Costco Wholesale — Local services in Ridgefield

So I love (use to) Costco and it was a destination place for me as I live over 30 minutes away from my closest one. I drove to Costco this morning and assumed that they opened at 9am. Why wouldn't they open at nine. I arrived and people were going in and out at 9:40am so I grab my basket and went in. I was stopped as I scanned in and told that I couldn't come in because I wasn't a "Executive Card" member. I'm sorry, I thought that this was a grocery and not a country club. I'm a "Gold Star" (which means nothing really except that I'm cheaper than the other fools who give them $100 plus for the privilege of shopping there). So here I am trying to process what is happening because it makes no business sense to tell a customer that they can't come in. I tried to cancel my membership on the spot, which should be easy, but they really don't want to let you get away. I did end up waiting 20 minutes (like a good peon) to gain access and purchased my wife's items and left. Good for you Costco. You won the battle by making me wait 20 minutes and now you've loss the battle as it'll be a cold day in hell before I go back to Costco. There is nothing in Costco that can't be found elsewhere closer to where I live. I'm not a business person, but it doesn't seem like a good model to piss off your customers and drive them away just because you want them all to upgrade to the "Executive Level". Good luck. Now back to Winco and...

So before we go into this excursion of CostCo: Yes! It was clean. No papers on the floor or abandoned sample cups everywhere.

What many folks like about Costco, is that most of them are pretty close to each other in relation to where products are located in and around the aisles. If you shop at the CostCo in Medford, Oregon, for example, they are pretty similarly laid out (except for the one in Tigard! That ones is just sully) and, from a SELLERS perspective, makes sense. From the BUYERS perspective, it doesn't translate well into a productive shopping experience if you get your meats, produce, dairy and frozen first and STILL need to find protein powder, or contact solution, or even a great bottle of wine (CostCo had some real good wines and they are priced well!).

And of course! One wouldn't want to get clothes and such and THEN shop for your grocery items. So now you need an extra pair of hands (or two) and another trolley or flatbed which fills quickly. Rinse and repeat.

I made the trip this time from outer Cathlamet and I had to take coolers with ice aplenty and ice bags for dairy items.

Why in God's name wasn't one built in Longview at the annex there?? Not implying that the one in Ridgefield is bad by any stretch of imagination. Just need another one that's closer, you know?

All in all its a great experience. Friendly, competent staff, well stocked, rotated daily if not more...

I was profiled after I scanned my card at the door, likely because my name is commonly used for females. When I went to a checkout counter an associate came to me to check if I was an executive member, I am, but don't know, don't care. She confirmed my membership after she scanned my barcode and my name pulled up, but suddenly the check out person seemed hostle and refused to scan my membership card info because it wasn't in card form, just my membership number and barcode. I offered my drivers license and they refused to type my membership into the system and verify me by ID. I asked for a manager and Tracy came to talk to me, told her that I was being targeted because I've never had an issue before. She called me "sweetheart" in a condescending way and said that wasn't true. I told her NOT to call me sweetheart and thats when her attitude changed. She wasn't trained on how to look up members by number so waited until her manager finally found my membership and he checked me out. I commented that she must be new and threatened to be exited from the building. Please hire people who won't call me sweetheart, sweetie, baby, or any other condescending names. Also your local phone number IVR system isn't working, can't complain...