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Hi, I m David Farrier, a New Zealander accidentally marooned in America, and I want to figure out what makes this country tick.
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Now, ever since this show started, I ve been getting emails, DMs, and even voice memos about a very specific topic I need to cover, a cornerstone of American culture.
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It s the most incredible place.
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It s the first store that my daughter ever identified by name.
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We love it there.
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They were talking Costco.
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And the messages, they kept coming in.
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If there s going to be a Costco episode, please tip us off to when.
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I ll literally stay up until midnight.
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Fucking love Costco.
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I have a Kirkland logo t-shirt.
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Walmart is gross America.
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Costco is the ideal America, said another DM.
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It s $1.50 for a hot dog.
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and that includes a soda,  said another person.
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They fucking loved Costco, and there were weird messages to get because Costco was just a store.
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Then I remembered how much America loves both capitalism and hot dogs, and it made some kind of sense.
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I could ignore Costco no longer.
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The store s website described it as a membership warehouse club dedicated to bringing the best possible prices on quality brand-name merchandise.
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It s one of the largest retailers on the planet, trailing only Amazon and Walmart.
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But somehow, it seems to have crawled into America s hearts the most.
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Log on to TikTok, and there are entire accounts like the Costco Sisters and Costco Fines, boasting hundreds of thousands of followers that exist just to document Costco with the same gusto an influencer documents their diet and workout routine.
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Costco just started making loaded mashed potatoes.
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This is over three and a half pounds of mashed potatoes made with Yukon gold potatoes, Kirkland Signature butter... I wanted to know what the big deal was.
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Why were people so obsessed with a place that sells mashed potatoes?
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Was it the bargains?
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The culture?
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Or was it just the hot dogs?
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So, get ready to fight for a car park and grab the biggest trolley you can find.
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Because this is the Costco episode.
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What an episode to get me when I m just back from New Zealand.
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That s so America.
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So America.
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Did you miss Costco while you were in New Zealand?
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We have it in New Zealand now.
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Wow.
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So we have it there.
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Famously, when it opened, it had a series of disasters.
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For one day, their whole credit card system broke down.
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Oh, shit.
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And then I think there was a fire as well.
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So Costco was cursed for a period in New Zealand, but now apparently it s running well.
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I didn t go to New Zealand Costco when I was in New Zealand.
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I was too busy out in nature and doing
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New Zealand-y things.
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Yuck!
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Yuck!
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Horrible.
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How do you feel about being back home?
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It s good.
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Sometimes the release schedule for this show really confuses my brain because this episode we re recording now isn t going to be out for over a month because you record so far in advance.
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It gets so confusing.
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Yes.
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And then I listen to this back when it comes out and I m like, oh my God, I just got back from New Zealand then and yet now I m not.
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I ve been here for months.
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That s the joy of when you make a show that has a lot of production right in the middle of it, where you have to make documentaries.
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It makes it very difficult to do on the fly, live.
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Yeah, you have to be ahead.
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It s such a weird thing.
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Well, I m very excited for this episode.
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I love Costco, but I ve never been a Costco member.
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Okay.
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So you re still not?
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I m still not.
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So arguably, you re not even American yet.
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It feels like it s part of the deal.
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Actually, quickly, can I do a pause?
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I wrote down something on my notes.
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It says, today is Groundhog Day.
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Again, we re recording this on February 2nd.
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I don t know what this is.
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Oh, OK.
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Genuinely, I don t.
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You get a groundhog out of the ground and you hold it up.
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You wear a funny hat.
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No, no, no.
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And it tells you when spring s happening.
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Nope.
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So it s about whether the groundhog comes out of the ground or not.
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And sees its shadow.
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And it is about spring.
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It s six more weeks of winter.
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If he does see a shadow?
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I ll look up.
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It s one of those funny things, because doing the show, there s certain things that suddenly happen, like today.
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I m like, why the hell haven t I done a whole episode?
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It just escaped me.
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And I m seeing on my Instagram, someone sent me, you know that meme format where it s like a horny message with lots of emojis in it?
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Do you know that meme format?
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No.
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No.
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Okay.
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It starts, so it s done with lots of emojis in it.
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It s like a big group text.
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What s up sluts?
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It s Groundhog Day.
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And you know what that means?
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It s time to slurp down some lap hogs today.
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Our favorite little fuckable gopher will be looking for his shadow.
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to determine if we get more wet winter or if we move on to sexy spring.
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All the nastiest, sluttiest marmot mummies will be at Gobbler s Knob to let that woodchuck fuck right into the inner circle.
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Send this to your best knob gobbling, acorn juggling, thick wood badgers.
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If you get back, it s going to be a long, hard, cold, dry pussy winter for you.
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If you get five back, it s like a chain thing.
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If you get five back, you might see your shed hose after all.
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If you get 10 back, you ll be getting a warm spring and a warmer load.
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If you get 15 back, fucks, I don t understand what that word is, will be scurrying into your greasy little gopher hole tonight.
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Oh my God, I m nasty.
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There s local groundhog celebrities in different cities.
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Okay, multiple groundhogs.
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And they see their shadow every year on the same day, February 2nd.
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Yep.
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So if the groundhog sees its shadow, it predicts six more weeks of winter.
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If they don t, it s a forecast of an early spring.
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But how do we know if he saw it?
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He can t speak English.
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They report it on the news.
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But how do we know if he saw it?
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He has to see the shadow?
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Or is it if there s a shadow, if the sun s in the right place?
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I think it s Phil, it looks like, so this says, people in the US tune in to see if Phil or their own local Groundhog Celebrity see his shadow.
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I guess we re asking, is it just science, like, okay, there s a shadow, or do we have to ask Phil?
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I thought the Gopher had to react in some way.
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I don t know.
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There s a lot of mystery around it.
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I think it s just if it s sunny or not out, it s really whether it s his shadow or not.
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Honestly, it s one of the weirdest things.
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I mean, Groundhog Day, I ve seen multiple times.
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I love the movie.
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I love the idea of Bill Murray being stuck in a time loop, but I just have no concept.
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Okay, next year, Flightless Bird.
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So, there is Phil.
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He s been right 39% of the time since the tradition started in 1887.
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He s the main gopher.
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What does it mean he s been right?
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He has seen his shadow more often than not.
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How do we know?
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I feel like I m missing something here.
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Does he get a little fright when he sees the shadow?
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I love this so much.
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David, you re going to have to do a real deep dive for next year though.
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Yeah, I m going to.
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Also, I guess I never put too much thought into Groundhog Day, but now as an adult, I care so much about having zero winter.
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I hate winter now.
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You want it to be gone.
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So now there s a lot of stakes over Groundhog Day.
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If he sees his shadow, I m pissed.
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It s also very regional, the weather.
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It s very, very regional.
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It s so specific.
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It s one of the weirdest.
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America has these little things, like hot dog eating is another one I want to get into.
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Just that it s so iconic and unusual.
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It s because we don t have long traditions, so we have to make fun ones up.
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Completely.
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Yeah.
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It s, it s such an interesting thing.
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Like Costco.
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Yes.
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Like fucking Costco.
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So you re not a Costco member.
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Correct.
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I love Costco.
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I ve been many times with members.
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Yeah.
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But I ve lived in an apartment for so long.
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I just don t have the space.
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Once I move into my house, I think I might become a Costco member.
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Yeah, because everything comes in bulk, right?
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So if you get toilet paper, it s going to be a wall of toilet paper in a small apartment.
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No place.
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Where do you put it?
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I went with a friend way before I did this episode, actually.
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And I got some toilet paper there because it was a bargain.
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And it s all over the apartment still.
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It s like some is in this cupboard, some is in the bathroom, some stacked on top of the cistern, some is under my bed.
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There s so much toilet paper.
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It s horrific.
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Yeah, and do we get into what happened during the pandemic at Costco?
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I m sure... No.
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Okay, well, fuck.
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I m sure Costco... Did they lose it?
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Did they lose the plot?
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All the regular stores ran out, so I assume Costco... Same in New Zealand, because I was in lockdown in New Zealand during our bit of the pandemic, and all the toilet paper, bread and toilet paper, right?
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Yeah, and Clorox wipes, oh my, you couldn t
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find that in the whole world.
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We really learned about ourselves over that time, didn t we?
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We did.
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So we ve got to have clean butts.
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Costco got 10.
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No, Clorox wipes aren t for butts.
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On the toilet paper.
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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
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You could use them on butts, probably extra clean.
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No, don t do that.
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We are not recommending that.
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Why not?
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Is it not good?
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It s like chemicals, yeah.
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Nope, don t.
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Okay, don t use it on your butt.
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They got 10 million more members during the pandemic.
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Holy shit.
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I imagine, yeah, that would have been stressful over that time for workers as well.
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I imagine keeping up with that demand.
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Okay.
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I m going to play my little audio documentary and I do want to point out, I do sometimes have quite a deadpan sense of humor.
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And sometimes I say things in the documentaries that in my head are kind of a bit of a joke, but because I say them so seriously, everyone just assumes
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It s serious.
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What do you mean?
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People commented or something?
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For instance, in this documentary I m about to play, I say that you re not allowed to enter Costco if you re not a member.
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I mean, that s not true.
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You can.
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Well, I don t think you can.
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I don t think you can.
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I think they check your ID at the door.
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You can enter, you just can t buy anything.
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Oh.
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So you can technically, anyone can wander in.
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I thought they d check your thing as you come in.
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No, maybe they used to, but the one I went to in LA, you just wander on in.
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It s purely at the exit when you re buying things that they re like, get that ID out.
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Okay.
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I feel like you didn t need to preface that.
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If people are coming after you, I mean... Okay, I m feeling sensitive today.
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I m prefacing everything.
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Sometimes I joke about things, you know?
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If I get something wrong, it s just a joke.
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Everything s a joke.
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It s my story and I m sticking to it.
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All right, let s hear it.
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Obviously the best way to learn about Costco was to simply visit Costco.
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But I had a problem.
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One doesn t simply walk into a Costco.
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I d heard it was a members-only club, like going to the Bohemian Club or Mar-a-Lago for a round of golf.
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So on a Friday morning, I pulled into what could only be described as a bustling parking lot to meet a man who d agreed to get me inside.
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Thanks for letting me tag along on a shopping trip to Costco.
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Of course, of course.
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Is this a weekly trip for you or daily?
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No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
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This is a monthly, every couple months situation.
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Andy Rosen does a few things in life.
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He has a podcast that a lot of people, including Monica Love, called Nobody s Listening, right?
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He s also a music producer and he s a Costco member.
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And pushing a giant trolley, we enter Costco together.
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And we re almost immediately presented with a wall of big screen TVs.
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We enter and we re straight into big tech.
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Giant TVs, exciting things.
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This is exciting.
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I know the flow of this particular Costco.
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They all have a similar flow.
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Are they kind of tricky?
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Like you come here for toilet paper and you immediately come past these giant exciting products like TVs.
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Is that sort of the idea?
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This is always here.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Tech s always up front.
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Will you be making any purchases while we re here?
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I m worried about that.
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Like, I m not sort of flowing in cash, but I feel like there s exciting bargains to be had for some kind of exciting things, right?
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Yeah, yeah.
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Stuff you need and stuff you don t need.
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So I get really swept up.
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Okay, so this is a weird thing.
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I have to always see how much the hard drives are.
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I don t know why, but $1.59 for a two terabyte solid state drive, that s a great deal.
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I realize me and Andy will get on just fine.
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I love a good hard drive.
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I don t want to throw everything in the cloud.
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I want my data in my pocket, and only my pocket.
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And I know the price of a typical hard drive, and this is a really good deal.
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I begin to feel something pulse in my veins.
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The Costco monster is being unleashed.
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This all started here in America 48 years ago, when Costco s predecessor, Price Club, opened.
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That was the brainchild of New Yorker Sol Price, who went on to be known as the father of the warehouse retail store.
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Price Club was just an old converted airplane hangar in San Diego, and started by serving only businesses.
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But slowly, the everyday American could get in on those bargains, as long as they paid a membership fee.
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Then in 1983, when I was about one year old, former Price Cup employee Jim Senegal and Jeffrey Brotman opened Costco, and it became the first company ever to surge to $3 billion in annual sales in just under six years.
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Soon Costco had 206 locations, had merged with Price Club, and they d launched worldwide.
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Costco now takes in $64 billion a year.
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Today, Andy s just here for some specific things for his family, and is trying not to get too distracted.
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I m mainly struck how big the aisles are, and how industrial it all is.
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There are no bells and whistles here at Costco.
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This feels more like you re in a big warehouse than, say, a grocery store.
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And thank God, there s no music being pumped in.
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I briefly get interrupted by a man who wants to know about my audio recorder.
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How much of memory do you have?
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I ve just got like a 16 gig card in here.
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But I forge on.
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Me and Andy have shopping to do.
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What do you think has been your best Costco purchase of all time?
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That would be the little giant ladder, for sure, hands down.
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What the hell is that?
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You re not familiar with the little giant?
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Oh, it s really worth looking up.
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It s like a real legit ladder, but it folds in all these different ways.
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It gets pretty small.
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It s tiny.
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Yeah, so it s a little and giant at the same time.
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But yeah, that s probably my favorite purchase.
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The weird and great thing about Costco, too, is do you know about the return policy?
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No.
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It s incredibly lenient.
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You can always bring something back.
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So, like, I bought a Nutribullet, those little blenders, and it died in, like, two years.
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Brought it back.
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No problem.
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Refund.
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We pass a bunch of PlayStation 5s.
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They re a great price.
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I think Andy can sense my growing excitement.
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Are you, I don t know if this is okay for me to ask.
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All right, ask anything.
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Are you getting in the spirit, because the last time I came with my wife, we almost got into a thing about it where she was like, I was getting stressed out because I like to go down every aisle and I like to see the surprises, where she just wants to shop.
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She doesn t need the Costco experience.
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I love seeing everything.
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I mean, it s exciting being here.
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You know, I find this kind of incredible so far.
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So I m happy to sort of roam and see what we stumble on organically.
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But like, are you getting the fever is what I mean, sort of like... Yeah, that technology area.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah.
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I mean, I want a PlayStation 5 and that was a bargain and it s sitting right there.
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As we walk down the aisles, I realise they really do have everything.
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Fruit and veggies, TVs, dehumidifiers, clothes, massage guns.
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As a power bank and hand warmer, this is really hard for me not to get.
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$19.99, good price.
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I can t, I can t.
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That s foolish.
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Oh, this might actually be my favourite purchase ever.
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The battery daddy?
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Okay, you put all your batteries in this.
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I have one that s fully stocked and it s my favourite thing at home.
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I want to get these for gifts for people.
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You d like that, right?
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How did you come to sign up in the first place?
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Do you remember what brought you in here?
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I grew up, my parents had a membership, and then we would in college go to lunch sometimes because you get the $1.50 hot dog and like a slice of pizza for $1.50.
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So like a really good $3 lunch.
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Then when I moved to LA, I got my own.
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Straight in.
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Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_01
My love goes so deep.
1
SPEAKER_01
When you re a member, there s like an auto program.
1
SPEAKER_01
And we ve stumbled into this because we leased a Volvo once and we were there and they re like, do you have a Costco membership?
1
SPEAKER_01
And we re like, yeah.
1
SPEAKER_01
And they re like, oh, great.
1
SPEAKER_01
That s another fifteen hundred dollars off.
1
SPEAKER_01
It s like no negotiating, just straight off.
1
SPEAKER_01
And we ve gotten that Volvo discount two more times.
1
SPEAKER_01
I just got another one for fifteen hundred dollars.
1
SPEAKER_02
As we round a corner, I see a man standing there advertising whiskey.
1
SPEAKER_02
They have these little sample people all over the store, and I m amazed to think they re handing out samples of whiskey.
1
SPEAKER_02
Unfortunately, they re not.
1
SPEAKER_02
He s just there to tell people about it.
1
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, it s a Angel s Envy Bourbon and it s a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Pot Wine Beers.
1
SPEAKER_00
The prices are very good here.
1
SPEAKER_00
It s $40 and if you buy two, it s going to $33 for the one bottle.
1
SPEAKER_00
And the outside store, the price is like $90 here.
1
SPEAKER_00
So you cannot compare the Costco price.
1
SPEAKER_00
No one can.
1
SPEAKER_02
He s a really good salesman, but I move on.
1
SPEAKER_02
I ve got my Bailey s, Andy s been getting all sorts so far, paper towels and toilet paper and giant bags of snacks and these amazing giant fresh muffins and cheese, there s so much cheese at Costco.
1
SPEAKER_01
My wife went to just the regular grocery store and bought home a big block of,
1
SPEAKER_01
We passed by a bunch of rotisserie chickens.
1
SPEAKER_01
Costco s famous for these chickens.
1
SPEAKER_01
People have been known to fight over them.
1
SPEAKER_02
They re big chickens.
2
SPEAKER_00
chickens and they re cheap chickens.
2
SPEAKER_00
And they re cheap because Costco started their own chicken farm.
2
SPEAKER_00
Everything here is a bargain.
2
SPEAKER_00
I see piles of Logan Paul s energy drink, the stuff that s basically crack for children.
2
SPEAKER_00
A whole big box is under $20.
2
SPEAKER_00
So this Prime, if you take this back to New Zealand, it s selling like $30 a can.
2
SPEAKER_00
This is a 15 pack of Prime for $19.
2
SPEAKER_00
If I imported this to New Zealand, I would do better than bringing cocaine in.
2
SPEAKER_00
This would pop off.
2
SPEAKER_03
This pile here, how much money is this for your new business?
2
SPEAKER_00
This is millions.
2
SPEAKER_00
This is insane.
2
SPEAKER_00
Eventually, our trip around the store is complete.
2
SPEAKER_00
We head for the checkouts, where it starts to get more feral as everyone converges in the same spot.
2
SPEAKER_00
We chose a bad line.
2
SPEAKER_00
And as Andy s paying for his shopping, and my bottle of Bailey s, they start trying to sell him a membership upgrade.
2
SPEAKER_03
And what is the big benefit if you go from a regular membership?
2
SPEAKER_02
So right now as you re shopping, you don t get any money back.
2
SPEAKER_02
If you switch to the executive, you get 2% back off of everything you purchase here.
2
SPEAKER_02
You ll get a check every February that s a cumulative of the money that you spent.
2
SPEAKER_02
Usually it can pay for your membership and people have an extra like 50 to shop here.
2
SPEAKER_00
It doesn t work on Andy, and they turn their attention to me.
2
SPEAKER_00
Fresh meat.
2
SPEAKER_00
No, I mean, I don t feel too much pressure, and yet I do.
2
SPEAKER_00
I mean, $30 is good.
2
SPEAKER_02
No, it really is.
2
SPEAKER_00
And like that, Costco s got me.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m an easy target.
2
SPEAKER_00
New Zealanders cave easily to pressure.
2
SPEAKER_00
We find it hard to say no because it s not polite.
2
SPEAKER_00
Maybe I will sign up.
2
SPEAKER_00
Can I do it now?
2
SPEAKER_00
It s weird signing up to pay a store just so you can pay them more there in the future.
2
SPEAKER_00
What a weird society we live in.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m taken to another counter where they take my credit card details and then put me against the wall to have my photo taken.
2
SPEAKER_00
It s a slightly less revolting photo than my driver s license photo, so that s good.
2
SPEAKER_00
Seven and a half minutes later, after agreeing to sign up, I m handed my photo ID for Costco.
2
SPEAKER_00
Costco today, maybe Mar-a-Lago tomorrow.
2
SPEAKER_00
And I realize now I can do something incredibly special.
2
SPEAKER_00
I can buy one of those $1.50 hot dogs Costco s so famous for.
2
SPEAKER_00
I go outside to find Andy, who s waiting, and spot a man holding a liter of Bailey s.
2
SPEAKER_03
I don t know why I feel like I go kind of unnoticed most places but I have been getting a lot of eyeballs for some reason.
2
SPEAKER_00
A man standing on his own with a litre of Baileys in the middle of the end of Sunday is a very funny look.
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh man.
2
SPEAKER_00
Okay let s get some delicious food because this is something I ve heard a lot about and I do want to experience it.
2
SPEAKER_00
We go online up to order our lunch.
2
SPEAKER_00
They ve recently installed little screens we can order at to speed up the process.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m gonna get a hot dog.
2
SPEAKER_00
I d like one of those.
2
SPEAKER_00
Okay, one for you.
2
SPEAKER_00
What s one other thing I should really try here at Costco?
2
SPEAKER_03
I would say for you, the chicken bake has kind of a real reputation.
2
SPEAKER_03
If that s intriguing to you, I m gonna get a slice of pepperoni, I think.
2
SPEAKER_03
But I think that s the most Costco move.
2
SPEAKER_03
After the hot dog.
2
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, you re keeping it real.
2
SPEAKER_00
And they do desserts here as well, an ice cream cup.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m just gonna sample the strawberry ice cream cup.
2
SPEAKER_00
I mean, it s also cheap, isn t it?
2
SPEAKER_00
This is crazy.
2
SPEAKER_00
So we ve got five hot dogs, a chicken baked slice of pizza, a strawberry ice cream cup for $15.
2
SPEAKER_00
Is there anything else I can get you?
2
SPEAKER_03
And also, you ve got, how many hot dogs are there?
2
SPEAKER_03
Five.
2
SPEAKER_03
That s also five soft drinks they re gonna give you as well.
2
SPEAKER_00
I will note that some of those hot dogs I got to drop off for the rest of the Flightless Bird team.
2
SPEAKER_00
I eat badly, but I have my limits.
2
SPEAKER_00
We sit down, on our own little Costco date.
2
SPEAKER_00
Andy takes a big bite of his greasy margarita pizza, and I howl into my hot dog for some food ASMR.
2
SPEAKER_00
Mmm.
2
SPEAKER_02
Mmm.
2
SPEAKER_00
Good dog.
2
SPEAKER_00
I then dive into the chicken bake.
2
SPEAKER_00
I d never heard of a chicken bake before.
2
SPEAKER_00
It was mystery food.
2
SPEAKER_03
Chicken, cheese, bacon, caesar dressing.
2
SPEAKER_00
I m buying them.
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh my god.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yum.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
2
SPEAKER_00
I mean it s not healthy, but it s fucking delicious.
2
SPEAKER_00
It was really good.
2
SPEAKER_00
Full belly.
2
SPEAKER_00
I was content.
2
SPEAKER_00
I thought I d taken my first baby steps towards understanding Costco.
2
SPEAKER_00
When you want something, and you want it big, or a lot of it, you come here.
2
SPEAKER_00
As a single man, I m not sure a membership was vital, but I could eat some of those rotisserie chickens, and there was that PlayStation 5, and who doesn t need a giant hundred-pack of toilet paper?
2
SPEAKER_00
Anyway, I ll go home, drink my Baileys, and consider my options.
2
SPEAKER_00
Thank you so much for, I guess, essentially you ve indoctrinated me into the cult of Costco, right?
2
SPEAKER_03
I ve signed up.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, you re in.
2
SPEAKER_00
I wasn t expecting that to happen, but I get it.
2
SPEAKER_00
I fucking get it.
2
SPEAKER_03
Because it was a good deal, right?
2
SPEAKER_00
$30 off half price.
2
SPEAKER_03
She had you.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s great.
2
SPEAKER_03
I was legitimately jealous when I heard the deal.
2
SPEAKER_00
Stay tuned for more Flightless Bird.
2
SPEAKER_00
We ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.
2
SPEAKER_00
Support for Flightless Bird comes from AG1.
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I mean, I ve just eaten two donuts just now.
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Cause there s nothing like the end of the night and you re going to sleep and you think, Oh my gosh.
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Now, I tend to get a lot of clothes and I m like, I don t need this.
2
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I open my wardrobe and it s just like shirts that I never wear anymore.
2
SPEAKER_00
And as an adult with limited closet space, you need to clear shit out.
2
SPEAKER_01
You need to get rid of stuff and you also need staples.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, and I think the thing that I love about them is I need help in getting those staples.
2
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2
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It will go to like a graphic tee.
2
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2
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2
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2
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I got like a little puffer jacket and a jumper or a jersey.
2
SPEAKER_00
What do you call it here?
2
SPEAKER_00
A sweater.
2
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I got a sweater that I really, really like, and I ve actually gotten some good comments on it, which is nice.
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2
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It was an incredibly good deal.
2
SPEAKER_00
Wow.
2
SPEAKER_00
$30 for a year s cost membership.
2
SPEAKER_00
Haven t been back.
2
SPEAKER_01
Oh, fuck.
2
SPEAKER_01
Well, I want to go so I can go with you.
2
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, I ll take you.
2
SPEAKER_00
Because, yeah, shopping as a single man at Costco, everything is bulk.
2
SPEAKER_00
Everything is huge.
2
SPEAKER_00
And it s either you re disgusting because you re just getting these massive things or it s just so impractical.
2
SPEAKER_00
It makes no sense, which is why I ve got toilet paper all over my house.
2
SPEAKER_01
It s better for families.
2
SPEAKER_01
However, there are hacks.
2
SPEAKER_01
Like if me and you go together and we get the 14 toothpaste, we can split them.
2
SPEAKER_00
We can have it.
2
SPEAKER_00
We can have the toilet paper.
2
SPEAKER_01
Exactly.
3
SPEAKER_00
That s a really good idea.
3
SPEAKER_01
So let s do that.
3
SPEAKER_01
Okay, that was so fun.
3
SPEAKER_01
I love Andy so much.
3
SPEAKER_00
Andy was a great guide into that world and his excitement did catch.
3
SPEAKER_00
I mean, I partly blame him for me taking that membership because he got me so fired up about it, especially the tech.
3
SPEAKER_01
Well, I want the tech, the fact that you guys called it tech.
3
SPEAKER_01
OK, so I just texted him.
3
SPEAKER_01
We re going to call him right now.
3
SPEAKER_00
OK.
3
SPEAKER_01
I want to get his perspective on on his experience.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, completely.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
I don t know if I like this, but it s mean to only go one way the show.
3
SPEAKER_01
And then I asked if Elizabeth, his wife.
3
SPEAKER_00
There was a lot of seem like a lot of conflict between them.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_00
About their relationship.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
All right.
3
SPEAKER_01
So I asked if she was around because then we can get her perspective.
3
SPEAKER_01
I like this.
3
SPEAKER_01
Andy.
3
SPEAKER_01
Hello.
3
SPEAKER_01
We re listening to you on Flightless Bird, Costco.
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh.
3
SPEAKER_01
Is that, that s your reaction when you hear the word, right?
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_01
It s like kind of orgasmic and it s a little sexual.
3
SPEAKER_03
No, no, no, no, no.
3
SPEAKER_03
Oh no.
3
SPEAKER_03
Costco, yes.
3
SPEAKER_03
Hearing that you re listening to me at Costco is a more fearful, the opposite of,
3
SPEAKER_01
Well, it was incredible.
3
SPEAKER_01
You were such a good guide for David.
3
SPEAKER_01
And I wanted to get your perspective.
3
SPEAKER_01
Did you feel good about that?
3
SPEAKER_01
Did you feel like he really caught the Costco bug?
3
SPEAKER_01
I want to get your honest truth.
3
SPEAKER_03
I feel very happy that at the end of it, he got a membership that felt like a really big win.
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh yeah.
3
SPEAKER_03
I had a lot of fun doing it, but I also, in retrospect, I have this nagging worry that I might ve gotten into my Costco tunnel vision, which...
3
SPEAKER_03
I kind of just like, I m in it.
3
SPEAKER_03
And I know I was trying to point things out, but I think I just kept pointing out every good deal, which is what I m doing in my head when I m there.
3
SPEAKER_03
But I did have a fear that I might ve been too tunnel vision.
3
SPEAKER_03
And like, when I ve gone with Elizabeth in the past, I almost looked like scared while I m in there, or like anxious.
3
SPEAKER_01
Well, that s what I liked.
3
SPEAKER_01
We got in the brain of someone in that environment.
3
SPEAKER_01
You were really excited about a lot of the deals.
3
SPEAKER_01
I love that you have to check out the hard drives.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, I went to a different Costco recently and I couldn t find the hard drive.
3
SPEAKER_03
It was really, really wound me up in a bad way.
3
SPEAKER_03
That s so upsetting.
3
SPEAKER_01
Okay, is Elizabeth around?
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, yeah, she s nearby.
3
SPEAKER_03
Do you want me to put you on speaker?
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, let s get on speaker.
3
SPEAKER_01
Hi, Elizabeth.
3
SPEAKER_01
Okay, so we just listened to Andy on Fightless Bird for Costco.
3
SPEAKER_01
He was a gem, but it did come up a couple times that there s some tension in the marriage around the topic of Costco, and I just want to explore that.
3
SPEAKER_02
Okay, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_02
It s a big contentious.
3
SPEAKER_02
The money we spent on couple therapy.
3
SPEAKER_01
You just think it s too much bulk.
3
SPEAKER_01
What s your beef with it?
3
SPEAKER_02
Well, I think that this all really started when we were living in a very tiny house that had in between a college fridge and a regular fridge, small freezer.
3
SPEAKER_02
We had two little babies, lots of shit in there.
3
SPEAKER_02
And Andy came home with a Costco thing of waffles and I almost lost him.
3
SPEAKER_02
time because I was like what are you thinking and that s been kind of an ongoing thing like there s this salad spinner he bought at Costco that s on our counter right now and I m happy to have it but I m like where are we putting it?
3
SPEAKER_02
Bulk is part of it.
3
SPEAKER_02
Also, the whole experience stresses me out.
3
SPEAKER_02
I don t get the joy.
3
SPEAKER_02
And so on his birthday last year when he wanted to go to Costco, I agreed and I was trying to be my best behavior, but it turns out I let him down and we learned I just should not go to Costco with him.
3
SPEAKER_01
Okay.
3
SPEAKER_01
This is good.
3
SPEAKER_01
Sometimes you learn your limits, right?
3
SPEAKER_02
Yep.
3
SPEAKER_02
It s all about learning your boundaries.
3
SPEAKER_01
Andy, did you feel like, it s like when someone is singing you a song and they re staring to get your reaction.
3
SPEAKER_01
Is it that feeling?
3
SPEAKER_01
David s nodding.
3
SPEAKER_01
He knows what I m talking about.
3
SPEAKER_00
It s like when you re watching a TV show and with someone and you really want them to enjoy this bit.
3
SPEAKER_00
And so you stare at them for their reaction.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yes.
3
SPEAKER_03
Is it like, oh, like I m with Elizabeth there and I m hoping she ll be like excited and in on my wavelength.
3
SPEAKER_03
But then.
3
SPEAKER_01
Exactly.
3
SPEAKER_01
And then that causes, it s like for her, she s like, Oh, I m supposed to be excited.
3
SPEAKER_01
And then you re like, Oh no, she s not excited.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s kind of complicated though, because when I m there, as she pointed out, I look scared.
3
SPEAKER_03
She doesn t see me getting joy because I am so kind of overwhelmed, but I really love it.
3
SPEAKER_03
But I don t think I m giving off vibes of enjoying it while I m there, sort of, if that makes it more complicated or make sense.
3
SPEAKER_01
Maybe it s like how people who are very anxious love horror movies because it s controlled chaos.
3
SPEAKER_01
It s like controlled fear.
3
SPEAKER_02
I think you just nailed it.
3
SPEAKER_01
Wow.
3
SPEAKER_03
And I do love to find the deal though.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s so great.
3
SPEAKER_03
I went the other day and they had Sharpies on sale.
3
SPEAKER_02
And guess what s fucking on our kitchen counter right now?
3
SPEAKER_02
A huge, massive thing of 10,000 churros.
3
10,000?
3
SPEAKER_01
Wait, are you serious?
3
SPEAKER_01
I don t know.
3
SPEAKER_02
How many are there?
3
50?
3
SPEAKER_02
I don t know.
3
SPEAKER_03
Wow.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s just like a 32 count.
3
SPEAKER_01
Wow, that is a lot.
3
SPEAKER_01
That is a lot.
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh, this was a joy.
3
SPEAKER_01
I just wanted to check in, see how everyone s doing.
3
SPEAKER_01
I hope this doesn t cause a fight for the rest of the day.
3
SPEAKER_01
I tend to do that for couples in my purview.
3
SPEAKER_01
It s our anniversary today.
3
SPEAKER_02
Oh my god!
3
SPEAKER_00
Off to Costco!
3
SPEAKER_03
They planned Groundhog s Day for it?
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, exactly.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, did the groundhog, is the groundhog somehow connected to your anniversary?
3
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, just in the sense that every day Mary feels like it s the same.
3
SPEAKER_02
No, I m just kidding.
3
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, that s just a coincidence, but we did- We did watch the action at Gobbler s Knob this morning, so.
3
SPEAKER_03
See, oh man.
3
SPEAKER_01
They knew.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, you guys are in the know.
3
SPEAKER_01
All right, well, I m going to let you guys go, but this was really fun.
3
SPEAKER_01
And Andy, thank you for joining, David.
3
SPEAKER_03
Oh, it was a pleasure.
3
SPEAKER_03
I hope I was a decent tour guide.
3
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, you were great.
3
SPEAKER_01
All right.
3
SPEAKER_01
Bye, guys.
3
SPEAKER_01
All right.
3
SPEAKER_01
Bye.
3
SPEAKER_01
Talk to you later.
3
SPEAKER_00
It was really good getting into her head around that as well.
3
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, that was great.
3
SPEAKER_01
Because I think a little bit of this, I hate, God, I don t like doing this, but I wonder if it s gendered a bit.
3
SPEAKER_01
Like, does Costco lean male?
3
SPEAKER_00
That s interesting.
3
SPEAKER_00
I think in my mind, it might just in that men, this is so gender, but I mean like big.
3
SPEAKER_00
a 10,000 sharpies and like bargains and a deal.
3
SPEAKER_00
I m just thinking of my dad obsessed with the deal and he d invest so much time into the deal and I d always be going your time is worth money dad you ve invested days into this getting this deal.
3
SPEAKER_01
And I think women tend, again, painting with such a white brush, but women tend to nest.
3
SPEAKER_01
They create the home and the environment often.
3
SPEAKER_01
And so when it s crowded with 32 Sharpies, it can feel like it s actually offensive.
3
SPEAKER_01
You re messing up the space that I work to make safe and perfect for us.
3
SPEAKER_00
I do think it s the ultimate example of a shop where you go for one thing and you end up coming back with something else, but not like a supermarket where you get an extra bit of chocolate, like a chocolate bar.
3
SPEAKER_00
You come back with like a PlayStation 5 or something, or a 10 massage guns or all that sort of shit.
3
SPEAKER_00
You know, it s just such a ridiculous version of that.
3
SPEAKER_01
I think it s good I don t have a membership.
3
SPEAKER_00
Also, the idea of shopping as a couple, I guess people do go as couples because they re dealing with so much stuff.
3
SPEAKER_00
The trolleys are huge.
3
SPEAKER_00
Maybe it s a couple exercise.
3
SPEAKER_00
I imagine when you shop, you don t want a date with you or someone with you, or do you?
3
SPEAKER_00
Do you shop with people or solo?
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh, all the time.
3
SPEAKER_01
Well, it depends on what kind of shopping.
3
SPEAKER_01
Grocery shopping, no, but I hate grocery shopping so much.
3
SPEAKER_01
Oh wow, that was very visceral.
3
SPEAKER_01
I just like outsource it a lot these days.
3
SPEAKER_00
You already get it on the apps.
3
SPEAKER_00
That s what the apps are for.
3
SPEAKER_01
I just hate it.
3
SPEAKER_01
But if I m going clothing shopping or any other, I love buddies.
3
SPEAKER_00
You want a buddy there.
3
SPEAKER_01
I like solo too.
3
SPEAKER_01
I like both.
3
SPEAKER_01
I just love it.
3
SPEAKER_00
I think we should try Costco in the future, because I am curious about this.
3
SPEAKER_00
The next part of the doc, I wanted to get into the mindset of the Costco employee, because it sort of journeyed into the minds of someone shopping there.
3
SPEAKER_00
I wanted to know what it was like for the people working in this.
3
SPEAKER_00
What I assumed would either be like an amazing place to work or a hellscape.
3
SPEAKER_00
I wanted to find out.
3
SPEAKER_00
As I finished my bottle of Bailey s, more delirious from the sugar than the alcohol, I realized I d explored Costco from only one angle.
4
SPEAKER_03
That of the Costco shopper.
4
SPEAKER_03
But what of those who work day in, day out at Costco?
4
SPEAKER_03
What do they think of the place?
4
SPEAKER_03
According to their website, Costco is often noted for being much more employee-focused than other Fortune 500 companies.
4
SPEAKER_03
By offering fair wages and top-notch benefits, the company has created a workplace culture that attracts positive, high-energy, talented employees.
4
SPEAKER_03
I needed to see if this was true.
4
SPEAKER_03
So it was back to Costco.
4
SPEAKER_03
A different Costco than last time.
4
SPEAKER_03
This one was bigger.
4
SPEAKER_03
I was here to meet former employee Naomi.
4
SPEAKER_00
I remember when I worked here, there was someone who was just taking off their clothes in the middle of the store to try on clothes.
4
SPEAKER_00
And I was like, sir, please, you can t take off your pants here.
4
SPEAKER_00
There s just maybe a certain level of decorum that can get left at the doors at times.
4
SPEAKER_03
Naomi had left a few years ago for a lifestyle change, but before that she was a copywriter at Costco s corporate office, and before that she d worked in a warehouse where occasionally people stripped naked.
4
SPEAKER_03
I figured a former employee would talk openly with no strings attached.
4
SPEAKER_00
So I started out, they used to have this program, and I m not sure if it exists anymore, but it was a college student retention program.
4
SPEAKER_00
So basically on like summer breaks and spring breaks and whatnot, I would come back and work in the warehouse.
4
SPEAKER_00
And that was truly anything from pushing carts to cashiering to folding clothes.
4
SPEAKER_00
Whatever needed to be done in there is kind of what I started out in.
4
SPEAKER_00
And then after school, I came back and worked at Costco Travel, which is kind of like a subsection
4
SPEAKER_00
Costco is a very different part of the business, and then moved over to the marketing slash copywriting side.
4
SPEAKER_03
What was Costco like as an employer?
4
SPEAKER_03
Because just talking to people colloquially, I keep hearing all these stories about how they are a really good employer and stuff.
4
SPEAKER_03
Is that accurate?
4
SPEAKER_00
I think so.
4
SPEAKER_00
I will say I ve never felt more stable at a job than I felt at Costco.
4
SPEAKER_00
It s really hard to get fired from Costco, essentially.
4
SPEAKER_03
Did you try?
4
SPEAKER_03
No.
4
SPEAKER_00
You d have to really do something kind of effed up or steal or take bribes.
4
SPEAKER_00
That s basically the only few ways that you could get fired.
4
SPEAKER_00
And they have astonishingly good benefits, I would say, as well.
4
SPEAKER_03
What s an example of a benefit a staff member would get at Costco?
4
SPEAKER_00
I think just even compared to, I mean, healthcare obviously comes with a lot of different American jobs, but I would say the quality of the healthcare at Costco was really, really high, really hard to compare to other places.
4
SPEAKER_03
I d secretly been hoping for some dirt on Costco, but honestly, Naomi just seemed very Costco positive.
4
SPEAKER_00
I think a mantra at Costco is always, do the right thing.
4
SPEAKER_00
Which is kind of a rare thing, I think, in corporate America.
4
SPEAKER_00
Sticking to what would be right by the member, right by the shareholders, right by employees.
4
SPEAKER_00
And that s kind of the moral guiding light for the business decisions of the company.
4
SPEAKER_03
When she was there, employees got time and a half on Sundays, and if they went overtime, they d get compensated really well.
4
SPEAKER_03
With that and other benefits, people who work at Costco tend to stay at Costco.
4
SPEAKER_00
So you ll see a lot of employees, if you look on their name tags, it ll say how long they ve been employed there for.
4
SPEAKER_00
And a lot of times you ll find people who ve been here for 10, 15, 20 years.
4
SPEAKER_00
So I feel like when I say I m a seven-year employee, that s really almost nothing compared to a lot of folks who tend to stay with the company for their whole career.
4
SPEAKER_00
The supervisors are wearing red vests, but all employees should be wearing a name tag.
4
SPEAKER_00
And then it should say their position on the name tag.
4
SPEAKER_00
And then also if you see silver badges, that s the 25-year-plus employees.
4
SPEAKER_03
Naomi says she was always amazed at the fun, unexpected things planted throughout the store.
4
SPEAKER_03
So in amongst the chickens and toilet paper, there are spas, cars, gold bars, hemorrhoid cream, coffins.
4
SPEAKER_03
Birth to death, you re covered.
4
SPEAKER_03
And then there s all the ancillary things here too.
4
SPEAKER_03
You can get cheap hearing aids.
4
SPEAKER_03
And there s an optometrist here, eye doctor and all.
4
SPEAKER_03
And she says people put trust in the brands that end up here, including Costco s own brand, Kirkland.
4
SPEAKER_00
From working at Costco, I know that the background in order to get a Costco signature product is that it has to go through several different phases of tests in order to be as high quality a product as the top name brand item in that same category.
4
SPEAKER_03
She says her main Costco tip is just keep an eye out on the prices because they all mean something.
4
SPEAKER_00
If you look at the prices on the signs, if it s an odd price, $16.97 for example, $16.97 as compared to like $16.99, that usually means that the product is not going to come back for a little while, so it s the last bit of stock, and sometimes they will
4
SPEAKER_00
discounted even more.
4
SPEAKER_00
Also if you see like asterisks on the signs as well or if it s highlighted yellow like all of those are things that I look out for where if I m interested in a product and I see those things and I was just kind of on the fence about buying it I d be like okay I think this is the last time it s gonna be here for a while.
4
SPEAKER_03
It s now or never.
4
SPEAKER_00
Yeah exactly.
4
SPEAKER_03
I thank Naomi for her time and as we leave we pass the food court and that age-old story comes out about those cheap hot dogs.
4
SPEAKER_00
When the new CEO came in and took over, I think the founding CEO was like, if you raise the price of the fucking hot dog, I m going to kill you.
4
SPEAKER_03
I think stories like that, that surface on the internet and do the rounds every few years, those are the things that keep Costco lore alive.
4
SPEAKER_03
We love good stories, and that s a really good story.
4
SPEAKER_03
Before I wrap things up, I needed to track down someone who s still fully in the cult.
4
SPEAKER_03
Someone who still works there.
4
SPEAKER_03
And so I managed to find a man who s been working at Costco for a quarter of a century now.
4
SPEAKER_02
I ve thought about this for many years and it became ingrained in my DNA and I realized that Costco itself, it s more than a brand, it s a lifestyle.
4
SPEAKER_02
So my name is Brett Bauer and I m in the digital membership programs at the corporate office.
4
SPEAKER_03
Originally, he was going to be a firefighter, but then he applied for two very American jobs.
4
SPEAKER_02
And so I ended up getting hired at Costco and Trader Joe s the same day.
4
SPEAKER_02
And my parents at the time said, hey, and they re longtime members, right?
4
SPEAKER_02
So they said, what about five years, 10 years down the road?
4
SPEAKER_02
Both fantastic companies.
4
SPEAKER_02
You make that decision, but think about career possibilities.
4
SPEAKER_02
And so ultimately, that s where I decided to stay with Costco.
4
SPEAKER_02
18 pulling shopping carts and nearly a quarter century later, I m here at the corporate office, two states away from where I started down in San Diego, California.
4
SPEAKER_02
So making that decision 25 years ago, how that would have changed my life s trajectory.
4
SPEAKER_03
25 years is a long time.
4
SPEAKER_03
It s a long time to be anywhere, let alone at one job, let alone at a Costco.
4
SPEAKER_03
But for Brett, it s his life.
4
SPEAKER_02
Like it really is his life.
4
SPEAKER_02
I met my wife at Costco.
4
SPEAKER_02
She was a seasonal employee at the time.
4
SPEAKER_02
I filled out my phone number and gave it to her on a Costco register receipt.
4
SPEAKER_02
You know, started dating and I bought the engagement ring when it was time for that from Costco.
4
SPEAKER_02
We sell diamonds, very, very, very high quality diamonds.
4
SPEAKER_02
And then once we graduated to get a fur baby before we had kids, our dog, we named it Kirkland.
4
SPEAKER_03
As in Kirkland, the Costco brand.
4
SPEAKER_03
So to recap, he met his wife at Costco, he got the engagement ring from Costco, he named his dog.
4
SPEAKER_03
After Costco.
4
SPEAKER_03
If Costco is a cult, I guess this is it.
4
SPEAKER_03
And like any good cult, they like to keep things in-house.
4
SPEAKER_03
As of 2024, they have a new CEO, Ron.
4
SPEAKER_03
He s been a Costco employee for 40 years, starting as a forklift driver.
4
SPEAKER_03
Brett s worked alongside him.
4
SPEAKER_03
I look down at my membership card and wonder if this is now my culture too.
4
SPEAKER_03
Being so far away from New Zealand, I often feel quite dislocated from what I think of as my culture.
4
SPEAKER_03
Now I m in America, maybe this is it.
4
SPEAKER_03
A culture of shopping and rotisserie chickens, coffins, and $1.50 hot dogs.
4
SPEAKER_03
How do you feel about Costco after listening to a man that s worked there for 25 years, met his wife at Costco, got the diamond ring at Costco?
4
SPEAKER_01
I love it.
4
SPEAKER_03
It s kind of incredible, right?
4
SPEAKER_01
I love it.
4
SPEAKER_01
It is a full culture.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s all in.
4
SPEAKER_01
They have amazing business practices.
4
SPEAKER_01
I think that s incredible.
4
SPEAKER_01
In a very capitalistic country, they re still looking out for everyone.
4
SPEAKER_03
I was trying to get Goss the whole time.
4
SPEAKER_03
That s why I talked to a former employer.
4
SPEAKER_03
I m like, you re going to slip something in about the behind the scenes nightmares, but everyone genuinely seems very enthusiastic, which is just really rare.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_01
It does embody some old school.
4
SPEAKER_01
Kindness.
4
SPEAKER_01
They trust that if you need to return something, they let you, right.
4
SPEAKER_01
They re not like fighting back.
4
SPEAKER_01
They re good to their employees.
4
SPEAKER_01
I like it.
4
SPEAKER_03
The more I think about this, the more I realize how much my dad would enjoy it because he is that bargain guy and the gadgets and the things.
4
SPEAKER_03
And it s just going into a place where literally you re getting hemorrhoid cream one second, a cough in the next, diamond ring for your fiancee who you proposed to at Costco.
4
SPEAKER_03
It s just everything in the one place.
4
SPEAKER_03
The one criticism I would say that I found was the car park was fucking stressful as hell.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yes, parking there is rough.
5
SPEAKER_00
You need, I think, to choose when you shop there.
5
SPEAKER_00
There s certain times I imagine weekends are quite bad, but I found it so incredibly stressful.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
5
SPEAKER_00
That s the one thing.
5
SPEAKER_00
When we go, we need to pick the right time.
5
SPEAKER_00
Okay.
5
SPEAKER_00
Because you might not even get a car park.
5
SPEAKER_00
Even leading up, I was like, looking on my Google Maps, am I close to Costco?
5
SPEAKER_00
I realized I was because there s a huge line backed up the streets trying to get into the car park.
5
SPEAKER_01
You went during the week.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s crazy.
5
SPEAKER_01
At like noon, like not at a weird time.
5
SPEAKER_00
Really nutty.
5
SPEAKER_01
Whoa.
5
SPEAKER_00
But it is a good Bailey s bargain.
5
SPEAKER_00
I think we went for the Bailey s.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yes.
5
SPEAKER_01
I want that chicken bake.
5
SPEAKER_00
Are you serious?
5
SPEAKER_00
I really am.
5
SPEAKER_00
I would love to have a chicken bake with you at Costco because it is frigging delicious.
5
SPEAKER_00
And the thing about it is that you can buy frozen chicken bakes inside.
5
SPEAKER_00
So if you d love the chicken bake that you have at that little cafe outside, you can of course buy them frozen.
5
SPEAKER_00
And I ve got a name, my neighbor, who s a Kiwi as well, she s got a family.
5
SPEAKER_00
She s always at Costco and she finds certain products that are just hot right now.
5
SPEAKER_00
So we have pizza night at her house for a while.
5
SPEAKER_00
There d be like a certain pudding that she d have.
5
SPEAKER_00
And that s because that was the hot thing at Costco
5
SPEAKER_00
Currently.
5
SPEAKER_01
At the moment.
5
SPEAKER_01
Well, there s a dip.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s a spicy, not spinach artichoke dip, but in that vein, it s from Costco.
5
SPEAKER_00
Right.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s so good.
5
SPEAKER_01
A friend of ours always has it.
5
SPEAKER_01
And it s incredible.
5
SPEAKER_01
They do have some items that you can only get there that are so good.
5
SPEAKER_01
And the muffins are so good.
5
SPEAKER_00
Or Andy lost it at the muffins.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
5
SPEAKER_00
There s so many muffins and they look, they re really big, freshly baked muffins.
5
SPEAKER_00
Really hearty.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
5
SPEAKER_00
I think you just leave Costco feeling like you ve had a bargain and you ve also got something that you re genuinely excited for, like a salad spinner or whatever Andy got.
5
SPEAKER_01
It is, but it is also so American in that it s so much stuff and you re getting a deal and you got to get it and you have to own it.
5
SPEAKER_01
And then you get home and it s like, oh, now I just have so much stuff.
5
SPEAKER_01
And am I ever going to use any of this?
5
SPEAKER_01
Probably not.
5
SPEAKER_00
The thing with stuff I found, because going back to New Zealand, I was packing up all my stuff.
5
SPEAKER_00
And it s weird because as a human, you always want to get stuff.
5
SPEAKER_00
And I know it s just the trick of society.
5
SPEAKER_00
But when I go out, I love getting stuff.
5
SPEAKER_00
And I think I love the stuff.
5
SPEAKER_00
I m like, I love that thing.
5
SPEAKER_00
But then it s been sitting in New Zealand.
5
SPEAKER_00
And when I m in America, I don t even think about it.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yes.
5
SPEAKER_00
I don t care about it.
5
SPEAKER_00
And it s just, it s such an odd thing.
5
SPEAKER_00
And what you re talking about when you re in a small apartment, you don t get stuff because you have nowhere to put it.
5
SPEAKER_00
But then when you move into a bigger space, there s this thing in your human brain, which is like,
5
SPEAKER_00
Gotta fill it up with stuff.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, let s get a thing.
5
SPEAKER_01
And I know in some other countries, it s a lot more minimalist, but we re not minimalist.
5
SPEAKER_00
Wasn t there a scandal with Marie Kondo where she was like getting us all to throw everything out and minimalize everything.
5
SPEAKER_00
And then she gave this really amazing interview where she was like, my house is actually a mess.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, I think she, I mean, look, I don t think that s a scandal.
5
SPEAKER_01
I think she, like, came up with a good, which she did, like a good plan for organization.
5
SPEAKER_01
And she s just admitting, like, I don t always stick to that.
5
SPEAKER_00
I m glad she said that.
5
SPEAKER_00
I call it a scandal.
5
SPEAKER_00
And I think it s amazing.
5
SPEAKER_00
It s honest and it s great.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah.
5
SPEAKER_00
And I just really love that while we re all freaking out about minimizing.
5
SPEAKER_01
And it s like, how does she do it?
5
SPEAKER_01
It s like, well, she does her best.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, totally.
5
SPEAKER_01
Just like the rest of us.
5
SPEAKER_00
We re all doing our best.
5
SPEAKER_00
We are.
5
SPEAKER_00
Chicken bake.
5
SPEAKER_01
I m excited to go with you.
5
SPEAKER_01
This was a really fun episode.
5
SPEAKER_00
Thank you, Andy and Elizabeth.
5
SPEAKER_00
Talking about the weird time with the show, I bought you in those Kosu hot dogs last year now.
5
SPEAKER_00
We ate those.
5
SPEAKER_00
They re a bit cold, weren t they, by the time I bought them?
5
SPEAKER_00
They were cold.
5
SPEAKER_01
That was the problem.
5
SPEAKER_01
They were good, but they were cold.
5
SPEAKER_00
We ll do fresh chicken bake, and it s going to be amazing.
5
SPEAKER_01
I can t wait, and I want the pizza.
5
SPEAKER_00
We can do it all.
5
SPEAKER_01
Okay.
5
SPEAKER_01
I m excited.
5
SPEAKER_01
This was fun.
5
SPEAKER_01
You re a lot more American.
5
SPEAKER_01
You have a Costco membership.
5
SPEAKER_01
I don t even know.
5
SPEAKER_01
That s 99 points.
5
SPEAKER_00
Thank you.
5
SPEAKER_00
I have something American that you don t have.
5
SPEAKER_01
Exactly.
5
SPEAKER_01
You re more American than me in this one area, but I like it.
5
SPEAKER_00
Maybe when we go, they re going to sign you up for that deal.
5
SPEAKER_01
I m the opposite, I m like, oh no, it s on sale, not for me.
5
SPEAKER_00
You re that rare thing in America, I love it.
5
SPEAKER_00
I ll pay full price, don t give me a discount.
5
SPEAKER_01
Can I pay more money for this?
5
SPEAKER_01
Is there a more exclusive deal that s more expensive?
5
SPEAKER_01
Oh man, this was fun.
5
SPEAKER_00
Okay, see ya.
5
SPEAKER_01
Bye.
5
you