Going to Costco and expecting a hassle free shopping experience is like going to the Kenai the third week of July and expecting a wilderness Alaska experience.

I never went until my current wife and I got married two years ago. The first thing I had to learn is just go in there and buy what is on the list and not get sucked into everything else you didn't know you needed until you got there.

We go about every 2 months. You can't beat the meat (no pun intended). Take it home, cut it up into two people portions, vacuum pack and stick in freezer. Mouth wash cost a third of what it does in the regular grocery stores, as do many other items. I have a room in the house where all of the Costco big items are kept. Let me just say that if the big one hits I can wipe my arse for six months.

Finally, you have to give them kudos for treating their employees well in terms of benefits and pay unlike Walmart and other big stores.