I joined when they opened their first store in Silverdale, WA. Then it was open only to farmers, commercial fishermen, loggers, and others in the trades, no tax was applied to purchases.
Then came the nurses and thing began to change, not for the better. Prices rose without notice; packages got so big, it only paid if you owned a restaurant.
Then they raised the dues past what the money it took to get to their store and buy anything needed. Savings began to amount to a dollar or less over what could be had locally.
Bye - not looked back.
Ah. Membership stores go back a ways. Sam’s Club was the first membership store we ever joined.
I’m sure if people are looking deep, there are problems with all of them. For me, I just shop. If I like it, I buy it. If not, I don’t. Sometimes I run down to Harbor Freight for a free flashlight, or a tarp I don’t need, or something. It never occurred to me to ask where their inventory was coming from. I never cared what other shoppers looked like. There are some parts of life that politics shouldn’t penetrate.
“Prices rose without notice; packages got so big, it only paid if you owned a restaurant.”
We are a family of light eaters. We regularly shop Costco. We don’t own a restaurant.