Drabble by Kevin Fagan for August 23, 2023

Sounds about right.

I don’t miss my Costco membership at all.

I’ve not noticed any longer lines at all.

Don’t get between Ralph and snacks.

Had to wait in a long line at a mall food court today because everyone had to figure out how to use the dang thing.

Sounds like my warehouse snack bar?

This year has been wonderful for me, after getting over the pandemic fears!

All I can say is yes and amen to ralph.

Ok boomer.

Which is why I never go to the snack bar…

The day is coming when things will be so convenient, you will never get anything done!!

Costco closed their Salem, OR store and re-opened about five miles closer to our house. Nice. The parking lot is much better laid out, inside is the usual confusion.

Went to a “fast food” place a couple weekends ago and it was all touch screen. Took twice as long to order because now you have to figure out where they’re hiding everything and go through multiple screens just for one item (are you sure you don’t want to customize that, supersize that, what about adding a tip and a contribution for whatever our current cause it that likely isn’t something you support?).

Next they will make it so you have to cook your own food!

Makes 2 of us

When WalMart laid off all the greeters and 99% of the said it was an “improvement”, I have never been back there.

Our local CostCo had 6 registers that were for credit cards only and they had checkers doing the scanning. The lines went really quickly. Last week, they were changed out to ‘do it yourself’. If I’m going to do the work of a checker, why am I paying the same prices? It’s free labor for the store.

Me neither

I haven’t experienced that problem…(maybe it’s becuz I don’t eat at snack bars!)

And don’t get me started about 2020 and 2021.

Target and Walmart have gone to mostly self-checkout. I wonder why theft has increased 50% in the last year? Their CEOs blame lack of prosecution.

Unfortunately, this is the way of the world…

Heck no! At my CostCo, ordering by screen makes things go a heck of a lot faster, for the line as a whole. They’d have to have twice as many staff as they do terminals to make it work, and then the prices would have to be a lot higher to cover the added expense.

What’s the big deal? Paying people is an expense and if you don’t cut an expense wherever you can, you are LOSING MONEY!!!

Actually the snack line goes FASTER now with kiosks, since more than 2-3 people can be ordering at once.

Costco’s great… if you have one close-by and don’t give in to impulse buying of things you don’t need (or don’t need a 3-pack of). Their pharmacy is cheap and convient (especially mail order). Their parking spaces are the only ones actually wide enough for you to get in/out of your car and your parking space. (I love Trader Joe’s, but really, guys? Those spaces and lanes and criminal).

Between the cheap gas ( can’t be beat anywhere in town), the rewards for shopping at Costco, AND the significant rewards from the CITI Visa for Costco members factored in, Costco’s prices are even lower than they look.

I hated 2020.