A rare Costco fail

D

dishdude

Joined
Nov 14, 2008
Messages
18,923
Location
Phoenix
Had an odd situation at Costco tonight. Rolled my cart up to the self checkout, there were three open registers and a customer with a cart in front that seemed confused, I pushed forward to one of the open registers. I hear a Costco employee -

Costco employee - Sir! Sir! The line starts back here!
I look back and see nothing but move my cart back.
Me - Where's the line?
Costco employee - You're next
Me - You said there was a line?
Costco employee - You're next
Me - There is no line. Why are you wasting my time?
Costco employee - blank stare

I moved back to the register I was initially at wondering what had just happened.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Sounds about normal for Costco here.

I am always dumbfounded by how great people here say it is. I would think its only my store but I have been to many different ones over the years.
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Costco's quality and value can't be beat. The employees are generally great, just dumbfounded by what this person was thinking. I'm not one to berate a low level employee or ask for a manager, but I will make my feelings known in a considerate way.
 
SC Maintenance said:
Sounds about normal for Costco here.

I am always dumbfounded by how great people here say it is. I would think its only my store but I have been to many different ones over the years.
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I’m sure they vary allot - but we quit them after once liking them …
These days - not so much into one stop shopping - and wife has moved to mostly online …
 
I took this picture at Costco the other day. I'd say this is a sort of fail too:

IMG_2555.webp
 
That would definitely be enough human interaction for me for the week.

You’re lucky while discussing the line or lack there of, several people didn’t get in front of you. I guess you would have been at the back of the line then. Lol.
 
I have seen that with line management at self checkout too. I suspect a training issue or personality types doing that job. Very dictatorial. My wife says I have fun poking that bear.

I like Costco for some reasons I hate Costco for some reasons. I’ve owned their stock. But nutso woke and good hiring practices make it difficult to love 100%
 
Pablo said:
I have seen that with line management at self checkout too. I suspect a training issue or personality types doing that job. Very dictatorial. My wife says I have fun poking that bear.

I like Costco for some reasons I hate Costco for some reasons. I’ve owned their stock. But nutso woke and good hiring practices make it difficult to love 100%
Click to expand...
I agree. They're good for many things...not so much for many other things. I don't get the head over heals fan boi love for them...and let's not forget you have to pay to shop there. I've never seen a membership or renewal discount as I have for BJs or Sam's Club for $20 or less either.
 
My last trip to Costco was right before Thanksgiving 4 years ago. I wanted to buy a Turkey; I have a bad ankle so I always grab a cart even for just on thing to help hold me up.

I decide once in not to buy anything so I'm headed out the front doors to return my cart and the old man employee jumps in front of me to stop me and my cart so he can inspect it. He starts looking inside the cart, under the cart all while holding me up stopped with his hand on my cart no big deal but as time starts to pass it gets strange...

I say "dude" that cart is EMPTY what are YOU looking for? He continues to search a empty cart with his hand on the front keeping me from my exit and I say " Dude, I didn't buy anything I'm just returning the cart! As he continues his strange, bazar search of a EMPTY cart and I respond Dude" You take the cart and return it and he responds Ohh NO you must return the cart as he continues his crazy empty cart search so I let go of the cart and say dude IF this cart is that important to you, It's NOW YOUR cart do what you will with it.

I walked out as he is screaming at me that I must take my own cart outside. Strange old man he was... Was like he was a ROBOT and his brain could not compute my cart was empty, I did NOT buy anything...

I have lots of reasons to no longer shop at Costco but after that Strange, empty cart search I shop Sam's, No longer Costco.
The $1.50 Hotdogs are better at Sam's anyway...
 
Last edited:
Observations re 2 of the 3 stores mentioned:
I'm a Costco member and have done a couple of "trial memberships" at BJ's.
I've never been in a Sam's.

BY FAR most customers' shopping cart loads at BJ's more resemble those of regular grocery store shoppers where it appears there are way more "restaurant owners" and operators of day care centers shopping at Costco.
And of course there are shoppers at Costco who look like they're from individual households too.

Also, I've been nothing but impressed with how the front end (check out) of my Costco is traffic managed.
The vast majority of customers have to be respectful and alert for it to flow as well as it does.

Specific to my location:
Our Costco was in a city center and moved into a new building a few miles away to a location nearer several highways.
The old Costco became a "Business Center". It's where I have to go to get our coffee filters.
At the Business Center, the few shopping customers share the aisles with workers filling orders on flat hand trucks for delivery.
And the amount of sugary garbage snacks in those orders is stunning.
I guess eating disorders are a huge thing all over society.
 
Maybe the Costco employee wanted you to only use the same register as the first customer ?

That way employee can keep eye on one customer at a time, making sure they scanned every item and not steal anything.
Next time send your wife to do the shopping so you don’t have to deal with any idiots.
 
My local Costco is uniformly crazy busy. By and large, it's run very well. My one, consistent, complaint is the food court service. It's quite common for there to be a 10 minute wait, with nowhere near enough servers. The tables are often times dirty also.
 
I'm taking a service marketing course right now and the data shows customer satisfaction is at an all-time low when looking at the past 30 years, however, customer expectations have not budged much in the past 30 years. So it seems companies have just been getting worse at satisfying customer expectations.
 
PWMDMD said:
I'm taking a service marketing course right now and the data shows customer satisfaction is at an all-time low when looking at the past 30 years, however, customer expectations have not budged much in the past 30 years. So it seems companies have just been getting worse at satisfying customer expectations.
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Absolutely

Example is contacting companies via email or contact screen

Crickets

I don’t bother anymore
 
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