Thursday, May 24, 2012

36 Days and Counting. Why I look forward to the Costco opening #8

Liquor Selection

Ok, this reason may not apply to our store initially but it definitely is another reason I look forward to the Costco opening...because it might happen.

You may ask, "why do I need 1.75 liters of liquor at a time?" Let alone the opportunity to purchase multiple bottles of this size. To put this in perspective, a fifth of liquor is 750 ml, these larger bottles are more than twice the size of a regular fifth. So back to the original question. It's not a matter of needing a "handle" of liquor. It's a matter of economy. Liquor will last a very long time even when open. Typically the prices seen at Costco justify the extra volume. And, in the end it's pretty tasty stuff.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Why I look forward to the Costco opening #7

TVs

They're one of the first things you see when entering a Costco. All those screens playing the same video inviting you to come over and take a look at all the bright, shiny toys.

I purchased my last big screen TV from Costco about six years ago. The initial plan was to pick up a 52" plasma which would fit perfectly in a converted bedroom, but instead walked out with a 67" Samsung DLP. This change of plan caused a few headaches that were easily overcome and the trouble was worth the effort.

First, the TV would not fit in my friend's SUV. Easy fix, we walked across the parking lot to Home Depot and rented a pickup truck for $20. Second, my fiance had the house key and my friends and I were locked out of the house. This time, we found an open window, my friend busted through the screen and unlocked the door. Our neighbor later came by to ask if everything was OK, since she saw someone crawling through our window. I explained the situation and they definitely got a laugh out of it. Of course I had to re-screen the window. Finally, my fiance came home and was completely surprised that the 52" TV was instead 67". She wasn't convinced that the TV I came home with was better than the TV we had planned to purchase. Regardless, she's a believer now, gets great enjoyment from it and we still ended up married. Now she jokes that our neighbors can watch shows through our windows.

I don't regret purchasing the DLP over a plasma or LCD. The picture is still very bright and clear and the 1080i resolution is more than adequate for the time being. At the time of purchase, Costco still honored their open return policy which gave me confidence to purchase the TV.

The downside of purchasing a TV from Costco is the lack of knowledgeable sales staff. But, that limitation is becoming less of a factor as savvy consumers will do their research online before making a final purchase.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Why I look forward to the Costco opening #6

Rotisserie Chicken. They've got these birds spinning around and around in the rotisserie oven all day long. On their own, I think they're pretty good. But they really shine when you substitute rotisserie chicken in recipes calling for seasoned chicken. The convenience factor is very high and if there are leftovers, they easily used for sandwiches, etc., think mini-Thanksgiving.

Costco Rotisserie Chicken even has a Facebook page, who knew?

(image credit Costco Rotisserie Chicken Facebook page)

Today's Costco Purchases

My wife and I stopped in Costco Livonia II on our way to dinner with our moms and dads at Sharaku (link to Yelp!). They have great authentic style Japanese food.

We picked up peach roses for her mother and pink roses for mine. $16.99 per bundle of two dozen roses

Also on our list for this trip were these no slip hangers for around $9.99. I know what you're thinking, "Yay! Hangers!"  Here's why we picked them up, they're less than $0.30/hanger, they're non slip so clothing doesn't get "those weird shoulder nipples," and they're slim and don't take up precious closet space. The above quote is from my wife.


Next on the list is a bag of shelled pistachios. I'm not a mathematician and didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn Express but here's why this makes sense. You get 3.5 times more nuts for 2.25 times the price, and they're already shelled. Ok, some of us like to shell pistachios but that's a big difference.

Planters pistachios from a national chain, 196 grams of nuts (7 servings of 28gr), $6.49.
Wonderful shelled pistachios from Costco, 690 grams of nuts already shelled (23 servings of 30gr), $14.59.

I'm trying something new and this product comes down in price when purchased in bulk. This 6 lb. bag of CytoSport cost $44.99 for 75 servings or about $0.60 per serving. The plan is to make protein bars using protein powder, rolled oats, milk and ground pistachios (already shelled). I'll let you know how this goes.



Sunday, May 13, 2012

Who's Ready for June 29? 47 Days and Counting...

Here are a couple of recent pics from Costco. the first is a very familiar look at the entrance. Second is a picture of the gas station. It's located on the Northeast corner of the Costco lot and it's accessible off of Airport Blvd.

When are the roundabouts going to show up?




Thursday, May 3, 2012

Why I look forward to the Costco opening #5

Reason #5: Hot Dogs!

This was covered in the CNBC story the other night, but they've kept the price the same on these things for the past 30 years. Amazing. $1.50 gets you a large hot dog and large fountain drink. My favorite setup is sauerkraut, deli mustard, ketchup and onions. Sometimes I'll change things up with relish instead of sauerkraut, but not usually.

Since Costco isn't open here in Ann Arbor yet, I had to borrow a pic from another blog called TastyIslandHawaii.com.