Costco - Where babies don't cry...they smile

For the better part of three years, I have been getting gradual pressure to join Costco. After Manda and I were married...the pressure wasn't so light. People would ask..."did you get that at Costco?" We would have no option but to say..."We don't go to Costco." People couldn't believe it. Of course, seeing/hearing the joy it brought to people by simply having a membership tickled our curiosity. Manda was more of a seasoned vet when it came to the bulk-food plaza because her parents love buying cookies and milk there. But, I was indeed a rookie and didn't fully realize what was going on there. Yeah, I tagged along a handful of times throughout my life but was more interested in the free samples than the prices.

My lovely mother must have thought, enough is enough, because she bought us a year membership for Christmas.

It took us over two months to finally cash it in and claim the coveted title of a "Costco Member."

Before taking the plunge I asked some close confidants for some words of advice...

My good friend, Eric Palmer, said the following..."Bro, that place is awesome! It's like my mall! I go there to just walk around and look. But, be careful because you'll want to buy everything because it's such a good price but then you're spending $500!"

Jeffrey, my brother instilled this advice to me..."You're doing the right thing but be very careful. You can spend a lot of $ there. Also, be ready for the bakery. It smells really good but there are a lot of calories back there."

I'm not gonna lie...when we first got there, I was excited. But, I couldn't believe how many people were there. I thought I was at a Jazz game or something. The Entrance/Exit was very crowded. People were all smiling, scurrying around in every direction as if the store was giving out $1000 giftcards.

We made our way in and informed the nice gentleman in Membership Services that we were brand new and needed to sign up. He was also a very friendly individual that made us laugh on several occasions.

We signed all the necessary paperwork, got our pictures taken and were now official.

We were very cognisant of the fact that we should be careful on our first trip and not go overboard. Also, we were going to see a movie shortly after so we couldn't buy any perishable goods. We walked up and found a big box of granola bars. It was a 48 pack. Amanda said..."oooh, lets get these. You love these!" Indeed, I did love the peanut, sweet and salty granola bars but responded with, "lets see if there's a variety pack when we get back to the aisle. (Thinking about a normal grocery store who has random displays up front and then a much bigger selection in the aisle.) Amanda said..."this is the aisle." Right then I knew I had much to learn. Next, we found a big box of gum that was very reasonably priced, so we snatched it!

As we wandered, I couldn't help but notice the smiles, everywhere. It was about this time I heard a baby laughing in the distance. My attention was then caught by the enormous quantities at such great prices. Croutons, popcorn, miracle whip, gatorade, craisins, cereal, oatmeal...then I saw it...

Somewhere in my childhood, I discovered a love of Saltine Crackers. And Costco was offering this big of a box at that low of a price? We had no choice but to buy it.

Next, we decided to just take a stroll through the beds, tv's, kayaks, dressers, tool sheds, bosu balls...just to look...


It was at this time that I saw another baby smiling as she was strolled by. I then made up my mind...Costco is the happiest place on earth. Forget Disneyland! This is also when I coined the phrase..."Costco-where babies don't cry...they smile."

We finished up our trip with a little browsing. Anyone that knows Amanda knows that you can't go anywhere with her without having some fun...

The final humorous event was when we went to the checkout line. We had accumulated a total of 5 items. Granola Bars, Gum, Crackers, Beef Jerky & Trail Mix. We also broke the record for fewest dollars spent on a first trip with, $49.85. The cashier asked us..."Are you going to carry this or would you like a box?" I thought..."box? ummm...where's the bags?" Amanda was polite enough to whisper..."they don't have bags here." :)

Needless to say...we're happy we signed up. Here's to Costco!