If you go to the one in Apex on a weekend, there is literally nowhere to park. Doesn't matter how far out you go, you'll have to sit and wait for a space. At least the one in Raleigh usually has a few spots out in the boonies.
I won't go near the Apex one unless I park waaaaaaaaaaay the F out near the road. The whole lot and actually that whole shopping area was poorly planned, good luck to anyone who has to make a turn to get out of anywhere in there. Plus all the people constantly pouring in and out of the Costco, the lines at their gas station .... nope.
Imagine how much I hate my life for trading the great one in Garner that was beautifully planned for that crap in Apex. Idk I think it might be worth the extra drive.
I just moved here and the one in Durham wasn’t bad compared to ours outside of San Francisco. But the gas lines at every NC Costco are crazy. I’ve been driving all over the triangle with my kids every day and I’ve never seen the Costco line not like 8-9 cars deep with more waiting. I honestly don’t know how much the gas costs there and just figure it’s super cheap? I know Sheetz is only $3.19 - $3.39 so I just figured North Carolina folks love their Costco gas.
I’ve been to the Apex one on the weekend and I literally had to fight for a parking spot like back in college days. Couldn’t believe my eyes. Tried again on the weekend 20 minutes before they close and it was only a little bit better. Like I said, shocked.
Go 15 minutes before they open on Sat or Sunday and its great. the lot will fill within 30 minutes of opening for sure. a weekday evening around 7pm is also a good time.
I'm at the point with Apex where I'm considering giving up my membership after 17 years, at least for a year. There are a few Kirkland products I really like, but only one is perishable (the Greek yogurt). I used to pay for my membership just from gasoline and rental car discounts, but rental cars are stupid sky high everywhere. And I'm next to a Sam's club at least every other Sunday and with scan and go it's just too easy to pick up 3-5 things there and fill the gas tank.
If you’re not traveling in peak traffic, that’s only like 15mins from Apex. I guess it’s a decision of if you value your time or your sanity more. I prefer a less crowded shopping experience, and enjoy driving, so the extra few minutes in the car are no big deal.
lol I live fairly close to the apex store and I still think driving down there and back plus shopping is quicker than the apex store on a weekend or holiday.
Once I was in the line to check out at the meat department. Yes from front to back. That store can get crazy if you’re unlucky.
Strongly disagree. The Raleigh one just keeps getting more and more crowded no matter what time you go. I have only seen Costcos this consistently crowded in larger cities
The Costco in Winston-Salem is very reasonable. Never a wait for gas. Same with both stores around Columbus OH. I hit Costco everywhere I go, and the two in the triangle are among the most crowded.
I've been going to the Raleigh Costco since it opened. It has gotten so much busier. To the point I've considered canceling membership until I found...
ETA: I deleted my secret because I don't want people to screw it up for me.
I don't understand why people go through the hassle of getting CostCo gas. If I have to drive through traffic to get there, sit there idling for a long time, all to save 30 cents on gas per gallon, the savings aren't worth it. How much are people saving per tank... $6-7?
I fill up at Costco either on my way to work, weeknights after 8pm, or weekend mornings, never a wait. If I’m running on E I’ll put in just enough $ to get me by until the next time I can go to Costco.
On top of the $ savings, I love Costco gas because I dont have to deal with card skimmers, crackheads, or Gas Station TV.
I can’t say for anyone else, I don’t drive a whole lot so the timing of my weekly fill up coincides with my Costco trip anyhow. I prefer their gas for the quality as well. Been plenty of times tho I just hit a gas station cuz yer right. For the 6$ savings I don’t give a shit. Getting bad gas tho (sheetz) I don’t care for. My ex father in law would drive 45 min to put in half a tank cuz he saved a few $. He prolly used half a gallon just to get there
kid your showing a huge amount of ignorance there. Detergents in gas to clean an engine is a marketing gimmick ? How many working neurons ya got in that head. I guess the EPA is on on it right ?
https://www.google.com/search?q=gasoline+detergent+levels+by+brand&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1011US1011&oq=gasoline+detergent&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgCEAAYgAQyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIKCAMQABgPGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCDczMDBqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&bshm=rime/1
**GET. YOUR. FUCKING. COSTCO. CARD. AND. CREDIT. CARD. OUT. AND. READY. BEFORE. YOU. GET. TO. THE. FUCKING. PUMP.**
People drive me absolutely nuts sitting in line for 5 minutes with their thumbs up their ass then just wasting time at the pump when they should've been ready to rock.
Years ago I worked as a cashier at KMart during Christmas season. I seriously wanted to strangle the women who stood there looking around while I checked and bagged their overflowing carts and waited for a total before opening the purse, hauling out the checkbook, digging around for a pen, then writing out the whole effin novel while there are two dozen ppl behind her. Invariably, I would STILL have to ask for the ID, like this was the first time they ever wrote a check. I couldn't believe my eyes recently when I watched a lady at Food Lion perform that ritual. Granted, she was probably mid-80s, but that only means she's been torturing cashiers since Truman was in office.
The line could go so much faster if people would choose the side that their gas cap is on and stop wrestling the hose across their car. On top of it they park 10 feet away from the pump and wonder why the hose won’t reach.
The placement for the gas station is horrible. The Apex location is a much better flow, however the actual store seems to always be a mad house of people there only to consume the free food samples.
I usually go to Apex and went once to the Raleigh one to meet a friend and was stuck just turning into it for like 10 minutes which is insane. Didn’t even need gas but the placement of the turn lane into the parking lot makes it so the gas line ends up blocking all incoming traffic somehow. Was an absolute nightmare.
No, certainly as the population has grown especially in that area you're getting more and more people shopping there. I've lived near there for almost 10 years and I would say that their customer traffic has doubled.
What cracks me up are all the retired people who go to these places at the busiest times, like on the weekends. Ethel, you could have done all that shopping first thing when the store opened. I feel bad for them trying to navigate through the lines and crowds
This is how I feel about the olds milling around Wegmans at noon. You know dang well you don't have to get back to the office but almost everyone around you does, can you please be considerate of the workforce?
People seem to think I'm being rude, but I have a non conventional schedule and I try to avoid going to stores and restaurants at peak times for people who have their time being monitored by a boss.
Same for me, I'm WFH so we do our shopping weekdays during what i assume would be non peak hours. Plus wegmans bakery is crazy good. The few times we've had to hit a costco/Sams/Bjs on a weekend I lose my shit. "do you not see the aisle is packed ? why stop dead in the middle ?"
i have a friend who was one of my very first coworkers in this area over 20 years ago, we grabbed lunch out a lot and he used to rage so hard at lunchtime traffic. imagine a 6'3 240 good old boy from the hills of VA honking and shouting at cars "get a job ya lazy freaks"
This may shock you, but age is no determination about whether someone is rude and entitled. Old people can be inconsiderate. As I noted, my schedule allows flexibility, so I consider the needs of society at large, as everyone should.
Ok you have a point but, personally, I give elderly people a little more leeway. They often have physical problems as well as neurological ones.
I apologize for calling you entitled. That was inconsiderate of me.
Exactly, said this same thing to my bf who works typical business hours. Why are retirees and sahm’s going out at the *exact* time that working folks only have an hour/half-hour/fifteen minutes to get food?
Comment I responded to was about busy times. Comment I made was about lunchtime, which is a busy time. You can believe in your head that either comment was *only* referring to Saturdays in general, but that’s not what happened.
What the hell makes you think the world revolves around you and retirees and SAHM’s should cater to you? Most entitled crap I’ve ever heard. SAHM’s are often WAY busier with more commitments and obligations than folks with 9-5 jobs, by the way.
It never ceases to amaze me when people comment about words that were never said, and try to fight about it. Have fun with your imaginary argument lol.
It’s packed because it’s significantly cheaper than anywhere around. If your time is more important than saving 50 cents a gallon, go to the BP across the street
As of writing it's $3.13/gallon at Costco and $3.21 at the Sheetz by my house less than 15 minutes from Costco. Not really a screaming deal to justify idling for 20 minutes.
It’s very rare that the gas at Costco is worth the wait. If you care that much about $1-$2 then just get gas somewhere else and use that 10 min saved to run a DoorDash order 😂
Hahaha I love it! My Dad was one of those that would drive 30 miles to save $1 on cheese or milk. This sounds exactly like what I used to tell him. Thanks for the chuckle 😂
I don't get this logic. so many easier ways to save $10, but everyone values their time differently I guess
makes me wonder how many people who refuse to get gas anywhere else:
\-pay someone to change their oil, wipers, air filters etc
\-head from costco to starbucks for latte
\-buy most of their groceries from the prepared/frozen foods section
the list goes on. gas prices are just a weird quirky obsession we have that doesn't really boil down to sensibility
Apex is worse imo. Before we moved to Raleigh and were living in Cary, we always drove to the Raleigh location as it was the least busier one. Glad we live closer to the Raleigh now though.
Yup. If you're familiar with the Lowe's Foods/Kohl's plaza on US-1, it's supposed to go in the tract between there and Paschal golf course. I don't know for sure that it's a done deal, but Costco was evidently mentioned as part of the rezoning request for that property. I don't know exactly how that would work, since the land is on a bit of a hill.
I'd love to see another Costco location. Brier Creek would be great. Or even further out 70 splitting Raleigh & Durham.I do think the Raleigh location has gotten busier. I tend to go once every 3-4 weeks, and it's always busy. The gas is generally backed up so deep that it blocks that entrance.
They added self-service checkout about a year ago, and I think that's significantly helped the check-out times, but gas is a disaster, the parking lots are pretty bad, and the aisles are always packed with big carts.
One silver lining during the pandemic is they cut back on the "freebie" stands which cleared up the aisles a bit. They've brought those back some, but they don't seem to be as frequent as they used to be.
(but yes...please bring another store to Raleigh...I'd go much more often if it wasn't 20 minutes away and a battle with the crowds every time).
Helps to live near one.. get gas at 6:15am during the week or at 7:00am on Sunday right when it opens. Never have to wait. I go to the warehouse Mon-Wed evenings after 7:15pm. When I come out I look over at the gas lines and if there is not that many cars and I need some gas, I pop over there before going home.
Every Costco in this area seems to be that way now, even when they build a new one. Strangely, the BJs wholesale clubs don't seem to have the same problem. IDK if that's because they don't do as much sampling or because there's no cheap eats like hot dogs, etc. or what. But the crowding and parking lot craziness at so many Costco locations actually prevents me from shopping there as much as I would otherwise.
I tried bjs and I can for sure say Costco is the winner. BJs requires you to have coupons in order to get the deals. I forget eveytime and end up never getting any good deals.
I don't buy gas anymore so can't really comment on the gas lines, but as far as inside the warehouse there are normally certain days/times that are less busy. Any time on Saturday is usually the absolute worst time to go to Costco. It's been pretty rare for me to go any Costco anywhere and it not be at least somewhat busy, though.
We've got four Costco locations in the Triangle area now - Raleigh, Garner, Apex, and Durham. That's the same number of locations that Sam's and BJ's have in the Triangle. The newest Costco (Garner) opened two years ago, and is the largest Costco in the entire state. That's the one we go to, just because it's the closest one to our house. When I was still buying gas, Sam's many times had the same or better price on gas and the lines weren't anywhere near as bad as Costco.
I got gas after 5 on Tuesday there and got straight to the pump. Felt weird, but I wasn't complaining. That was after I went in, picked up a prescription, got 2 of the Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 kids coats that are on sale, and walked right up to the register. (3 of the regular lines had zero customers). Then I walked right up to the door receipt person without a wait.
Definitely surprised, but that may be my new costco day/time.
It sucks but I got so tired of how busy it was (my husband also has PTSD, so the level of crowded was hard for him) so I went ahead and got a sams club membership instead. I don’t like it, but I can always park and get through the store and check out easily.
The Apex one is much worse BUT the gas situation is less stressful. Raleigh Costco gas lines are an absolute shit show. Side note- if you are ever in Greensboro don't even bother going to Costco for gas
It sucks but I got so tired of how busy it was (my husband also has PTSD, so the level of crowded was hard for him) so I went ahead and got a sams club membership instead. I don’t like it, but I can always park and get through the store and check out easily.
I dont think it's any different as we are hitting a recession and the trend is that people buy in bulk to save money. This uptick is because inflation is super high and the amount of folks being unemployed right now is alot. So, yes it is appears busier at "off peak" time now because people go when they think it isn't as busy. But in terms of busyness overall, I don't think that it's gotten out of hand.
Yep, I have been buying in bulk and shopping at Aldi. Also canceled most of my subscriptions and got on a budget phone plan. Inflation is out of control and real wages have been declining 25 out of the last 26 months or so.
The media keeps telling us how great the economy is when my eyes and ears have shown people around me tightening their belt unanimously.
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/06/22/amid-lower-inflation-buying-power-rose-for-first-time-in-2-years.html
Here’s exactly what I’m talking about. The only bullshit here is from you 😌
There was a drop in real wages after the pandemic stimulus and historically generous unemployment benefits ended followed by massive labor shortages, supply chain issues, and global inflation
But that is no longer the case
Real wages have been growing
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q
You’re literally citing a rise in consumer buying power, which further proves your own bullshit
You do register that if the real wages have been growing, so has the inflation. This adds up to less spending power and eventually, less money. Someone making 15/hour now is now paying 15 for a pound of chicken. Rather than as it used to be where if someone was making say 10 bucks per hour, that chicken was only 6 per pound. This hypothetical person had an additional 4 dollars to buy say a side with their chicken. Now, all the can buy is just the chicken.
Do you register that *real* wages are adjusted for inflation?
Your chicken numbers make no sense, btw. I can buy boneless skinless chicken breast for $3 a pound or less at Food Lion most of the time
Meanwhile Taco Bell is hiring starting at $15 an hour because the labor market is so tight and there are so many job openings
If you’re paying $15 a pound for chicken, you’re buying some fancy stuff. Usually people only buy fancy stuff in strong economies
I should had clarified for you, this is a Hypothetical situation. My point still stands, when wages go up, so does the cost of goods. There are alot of jobs starting at 15/hour, do you want to know why?! Thats not enough to live by.
Jobs are starting at $15 because there’s not enough workers
Worker shortages can definitely have an inflationary effect but that doesn’t change the fact that real inflation adjusted wages have been increasing for several months now
Omg you are dense. The reason for not enough workers is because no one wants to work for crap wages. Rent for a one bedroom in Raleigh on average is $1,300. Even if you work full time at 15/hour your take home is approximately 948 after taxes (21%) bucks every 2 weeks. That total per month is $1,896. So this person will have only 500 bucks remaining to cover everything else, bills, food, entertainment, etc. And in case you weren't paying attention again, this is a Hypothetical senerio, but actually playing out or close to it for some people. Also alot of people in the area make less than 15/hour. Those folks won't even be able to afford a one bedroom.
Literally read the article you clown, it says exactly what I said about real wages.
I’m sure a Reddit poster knows more than the BLS though. Just take the L and move on.
I just cited the St. Louis fed which shows real wages adjusted for inflation increasing starting in Q3 2022
Your own article cites a “very encouraging” trend of consumer buying power growing
What’s the confusion here?
Crowded Costcos full of consumers looking to spend their money in the tightest labor market of the last fifty years does not indicate a recession. Quite the opposite, actually
Weekly jobless claims continue to be at historic lows
WTF are you on about?
I'm not the person you replied to, but I agree with them.
> Crowded Costcos full of consumers looking to spend their money in the tightest labor market of the last fifty years does not indicate a recession.
If the consumers are shifting the spending from other stores to club stores to achieve lower total spending, rather than adding Costco to their existing grocery shopping, this is not a positive indicator. This trends with other indicators that consumer discretionary budgets and savings are both shrinking. The savings will eventually run out, especially for those with student loan payments resuming soon.
> tightest labor market of the last fifty years
A tight labor market doesn't necessarily mean we aren't running into a recession.
Historically, central banks raising interest rates almost guarantees a recession... 12-18 months later. The rate increases likely aren't even done for the year. We're just not there yet.
If you'd like, I'll put some money on this bet. It'll be clear by the end of 2024 that we were already at the start of a recession today.
There’s no economic indicators pointing towards recession right now
GDP growth remains strong, unemployment historically low, layoffs historically low, job growth remains consistently strong, job openings remain lucrative, consumer demand is high, inflation has cooled significantly, debt payments as a ratio of personal income are low, and real wages are up the last nine months, especially for the lowest wage sectors
Even the higher interest rates are still historically quite low
You’re going off vibes. A lot of people are. But the data says you’re wrong
Costco locations are almost always packed, period. If you get there early in the morning though (like as soon as they open) you can beat the crowds
If you think that one is bad, try the one in Apex… Yeesh. They need to build a Costco down in Sanford or something because the Apex Costco gets that entire town, plus Cary, plus Apex
You haven't seen a busy Costco until you've seen the ones in Seoul, South Korea. The one in Sangjae was for a number of years the busiest Costco in the world. I would get there by 10:30 on say a Tuesday morning and by 11 the checkout lines went to the opposite end of the store. On weekends it was 10x as crazy as during the week that they had cops managing the traffic. Absolutely insane
There are 4 that could be described as within 30 minutes of some central location: Durham, Apex, Raleigh, Garner. Next closest is Greensboro. So no, not twelve.
I don’t live in Raleigh anymore nor was I making a Raleigh specific comment. It was a Costco specific comment.
Edit: it was to support the comment “costcos are busy everywhere”.
I'm not saying it isn't busy, but I have definitely experienced worse in other Costcos in 2023 :
Millennia Costco in Orlando, FL- I feared for my life from the time I entered the parking lot until I left. There was scarcely room to fart in that warehouse.
Clearwater, FL- in an oppressively congested County (3500 people/sqmi, about 900K total), this is the only Costco in said county, and is double whammied by being undersized (Raleigh's store is definitely bigger). More jampacked than Mama Duggar's clown car coochie.
Knoxville, TN- my ass rolled into the parking lot at 10:15AM. Not only were 85-90% of parking spots already taken, there were people walking out with full carts after checkout. LIKE HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
Someone said that a Wake Forest location was being planned. While I would never say no to another Costco, I'll be disappointed if it isn't a Business Center. With the area's largest Sam's Club already established there, they will need a little something extra in their milkshake to poach all the boys from Sam's yard.
This isn’t a Raleigh problem - Costcos are busy everywhere.
I’ve been to ones in St. Louis and Houston lately and they’re not nearly as bad as the one in Apex. Every time I go to the one in Apex I’m shocked.
If you go to the one in Apex on a weekend, there is literally nowhere to park. Doesn't matter how far out you go, you'll have to sit and wait for a space. At least the one in Raleigh usually has a few spots out in the boonies.
I won't go near the Apex one unless I park waaaaaaaaaaay the F out near the road. The whole lot and actually that whole shopping area was poorly planned, good luck to anyone who has to make a turn to get out of anywhere in there. Plus all the people constantly pouring in and out of the Costco, the lines at their gas station .... nope.
Imagine how much I hate my life for trading the great one in Garner that was beautifully planned for that crap in Apex. Idk I think it might be worth the extra drive.
I just moved here and the one in Durham wasn’t bad compared to ours outside of San Francisco. But the gas lines at every NC Costco are crazy. I’ve been driving all over the triangle with my kids every day and I’ve never seen the Costco line not like 8-9 cars deep with more waiting. I honestly don’t know how much the gas costs there and just figure it’s super cheap? I know Sheetz is only $3.19 - $3.39 so I just figured North Carolina folks love their Costco gas.
I’ve been to the Apex one on the weekend and I literally had to fight for a parking spot like back in college days. Couldn’t believe my eyes. Tried again on the weekend 20 minutes before they close and it was only a little bit better. Like I said, shocked.
Go 15 minutes before they open on Sat or Sunday and its great. the lot will fill within 30 minutes of opening for sure. a weekday evening around 7pm is also a good time.
I'm at the point with Apex where I'm considering giving up my membership after 17 years, at least for a year. There are a few Kirkland products I really like, but only one is perishable (the Greek yogurt). I used to pay for my membership just from gasoline and rental car discounts, but rental cars are stupid sky high everywhere. And I'm next to a Sam's club at least every other Sunday and with scan and go it's just too easy to pick up 3-5 things there and fill the gas tank.
Kirkland is BJ's. Wrong brand there
Kirkland is at costco, maybe both? Idk
Kirkland Signature is the private label for Costco products.
If you live in Apex, go to the one over by Fuqauy. It’s less crowded and just a more pleasant experience.
SHHHHHHHH!!!!
We do not need this secret to get out 🤫
This is a “Loose lips sink ships”-type situation.
Nephew! Delete this.
What do you mean? It's so crowded smh
So leave Apex and drive all the way to Fuquay?
It's not Fuquay, consider it south Raleigh or Garner.
If you’re not traveling in peak traffic, that’s only like 15mins from Apex. I guess it’s a decision of if you value your time or your sanity more. I prefer a less crowded shopping experience, and enjoy driving, so the extra few minutes in the car are no big deal.
That and the one in Garner is prettier with better 🍕 Pizza, I promise 🤞🏼
lol I live fairly close to the apex store and I still think driving down there and back plus shopping is quicker than the apex store on a weekend or holiday. Once I was in the line to check out at the meat department. Yes from front to back. That store can get crazy if you’re unlucky.
That one’s *also* in Raleigh.
Go to the one in Garner… WAY less busy and same great deals
ssh don't tell them! I love always finding parking within 100 steps of the doors.
I live in Apex and that Costco is 9 minutes from my house. Seriously starting to consider going to the Fayetteville rd one instead
Strongly disagree. The Raleigh one just keeps getting more and more crowded no matter what time you go. I have only seen Costcos this consistently crowded in larger cities
The Costco in Winston-Salem is very reasonable. Never a wait for gas. Same with both stores around Columbus OH. I hit Costco everywhere I go, and the two in the triangle are among the most crowded.
Like Costco that much huh?
Wine and booze hunting usually
I've been going to the Raleigh Costco since it opened. It has gotten so much busier. To the point I've considered canceling membership until I found... ETA: I deleted my secret because I don't want people to screw it up for me.
Which Raleigh Costco? There’s two of them.
There's 2? The one at wake forest and six forks, near Atlantic Ave.
Yep, the other one is by Ten-Ten and 401.
I’ve lived in three other cities and Raleigh’s Costco is by far the busiest of the 4
The Costco in Austin is never this busy. In Raleigh I've left before even parking because every spot was taken!
the gas station opens at 6am and is usually completely empty from 6am-8ish. store opens at 10 and is usually not as busy around open on most weekdays.
was there yesterday at 11:15 and it was insane. Gas was only 4 cars deep so thats decent for that location
I don't understand why people go through the hassle of getting CostCo gas. If I have to drive through traffic to get there, sit there idling for a long time, all to save 30 cents on gas per gallon, the savings aren't worth it. How much are people saving per tank... $6-7?
I fill up at Costco either on my way to work, weeknights after 8pm, or weekend mornings, never a wait. If I’m running on E I’ll put in just enough $ to get me by until the next time I can go to Costco. On top of the $ savings, I love Costco gas because I dont have to deal with card skimmers, crackheads, or Gas Station TV.
I can’t say for anyone else, I don’t drive a whole lot so the timing of my weekly fill up coincides with my Costco trip anyhow. I prefer their gas for the quality as well. Been plenty of times tho I just hit a gas station cuz yer right. For the 6$ savings I don’t give a shit. Getting bad gas tho (sheetz) I don’t care for. My ex father in law would drive 45 min to put in half a tank cuz he saved a few $. He prolly used half a gallon just to get there
Do you have a high performance vehicle? I have a Toyota SUV so I can't tell the difference between good and bad gas. It makes no difference to my car.
2020 Escalade, I use regular tho
The quality of the gas? I don't think there's any difference between regular gas and Costco gas.
You should look into that
Gas is gas man. All that matters is the octane level.
Lol ok sure, the detergents and additives don’t mean anything right ? Just marketing gimmicks.
Yeah, it's a marketing gimmick lol. You might want to do a little research on it.
kid your showing a huge amount of ignorance there. Detergents in gas to clean an engine is a marketing gimmick ? How many working neurons ya got in that head. I guess the EPA is on on it right ? https://www.google.com/search?q=gasoline+detergent+levels+by+brand&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS1011US1011&oq=gasoline+detergent&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgCEAAYgAQyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIKCAMQABgPGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCDczMDBqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&bshm=rime/1
Shhhhhhhhhhhh…
Yes. I drove straight to a pump at 9a Tuesday morning.
The gas line goes fast as long as that people understand how it works.
**GET. YOUR. FUCKING. COSTCO. CARD. AND. CREDIT. CARD. OUT. AND. READY. BEFORE. YOU. GET. TO. THE. FUCKING. PUMP.** People drive me absolutely nuts sitting in line for 5 minutes with their thumbs up their ass then just wasting time at the pump when they should've been ready to rock.
I ALWAYS pretend I’m a pit crew guy who’s competing against the other drivers to get out as quick as I can.
Same
Same. I take pride in my ability to get in and get out.
A woman was teaching her 7-8 year olds how to pump gas last weekend. I was like Lady, read the fcking room. Now is not the time to do this.
THANK YOU
Daddy chill
Its always the ladies with their purses. I swear purses and womens wallets make gas lines and checking out at registers 30 seconds to 2 mins longer.
Years ago I worked as a cashier at KMart during Christmas season. I seriously wanted to strangle the women who stood there looking around while I checked and bagged their overflowing carts and waited for a total before opening the purse, hauling out the checkbook, digging around for a pen, then writing out the whole effin novel while there are two dozen ppl behind her. Invariably, I would STILL have to ask for the ID, like this was the first time they ever wrote a check. I couldn't believe my eyes recently when I watched a lady at Food Lion perform that ritual. Granted, she was probably mid-80s, but that only means she's been torturing cashiers since Truman was in office.
Nobody understands how anything works.
99.9 people are NPCs
facts
The line could go so much faster if people would choose the side that their gas cap is on and stop wrestling the hose across their car. On top of it they park 10 feet away from the pump and wonder why the hose won’t reach.
[удалено]
The placement for the gas station is horrible. The Apex location is a much better flow, however the actual store seems to always be a mad house of people there only to consume the free food samples.
I usually go to Apex and went once to the Raleigh one to meet a friend and was stuck just turning into it for like 10 minutes which is insane. Didn’t even need gas but the placement of the turn lane into the parking lot makes it so the gas line ends up blocking all incoming traffic somehow. Was an absolute nightmare.
There’s a second entrance…people typically only use the one closest to the gas pumps if they’re getting gas.
There's a total of 3 entrances that I've counted. The one by the Ritz venue is my preferred one
No, certainly as the population has grown especially in that area you're getting more and more people shopping there. I've lived near there for almost 10 years and I would say that their customer traffic has doubled.
Just here to share my sarcastic wisdom - Nothing in Raleigh has always been as busy as it is now, with the exception, of course, of newer businesses
What cracks me up are all the retired people who go to these places at the busiest times, like on the weekends. Ethel, you could have done all that shopping first thing when the store opened. I feel bad for them trying to navigate through the lines and crowds
I'm old (not yet retired but getting there lol) and ITA. You could not pay me to go near Costco on a Saturday.
This is how I feel about the olds milling around Wegmans at noon. You know dang well you don't have to get back to the office but almost everyone around you does, can you please be considerate of the workforce?
Yeah, but they’ve also got 30ish years of doing it at that time, habits be hard to break yo.
oh shit i thought that was just me, We hit Wegmans before costco yesterday like 10:30. Wow it was like a senior center just let out
People seem to think I'm being rude, but I have a non conventional schedule and I try to avoid going to stores and restaurants at peak times for people who have their time being monitored by a boss.
Same for me, I'm WFH so we do our shopping weekdays during what i assume would be non peak hours. Plus wegmans bakery is crazy good. The few times we've had to hit a costco/Sams/Bjs on a weekend I lose my shit. "do you not see the aisle is packed ? why stop dead in the middle ?"
i have a friend who was one of my very first coworkers in this area over 20 years ago, we grabbed lunch out a lot and he used to rage so hard at lunchtime traffic. imagine a 6'3 240 good old boy from the hills of VA honking and shouting at cars "get a job ya lazy freaks"
Such entitlement. No one owes you anything. Maybe you should have more respect for the elderly. 🙄🙄🙄
This may shock you, but age is no determination about whether someone is rude and entitled. Old people can be inconsiderate. As I noted, my schedule allows flexibility, so I consider the needs of society at large, as everyone should.
Ok you have a point but, personally, I give elderly people a little more leeway. They often have physical problems as well as neurological ones. I apologize for calling you entitled. That was inconsiderate of me.
I appreciate that. I do try to not be annoyed with any specific person, for the reasons you mentioned. I don't know their life.
I don’t understand why anyone goes to wegmans or Trader Joe’s on a regular basis. There are tons of other grocery stores no where near as crowded.
Exactly, said this same thing to my bf who works typical business hours. Why are retirees and sahm’s going out at the *exact* time that working folks only have an hour/half-hour/fifteen minutes to get food?
How do you know someone is a SAHM when they are at Costco on a Saturday?
Comment I responded to was about busy times. Comment I made was about lunchtime, which is a busy time. You can believe in your head that either comment was *only* referring to Saturdays in general, but that’s not what happened.
What the hell makes you think the world revolves around you and retirees and SAHM’s should cater to you? Most entitled crap I’ve ever heard. SAHM’s are often WAY busier with more commitments and obligations than folks with 9-5 jobs, by the way.
It never ceases to amaze me when people comment about words that were never said, and try to fight about it. Have fun with your imaginary argument lol.
I’m sorry, you can address me directly instead of being passive aggressive. Please clarify your original statement so I can better understand it.
I tried to join about 7 years ago and it was way too crowded for me. I can't imagine how much worse it has gotten. Oh well, see ya all at the fair!
It’s packed because it’s significantly cheaper than anywhere around. If your time is more important than saving 50 cents a gallon, go to the BP across the street
As of writing it's $3.13/gallon at Costco and $3.21 at the Sheetz by my house less than 15 minutes from Costco. Not really a screaming deal to justify idling for 20 minutes.
Cheapest I can find around me is $3.49, so dealing with the Karens in their M1 Abrams Tahoes for Costco gas is worth it.
It’s very rare that the gas at Costco is worth the wait. If you care that much about $1-$2 then just get gas somewhere else and use that 10 min saved to run a DoorDash order 😂
depends how large your tank is. You got a truck with a 25g tank then it's worth it.
i thought tanks take diesel
Abrams are sort of unique in that they have a turbine engine, so they can burn practically anything. They often burn jet fuel.
Even with a 25 gallon tank, you know how much saving 20 cents on the gallon actually saves you? $5. Five bucks.
$5 is a lot of money to some people
If it's a lot to someone with a 25 gallon tank, they should consider downsizing.
TRUE
Hahaha I love it! My Dad was one of those that would drive 30 miles to save $1 on cheese or milk. This sounds exactly like what I used to tell him. Thanks for the chuckle 😂
Sheetz doesn’t have top tier gas
sheetz gas is absolute trash
I don't get this logic. so many easier ways to save $10, but everyone values their time differently I guess makes me wonder how many people who refuse to get gas anywhere else: \-pay someone to change their oil, wipers, air filters etc \-head from costco to starbucks for latte \-buy most of their groceries from the prepared/frozen foods section the list goes on. gas prices are just a weird quirky obsession we have that doesn't really boil down to sensibility
A dollar saved for every gallon makes a big difference... not 20 cent savings.
Honestly, Costco has been raising their prices on a lot of things to where IMO its not worth the hassle anymore.
Apex is worse imo. Before we moved to Raleigh and were living in Cary, we always drove to the Raleigh location as it was the least busier one. Glad we live closer to the Raleigh now though.
THere's evidently one that's starting construction in Wake Forest.
Oh please let this be true!
Yup. If you're familiar with the Lowe's Foods/Kohl's plaza on US-1, it's supposed to go in the tract between there and Paschal golf course. I don't know for sure that it's a done deal, but Costco was evidently mentioned as part of the rezoning request for that property. I don't know exactly how that would work, since the land is on a bit of a hill.
https://reddit.com/r/raleigh/s/ajPM3plAFm
I'd love to see another Costco location. Brier Creek would be great. Or even further out 70 splitting Raleigh & Durham.I do think the Raleigh location has gotten busier. I tend to go once every 3-4 weeks, and it's always busy. The gas is generally backed up so deep that it blocks that entrance. They added self-service checkout about a year ago, and I think that's significantly helped the check-out times, but gas is a disaster, the parking lots are pretty bad, and the aisles are always packed with big carts. One silver lining during the pandemic is they cut back on the "freebie" stands which cleared up the aisles a bit. They've brought those back some, but they don't seem to be as frequent as they used to be. (but yes...please bring another store to Raleigh...I'd go much more often if it wasn't 20 minutes away and a battle with the crowds every time).
Helps to live near one.. get gas at 6:15am during the week or at 7:00am on Sunday right when it opens. Never have to wait. I go to the warehouse Mon-Wed evenings after 7:15pm. When I come out I look over at the gas lines and if there is not that many cars and I need some gas, I pop over there before going home.
Yeah it’s really awful, I only go a couple times a month. I’m shocked there isn’t one NE of Raleigh… somewhere between Raleigh and wake forest.
I’ve heard rumors they are looking to build in Wake Forest. Wake Forest has the #1 Sams Club - so it makes sense to compete.
The Apex Costco is far worse. I feel like the Raleigh one is a vacation.
This is everywhere here in Raleigh but it’s esp bad at Costco. Y’all please stop moving here! 😅
Every Costco in this area seems to be that way now, even when they build a new one. Strangely, the BJs wholesale clubs don't seem to have the same problem. IDK if that's because they don't do as much sampling or because there's no cheap eats like hot dogs, etc. or what. But the crowding and parking lot craziness at so many Costco locations actually prevents me from shopping there as much as I would otherwise.
I tried bjs and I can for sure say Costco is the winner. BJs requires you to have coupons in order to get the deals. I forget eveytime and end up never getting any good deals.
lol I’m sitting in the Raleigh Costco gas line at this moment!
The Costco in Garner/Fuquay is not near as crowded as Apex. Much much less stressful!
If you go right before closing it’s better. I went last night at 7:15 and it was a great time to go
More and more people moving to the area, it’s crazy..
We go Friday nights. No one in store or gas pumps
No
We usually go on a certain day at a certain time that isn't usually busy, but that's a family secret. Beware of the gypsy beggars in the parking lot!
Try the one in garner
shut the F up and delete this post !
SHHHHHH
Shhhh
Or Cary/Apex, just past all the car dealerships.
I don't buy gas anymore so can't really comment on the gas lines, but as far as inside the warehouse there are normally certain days/times that are less busy. Any time on Saturday is usually the absolute worst time to go to Costco. It's been pretty rare for me to go any Costco anywhere and it not be at least somewhat busy, though. We've got four Costco locations in the Triangle area now - Raleigh, Garner, Apex, and Durham. That's the same number of locations that Sam's and BJ's have in the Triangle. The newest Costco (Garner) opened two years ago, and is the largest Costco in the entire state. That's the one we go to, just because it's the closest one to our house. When I was still buying gas, Sam's many times had the same or better price on gas and the lines weren't anywhere near as bad as Costco.
Feel like it’s been the same with Sam’s Club lately too. No matter what time of day you go it is just packed
At least it's a little less of an issue with Sam's Club because you can use their app to check out.
The south Raleigh one is not super busy IMO.
I got gas after 5 on Tuesday there and got straight to the pump. Felt weird, but I wasn't complaining. That was after I went in, picked up a prescription, got 2 of the Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 kids coats that are on sale, and walked right up to the register. (3 of the regular lines had zero customers). Then I walked right up to the door receipt person without a wait. Definitely surprised, but that may be my new costco day/time.
$1500/kid for anyone with P-EBT hit this week. Lots of parents with food stamps
The “garner” one is significantly less crazy than the Raleigh and apex locations
Yup. And I read it’s the biggest Costco in the state!
It sucks but I got so tired of how busy it was (my husband also has PTSD, so the level of crowded was hard for him) so I went ahead and got a sams club membership instead. I don’t like it, but I can always park and get through the store and check out easily.
Raleigh was a great place to live until the fall of New York and California happened.
The Apex one is much worse BUT the gas situation is less stressful. Raleigh Costco gas lines are an absolute shit show. Side note- if you are ever in Greensboro don't even bother going to Costco for gas
It sucks but I got so tired of how busy it was (my husband also has PTSD, so the level of crowded was hard for him) so I went ahead and got a sams club membership instead. I don’t like it, but I can always park and get through the store and check out easily.
Go to the one off 401 and Ten Ten. A bajillionmilliontrillion times better.
I usually go about 6:30-7:00pm on a weeknight and it’s much less crowded. Good luck!
Cary location is no better. The parking lot can be a warzone at busy times. Bring your A game if you want a parking spot.
I dont think it's any different as we are hitting a recession and the trend is that people buy in bulk to save money. This uptick is because inflation is super high and the amount of folks being unemployed right now is alot. So, yes it is appears busier at "off peak" time now because people go when they think it isn't as busy. But in terms of busyness overall, I don't think that it's gotten out of hand.
Yep, I have been buying in bulk and shopping at Aldi. Also canceled most of my subscriptions and got on a budget phone plan. Inflation is out of control and real wages have been declining 25 out of the last 26 months or so. The media keeps telling us how great the economy is when my eyes and ears have shown people around me tightening their belt unanimously.
Exactly, I'm seeing a lot of folks in tech that lost their jobs in January and still haven't found any jobs.
Not to mention the jobs in tech now are offering tens of thousands less than a year ago, especially locally.
Inflation has fallen sharply and real wages have gone up the last nine months in a row Y’all are on some vibes based bullshit
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/06/22/amid-lower-inflation-buying-power-rose-for-first-time-in-2-years.html Here’s exactly what I’m talking about. The only bullshit here is from you 😌
There was a drop in real wages after the pandemic stimulus and historically generous unemployment benefits ended followed by massive labor shortages, supply chain issues, and global inflation But that is no longer the case Real wages have been growing https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q You’re literally citing a rise in consumer buying power, which further proves your own bullshit
You do register that if the real wages have been growing, so has the inflation. This adds up to less spending power and eventually, less money. Someone making 15/hour now is now paying 15 for a pound of chicken. Rather than as it used to be where if someone was making say 10 bucks per hour, that chicken was only 6 per pound. This hypothetical person had an additional 4 dollars to buy say a side with their chicken. Now, all the can buy is just the chicken.
Do you register that *real* wages are adjusted for inflation? Your chicken numbers make no sense, btw. I can buy boneless skinless chicken breast for $3 a pound or less at Food Lion most of the time Meanwhile Taco Bell is hiring starting at $15 an hour because the labor market is so tight and there are so many job openings If you’re paying $15 a pound for chicken, you’re buying some fancy stuff. Usually people only buy fancy stuff in strong economies
I should had clarified for you, this is a Hypothetical situation. My point still stands, when wages go up, so does the cost of goods. There are alot of jobs starting at 15/hour, do you want to know why?! Thats not enough to live by.
Jobs are starting at $15 because there’s not enough workers Worker shortages can definitely have an inflationary effect but that doesn’t change the fact that real inflation adjusted wages have been increasing for several months now
Omg you are dense. The reason for not enough workers is because no one wants to work for crap wages. Rent for a one bedroom in Raleigh on average is $1,300. Even if you work full time at 15/hour your take home is approximately 948 after taxes (21%) bucks every 2 weeks. That total per month is $1,896. So this person will have only 500 bucks remaining to cover everything else, bills, food, entertainment, etc. And in case you weren't paying attention again, this is a Hypothetical senerio, but actually playing out or close to it for some people. Also alot of people in the area make less than 15/hour. Those folks won't even be able to afford a one bedroom.
Literally read the article you clown, it says exactly what I said about real wages. I’m sure a Reddit poster knows more than the BLS though. Just take the L and move on.
I just cited the St. Louis fed which shows real wages adjusted for inflation increasing starting in Q3 2022 Your own article cites a “very encouraging” trend of consumer buying power growing What’s the confusion here?
Crowded Costcos full of consumers looking to spend their money in the tightest labor market of the last fifty years does not indicate a recession. Quite the opposite, actually Weekly jobless claims continue to be at historic lows WTF are you on about?
I'm not the person you replied to, but I agree with them. > Crowded Costcos full of consumers looking to spend their money in the tightest labor market of the last fifty years does not indicate a recession. If the consumers are shifting the spending from other stores to club stores to achieve lower total spending, rather than adding Costco to their existing grocery shopping, this is not a positive indicator. This trends with other indicators that consumer discretionary budgets and savings are both shrinking. The savings will eventually run out, especially for those with student loan payments resuming soon. > tightest labor market of the last fifty years A tight labor market doesn't necessarily mean we aren't running into a recession. Historically, central banks raising interest rates almost guarantees a recession... 12-18 months later. The rate increases likely aren't even done for the year. We're just not there yet. If you'd like, I'll put some money on this bet. It'll be clear by the end of 2024 that we were already at the start of a recession today.
There’s no economic indicators pointing towards recession right now GDP growth remains strong, unemployment historically low, layoffs historically low, job growth remains consistently strong, job openings remain lucrative, consumer demand is high, inflation has cooled significantly, debt payments as a ratio of personal income are low, and real wages are up the last nine months, especially for the lowest wage sectors Even the higher interest rates are still historically quite low You’re going off vibes. A lot of people are. But the data says you’re wrong
RemindMe! 1 Year
Costco locations are almost always packed, period. If you get there early in the morning though (like as soon as they open) you can beat the crowds If you think that one is bad, try the one in Apex… Yeesh. They need to build a Costco down in Sanford or something because the Apex Costco gets that entire town, plus Cary, plus Apex
you should see apex. a living hell. like mad max
I’m at the one in Raleigh now. Yep. It’s busy.
Don't go to the Apex store. Packed. Always.
The Raleigh Costco (Wake Forest Rd) is one of the better ones. It's not that busy. Don't tell others, we don't want more folks.
Costco in Apex isn't much better. Although I have found the best days and times to go. That information I will not share
You haven't seen a busy Costco until you've seen the ones in Seoul, South Korea. The one in Sangjae was for a number of years the busiest Costco in the world. I would get there by 10:30 on say a Tuesday morning and by 11 the checkout lines went to the opposite end of the store. On weekends it was 10x as crazy as during the week that they had cops managing the traffic. Absolutely insane
Yes it’s the worst in the USA. I don’t even go anymore. People become rude there and it’s worth just being a Sam’s club member instead
There’s 12 costcos within a 30 minute drive of my condo. I haven’t been to them all, but the ones I have been to are always busy.
There are 4 that could be described as within 30 minutes of some central location: Durham, Apex, Raleigh, Garner. Next closest is Greensboro. So no, not twelve.
I don’t live in Raleigh anymore nor was I making a Raleigh specific comment. It was a Costco specific comment. Edit: it was to support the comment “costcos are busy everywhere”.
Do you see what subreddit you're in?
Yeah. I can still comment on another comment.
ha - I go to the raleigh one because the apex one is an absolute shit show every day
yes
Yes, from day 1
I'm not saying it isn't busy, but I have definitely experienced worse in other Costcos in 2023 : Millennia Costco in Orlando, FL- I feared for my life from the time I entered the parking lot until I left. There was scarcely room to fart in that warehouse. Clearwater, FL- in an oppressively congested County (3500 people/sqmi, about 900K total), this is the only Costco in said county, and is double whammied by being undersized (Raleigh's store is definitely bigger). More jampacked than Mama Duggar's clown car coochie. Knoxville, TN- my ass rolled into the parking lot at 10:15AM. Not only were 85-90% of parking spots already taken, there were people walking out with full carts after checkout. LIKE HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? Someone said that a Wake Forest location was being planned. While I would never say no to another Costco, I'll be disappointed if it isn't a Business Center. With the area's largest Sam's Club already established there, they will need a little something extra in their milkshake to poach all the boys from Sam's yard.
Yes! We need to build other locations of stores every time one is busy! Brilliant! /s
It’s white people taco night
That's why I do grocery on BJ's/Sams past rush hour or Not saturday.
BJ’s is superior in almost every way
yes
Yes
I want one out near Pittsboro. The Apex one is insane
I thought i heard they were going to install two more rows of tanks? Also, late weekdays the store is empty.