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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Michael I have often written here about the mega supermarket Costco and the love-hate relationship we have: On one hand, I like the low prices and the generous quantities in which Costco sells goods. On the other hand, the beehive-like overcrowding with customers, the slow checkout process, and the chaos in the parking lot really get on my nerves. All of the three Costco warehouses in our area are packed with customers from morning till night, all parking spaces are occupied, and you can really only shop there comfortably at completely absurd times.
Not only private individuals are now shopping at Costco, but also operators of restaurants and food stalls, because some products are actually cheaper there than at wholesale outlets. In addition to the three mentioned Costco locations near us, there is another one for business people, the "Costco Business Center." It is generally not as well-known, but you can shop at the Business Center with a regular Costco membership card. However, instead of buying a box with 8 avocados, you buy a crate with 40. Or a container with 1,000 plastic plates, or a few miles of aluminum foil.
The best part, however, is the refrigerated section with all the goats (illustration 4), which are fully gutted and hanging on hooks, costing only $3.39 per pound. I have actually seen customers take a goat carcass off the hook and lay it across their shopping cart to push it to the checkout!
The Costco Business Center also offers professional equipment for hospitality businesses and shops. Back in my school days, I worked for a while as an employee of a cleaning crew for machine halls, and the professional mop press for $59.99 (illustration 5) brought back memories for me, making me feel sentimental!
For shopping, the quantities at the Business Center are almost always too large for me, and you should also know that, unlike a regular Costco, they don't sell wine or beer there. However, they do have fun accessories; recently, I saw a freezer display case with a glass lid there (illustration 6), like the ones where popsicles are kept at gas stations. How cool would something like that be in the living room!
Or the professional ham slicer from illustration 7, just like the ones in butcher shops! I could put on a white apron at home and quickly slice a huge whole ham into wafer-thin slices. Endless fun for the whole family!
When I discover something funny during my shopping trips, I like to send a photo via WhatsApp to Angelika to tease her. She often promptly replies with "Absolutely No Way!!" and I crack up laughing.
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