Costco? What makes it awesome for you?

[Ready]

I still like Costco, but it's feeling a little less awesome to me today. I ordered a back massager from Costco online a few weeks ago. I got an email confirming it would ship out and arrive the next day. A week goes by and the UPS label shows that it was created but the package never got picked up.

So I call Costco customer service to see what's going on. I try calling three times over two days, and each time I'm told the hold time would be anywhere from 70-90 minutes. So I hang up and figure I'll try again later.

Finally on day three I get so frustrated I decided to make the call and go for a very long walk. 65 minutes later I ask them what's happening to the package. The lady tells me it may take another week but it will get there.

So yesterday, the package finally shows up. Except it's an aroma diffuser, not a back massager.

So I take the package down to the local warehouse, and they offer to set up a new order for me. I return the diffuser to them, and just because I know things can get messed up, I ask the woman to notate that she received the diffuser from me and put her name down.

Now I'm being sent emails from Costco telling me I need to send the package back or they are going to charge my credit card again. So I'm packaging up the packing list with the notes on it and sending them emails trying to get it sorted out.

I know this stuff just happens, but it can be really time consuming to mess around with these things. And why are the hold times consistently over an hour every time I call? This seems very un-Costco-like to me. Hopefully they will get things sorted out after the holidays are over with.

 

[RunningBum]

My not-so-awesome Costco story is with King Crab legs that smelled like ammonia. A friend of mine had the same experience earlier. No more. I've never had that problem in a traditional grocery store.


Also, I tried their frozen yogurt swirl. Meh. I love ice cream, frozen yogurt, custard, etc. I had about half the cup (a hugely generous serving) and pitched the rest. I could've put it in my freezer at home but it wasn't worth it. Not terrible by any means, but just not that good.


The prime tenderloin, however, was incredibly good.

 

[tmm99]

I buy frozen scallops there and I eat them raw as sashimi. Top grade IMHO. I just went there and picked some up again.
I also purchased a good quality winter coat/jacket there for a good (enough) price. (I needed a shorter one to wear to the gym.)
I buy Better than Bouillon at Costco because it is so much cheaper there than anywhere else by a huge margin.
And a 3-pack Olay body wash. (They even go on sale!)
And a huge bag of miniature sized dark Swiss chocolate pieces. I eat two of those a day.

 

[Blueskies123]

I buy frozen scallops there and I eat them raw as sashimi. Top grade IMHO.

I love sushi but I do not eat filter feeders uncooked. I know Costco has high quality control on their scallops but I am not chancing it.

 

[audreyh1]

I love sushi but I do not eat filter feeders uncooked. I know Costco has high quality control on their scallops but I am not chancing it.

US regulations require seafood to be flash frozen before serving as sushi to kill parasites. What are you worried about from filter feeders? What will cooking change?

 

[Blueskies123]

I would bet Costco makes sure the flash freezing really works properly so all the pathogens would be killed. I do buy and cook the scallops. I am concerned about all the pollution we dump into the ocean that is filtered by scallops. I know it is a slight concern but I hope cooking would break any of the chemicals down.

 

[audreyh1]

Honestly, I don’t think cooking seafood will necessarily break down pollutants. It won’t take care of mercury contamination, for example. It breaks down complex protein chains and bacteria/parasites but I doubt it does much for the simpler chemicals. And mercury is an element, so it won’t be broken down without splitting atoms.

I think the best you can do is pay attention to where the seafood was fished/harvested.

 

[ERD50]

US regulations require seafood to be flash frozen before serving as sushi to kill parasites. What are you worried about from filter feeders? What will cooking change?

But since Costco doesn't sell these as sushi grade (I'm assuming that), they may not be flash-frozen to the same standards?

edit/add:

http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/myth-sushi-grade/

For fish that contain parasites, the FDA provides guidance under their Parasite Destruction Guarantee. This states in part that fish intended to be consumed raw must be “frozen and stored at a temperature of -20°C (-4°F) or below for a minimum of 168 hours (7 days)”.

I guess that could be finished at home to be certain. Our freezer is -10°F, so a week there should be good.

-ERD50

 

[Chuckanut]

LOL!

Yeah, and Mexicans definitely inherited the Spanish love of pork.

To be rivaled by the US southeast of course. My understanding about the US southeast pork tradition is the woody terrain was more suited to the raising of pigs than other livestock.

FWIW, according to a friend who has visited a number of 3rd world countries, pigs are a very cheap way to turn inedible scraps into protein.

 

[Chuckanut]

My not-so-awesome Costco story is with King Crab legs that smelled like ammonia. A friend of mine had the same experience earlier. No more. I've never had that problem in a traditional grocery store.


Also, I tried their frozen yogurt swirl. Meh. I love ice cream, frozen yogurt, custard, etc. I had about half the cup (a hugely generous serving) and pitched the rest. I could've put it in my freezer at home but it wasn't worth it. Not terrible by any means, but just not that good.


The prime tenderloin, however, was incredibly good.

Alas, the people who run Costco still put on their pants one leg at a time like the rest of us. Because of that imperfection, they do make a few things I don't care for. One is their own brand of home baked pizzas. I find they have far to much doughy crust, a very thin layer of so-so sauce, skimp on the cheese, and forgettable toppings. I don't buy them anymore.

That said, their cakes and most of the Kirkland Signature products are just great products at a great value. And, as others have said, no hassles when one returns most things.

And, yes, their meats are usually very good.

 

[audreyh1]

But since Costco doesn't sell these as sushi grade (I'm assuming that), they may not be flash-frozen to the same standards?

The Myth of Sushi-Grade | Fresh Tastes Blog | PBS Food
I guess that could be finished at home to be certain. Our freezer is -10°F, so a week there should be good.

-ERD50

If the fish is labeled fresh when I buy it at the store, I assume it has never been commercially frozen and I don't eat it raw. If I buy the fish frozen, then I know it's been commercially frozen and probably OK, especially if I get it in the original packaging. HEB will bring me out a whole fillet from their commerical freezer if I ask.

Actually, the only fish I eat semi-raw at home is seared tuna. Tuna is the only fish the USDA says it OK to eat raw without flash-freezing as it doesn't contain parasites unsafe for humans. Searing takes care of surface contaminants. Salmon - if it's been commercially frozen - like coming in a Trident package, I'm OK with smoking it or cooking it to medium rare or rare. If it's sold as fresh, I cook it to higher temps to kill nematodes, etc.

 

[braumeister]

I suppose it's a seasonal item, but I've been greatly enjoying Costco's chestnuts lately. A box containing four foil packages of peeled, roasted chestnuts. Pop them in a toaster oven to heat them up and it's Christmas.

When I was a little kid, my mom would take me shopping at this time of year into "the city" (Manhattan) and there would be lots of sidewalk vendors selling little bags of fresh roasted chestnuts.

What they would do is take a #10 can, punch a few holes in it, put a few charcoal briquets in it, and fill the can with freshly harvested chestnuts. Attach a string to the can. By swinging it around, the charcoal would get hot enough to roast the chestnuts and the smell was to die for. You bought a tiny paper bag full of hot chestnuts for a buck or so and munched on them as you walked around. One of my absolute favorite memories.

These Costco chestnuts are about as good as I've ever found, and you don't even have to peel them. I toast them hot enough to almost burn my fingers in order to get the full nostalgia effect!

 

[audreyh1]

I have never had roasted chestnuts. I’ll have to check these out.

 

[braumeister]

I have never had roasted chestnuts. I’ll have to check these out.

What? Mel Tormé and Nat King Cole would be appalled!

 

[athena53]

These Costco chestnuts are about as good as I've ever found, and you don't even have to peel them. I toast them hot enough to almost burn my fingers in order to get the full nostalgia effect!

Ooh, you got my attention. Moved out of NJ (where I sometimes enjoyed them in Manhattan in the winter) in 2003 and haven't had them since except once on a trip to London. I'll be looking for them in my local Costco tomorrow.

 

[skipro33]

Nobody can top their warranty and return policy.

Bought a 70" TV a year ago from an early Black Friday sale. It was the best price by far, than any other place. Costco doubles the 1 year warranty and since I used their credit card, they doubled it again. 4 years warranty, and we all know how well Costco's return policy is.

Speaking of return policy at Costco, I bought a memory foam mattress there many years ago. It was warrantied for 20 years. At 9 years it had a decidedly pronounced divet where I slept on it. I called them, they said bring it in and they would swap it out for the most current model of that style since they no longer actually carry the one I bought. So I rolled it up, used a couple ratchet straps to get it small enough to fit in the car, and hauled it down. I left with a brand new mattress with another fresh 20 year warranty on it. Even better; I did not need a receipt. They had the record of my purchase still in their system. They offered me full cash or store credit refund, but since the replacement mattress was about $300 more than the original, and I still needed a mattress, I went with the exchange.

 

[RunningBum]

Nice! Would you have to retain your membership to keep the warranty in place? Or at least the extended warranty? I joined this year because of a great price on Disney lodging. I will probably renew since my son lives close and uses it too, but I don't know if I'll renew indefinitely. Wondering what would happen if I called about a 9 year old mattress and hadn't been a member for 5 years, or had a 4 year lapse in there. Any knowledge or experience here?

 

[skipro33]

Nice! Would you have to retain your membership to keep the warranty in place? Or at least the extended warranty? I joined this year because of a great price on Disney lodging. I will probably renew since my son lives close and uses it too, but I don't know if I'll renew indefinitely. Wondering what would happen if I called about a 9 year old mattress and hadn't been a member for 5 years, or had a 4 year lapse in there. Any knowledge or experience here?

I had a lapse in membership on the mattress I described. In fact, I renewed the membership just prior, thinking it might be criteria for the warranty claim. I figured if it wasn't, or if they didn't honor the warranty, I'd just cancel the membership for a refund. After I was given my cash refund, I asked the clerk if my renewed membership had anything to do with the refund. She said no, it had to do with their ability to look up my purchase based on my name alone. See, when I renewed membership after a few years lapse, I had a new membership number. When I initially called my store about the warranty, they asked for my member # and I gave them the new one. They couldn't find any purchase for that mattress because I didn't buy it under that membership. Finally she found it under my name and address. So at least a break in membership didn't affect the warranty