Why I look forward to the Costco opening #8

Alright dog lovers, this one is for you! We've got a Golden Retriever and when she was a puppy one of her favorite things to do was tear up dog beds. The reality is that she loved to tear the filling out of anything that was stuffed. Anyway. We tried all different brands and styles, even one that was advertised as "indestructible." She amazed us and destroyed that too. Luckily, the company just refunded our money without having us return the bed.

So, with our destructive puppy we started looking for inexpensive dog beds. What we found at Costco were ~$20 dog beds that met the wife's fashion standard. Luckily, the puppy grew up and out of the dog bed destruction phase and we found a ready source of good looking inexpensive dog beds.

Quick story: our friends came over to visit and brought a stuffed dog toy for the dog. It was a nice gesture and of course our dog loved it. Our friends were soon very surprised and somewhat disturbed when they saw what the dog did next. She started by chomping on the squeaker and finished by eviscerating the stuffed animal. Stuffed animal filling was flying everywhere. When she had finished gutting the stuffed animal, our adorable dog looked up with a cute grin for which Golden's are known. Now we give our dog hard rubber toys, like Kongs. She loves the original red Kong and there's less filling to clean up.

24 Days and Counting - Sign Confirms Opening Date

It's official, there's a sign. Here's a picture from today showing the opening date of June 29. Actually this sign used to be posted on the West side of the building a couple weeks ago and then they pulled it down. In this picture, the landscaping and sidewalk can be seen better.

I can definitely see myself walking towards Costco and popping in for an impromptu hot dog or dipped ice cream bar.

Parking Lot Update

This picture is from May 22, but it shows that the parking lot islands have been poured but the asphalt paving has not been laid down. Landscaping has begun along the easement as well as the beginnings of a sidewalk.

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.

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.

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.