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I don't find the traffic around that Costco to be an issue.
You won't get me back to the Cary one though, when I went it was a real cluster. It was a Saturday afternoon though.
Huh? There isn't a Costco in Cary. Raleigh, Durham and Apex.
I dont tpfeel like it's not the traffic that makes the one in raleigh problematic; it's the parking lot. Always a PITA to get a spot, always some jerk blocking the lane while they wait (and wait, and wait) to get that coveted near the front door spot. The exits from the lot are tons of fun.
But trader Joe's and wegmans are next door. Lidl and Aldi down the street. Shopping done in one fell swoop.
We actually let our membership to Costco expire at the end of March. We've been members on Costco since the store in Apex opened and we were many years ago when we lived in northern Virginia. It's not that I don't like Costco, but the crowds (even before the pandemic) make it such a stressful event to shop there for people that can't get there at 10am on weekdays. Our membership to BJ's will continue as we find that much less stressful to shop at. Of course there are a few items we like to get from Costco, but we can easily find suitable substitutes at BJ's and the hassle free shopping there is worth it.
I like Costco, but I feel like it's over rated for what it is and many folks seem to put Costco on a pedestal, which I've never understood.
I have been getting stuff from BJs regularly the past few weeks and doing well until last week. They had no chicken or turkey and not surprisingly no clorox wipes. This was just as the news started reporting issues in poultry and meat packing plants.
Oops, yes I meant Apex not Cary, and to be fair I only went once.
While I don't find the parking at Raleigh to be an issue (I learned tricks and also prefer to take the first spot I see and walk the extra 10 yards) agree with the Raleigh exit issue, it gets dangerous if turning left.
Ironically, I went to the brier creek BJ's yesterday afternoon. (Open admission: I'm not a big BJ's fan. I find the products, pricing, atmosphere and service MUCH better at Costco.)
It was not crowded. The shelves were bare for MANY things, especially in the frozen food, shredded and block cheese, and produce section (and what little produce there was looked really crappy).
It was disheartening. Very different than my recent experiences at Costco and the Morrisville Walmart on Shiloh Glenn. (I dont even bother with the closer Brier Creek Walmart anymore. That store is always a mess, parking is a pain, and the exits are nightmarish.)
Ironically, I went to the brier creek BJ's yesterday afternoon. (Open admission: I'm not a big BJ's fan. I find the products, pricing, atmosphere and service MUCH better at Costco.)
It was not crowded. The shelves were bare for MANY things, especially in the frozen food, shredded and block cheese, and produce section (and what little produce there was looked really crappy).
It was disheartening. Very different than my recent experiences at Costco and the Morrisville Walmart on Shiloh Glenn. (I dont even bother with the closer Brier Creek Walmart anymore. That store is always a mess, parking is a pain, and the exits are nightmarish.)
BJs is normally not like what you described above. I agree that the store looks bare right now. Before this pandemic hit, I could get all of the items I was looking for and it was never busy. I never had to wait in line to check out. I still remember the Thursday night I went right before the shelter-in-place orders, there were more people at BJs than I've ever seen on Saturday or Sunday peak time.
Since all this started, it's like they can't get their supply logistics straight. The are constantly out of stock of about 25% of the items I'm looking for. If it weren't for the cheap membership fee I paid ($25) and the fact that they do coupons, I probably would have canceled by now.
You are right on the Brier Creek Walmart, it's a mess 24/7. BJs is 10x cleaner and much easier to get in and get out of. I'm hopeful BJs supply will return to normal once this settles down a bit more.
BJs is normally not like what you described above.
Fair enough. But compared to Costco, their prices are usually higher (with a few exceptions like beef and Snapple), the wine selection is very small, the checkout is slow (at least at the BC location), the in house bakery is pretty awful, and the hotdogs are dreadful.
We keep our BJ's membership because it's convenient for us to get cheaper gas there, and for the beef, the brand/flavor of frozen wings they stock, snapple and ccx a few other specific items they carry that Costco doesn't.
Fair enough. But compared to Costco, their prices are usually higher (with a few exceptions like beef and Snapple), the wine selection is very small, the checkout is slow (at least at the BC location), the in house bakery is pretty awful, and the hotdogs are dreadful.
We keep our BJ's membership because it's convenient for us to get cheaper gas there, and for the beef, the brand/flavor of frozen wings they stock, snapple and ccx a few other specific items they carry that Costco doesn't.
Now - how did you get a $25 membership?
Admittedly, I don't know much about how their prices compare.
I got an ad in the mail for a free 3 month membership last fall. I signed up for it and once it expired they offered a full year for $25. They seem to have specials in the mail quite often.
Just curious, what does a gallon of milk run at Costco normally? It's normally about $1.74 at BJs and my family drinks enough milk in a year to pay for the membership based solely on buying milk.
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