An ode to Costco

I think I know one of the reasons why I love Costco: It brings back so many memories. Growing up in a large family made massive shopping trips a necessity, so the monthly excursions to the big box store became a ritual to look forward to. I could always tell when it was getting close to shopping time, as the cupboards would be empty and the list on the fridge would be a mile long. Sometimes Dad would ride in the car with us, other times he'd meet us there, and as we got older, we would just go by ourselves. I think it was easier going without him -- weekday morning trips were far less stressful than shopping on a busy weekend afternoon. Plus, Mom couldn't get angry at him for wasting money on random stuff.

And the samples... ! Free food is always a good idea, even more so when you are a child. I remember how special it felt to score mini servings of pizza bites, cookies, fruit snacks, chips, soda, or even ice cream. When we were especially fortunate, Mom would bring us along around dinner time and let us get Costco dogs on the way out. Sometimes we'd even pick up a huge package of the hot dogs, buns, and sauerkraut to help recreate the experience a few nights at home. Ahhh those were the days.

I still think Costco is an amazing store with mostly reasonable prices, but I can't help wondering how much of my love affair is due to the attachment I formed at a very young age. Even still, I doubt I will ever find a better place to buy trail mix, hummus, jumbo muffins, toilet paper, cat food, hot dogs, a giant bag of pretzels, or beef jerky.