BUY HARD III: BUY HARD...WITH A VENGEANCE
Like the 3rd installment of the John McClane franchise, Bloomingdale's Costco is no better or different than the ones that came before it.
Tired of always hitting up the Naperville store, I decided to switch things up and do some midday shopping at this Costco on Army Trail, about a mile east of County Farm Rd. We generally buy in bulk once a month and leave basic items like milk/eggs/bread for ALDI trips (for what it's worth, Costco's milk comes in odd, square gallons with an offset spout that everyone--myself included--absolutely hates).
Our groceries have largely remained the same: Friskies canned food for the cat, formula for the baby, body armor for the wife (drinks, not Kevlar), case of Two Brothers/Lagunitas beer for me, and frozen taquitos for the whole family. A footlong hotdog + soda for $1.50 at their foodcourt is still the best deal around, one that I would've happily taken advantage of had I not eaten lunch prior.
I had a tough time finding Enfamil. At one point I saw an unattended cart and -- assuming it was full of 'go backs' to be restocked, since there was no way someone would be buying 5x100ct diapers and 6 bins of formula --I began to rummage through it. My hand barely grazed the label before I heard a woman mutter the Polish equivalent of "get the fuck away from my groceries". OOPS.
Embarrassed that I was caught attempting to poach some lady's stuff, I took a lap of shame around the store. Eventually I swallowed my pride and asked an associate for help. Turns out, this Costco stocks their baby formula next to the diapers way in the back (which makes sense, I suppose), but the other three Costcos I've been to stocked it near the pharmacy by the pills/powders/health supplements.
Checkout was fine. The parking lot wrangler was cool, he offered to take my empty shopping cart after I finished loading up the car. I definitely heard the first few bars of "Come on Eileen" blaring from a phone clipped to his belt (these ears know a one-hit wonder when they hear it). If I had his job, I'd be blasting tunes all day long, too.
* TL;DR *
There are five Die Hard movies (so far), and way more than five Costco's in the western Chicago suburbs. That means either Bruce Willis needs to holster his Beretta for a sixth adventure, or I need to stop reviewing Costco's. Although, after the disastrous mess that was A Good Day to Die Hard, the smart money is on the latter.
This Costco is A-OK, but the one at 75th & Route 59 is slightly nicer and the layout is familiar to us, so that remains our primary store. read more