by "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
Published 12/02/2017 at 22:54
by "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
Published 12/02/2017 at 22:54
Tags: Angry!
STARS: 3
I could tell my iPhone6s was on its last legs, so I did some research, and ordered an LG Moto G5 Plus. It was $50 cheaper at Costco, so I ordered it from them. I chose standard 3-5 day shipping, because my phone still worked. That was 6 days ago. My phone just shat the bed, it won’t read the SIM card. So, I checked my order for my new phone, and the bastards haven’t even shipped it yet. FUCK YOU COSTCO!!!
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/02/2017 at 23:05, STARS: 3
I agree that Costco sucks in every conceivable way. I have no idea where their Cultlike status has come from. Every time I drive by, it’s like Soviet bread lines inside and 1981 at the gas pumps, all to save 10 cents a gallon.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/02/2017 at 23:10, STARS: 4
They at least pay their workers a respectable wage, as opposed to sams club. We utilize both though, sams and Costco. They used to have a great return policy, but that has since been scaled back a bit. Online does take way too long, especially in this day and age when amazon prime can have stuff to my door in 2 days.
"BahamaTodd" (bahamatodd)
12/02/2017 at 23:20, STARS: 0
I’ve heard of many delays because of the amount of online shopping last week.
I ordered something last Thursday with 2-3 day shipping hoping to get it before I left on a trip on Friday. Got an email on Sunday saying it shipped but the shipper didn’t actually receive it until Wednesday. I didn’t get the package on time. Now that was annoying.
"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer)
12/02/2017 at 23:25, STARS: 1
Hello moto!*
*: not yet.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
12/02/2017 at 23:27, STARS: 1
FYI, LG and Motorola are different companies and the G5 plus is a Motorola, not an LG.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
12/02/2017 at 23:31, STARS: 0
No Costco here on the island yet ... not even sure I’d shop there if there was. Fairway for life man.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
12/02/2017 at 23:32, STARS: 1
Oh, and wait - can you just switch it to an instore pickup?
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/02/2017 at 23:34, STARS: 1
I can definitely appreciate the wage thing and we do make extra efforts to support companies with solid wages (Shipt, Target, Hobby Lobby, etc).
I just have too much value to my time...or maybe my town just needs a second Costco. I won’t even compare them to Sam’s, I gave up on them a long time ago. No politics, just practicality.
"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
12/02/2017 at 23:35, STARS: 5
Because they pay their employees a decent wage, as in those people who hand out samples on the weekends start at $12/hr. Also, they aren’t owned by the fucking Waltons. I flat refuse to give that family of assholes any of my money willingly, and the US should completely stop subsidizing their workforce.
If we forced them to pay workers a living wage, the country would save billions in social services every year.
Fuck the Waltons.
Eat the Rich.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
12/02/2017 at 23:48, STARS: 2
I don’t know anything about Costco. We just do Sam’s. But I am having the dead phone thing right now. My daughter’s hand me down iPhone died, and she’s in withdrawal. I’m kind of sorry now I ever let her have a smart phone.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
12/02/2017 at 23:55, STARS: 0
Besides the gas line, I actually get in and out of Costco pretty quick. Yeah the parking lot is always full, but unlike a lot of stores they actually have all of their checkout lines open when it’s busy and move customers through. They aren’t perfect, but overall I find enough value to make it worth being a member.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
12/03/2017 at 00:02, STARS: 1
I get dirt cheap liquor and beer there, and I have friends who worked there and were paid a living wage. I’ll never get gas there, though. I once saw this fucker trying to save a few pennies.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
12/03/2017 at 00:06, STARS: 0
Sizzling take: I never buy big ticket/important items online. Anything happens — like an error, shitty shipping timing, damaged while shipping, or stolen off my porch — and I am fucked. Yeah you can save a few bucks online, but I’ll pay the convenience of handling my item as soon as I pay for it.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:18, STARS: 2
I’m generally the same way, but the thought of going into any store, especially Costco, the weekend after Thanksgiving is enough to send chills down my spine.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:20, STARS: 1
It’s insane. You’d think they were giving the shit away.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:21, STARS: 0
Good to know. I find it all confusing.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:22, STARS: 0
We’ve ordered a bunch of stuff this week, and gotten it no problem. Costco hasn’t even bothered to put my phone in the mail.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:23, STARS: 0
I’m going to try to do that tomorrow.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:24, STARS: 0
Hopefully soon!
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:26, STARS: 1
My iPhone is now a very expensive iPod Touch.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 02:30, STARS: 1
I don’t know what a Fairway is. I mean, I assume it’s a store from the context, but we don’t have those.
I’m not a huge fan of Costco. There are certain things we buy there regularly enough to make the membership worth it, but getting in and out of there is insane. They’re so busy, you’d think all the stuff was free.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/03/2017 at 07:58, STARS: 0
I hate Walmart, but Sam Walton (RIP) had great plans for his empire. It’s too bad the rest of the family didn’t have that firsthand experience in retail to show the same level of empathy that the old man did.
Just a mental exercise: look at Walmart as an alternative to welfare and it suddenly seems more benign.
Either way, Walmart has started finally matching a lot of those competitors’ wages, but it’ll be decades before their reputation reflects it...
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/03/2017 at 08:16, STARS: 0
Understandable. We actually use the bulk bought stuff, but we have always had a pantry to store the products so we have stuff on hand. It’s not for everyone, and if you don’t have a large family, or somebody to split some of the packages with, it normally doesn’t make sense to purchase at the bulk stores. We have multiples of both stores within 10-15 miles of the house. But these types of stores aren’t for everyone.
I do have a family friend and a coworkers spouse that work at Costco, and they have both made a decent living while working there. They also get a decent benefits package, so for the most part they are doing right by their workforce at least.
The original shipping complaint the writer complained about though is inexcusable.
"merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
12/03/2017 at 08:20, STARS: 0
That’s the shame with how we’ve setup companies to value profits over all else. It sucks when they lose sight of the bigger picture as an employer that can provide a decent wage and benefits for folks in the pursuit of greater profit margins.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/03/2017 at 08:33, STARS: 1
I view wages as an investment in long-term profits, so I’m not against the idea of “profits” for their own sake. But I guarantee that the better wage payers (Hobby Lobby, Costco, Whole Foods) have lower turnover and happier employees — studies back this up. That hits the bottom line for the better, even if shortsighted people disagree.
On the other hand, you can’t pay people more to make them nice or helpful. The other piece of the equation is hiring the right people for the job.
I always had a smile on my face at $4.25 an hour, but at the time I wasn’t supporting a family...
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
12/03/2017 at 08:37, STARS: 0
The Android universe is this way. In spite of working in tech, I have carried some iPhone variant for nearly a decade now. They work... I once had the cell radio eat it on a trip, which resulted in an Apple Store visit and replacement, but that was the only major problem I’ve ever had with one. Even “flagship” Android hardware has been mostly garbage over the years. Google almost won me over with their Pixel 2 XL and their Project Fi service, but it was more due to the service than the phone (that is, the service is the best match for how I use phones, and I’d suffer through Google’s Android interfaces for it, but I still worry about hardware longevity).
The funny thing is that my wife and I seem to constantly be convincing Android users to move to iPhones, and they always seem to be happier. Windows Phone users have been even easier sells since well before M$ axed the platform...
Personally, I just got a new 8 Plus with a $250 gift card at Target on Black Friday. Wouldn’t do that again (Buy from Target, that is, since their “tech” group is a total clusterfuck. The only ways to buy an iPhone are from your carrier online for home delivery at launch (my 6 Plus was this way) or from an Apple Store (4, 5). Every other method is slow, tedious, and frustrating.), but my old 6 Plus was starting to feel outdated and suffering some old smartphone problems... I usually replace them every 2 years due to battery life, so this was a really impressive run.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
12/03/2017 at 08:52, STARS: 2
I don’t understand it, either. You know their store brand, “Kirkland Signature”? We live and work in cities adjacent to Kirkland, which it is named after. Costco is truly a cult here, it has defined the lifestyle for the region for decades. If you don’t have a membership, you’re living on the margins of society. In SoCal, I lived really close (walking distance) to a Costco and wouldn’t shop there due to the total chaos. Had a Sam’s membership because it was in the ghetto and surrounded by them, meaning nobody near it could afford a membership, therefore the crowds/lines were reasonable.
I don’t buy fuel there, either. My wife sometimes gets Safeway gas that I distrust similarly, but at least that doesn’t involve burning a quarter of a tank waiting in line. Personally, I stick to Chevron, Texaco, and the occasional Shell.
Based on some of the responses, it sounds like they earn some additional good will by paying decent wages and taking care of their employees. There are a handful of other companies that come to mind that do similar that also have solid cult followings (ex: In-N-Out).
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 08:59, STARS: 0
The 6s is the only iPhone I’ve ever had. Before that I had a couple of Android phones. I’ve been perfectly happy with all of the phones, I just don’t like iOS. I’ve missed Android since I got the 6s nearly two years ago.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/03/2017 at 09:05, STARS: 1
Agree, and I like to support that notion, but not at the expense of common sense...like blindly buying only American cars in the 80s. At some point it’s an artificially positive feedback loop for the company.
It’s good to support firms that support their workers and communities, but we have to remember they’re not charities.
Honorable mention: Trader Joe’s.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
12/03/2017 at 09:48, STARS: 0
I have been doing this for years with no ill effects. Although I don’t like having stuff delivered to my house (I usually ship to work and have done this in most cases for the last 20 years, except when I lived in a super secure building with fabulous neighbors), I have never had theft problems anywhere except my mom and dad’s place (their area is super crappy - it also has the distinction of being the only place where I’ve had cars broken into and dealt with regular vandalism).
I do like to pick up or have vendors deliver large/fragile items, though. For example: Our TV came from Costco, our freezer from Lowe’s, our furniture from Ethan Allen, etc. The downside is that the experience in each of these cases sucks at some level - Costco at the warehouse (where you’re dealing with getting it home and crowds), Lowe’s/HD has deeply dysfunctional store pickup (to the point that I have them ship anything that isn’t too fragile, like our Christmas tree), and Ethan Allen needs to get an f’ing warehouse so they can deliver more than 1-2 items at a time (they operate just like a cable company after you place an order).
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
12/03/2017 at 10:10, STARS: 0
I like TJ’s. Didn’t realize they were on this list.
Costco must be doing something right, as that nearly killed most of the domestic auto manufacturers in far less time than they have been going on like this. I think that Costco is tapping into some misunderstood aspects of human behavior. Like Amazon Prime memberships that increase Amazon purchases (you spent money on it, now you need to get the most out of it) or this chain of shitty Mexican-style places called “Cafe Rio” that constantly understaffs to maintain long lines to create some kind of FOMO mentality. I think both of these are in effect in support of Costco, not to mention all the people that maintain memberships they rarely (if ever) use.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
12/03/2017 at 10:11, STARS: 0
Interesting. Why is that?
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 10:34, STARS: 0
There are a lot of little things I found much more intuitive with Android, and there were a couple little things iOS won’t let you do. For example, if I want to post a picture I found on the internet to Oppo, on Android I can simply copy the image link and paste it into a comment. On iOS I have to download the pic to my phone, and then upload it to Kinja. The keyboard has no punctuation on the main screen, on Android the comma and the period are right there by the space bar. Lots of little nits like that to pick.
The big one though, is the difficulty of getting all my pics backed up on my computer, and off of my phone. Android lets a phone’s storage be treated like a flash drive, so it’s super quick and simple to do both. With iOS it’s a multi step process that’s super glitchy and takes forever. My phone is my only camera, and I take lots of pics of my kids, so that’s a big deal to me.
I also like that when you take pics with Android, the name of the pic automatically has the date it was taken in the file name, it’s not just some random number. It makes sorting photos a lot easier.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
12/03/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 0
Mine is simply dead. As in the Apple store won’t even open it up.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 13:02, STARS: 0
Bummer.
I’m at the AT&T store now. My SIM card was bad, so I’m back in business for a while. I’m going to cancel the Costco order and live with iOS for a while longer.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
12/03/2017 at 15:52, STARS: 1
This is a Fairway - a block from us. Excellent meat, olive oil, cheese, and deli ... and it’s reasonably priced for the city.
"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
12/03/2017 at 19:41, STARS: 0
With the exception of the beer store and maybe the grocery store, I’ve given up going into stores until after the holidays. It is better living through Amazon for me until then.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/03/2017 at 20:15, STARS: 1
Yeah, we had no less than six packages arrive from Amazon today.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
12/03/2017 at 23:14, STARS: 1
Yay!