Posted on 09/20/2009 12:38:32 PM PDT by Dallas59
Below is an excerpt from the book "1,001 Things They Won't Tell You," which was published in May 2009 and highlights popular columns from SmartMoney's long-running "10 Things" feature.
(Excerpt) Read more at customsites.yahoo.com ...
Returns have always been hassle-free. How many places do you know that would take a return on an opened and empty bottle of champagne? All I did was take the empty bottle and the cork in (the wine was 'corked') and had them smell it.
"I wouldn't have drunk it either, sir" was all the guy said as he reached into the drawer and handed me my cash back. I had the same experience with a DVD player that was 3 years old.
I just showed them the receipt and they handed me the cash.
Coupled with the fact that it's a block away, you just can't beat it. Oh and their gas is a nickel a gallon cheaper than anywhere in the area.
L
Here’s a summary of the book :
Big corporations = evil
Sounds like Obamacare?
True of any store card.
Anyone who uses a credit card as more than a convenience is a fool. If you pay them off monthly when they come due they are a great convenience and you can get some nice perks.
This and everything else in your list is also true of every retail chain I am aware of (perhaps with the exception of the dues). (Sears, Kmart, Lowes)
One thing that Sam’s gives me that I find valuable is that they nearly always have the cheapest gas. That alone makes the membership worth it.
I don’t get the hostility to these stores. I save a lot of money by buying in bulk. It also means you shop less often, saving time and money. This list implies you wouldn’t have to stand in line at a regular store!
I belong to Sam’s and have for years. For a long time, the savings on a gallon of milk was enough to pay for the cost of membership.
Add to that the price of dogfood....I save about $15.00 a month buying it there. Of course, I am lucky that they carry the kind I feed my dogs. I also save on the cost of charcoal, which is good since I live in Vegas and grill year round.
some other items are worth the cost of membership overall. If I didn’t benefit somewhat financially, I wouldn’t remain a member.
As for the whole receipt thing, that is truly the least of my concerns. The receipts are marked so that shoppers cannot come in with a receipt, load up on items and then present the receipt at the door as if the items had been paid for at the present time. It is a protection of their customers as far as I can tell.
Our family loves Costco. It’s like everything else though. Economically wise consumers know how to purchase effectively. ;-)
Not unique to warehouse stores. It’s the “default” for nearly all stores, nowadays.
We’ve dumbed down our society, and, for the love of saving a penny or two, we’ve all been reduced to the lowest common denominator.
Get used to it. ..and get back in line! LOL
I like the choice, have never had a problem, and save money. Don't like it? Don't join.
“Anyone who uses a credit card as more than a convenience is a fool. If you pay them off monthly when they come due they are a great convenience and you can get some nice perks.”
AMEN. We have NEVER paid interest on a credit card.
As libtarded as Costco is, I can’t fault their prices on milk and gasoline, my wife and I more than pay for our membership on just those two items alone. Plus it is quicker for me to get to Costco than any of the grocery stores in our area (commerce traffic lights suck big time). I really don’t mind it. and to top it all off wife and I can have cheap date night 2 hotdogs, 2 drinks and split a churro for less than $5.00 gotta love that..:)
What makes humor funny is that it is rooted in the truth. Heck, I’ve seen stuff that laughs, successfully at everything from Reagan to Obama to ME. But this piece was not even a little bit funny. It had nothing in common with what I have experienced in any warehouse store.
That is true with any business! Employees need sleep too.
What a crock.
What ‘small animals’?
And what jewelry experts won't tell you is that if aren't buying jewels as investments (which you don't do retail anyway) you are wasting your money for any quality that can't be seen with the naked eye. Man made diamonds are 2-5% the cost of natural and nobody will ever know if you don't tell them. In fact, cut crystal will likely do if all you care about is how it looks from 2-5' away.
Decent buy on tires. Return policy is good.
I’ve recently found better meats locally that aren’t farmed fish or artificially grown.
Computer monitors and hard drives are a safe buy.
I’ve found all the chain markets vary 2-6 months at a time depending upon commodity. Used to always shop Trader Joe’s, now Henry’s is a great source for wine, produce, and deli selections.
Al Norman, anti-Wal-Mart activist
She was done before I could call her boss to stop her.
That's when he and I discovered she couldn't speak English at all.
Then there was the puke that decided he just had to pick up my brand new chocolate birthday cake for the daughter-in-law and put it in a different basket ~ took it out of my hands. He smeared it all over the inside of the plastic container.
All the while I was telling him "Leave me and my cake alone" He wanted to fight. Fortunately I had my largest son immediately behind me so he stepped forward. The kid started whimpering and called for someone to help him. I told his boss when he got there to boot this t**d out. It went downhill from that point on.
Usually those guys are pretty compliant about not messing up the pastries. BTW, never saw that kid in the store again!
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