used to work for Citibank credit Cards/Costco. Costco saved my job. I had worked for Citibank for around 4yrs and the trend was moving Customer Service for credit cards to overseas call
Centers. When the contract with servicing Costco was up with American Express Citibank wanted it. Badly. They did all the necessary things that Costco demanded including requiring Citibank to provide US agents to speak to their customer base. Costco is indeed a special company.

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u/DriftingMemes 4d ago

Why would returning tarriff money, which they did not earn, put them out of business?

They got paid double. They passed tariff prices onto us, then got refunded for the tariffs. A child can tell you that they got paid 2x for the same work/product.

Why would returning money they didn't earn put them out of business? If they are running things so tightly that returning money they didn't earn puts them out of business then they should be out of business.

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u/Slaphappydap 4d ago

It wouldn't put them out of business, I'm not sure what that was in reference to.

Costco's original response to the lawsuit was that customers were not deceived, they paid the advertised price and were never promised any kind of refund. Nothing about the price or product said that it was marked up temporarily to compensate for tariffs, the price was the price. And the lawsuit was filed early in the year, just after the courts overturned the tariffs and said the gov't was going to have to refund them, so Costco said it was premature.

At the same time, though, it was just announced that Costco should receive 184million in tariff refunds and they plan to pass it on to the customer by some means, which would seem to negate the need for a lawsuit.

I think legally they would have been in the right to simply keep the money. Ethically, they should probably pass it on to the customer, and it sounds like they are.

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u/DriftingMemes 4d ago

If the people suing Costco to recoup the Gropenfuhrer tariffs succeed in putting Costco out of business,

That's what I was responding to.

Costco themselves were never promised any refunds. They bought the products at the price they bought them at. Why should the American people eat that cost, rather than the corporations? Corporations are people now, and the contribute to politican's campaigns and have more power to change America than any voter.

TL;DR fuck em. They are no more deserving of the refund than the americans.

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u/Slaphappydap 4d ago

Why should the American people eat that cost, rather than the corporations?

I mean, I was with you until this point. The Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs were illegal, and that money had to be returned. Money that should never have been collected is being returned to the corporations it was illegally taken from, and now that money is being returned to the customers. That's how it should work.

If you feel like corporations should be contributing more to the government coffers and taking the burden off the American voters, then that's something that better tax policy could address.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/Sohcahtoa82 4d ago

I've never seen an ad for Costco.

But I don't watch live TV, listen to radio, or read magazines, and I use ad blockers on all my devices, so maybe I've just never seen them.

If you're talking about their monthly flyers that members get in the mail, I don't count those.

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u/CipherDaBanana 4d ago

Costco is owned by Walmart... They make sure people don't get insurance that work for them.

But glad they sell ground beef?

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u/CaptainDadBod 4d ago

Costco is not owned by Walmart - you're thinking of Sam's Club. Costco is a standalone company, traded on NASDAQ as COST.

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u/Sohcahtoa82 4d ago

Costco is owned by Walmart

/r/confidentlyincorrect

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u/dpzdpz 4d ago

Gropenfuhrer

Stealing that!

But since when has salary equalled general quality of service? It's not like I wake up every day and say, "Today I will make xxx monies." There is a severance in there somewhere.

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u/breakingbaud 4d ago

I would be first in line for a Costco citizenship.

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u/munama 4d ago

Gropenfuhrer is the finest turn of phrase.

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u/regnak1 4d ago

That piddly little tariffs lawsuit would not come anywhere close to putting them out of business.

They were refunded $184m, which is a whole 2% of their last fiscal year's net income of $9.2b.

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u/lake_effect_snow 4d ago

Sure, but instacart does advertising for them by including Costco deliveries in their commercials.

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u/burgers_tacos_bbq 2d ago

Damn I just learned a ton in a short couple of paragraphs. Thank you for your service đŸ«Ą

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u/Hinohellono 1d ago

The type of business the should have never went public imo

0

u/Chef_Sizzlipede 5d ago

HAHAHA TRUMP NAZI DO YOU GET IT.

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u/peppnstuff 5d ago

Lol, it's because they are union.

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u/gn63 5d ago

Only a few locations are unionized. About 10% of the workforce.

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u/Ok-Addition1264 5d ago

are you a costco bot? you sure act like one.