Costco

I love Costco. This location is somewhat unique though, in that it is a combination of a regular Costco with some of the content of a Business Center Costco which is aimed at small businesses, especially restaurants. It is also located very close to Ikea and Southcenter Mall. The parking lot is a bit of hell on good days. I don’t think I would ever venture here during the weekend since it is so damned busy.
I usually get to this location off of 180^th by turning at the TacoTime/​Home Depot corner. You drive along the side of HD, then past the gas station to get to the main parking lot. There is another entrance but I prefer my route in since it does not see as much traffic.
I also appreciate that Costco, as a whole is improving the sourcing of their meats, poultry and seafood though I really wish they would stop selling farmed salmon since it takes so much antibiotic laden food to raise it in a farm setting. They are also taking steps to ensure the have a steady supply of organic veggies and fruit. Yes they do sell massive quantities of things that aren’t good for you but you don’t have to buy them so I don’t know why some people make a big deal about it. Now if they would just bring back the Cornish chickens…

This Costco is good because it is well stocked, clean and rarely overcrowded. My only complaint is the «flow.» For those of us Costco groupies, ya know what I mean. I’m sorry but they spoiled me with my false sense of efficiency. When I’m at Tukwila Costco I feel like I was dropped in a whole new fish bowl. I’m over it though because I know I can get what I want without the stress of carts attacking me from all directions.

I love costco … not much to say but fast and cheap. i dont expect much from them so i wont complain.

This store is an absolute maze! The food court is inside and the bathrooms are behind it. There are refrigerated sections all over the place. The clothing section leads you to the freezer section. There are three meat sections. I can not think of a more complicated store layout.
Parking is a mess, with lots wrapping around 3 sides of the store. The Costco gas station is at the entrance of the parking lot, so from there on the traffic is overwhelming.
Don’t expect a quick shopping trip at this location. You will be walking around for hours trying to find everything on your list.

Welcome to Costco, I love you.
Welcome to Costco, I love you.
It sincerely pisses me off that I cannot yet attend Costco law school, and why haven’t they built a damn light rail that takes you from the toothpaste to the liquor? Do you think Costco executives will one day defend their 5 gallon bottles of mayonnaise by arguing that you have to burn 400 calories simply by making it around the entire store?
Occasionally the Boeing folks have potlucks — this means that every person who wants to eat the food should bring some food in that they made themselves. Yeah well, turns out people are busy/​lazy/​not good at cooking so on potluck day, I tend to make the rounds and ask who would like to donate to a food run prior to the party… 200 dollars later I can’t help but think I should just go to the casino…
SAMS Club is right across the street from where we work and you know what? No thanks. Costco’s food is better. Not the pizza or hotdogs… the Caesar salads and croissant sandwiches and pinwheels and hummuseses and cheeseses and stuff… it’s all good, it’s not too expensive, and it feeds a ton of people.
I think Costco has a long way to go before Brawndo will be willing to buy it out and have Starbucks’ handjobs available while you shop, but in the interim, I will continue to spend lots of my coworkers’ and parents money here.

I am not going to describe what Costco is, we all know is a BIG BOX store, not particularly attractive either.
However, after they expanded and remodeled this location, it seems like you are walking in two different stores, a wholesale section, and the average Joe section, I will review the latter.
The improvement:
In the last year or two, an extensive selection of organic products compliment the usual Costco offerings, from chocolates, to breads, flour, spices, nuts, fruits, meats, and the list goes on. You have to walk around to find them as there isn’t an specific organic area.
Liquor is very important to Costco’s bottom line, so much so, that almost ¹⁄₅ of the store is dedicated to beer, wine, and spirits, I suggest you shop around, the odds are you might find better deals at a liquor store.
If you like big crowds, have a lot of free time in you hands, and don’t mind the lack of customer service, it’s a good place to shop.
Have fun!

I like the layout of this Costco most. I am happy and impressed by the diversity of their products. It is also awesome to see more organic products.

$ 1.50 for a Hotdog & Soda!
$ 4.99 for 3lb Rotisserie Chicken
Inexpensive Quality Fuel for your Vehicle!
I guess all Costco’s have these deals :)
There is something about this location I like!
***Pro Tip Do your shopping between 2:30pm — 4:30pm on Weekdays to avoid crowds!

This location is always jammed with car and people. Geez. I think everybody from Tacoma and South Seattle coming here to shop or something.

Always the cheapest gas in the area.
Never dirty.
Everyone knows how lines work.
One time, my car broke down in a line, and no one got frustrated with me, they just helped me push my car out of the line, and went on with their day.
Costco is the best, in everything they do.

Always busy but always the best in quality and cost. I’ve been a member since they opened their first WA store. Hot dogs are still the same price — thank you Costco!

I like this Costco very much! Evrything is in order, very clean, and very well organized. Everything seems to working place.
Location is ideal and staff works really hard and very helpful. Only downside is the parking lot. I’d have to park somewhere far to get a spot sometimes and it’s usually crowded just because everyone likes going to this one, I believe.

Costco is just great all around. Spend the $ 50 for a basic membership which gives you two membership cards or spend $ 100 for the executive membership and get cash back at year end on everything you spend. You will get your membership fee back in the first trip or two that you shop here or buy gas.
Gas is always cheaper here than anywhere else except 7 – 11 or AM PM and friends don’t let friends buy their gas at those places since it evaporates in two days. Costco gas is good quality. Even if the pumps are busy, take a minute to wait to save yourself some cash. People move in and out quickly anyway.
Costco is very effective cost-​wise when it comes to buying vitamins and paper products. It is hit or miss when it comes to other bulk items; shop wisely.
I like to come here to shop for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They make huge pumpkin pies and the gifts they offer are great. The huge wrapping paper rolls are enough for just one bundle of them to take care of all the presents for the family, friends and co-​workers.
If you want to work at Costco in a blue collar position, you always start out by bringing in shopping carts.
Parking at this location is always insane. Try to come in the early hours when they first open to beat the crowd.
Lines do get long and sometimes the wait is longer than i want but the cashiers and baggers, or boxers?, move along quickly.
Costco only accepts cash, debit card, AMEX or an established business checking account.

Like every other costco out there, except this one has restaurant supplies. You can buy bulk spoons, whole lambs, and instant, premade frozen items that restaurants try to sell you on.
— This costco is a clusterf*k in terms of driving, getting into the lot, and getting out.
— The layout makes the checkout area super crammed.
— Had a BAD experience here. Was trying to get a new card reprinted and walked into the exit instead of entrance (customer service faces the exit). Got stopped by the receipt checker who literally yelled at me to stop, extended both of his hands to physically block me from taking another step, ignored me when I tried to state that I just needed to reprint my lost card, and told me to leave and go through the entrance. Completely inappropriate, that’s not how you treat a female adult customer.
Left, walked through the entrance, said I needed a reprint, told to walk around a wall divider to get to the exit side of the store, and got in line for customer service. I don’t mind walking another 20 feet to use another door and get to the same spot I was at before but have some manners.

What keeps me coming back to Costco you ask? Free samples.
Ha…but seriously.
I love Costco (not only for the free food, but it is a major bonus in my book!). This location is really big, well I mean they all are… and the parking lot is ginormous.
Always very busy, doesn’t matter what time of day you go. People don’t pay attention either, they leave their carts in the middle of the aisles and don’t move even if you say excuse me twenty times.
When it comes to the free samples, this is where you need to just bulldog your way in. People like to take their sample and just stand there and eat so that nobody else can get their chance to try something. Even better when they stand their with their cart, completely blocking the food from all angles. You best believe, I push their cart out of the way. Nobody gets between me and free food — especially when they have dino nuggets for samples. Be aware of the kids who wiggle their way under you and snatch up multiple samples for their parents too… not cool.
The gas station gets insane — especially around lunch time! They added a 3^rd pump on each lane though, so that does help with the congestion a tiny bit.
I never really have need to talk to any of the employees here as I can always find what I am looking for. The cashiers usually don’t talk to you, they are normally too involved with their own private conversations to talk to their customers. Interesting way of doing things in a «customer service» job right… If you ask for a box, you probably won’t get one because they weren’t listening. The lines can get long, but they usually move at a reasonable pace.
Good food court, always busy as well. Love the pizza & soda for cheap — I think it’s like $ 1.50 for the combo but I might be wrong… The berry smoothie is my favorite — so good, and only $ 1.85. I still prefer the freebies though ;)

I have a love hate relationship with Costco… I love almost everything and anything we’ve bought from here but I hate the long lines, I hate that you have to buy 10lbs of everything and I hate that I can’t go in without buying 5 other random things I really didn’t need… So why 5 stars!!! They sell LEES COFFEE at this location in particular and it’s my crack at the moment so I’d give them 10 stars if I could :)

I came here throughout my younger years. It’s a favorite of local immigrants (Filipinos, Vietnamese) and lower-​middle class white folks.
All that can be said for Costco is that it’s cheap. Like everything else in our crassly consumer society, this does not come without consequences.
I’m concerned chiefly with thirst they sell so many dirt-​cheap products of questionable origins. It makes me wonder how much of their meat and dairy products are factory farmed, and how many pesticides then preservatives with which they douse their fruit. As with Walmart, the appealing prices tend to mean cutting corners on quality and ethics.
Health content is sorely lacking. They peddle Goldfish, Frosted Flakes, and fattening muffins alike despite the toxic effect these foods have on our bodies and the ruthless tactics these multinationals utilize. Their bakery deserves particular blame for their fat– and sugar-​filled goods, in which one should partake sparingly.
Organic options have been slow to appear. They’ve got organic raisin bran of all things, but lack in most other areas.
Perhaps the underlying problem is this warehouse mentality. Everything is blandly mass-​produced, and served up in unwholesome quantities. There’s no buying a reasonable portion of cereal or pasta. You have to go gluttonous. This encourages overeating, the major contributor to our obesity epidemic.
The focus is on masses of everything. What seems to save a person money through scale actually punishes them and the planet, both when they eat too much and when they waste food through expiration. The wastefulness of a middle class lifestyle brandishes itself here.
The selection outside of food baffles. This location’s got a section for industrial kitchens (?!?) That means giant bowls and masses of ladles, giant blenders and amalgams of measuring cups. What prompted them to install this little cavern escapes my knowledge. So few of us have the zoning or permits to make use of such goods.
They’ve also got awful clothes — drab, poorly fitted, altogether unstylish. One could do much better at any of: a thrift shop, H+M, or Macy’s sales. You’ll get decent style and often lower prices.
Surely the middle class can do better than to consume this garbage.

Wait… what??? They got pork jerky here!
They don’t have pork jerky in the Costco’s in California so I like to stock up in pork jerky when I’m in the WA Costcos.

I learned my lesson the hard way! I went to the warehouse without my own shopping list. I memorized in my head that I only needed toilet papers and paper towels, and I ended up coming out with $ 200 worth of stuff. Again, I doubt a lot of people can come in here with less than $ 100 bill on their credit/​debit cards or cash. They do have lots of high quality stuff in good bundles, meats, batteries, personal stuff (shampoo, lotion, body wash, toothpaste, or toothbrush), medicines, cooking seasonings, and many more!!! I can’t name them all, or I’ll stay up all night to name the entire warehouse!
The policy of accepting only Visa/​MasterCard debit card, American Express credit card, or cash can be a hassle. The wait lines are always long because everyone is at costco!!!
But… Without them, I can’t buy my toilet papers, paper towels, bleach bottles, unclogging liquid bottles, and batteries for lower prices!!!
Anyway, Costco is a good place to shop when you have a list, or you will go crazy and want to grab EVERYTHING.

Southcenter costco has everything you need from business bulk supplies (hanging racks of lamb!) to personal items like gummy multi vitamins.
My favorites from this costco are the cheap restaurant certificates and their Asian goods selection. I feel like there is more of a variety among these areas versus other costcos.
What I dislike about this costco is the inconvenience of the parking lot structure and gas is always out of the way. Second, they always run out of options for their optical glasses. Lastly, I think their food court is way too small for the sheer amount of people that visit this business.
Not my favorite costco, but it gets the job done.