That’s not a space station … it’s a Costco!
Not quite the line from Star Wars I realize, but you immediately get the idea that our new shopping mecca is of a colossal size. Greatly anticipated, this mega-warehouse’s opening marked a rite of passage for our little city. Yes, our little city with the small town feel gets a big tick in the box for acquiring one of those “I’m a big city now” status symbols. Look who’s all grown up now with the largest Costco in western Canada! At a whopping 149,000 square feet it heralds the call to consumer bliss!
Like so many other pilgrims, I made the journey to this shopping Shangri-La last weekend. It was Sunday to be exact, after church. Being that there was a reasonably sized gathering at church, I figured our new Costco location would not be so busy, especially on a Sunday morning. I was optimistic that our new Costco might not be as busy as the north end one I normally go to in Edmonton. Was I wrong! It was busier than Disneyland on a holiday Monday!
Parked out on the back 40, my wife and I made the trek across the massive parking lot, obtained a cart, which were in high demand, and got in the growing queue to enter. Having a pre-existing membership, we flashed the plastic and made it past the initial checkpoint. First world problem (FWP) #1 was the layout … it is reversed compared to the Yellowhead location.
Immediately we knew this location was more spacious than any other Costco we had been to! It seemed to have much more stuff until FWP #2 crawled out of my psyche … the stuff is totally set out differently than at the other Costco I used to shop at!
As we approached the 20-metre-long checkout line-up (FWP #3) I fancied a snack and soda. I exited the line to be the hunter/gatherer of hotdogs leaving my wife to fend her way through the barrage of buggies. Then came the terrible realization (FWP #4) that the food counter was not the same as that other Costco! There were two lines akin to a concession. But there were no markings or indicators to signify where the line should form (FWP #5). In the frenzied line for nourishment, we got backed up and began to block the checkout line as well as the pathway to the public washroom (FWP 6 and 7). Could this really be happening?
I got my food and timed it such that the last item was placed in a cardboard box as my wife was paying the cashier. We made our way back to the truck and stowed our purchases.
As we left the Costco system behind and hit the hyperspace that is Highway 2, the chilling words of Darth Vader echoed in my mind … “do not be too proud of this technological nightmare you have created … for there is nothing more powerful in the universe compared to the power of” … the consumer.
Tim Cusack is an educator, writer and member of the naval reserve.
