A Surprising Number Of People Like To Wander Aimlessly Around Costco

If humongous, warehouse-style buildings stocked with 4,000 different, rotating products (via Britannica) – and infinitely long lines of overloaded shopping carts, impossibly stuffed with half-priced merchandise you never knew existed  — do it for you, you're not alone. Costco anxiety is real. Equally, a stunning number of people cross-their-hearts-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-their-eyes enjoy wandering aimlessly around Costco.

Statista reports that 105 million people had Costco memberships in 2020. A solid proportion of Costco card-holders are diehard romantics. As more than a couple of Redditers have proudly admitted, the discount chain is great for date night. "My husband and I started dating in high school," explained one r/Costco forum participant. "We were broke and frequently a Costco food court meal + samples was our date of choice." Another eagerly agreed, "My husband and I celebrate every Valentine's Day at Costco!" Costco dates aren't only for well-established, ride-or-die couples. A third testified, "I wander around in hopes of meeting my future husband." And, for what it's worth, Delish has diligently documented Hinge match-ups taking place at the chain.

Beyond the Costco lovebirds, another demographic stands out: those who enter for the sole purpose of breathing in the discount chain's air.

Yes, we know. Oprah discovered this years ago. "It's like 'the place to go,' not the theater, not the art exhibits — 'let's go to Costco,'" she once exclaimed to her talk show audience via (YouTube). But Reddit has recently rediscovered (and re-rejoiced in) the phenomenon, and plaftorm's testimonies are worth exploring.

 "I go to Costco about 2-3 times a week," admitted the Reddit user who started the conversation (via Reddit). "I always go down every single isle just to see what's new, honestly it's therapeutic for me to go in the mid-day when it's not that busy." Instead of being met with incredulity, in flooded affirmations. "I call it my Mecca. I go alone. It's my happy place," wrote another in response. A third Reddit commenter called Costco their amusement park. A fourth recounted, "That's my husband. Sometimes I leave new stuff I know they have off the shopping list because I know he will be excited to find it." A fifth admitted to hanging out at the discount chain so frequently that they're on a first-name basis with employees. A sixth professed love for perusing Costco's travel brochures. 

Dare we say it? Costco is not just a store. For many, it's something between escapism and therapy. Or, to hand the mic to Post Malone, who admitted his own Costco fandom to Jimmy Kimmel: "I never knew the beauty of Costco. And one day I woke up, and I had, like, an epiphany, and I was just like, 'Let's go to Costco.'" (via Youtube).