The last couple of years I have just lost all motivation and love for going to Costco. It feels like something is wrong with me because my DNA would tell me that Costco is life and that it should just feel intuitive for me to visit every single Costco I come across in my travels around the country. You see, this is what my parents do. They absolutely adore Costco and when they make the long trek to see us from Southern Idaho to Southern California they only stop and get gas at Costco because it is the best deal. No matter that they add between 20-40 minutes each gas stop because we know how long those gas lines at Costco are. They just love it and they are loyal sons of guns. 

My parents and my in-laws are this way and honestly pretty much everyone else I know just loves going there to shop. Costco has reallyy figured it out because men really love to shop there too ha! Typically men don’t love to shop but that seems to be a place they enjoy browsing and moseying about, don’t you think? 

Anyway, I always go to our nearest Costco, which is  the Costco in Irvine, California and after going to a different one that is ten minutes further from home, I think I may have changed my mind about the whole thing again! I think as I entered the store, I could feel the ice melting away in my heart! I could feel the lifeblood flowing back into my veins, getting me jazzed about getting a bargain deal on my Sonicare toothbrush heads. By the end of the trip, I was practically dancing my way around the store, juggling mandarin oranges and playing the bongos on the Christmas drums that were on display. I came alive in this giant, very slow Costco! I have been restored and would make my parents proud, I’m sure. 

You see, this Costco checked all the right boxes, less than 5 minute gas line, ample parking and not have to drive around like sharks booking for prey. They also had super-friendly workers and to top it off, the aisles were nice and wide and it was slower than molasses in January on a Wednesday night one hour before closing. Does it get better than this?! 

This could be the best Costco there ever was…...but actually it’s not. You are about to hear about the king of all Costcos, my friends. When we lived in the frigid Midwest in Iowa we lived in a townhome complex that had probably 80 townhomes right there close together and we got close with many of our neighbors. Many of them had young families like ourselves. Now, I’m not exaggerating when I say this, but there were a good solid 4-5 months that were so desperately freezing that by the time spring hit, your friends' kids had grown 6 inches and were completely unrecognizable! You were checking in with your neighbors seeing how life has been the last half of the year because you wouldn’t see them more than the ten seconds it took to RUN from your car to your house so you wouldn’t get frostbite and you had to stare at your feet because you might slip on the ice-skating death rink that is supposed to be your sidewalk. Those Midwest winters are legit! 

There is a point to all this cold nonsense rambling (Go Hawkeyes!!), and that is that the lifeblood of any kind of outing you had in the winter was going to Costco. The blessed Costco of Coralville, Iowa has to be the smartest Costco there ever was! Or perhaps the dumbest because I don’t know how much money they spent in building an enclosed massive covered parking garage for their customers but that’s what they did! A covered parking garage just for Costco! It was absolutely amazing. If we wanted to socialize and see other humans for more than 2 seconds, you might head to the Costco where you could warm up your bones and wear your kids out by walking around in the giant warehouse--the only sort of exercise or excitement they were going to get outside of the home. Ohhh and free samples all around! Who can forget those?!

So tell me--have you been to a Costco that tops this? Have you been to or heard of another Costco with a completely indoor parking structure? I just don’t see how it could be any better than that! Not to mention that for whatever reason this Iowan Costco had ample room to flit about the store because it was always practically empty. Every bag of Ruffles, row of men’s Puma shoes, or stack of women’s skinny jeans were perfectly in order--not a single thing out of place because the employees were actually able to face the aisles constantly and make them perfect.

I realize this was a bit of rambling today, but I have to say that I think plenty of people out there love Costco or Sam’s Club this much and love to talk about it. I’m betting you have a story or two you could share yourself about why you love or hate the bulk warehouse store you frequent :) Please share any of your Costco thoughts in the comments below. May fortune smile upon my beloved Midwesterners as they brave a new season and battle those frigid temperatures to get their $5 rotisserie chickens and affordable yet durable toilet paper (count your blessings!) because after all, winter is coming.