Friday, April 07, 2006

The Great Costco Race

This Saturday is Kate's bridal shower, which I am technically hosting, though really her mom is the host since it's at her house. Anyway, one of my many tasks for this week was to head over to Costco and purchase some food/cake for the event.

I share a Costco membership with Wendy. When we signed up, we tried to convince them to give us two cards (we told them we were domestic partners) but they wouldn't since we couldn't prove we lived at the same address (serves us right, I guess, for trying to take advantage of Costco's DP policy). Anyhoo, since Wend is the one with the Amex, the membership is in her name and every few months we make the expedition together.

Well, this happens to be a busy work travel month for Wendy, and today was the day we set aside for the trip so I could get the precious, precious Costco cake. I got to Wendy's around 7:30 and we ate dinner, figuring that Costco closed around 9 or 9:30. In a moment of fear, I called Costco to find out what time they closed. The verdict? 8:30. It was currently 8:10.

I have jaw pain, probably because I have been unintentionally clenching my jaw when stressed, annoyed, etc. A pain shot through my jaw at the moment of realization that I would not be getting Kate her Costco cake. Costco cake was the one freakin' thing she had requested and I had fucked it up. And because Costco employees always check the photo on the membership card, and other than the fact that we are both pasty pale, Wendy and I look nothing alike, I could not just take the card and go tomorrow.

Wendy dragged me out the door - "We'll make it! We'll get the cake!" "Nooo, they won't even let us in the door." After being stuck behind the slowest SUV ever, Wendy in her little Geo Prism, honking her horn(!), and speeding to Costco, we did make it through the door. We ran to the back of the store, grabbed the cake, and then Wendy overheard an employee say that while they close the front door at 8:30, they allow people inside to continue shopping for awhile. Woohoo!

It certainly wasn't the relaxed shopping expedition we had planned, but I got a bunch of stuff for the shower, and Wendy got her 36 pack of Mountain Dew (23 cents a can!). We checked out and rolled our giant car through the door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to drive a little slower on the way home," she remarked. "Yes, please."

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:49 AM

    Can I go to Costco with you sometime? I've never been and I feel I owe it to my heritage to take a pilgrimage to the land of the cheap.

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  2. Anonymous1:38 AM

    Um. Probably too late to tell you now, but I have a membership to Costco and while you certainly can't pass for an Asian woman of unusual size, I can go with you whenever you'd like (until June 5th that is).

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