A really annoying trend at Costco lately is the vendors that are in the store. I don't want to have to say "no" constantly to people offering all kinds of stuff while I shop. They used to have an occasional vendor but now they are all over the store.
I registered in order to answer this comment above:
Those "vendors" are the MOST Mustachian thing about Costco!!!
There is no way that you can go to Costco practically any day (and especially now thru New Year's Eve) and not consume several thousand calories of FREE FOOD. Their job is to make sure you try the free food. They WANT you to try the free food, and are delighted when you do. Their policy is to let you try it as much as you like.
Yesterday in Costco (northern Nevada) they were handing out turkey, stuffing, some veggie casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie...on one plate! And: meatballs, eggrolls, sausage, at least 5 types of cheese, mango juice, pomegranate tart, popcorn, whole grain toast...and those are just the ones I remember walking by!
Several times a week they also give out free laundry detergent, free roll of toilet paper, free supplements...basically little envelopes of totally FREE stuff!!! When they have less than a full pallet of something and need floor space, they will drop it to a laughable price: a full flat of Bartlett pears for $4 most recently here.
Costco actually is increasing their organic and gluten free products, faster than my other local stores.
Granted, the people who don't live near one can't benefit. But if it were within biking distance, there would be a great advantage to eating a free lunch there while shopping.
Ethically I would feel the need to have a card, and despite being single I make money in rebates on my AMEX card so Costco pays for me. But you actually don't need a card to get into Costco.
By law, they are required to let you in to use the pharmacy, the ear test, and the optometrist.
Just sayin'.