Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
Usually, going to the store is a pretty mundane experience. But for Costco members, it’s nothing short of an event.
We’re talking hours spent wandering aisles stacked floor to ceiling with everything from giant teddy bears to industrial-sized tubs of mayo, all while strategically hitting every free sample station like it’s a five-course meal. And no trip is complete without ending at the food court for that legendary $1.50 hot dog combo that somehow hasn’t changed in price since the dawn of time.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the funniest tweets from Costco superfans that perfectly capture all the magic and madness of shopping there. Scroll down and try not to feel personally called out.
This post may include affiliate links.
RELATED:
It’s really hard to think of a store that has a customer base as devoted as Costco. Around the world, an estimated 145 million people carry a Costco membership card. There are entire social media accounts dedicated to tracking the latest deals, and others that exist purely to post memes about the place.
The tweets and jokes people share about shopping there are honestly endless. Several couples even got married at a Costco.
So how did this retail chain build such a loyal following, and how have they managed to keep it going for years? According to CNBC, it’s no accident. The brand uses a number of clever strategies to keep customers coming back.
It starts with the way Costco operates on a basic level. To shop there, you need to buy an annual membership for either $65 or $130.
That makes the store feel a little exclusive and therefore more appealing. You have to be part of the club just to walk through the door.
#8
Jason Noob 23 hours ago
And ten years ago you had to be told that laundry detergent isn't supposed to be eaten.
#9
UnclePanda 1 day ago
I like mayonnaise but a five gallon bucket of the stuff gives me the huzzz.
But there’s also a psychological layer to it. Since membership fees are a “sunk cost,” consumers feel the need to justify the expense, which leads them to shop more often and buy more each trip, according to Kusum Ailawadi, author of a 2017 study on club shopping.
“You’ll say… I’m going to make sure I get my money’s worth by shopping in the club store every chance I get,” Ailawadi told KTLA.
#12
Then there’s the classic Costco experience itself. You know that when you walk in, there will be plenty of free samples to try. You know a $1.50 hot dog combo is waiting for you at the food court. And you can grab a $4.99 rotisserie chicken on your way out.
These little perks make you genuinely excited to visit the store, even when you didn’t plan on buying anything. And once you’re there, you almost always end up leaving with way more than you intended.
#13
Giraffe Sitter 1 day ago
I think a first date at Costco would tell you more about a person than any other date would. Bonus if there’s a bookstore in the same shopping center.
#15
perylousdemon 22 hours ago
This would either be the most or least productive business meeting ever.
Costco has actually kept the price of their hot dog combo the same since the 1980s. From an economics perspective, that doesn’t really make sense. With inflation, the price should have gone up a long time ago. But keeping it unchanged has turned out to be a great PR move.
“It’s still important to get people physically in the stores. We want to continue to get people in the stores, and there’s no better way to do it than a $1.50 hot dog and a rotisserie chicken,” Costco’s then-CEO Craig Jelinek told CNBC in 2020.
#17
Many Costco fanatics agree that the in-house food court is one of the best features of the store.
“I used to go there when I worked and eat a salad for lunch at least once a week,” one Costco fan from Colorado, who praised both the quality of the food and the low prices, told Business Insider.
And besides the food court perks, people just love to shop in bulk. They love a good deal, and Costco’s entire business model is built around that. The company also resists raising prices unless they find it absolutely necessary.
A good deal “feels like winning,” Bob Nelson, Costco’s senior vice president of financial planning and investor relations, told CNBC. “Would you rather win or lose?”
When you take all of that into account, it becomes pretty clear why Costco shoppers are so loyal. And the numbers back it up.
Around 90% of Costco members renew their memberships globally, with the rate climbing to roughly 92% in the U.S. and Canada. Whatever Costco is doing, it’s clearly working.
#25
Chich the witch 21 hours ago
More than once I've encountered the master: Cart sideways on one side of the aisle, Hand on cart and stretched completely across to other side of aisle looking at something on the shelf and completely oblivious to people wanting to get past
#31
Jason Noob 23 hours ago
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a few hours. Set a man on fire and he won't be cold the rest of his life.
#32
George Costanza 22 hours ago
Protein bars are generally garbage and full of sugar and chemicals. Just eat real food.
#37
Bi.Felicia 1 day ago
Kinda strange, but the guy who bought 25 hot dogs further up in this thread, is also named Eric Curtin, they do have different usernames though.
#38
#41
#44
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 1 day ago
One of my pet peeves at the grocery store: taking pictures of strangers without consent. Call me old fashioned but.......
#49
UnclePanda 1 day ago
I don't think they're checking us, they're making sure the checkout staff haven't slipped something expensive past the scanner for a friend. Their presence alone does all the work.
#53
realenancy170 1 day ago
We "Executive Members" can now shop an hour earlier without worrying about being contaminated by contact with the hoi polloi. Thank goodness!
#55
Chihuahua Mama 21 hours ago
I would not do well in any time period without indoor plumbing and modern medicine
#57
#59
Fire Singer 20 hours ago
The only Sunday I've ever been to costco when it was slow was on Super Bowl Sunday. After game starts it's a magical time at Costco.
#61
#62
Colleen Glim 16 hours ago
Bought a Dyson vacuum at Costco. Hate the fecking thing. Filters get clogged because you looked at it weird
#63
#64
Chihuahua Mama 21 hours ago
Believe me, the workers giving out the sample don't care it you go back for more
#67
Elladine DesIsles 21 hours ago
I have never consumed either, but I am 100% certain the croissants in Paris do not taste anything like the ones in Costco, appearance notwithstanding. I can attest that the croissants sold at bakeries in Montreal or Quebec City are in no way comparable to anything found in any grocery or big box store.
#69
Geoffrey Scott 1 day ago (edited)
"We need to go to Clare(Mich) to get fuel". "Ok, it's 25 cents cheaper vs our town. What, 10 gallons?" .."probably".."so we'll save 2.50, it's 30 miles each way, which will burn 2 gallons at 3.50 per, so $7.00, but we'll have saved $2.50?"..."SHUT UP!"
#70
Science Nerd 16 hours ago
Please don’t spring pictures of RFK Jr. on us unannounced. I was eating…
#76
#82
Jason Noob 23 hours ago
What am I missing here? I don't get it. But I suspect it's not "literally" a Costco wholesale warehouse.
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
UnclePanda 1 day ago
It should have been the 11th Commandment - Thou shall not enter Costco hungry.
UnclePanda 1 day ago (edited)
I've been in Costcos in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and China. The base Costco smell is pretty much the same with notes of regional cooking ingredients wafting through the air.
Devin Schmitt 21 hours ago
Many moons ago, I was checking out with my infant daughter. Another customer exclaimed how cute she was, and I mentioned that you could find this model back by the tires, and they come in a six-pack.
LaurieAnnaT 23 hours ago
Costco also has Costco Business Centers. They are similar to regular Costcos, but with businesses in mind. Your basic Costco card also works there. I strongly recommend checking one out if there’s one near you. But no, they do not have samples at these locations.
Devin Schmitt 21 hours ago
Yes, the business center near us DOES have samples.
Load More Replies... Laszlo Larthlanc 1 day ago (edited)
Every time I visit Costco I smile and remember the chapter in, I believe, "Me Talk Pretty One Day", where he and his brother-in-law realized that they were two men shopping at Costco together and that one of them was a well-known gay author and comedian, and that the only things they had in their cart were an enormous package of condoms, a container of strawberries, and a bottle of olive oil, and he was a bit concerned about what people might make out of all that.
UnclePanda 1 day ago
It should have been the 11th Commandment - Thou shall not enter Costco hungry.
UnclePanda 1 day ago (edited)
I've been in Costcos in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and China. The base Costco smell is pretty much the same with notes of regional cooking ingredients wafting through the air.
Devin Schmitt 21 hours ago
Many moons ago, I was checking out with my infant daughter. Another customer exclaimed how cute she was, and I mentioned that you could find this model back by the tires, and they come in a six-pack.
LaurieAnnaT 23 hours ago
Costco also has Costco Business Centers. They are similar to regular Costcos, but with businesses in mind. Your basic Costco card also works there. I strongly recommend checking one out if there’s one near you. But no, they do not have samples at these locations.
Devin Schmitt 21 hours ago
Yes, the business center near us DOES have samples.
Load More Replies... Laszlo Larthlanc 1 day ago (edited)
Every time I visit Costco I smile and remember the chapter in, I believe, "Me Talk Pretty One Day", where he and his brother-in-law realized that they were two men shopping at Costco together and that one of them was a well-known gay author and comedian, and that the only things they had in their cart were an enormous package of condoms, a container of strawberries, and a bottle of olive oil, and he was a bit concerned about what people might make out of all that.
Related on Bored Panda
