I would love to have that thon and giant jar of Amerena cherries. I've bought those cherries here in SoCalifornia, but my jar here is tiny.
What a bummer about the pizza! It's one of the best items at our Costco food court. The french fries and other fried items look good. I don't do Costco sushi.
Gosh I love your posts. You are a most wonderful correspondent. You send joy with every post even when we know you are struggling a little - like the rest of us. Merci beaucoup.
I adore supermarket shopping wherever I am in the world. But I do suddenly fade - a little like Romain - and have to get out at some point. I will not seek out Costco. Although friends were thrilled to be able to use their Australian Costco membership card to buy discounted fuel when touring.
I go to Costco here in Melbourne to top up things like laundry soap powder so I never have to lug it from a normal supermarket shop. When our son and his friends were younger and always heading off for weekends away they used my second card to stock up on food that I know nothing about. I have followed French people around the wine section here and bought what they bought!
But when in France in the rural SW I love my visits to E Leclerc and Carrefour and Picard in Cahors. I could not cook without them. And I love the local regional products at the end of the aisles. And the freshly prepared salads to take home and dress. Excellent for those of us who are holidaying.
The important fresh meat etc I buy at the Marche Victor Hugo market and cheese at Fromagerie Xavier in Toulouse. And fresh veg and fruit at our farmers market in the village on a Sunday.
This was hysterical, David--I go to Costco on weekday mornings when they open and I can enjoy a leisurely stroll up and down every damn isle if I want! :) But I'm a bit like Romain, an hour is plenty for me too--it's in the introvert code.
When I first went to Costco in San Francisco (a looooong time ago) they had special business-only hours, and they'd open an hour before it was open to the public, so it was more leisurely for professionals to shop there. It was much more leisurely. Metro, the professionals-only store here in France, and Europe, is a bit easier to shop in as it's just people who are "working," so they know what they want. The only problem is they don't have smaller carts- just big, long ones - so you have to wield those through the aisles.
What an amazing, delectable, delightful tour of your Costco. Merci for mentioning 🇨🇦 and our maple syrup-likely from Québec. Another wonderful and generous post!
Your visit to Costco in France reminded me of my visit to IKEA ( or as it’s pronounced there, ick-e-ya). We had a cottage in Burgundy, so we were closest to the IKEA in Dijon. Before we looked at furniture ( we bought a bed frame and a bed there ) and things for the kitchen
( wine glasses, water glasses, trays, MORE) all at typical IKEA prices and pretty much all the same things you’d find in any IKEA worldwide, we felt we had to go and eat meatballs.
We got on the cafeteria line, and the first foods we saw on the line weren’t Swedish at all… but were the local Dijon and Burgundy specialties. KIR and EPOISSES fromage. Who needs meatballs ? The KIR was fine, the EPOISSES heavenly. Perhaps Costco might consider adding something French at their hot dog kiosk ( wait, did they have the hot dog and ice cream kiosk in the Costco in France? )🇫🇷 Thank you so much for the post. It was so much fun and so wonderfully detailed. I wish there were a Costco for families of two, so we could purchase smaller sized containers and packages at a discount. Looking forward to Part 2. Actually the total highlight of this is that I mentioned how many comments you’ve gotten to my husband who read Part 1. He does not subscribe to any Substacks, but he just told me he went to Substack to check and see if you’ve posted Part 2. He, too, can’t wait to read it.
There was something a lot of people were eating, which were very large barquettes of very undercooked French fries. (They also had some barquettes mixed with fried chicken fingers.) I can't eat undercooked French fries - not worth the calories either! - but the other food we had is discussed in part 2, coming soon.
Love reading your post as always. Our Costco used to have someone at the entrance to check the membership cards & you couldn't bring in anyone else. Their checking was pretty lame, so now you have to give them your card and they run it through a scanner (next I suppose they will want to see my passport as well!) I use their pharmacy too as their price is the lowest for something my otherwise superb insurance won't cover. I have charmed one of the employees so she will check out a few of my other items too (the men just tell me no!) this way I don't have to deal with the huge checkout lines. I will continue to support them if for no other reason than their political stance!! K. in Boca-Adjacent (looking forward to Installment 2 of your Costco adventure)
That WAS a fun read. I swear David the more I read your Substack posts the more I see how similarly we view food and shopping. 😂 As Carrie Bradshaw famously once said when told she could shop online, “no, no, no shopping is my cardio”. We had a Costco membership for a year, but I let it lapse. Everything is just SO HUGE! From the football field sized parking lot, to the giant warehouse store, carts the size of an econocar, and packaging which would take most people months to use. It’s just my husband and myself, not a church or food pantry so it didn’t seem for us. Plus, like you, I enjoy my local, close to home, “tiny in comparison” stores. They have all my favorite brands, fresh meats and produce and I can go in and have a conversation with the managers or the butcher or deli counter person about food, meal ideas or whatnot. I enjoy that personal interaction. Though that 2+lb jar or Amarena cherries, which I bought more than once, might have been enough in its own to convince me to “reup” my membership. 🍒 ❤️ I like the shape of the jar so much, I washed it, removed the label and now it lives in my cupboard filled with Valrhona Caramelias 🥰
Love reading about Costco in other countries. We were visiting Iceland about 7 years ago, not long after a costco opened there. It was fun to check out the different items. We also get the same pots the creme here in the Seattle area, as well as the Macaroons.
Love this, as always! Thanks for the shout-out to us Canadians regarding the maple syrup! 👍🏻♥️
Nice read! I see another book here… Le shopping?
I would love to have that thon and giant jar of Amerena cherries. I've bought those cherries here in SoCalifornia, but my jar here is tiny.
What a bummer about the pizza! It's one of the best items at our Costco food court. The french fries and other fried items look good. I don't do Costco sushi.
Gosh I love your posts. You are a most wonderful correspondent. You send joy with every post even when we know you are struggling a little - like the rest of us. Merci beaucoup.
I adore supermarket shopping wherever I am in the world. But I do suddenly fade - a little like Romain - and have to get out at some point. I will not seek out Costco. Although friends were thrilled to be able to use their Australian Costco membership card to buy discounted fuel when touring.
I go to Costco here in Melbourne to top up things like laundry soap powder so I never have to lug it from a normal supermarket shop. When our son and his friends were younger and always heading off for weekends away they used my second card to stock up on food that I know nothing about. I have followed French people around the wine section here and bought what they bought!
But when in France in the rural SW I love my visits to E Leclerc and Carrefour and Picard in Cahors. I could not cook without them. And I love the local regional products at the end of the aisles. And the freshly prepared salads to take home and dress. Excellent for those of us who are holidaying.
The important fresh meat etc I buy at the Marche Victor Hugo market and cheese at Fromagerie Xavier in Toulouse. And fresh veg and fruit at our farmers market in the village on a Sunday.
It sounds like a fun trip! Did they have rack of lamb? I buy it in san diego, but would love it here in France too.
I didn't see it although I wasn't looking. Usually butchers sell those, but if yours doesn't, you can always ask : )
This was hysterical, David--I go to Costco on weekday mornings when they open and I can enjoy a leisurely stroll up and down every damn isle if I want! :) But I'm a bit like Romain, an hour is plenty for me too--it's in the introvert code.
Happy Easter!
When I first went to Costco in San Francisco (a looooong time ago) they had special business-only hours, and they'd open an hour before it was open to the public, so it was more leisurely for professionals to shop there. It was much more leisurely. Metro, the professionals-only store here in France, and Europe, is a bit easier to shop in as it's just people who are "working," so they know what they want. The only problem is they don't have smaller carts- just big, long ones - so you have to wield those through the aisles.
Such a fun tour!
What an amazing, delectable, delightful tour of your Costco. Merci for mentioning 🇨🇦 and our maple syrup-likely from Québec. Another wonderful and generous post!
Your visit to Costco in France reminded me of my visit to IKEA ( or as it’s pronounced there, ick-e-ya). We had a cottage in Burgundy, so we were closest to the IKEA in Dijon. Before we looked at furniture ( we bought a bed frame and a bed there ) and things for the kitchen
( wine glasses, water glasses, trays, MORE) all at typical IKEA prices and pretty much all the same things you’d find in any IKEA worldwide, we felt we had to go and eat meatballs.
We got on the cafeteria line, and the first foods we saw on the line weren’t Swedish at all… but were the local Dijon and Burgundy specialties. KIR and EPOISSES fromage. Who needs meatballs ? The KIR was fine, the EPOISSES heavenly. Perhaps Costco might consider adding something French at their hot dog kiosk ( wait, did they have the hot dog and ice cream kiosk in the Costco in France? )🇫🇷 Thank you so much for the post. It was so much fun and so wonderfully detailed. I wish there were a Costco for families of two, so we could purchase smaller sized containers and packages at a discount. Looking forward to Part 2. Actually the total highlight of this is that I mentioned how many comments you’ve gotten to my husband who read Part 1. He does not subscribe to any Substacks, but he just told me he went to Substack to check and see if you’ve posted Part 2. He, too, can’t wait to read it.
There was something a lot of people were eating, which were very large barquettes of very undercooked French fries. (They also had some barquettes mixed with fried chicken fingers.) I can't eat undercooked French fries - not worth the calories either! - but the other food we had is discussed in part 2, coming soon.
Glad your husband is enjoying the post!
Life is too short to drink bad wine or eat undercooked French Fries!
Love reading your post as always. Our Costco used to have someone at the entrance to check the membership cards & you couldn't bring in anyone else. Their checking was pretty lame, so now you have to give them your card and they run it through a scanner (next I suppose they will want to see my passport as well!) I use their pharmacy too as their price is the lowest for something my otherwise superb insurance won't cover. I have charmed one of the employees so she will check out a few of my other items too (the men just tell me no!) this way I don't have to deal with the huge checkout lines. I will continue to support them if for no other reason than their political stance!! K. in Boca-Adjacent (looking forward to Installment 2 of your Costco adventure)
That WAS a fun read. I swear David the more I read your Substack posts the more I see how similarly we view food and shopping. 😂 As Carrie Bradshaw famously once said when told she could shop online, “no, no, no shopping is my cardio”. We had a Costco membership for a year, but I let it lapse. Everything is just SO HUGE! From the football field sized parking lot, to the giant warehouse store, carts the size of an econocar, and packaging which would take most people months to use. It’s just my husband and myself, not a church or food pantry so it didn’t seem for us. Plus, like you, I enjoy my local, close to home, “tiny in comparison” stores. They have all my favorite brands, fresh meats and produce and I can go in and have a conversation with the managers or the butcher or deli counter person about food, meal ideas or whatnot. I enjoy that personal interaction. Though that 2+lb jar or Amarena cherries, which I bought more than once, might have been enough in its own to convince me to “reup” my membership. 🍒 ❤️ I like the shape of the jar so much, I washed it, removed the label and now it lives in my cupboard filled with Valrhona Caramelias 🥰
Loved this article, David. It truly made my day (which is hard to come by in the USA). I look forward to the next installment.
David as always a very interesting article. I love your comparison of the US Costco to the French.
Love reading about Costco in other countries. We were visiting Iceland about 7 years ago, not long after a costco opened there. It was fun to check out the different items. We also get the same pots the creme here in the Seattle area, as well as the Macaroons.
Why do many American do anything they do? For the bragging rights.
Maple syrup’s best use is to brine your pork chops with salt, brown sugar and maple syrup. Great flavor