Costco

Stopped in here to pick up some wine and fish for a dinner party. This location had a really good selection of wine. Seemed about twice the selection of the wine available at the Chandler — Galleria location. My experience though is that Costco is Costco. The cashier was super friendly and my experience was fine. I’m bumping it up a Star just for the better wine selection.
Normal Costco. Better gas prices than Chandler location. Twice the wine selection. Super nice cashier. 4 Stars.

First the guy at the entrance told me I couldn’t go to the membership desk without already having a membership card. Then he decided I could if I went in the exit. Then the woman at the exit wouldn’t let me in because a) it was the exit, b) she was too busy, and c) because I didn’t have a membership card. I went in anyway and she was very upset. Then the guy at the membership desk couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge me while he did heaven knows what. Finally he told me my online form I was told to fill out online, printout, and bring was not acceptable and that I needed to start over. His reasoning was that he hadn’t been trained in this form so it wasn’t acceptable. I tore it up and left. He yelled at me as I left, but I ignored him and left. They must not want me as a customer.

The best hot dogs, ever! I go here just for the hot dogs! They may be cheap but don’t let that fool you. I don’t know what they put in them but they are like crack. I can’t get enough!

The selection here is fantastic. I always receive excellent customer service and it’s nice when they have the fresh seafood out during the weekend. Plus the gas prices are some of the best in town. They are busy during the weekends, but I’ve stopped by after work during the week and I was in and out! Good prices for your bulk items.

It’s a good Costco location. They have everything I need. Always busy on weekends though. Great customer service and variety of produce.

The tire department here is the best! We rolled up in our son-in-law’s vehicle (after we noticed that the left front tire was on its last mile) and asked if there was anyway that we could get a new tire. Since it was Christmas Eve and 1:30 in the afternoon, I was a little worried.
No problem said the mechanic. She was super efficient and looked up the records from the other two tires that our son-​in-​law had purchased here and then was able to match the two new ones. Success!
The whole ordeal was done in about 45 minutes. During that time, the hubby and I did some shopping and tasted a few samples.

This Costco at 44^th and Thomas Rd is par for the course: a good value for certain quality items or bulk purchases. No criticism here.
The pharmacy earns the poor review. The staff is professional and receptive and they save the review from a one star to two stars. The pharmacists earn a one-​star-​review.
On two different occasions and by two different pharmacists I have confronted censorious and disapproving comments on medications prescribed to me by my doctor. On one incident one of the pharmacist had the audacity to tell me that I should not be on my medication. Their approach is haughty and condescending.
Costco’s pricing and quality are very competitive even for some pharmaceutical items; but that should not entitle Costco’s pharmacists (being specific to this store) to be principled bordering on moralistic.

It’s a Costco so it’s pretty much what you’d expect. Food, clothes, household supplies, sporting goods, automotive, vitamins, medications, etc. They also have a gas station and the food court where you can get pizza, hot dogs, chicken bakes, or churros.
The only downside to this Costco is that it seems to have a larger than usual Senior Citizen clientele. Now I have nothing against seniors as I’m nearly one myself, but they do have a tendency to walk slowly and leave their carts blocking aisles. So if you want to run in quickly and grab one item, as I recently did, this may be an issue.
Overall, it’s a Costco and it’s a great place to shop.

There are many good things about Costco and very few bad. Let’s get the bad out of the way first. For years, Costco Tire Center was my goto for tires. Then, the Michelin tires starting blowing up on me. To be fair, I am hard on tires. But blowouts are hard on vehicles, so I stopped getting tires at Costco.
I can’t really think of much more bad, unless you consider they keep moving the inventory around, so you are always looking for that stuff you bought last time, because it’s not where it was before. Sometimes when you see that thing that you just gotta have, but cannot really afford it? Well, you better bite, because it may not be there the next time. Prices are great, but you have to buy in bulk. This is okay for things that will keep, but stuff like bread and pastries– you better really like because you are either gonna get tired of them or they spoil. I use a vacuum sealer for stuff I don’t think will last.
I like that you can get more organic stuff now. We buy as much organic as we can afford, and Costco is good for things like Half/​half and eggs. We go through a lot of half and half. Gas? you bet. Always priced great. Anyway, been going here for years and I highly recommend Costco.

Cattle… I always feel like I’m part of a heard of cattle at this location.
Limited organic selections compared to the store in North scottsdale where I normally shop. So I couldn’t get half of what I wanted to buy. The checkout area was clumsy and they didn’t have enough boxes so the guys just jammed my stuff into one. Problem was I bought eggs so that didn’t end well.
The line to leave was blocked up because they only had one person on, I hate this part anyway, makes me feel like I’m being checked out of prison and getting searched for contraband. If I was going to steal something I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get it by the cashiers. FYI. The double checking makes no sense to me.
Not great… But still Costco and they get three stars regardless because they do have all the usual amenities. :)

I’m not a member of Costco, but I use their pharmacy for my dog’s glaucoma medication. I called in her medication refill on a Saturday morning before they opened and the automated system said it wouldn’t be ready ’til Monday. I left a voicemail requesting the refill by that afternoon.
I went to the store just after 12 and it was obvious that they hadn’t checked their voicemail. The refill wasn’t ready and the cashier at the pharmacy directed me to speak to the pharmacist at the new prescription drop-​off window to see if they even had my dog’s medication on hand. Why couldn’t she do that?
So instead of my prescription being ready as requested (and they had plenty of time to check their voicemail), they had to process it as a new prescription which took 15 – 20 minutes.

Costco saves me money on select items when i need them. However not being able to use my master card keeps me from shopping there more often. Its easy to get your membership coats back in savings too.

This store is awesome! Wish it had a car wash tho, hopefully soon!

GAS.
Gas here is always typically around .20 cents cheaper then anywhere else. I drive a truck that gets about 12 miles to the gallon so my membership card is worth every penny. The money I spend on my member ship is typically saved the first two months of getting gas there.
Went the other day $ 1.69 a gallon for regular, they have some great deals on other stuff, but truthfully I don’t shop there that often. I just don’t buy that much stuff in bulk.
If you like cheap gas thou… go here. worth every penny.

I like Costco, but I don’t like shopping at Costco (make sense?). They’re always jam packed, people run you over to get free bites of half a ravioli, & when you leave the store you always forget you have to show your receipt and you spend 5 minutes looking for it.
All that being said, this Costco is a lot more bearable than others. For whatever reason it seems to be a lot less crowded (especially on the weekends compared to other locations). Other than that, it’s a Costco (is the lay out of any of these stores any different?). I don’t come here as much anymore, but I can remember every now and then dealing directly with customer service (getting glasses from here, ordering deli platters/​cakes, etc…) & never having a bad experience.
If you like what Costco has to offer, but hate shopping at Costco you might find this location a lot more tolerable.

Terrible experience signing up for membership. We bought the living social deal and almost cancelled it on the spot. Signed up with Dolores and she was very snide with regard to me using my own Amex versus theirs implying it was a poor decision. Lots of inappropriate comments. Super pushy with the executive membership. We heard all about it outside, told her that, then she went on again about it. We already hate it here and we just joined. Big mistake. Get prepared to be hounded to upgrade your membership and use their Amex even if you like yours. I told her «this is becoming unpleasant and I really don’t appreciate the big push.» And she went on still. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Sundays should be filled with lazy brunches and napping. Instead I was greeted with a flat tire after a Saturday of bar shenanigans. (Seriously! How sucky is that?) I headed over to CostCo after AAA came to my rescue.
Short Story:
+ Unbelievable customer service
+ Car language provided in layman terms
+ Affordable pricing, no hard sell
+ Delightful personalities abound
(Also, the $ 1.50 hotdogs with a soda are a killer deal. Plenty of living room furniture to sit on and kill time.)
Meandering inside to the Tire Department I was greeted by a lovely chap. (I believe his name is Rene.)
Rene: [Sprinting across the floor] Have you been helped? Can I help?
Me: [Still mentally sluggish] Uh… yes. My tire is …
[I stare around looking for a word.]
Me: Flat.
[It’s not my fault I like Guinness.]
Rene: Ok! Let’s go look.
[Starts a walk so fast thru the parking lot I struggle to keep up.]
Rene examines my tire visually. As there is no visible signs of damage my tire is then misted with a soap spray. Still, nada. I head inside to start a work order. I meet Mari, cute as a button, who has more energy than a tween. [I suspect Marie was not out drinking Guinness like a champ six hours prior.]
As Mari enters my information my mind wanders to the cost of a new tire. Despondent over the fashion things that will be affected by this un-​planned cost I inquire on tire pricing.
Mari did not laugh at me.
No, I don’t know the kind of tires on my car.
No, I don’t really know the year of my car.
No, I don’t know if my Ford Escape is an xlt. (What the hell is that? This New York City girl bought a car. There are wheels on it. One of them was flat at an ungodly hour on a Sunday.)
Well. Hang on. Mari did laugh, but *with* me.
Yes, I am a fool as to all things car.
Approximately two hours later Mari rang me and I headed back. First Mari, then Rene, explained the steps taken to test my tire. In English. Not a damn thing wrong with it. Highly probable a rapscallion LET THE AIR OUT on purpose. (Thanks to whomever for that.) Just in case, Rene replaced the air valve stem.
Ten minutes later my tire is plopped back onto my car. My car has been vacuumed (!) and I was free to go.
Here’s the crazy thing:
CostCo didn’t charge me a penny. I sucked up their time and energy. My Dad had sent me there saying «they’re good». I had no idea. (Pfft! Tires? Aren’t they all the same?)
After yesterday I know where I’ll be shopping for tires when it is time. Customer Service goes an amazing way. Thank you CostCo!

Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Maybe I’m just taking crazy pills (you can buy a bottle of 10,000 for $ 6 at Costco)… but I hate this place.
I break out in hives every time I think about having to go here… So then why do I go here, you may ask. The same reason as everyone else. The same reason listed in all of these glowing reviews… to save a little bit of money.
I come here for almost the same thing every time. Diet Coke, allergy meds and giant bags of frozen chicken breast. Those are my three go-​to items. Every few months there’s the toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent… blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
Why do I hate it so???
Pretty much for the same reason I have a deep disdain for Walmart. It’s chaos. And in true Walmart fashion, I actually saw someone wearing their pajamas here the other day.
People walk around here lulled into some kind of trance by price savings and free samples. It’s maddening. In the parking lot, in the store… waiting to turn INTO the parking lot… people are crazy. They completely stop paying attention to what’s going on around them. I’ve been touched inappropriately by shopping carts, nearly run into by cars. It’s insanity.
Oh and by the way, speaking of parking lots… why the hell aren’t there more cart return areas. I think I’ve seen two… It’s generally a game of, can I find a spot to hide this cart, or should I just walk it to the front of the store.
Another thing: A lot of people talk about the great fuel savings… I’ve never purchased fuel here. Wanna know why? Because every time I come here, the line for fuel is no less than 3 cars deep per lane! No thanks. I’ll pay 10 cents more per gallon somewhere else.
As I sit here typing… anxiety level rising, I wonder to myself… are the savings really worth it? And for now, sadly, the answer is yes. But one day… One Day Costco! I will be free.

Obviously Costco is the bomb. However, the experience is night and day depending on when you go.
Day before Thanksgiving= anxiety ridden nightmare
Sunday morning when the doors open– walk through the park (downside sample stands aren’t set up yet. And rotisserie chickens aren’t out yet).

OK Costco, I love you.
You should know this if you read the review I accidentally posted under Costco Gas for this location. I love your $ 2 monstrous pizza slices, knock off Lululemon yoga pants, bags of baby kale, and free samples. I love that I can put any and all purchases on the Costco Amex card and my husband has no idea what I bought.
BUT.
It is time for some tough love. What the heck are you doing to the bananas??? I mean, I know the sign says, «Control Ripening Technology» but this so-​called «technology» is making your bags of bananas turn into bags of banana mush.
Basically, I buy the bananas. I leave them in the bag. The bag assures me that moisture in the bag is good for my bananas. But, THE BAG IS WRONG. My bananas get soggy. The peel falls off. The banana turns brown.
If I try to eat the bananas immediately, when I break one off, it breaks away the peel from the other bananas because the moisture has made the skin weak and useless. So now I have a bunch of partly unpeeled bananas. It is madness.
I will cut you slack because they are insanely cheap and you give me free samples of tuna fish on fancy crackers, but Costco, it is time to reject that stupid technology and put the holes back in the bag. Or, just stop selling bananas because as of right now you are reeking havoc on our local garbage men who are forced to deal with garbage cans full of bananas mush. I know, in the realm of trash, banana mush is seemingly innocent, but that stuff LEAKS. Then you step in it and your shoe becomes squeaky. The mush leaks onto other bags and then you have banana mush laden trash that attracts fruit flies. Nothing annoys me more than fruit flies. (And, apparently I speak for all trash men.) FIX THE BANANAS.
Thanks!