Category: Thought

Is Costco the happiest retail space on Earth? Friends, family, acquaintances suggest it is. I’ve rarely heard a bad word uttered toward or in Costco. The apparent euphoric shopping experience at Costco is unparalleled. Those running the Costco ship deserve high accolades for the experience they’ve built. Three main reasons make Costco what it is today: First and foremost is branding. Second is unique and quality products. Third is the membership model. It is hard to argue the success of Costco. They’ve perfected those three areas and because of it people pile into their stores nationwide each and every day.

I assure you the intent of my letter today is to share my experience and subjective opinions of the store. Those reading may interpret, concur, share thoughts, or violently disagree however they choose.

With that, in light of recognizing Costco’s success, I’m afraid I cannot be on the Costco love at all costs bandwagon. In fact, I’ve been a Cranky Costco Consumer (Club 3C) since 2012 when my oldest was about 4 years old.

The short reason is Costco’s uncanny ability to be a budget slayer and enemy to financial goals.

You see, we as a family have been on and off Costco membership three or four times since 2012. Each time we’ve been off Costco we’ve more easily met our grocery budget targets. We are currently on a Costco membership and our food spending is up 25% compared to when we weren’t.

I’ve thought a lot about this over the years wondering why. Costco is supposed to be a deal. Right? Great for finances because buying in bulk to bring the unit cost down is a slam dunk for success. Right? Well, wrong! Costco ultimately became the three strike store for me. We’d buy three things, spend $300, and three days later need more food. It only scaled worse as our family grew in number and age.

Listen. I’ll be the first guy in line to praise Costco for their product quality and selection. Their products are well received by many for good reason. The reality though, is what Costco doesn’t want you to understand, or more accurately realize, is something they know you know but don’t want you to know because it would end their perfectly formulated business model.

As humans we rely on sustenance, namely calories to keep us alive and full of energy to carry out whatever human related tasks we decide to embark on each day.

What also is required as part of our calorie consumption is variety.  Variety in the nutrients we take in to maintain a proper balance. From here on I’ll refer to this as the variety complex.

Listen, I know you know this. You even subconsciously know this during a shopping trip. But, it’s not a driver in decision making during a shopping trip. Those drivers are typically cost per unit and taste. If, however, variety held even a tenth part weight as a third member of the shopping decision tree, I’m convinced Costco would be out of business.

I realize I’m likely on an island in my view of Costco and fewer people on earth will agree with me than the number of people who believe earth is flat. So maybe I’ll make a fool of myself just like the flat earthers, but for now I stand by my convictions.

Let me explain in more detail. 

I really like avocados. However, as much as I love avocados there are only so many I can eat in one sitting and only so many I can eat in subsequent sittings. Why? Because of the variety complex. It’s human physiology. Avocados alone can only satisfy so much. I know this is obvious – probably even to the point of being offensively obvious. But, let me ask you. When you were at Costco and bought a bag of avocados what were your first two thoughts? Probably first was ooh i like avocados and don’t have any, should I get some? The second question was what is the price per avocado? Assuming a positive response to the first two questions, a third question might come which is: do I really need 20 avocados? You probably answered no, but because the taste and cost per unit criteria were met and you’d have to drive to another store to get fewer, you convinced yourself it was a good buy. 

In general, such practice has recently been tagged among social media outlets as ‘Girl Math.’  Meant as a joke, ‘Girl Math’ is bad math used to justify purchases and spending habits. Costcoland creates an environment that unwittingly brings out the best ‘Girl Math’ in all of us, and in the end Costco walks away with our money.

When you gleefully return home from your glorious Costco trip, you quickly eat an avocado or two, maybe with some toast, and enjoy an evening watching reruns of Care Bears and He-Man totally satisfied with a successful day. However, after a week goes by and after only eating maybe one more avocado, the remaining seventeen avocados’ fate is quickly destined for the garbage.

Scoreboard: Costco 1, Consumer 0

Costco got what they wanted. A consumer getting a good quality product at a reasonable price per unit, and more money in their pockets because overall you spent more than you really needed even though your unit price may have been better than other stores. Overall, however, you lost money on your food wager. 

When I say wager, does that sound familiar to another business model? Maybe one you might find in Vegas? The reality is odds are against you coming out ahead after visiting Costco. That’s why Costco’s business model is brilliant not even counting the membership fee. I shouldn’t be paying a retail space to grace them with my presence. But, again, more money to Costcoland.

When I go to a traditional supermarket, sure I may pay more per unit in many cases, but it’s a lot easier to only buy what you need and overall come out ahead. Overall, you will come home with more variety for the same amount spent and therefore in the long run feel more satisfied not only in the belly but the bank account.

You might say, well I can’t get what they have at Costco at other stores. Again their brilliance shines through. They pull you in with quality unique products, then make you buy a large quantity of them. Because they know you need variety in your diet, to get that variety you’re going to need to buy several different items. A need for variety plus buying in bulk means more money for Costco. In summary, the Costco success equation is: Human need for caloric variety plus unique product allurement plus a dash of advertised lower unit pricing by buying in bulk equals more money spent at Costcoland. 

In the end, the score in Costco’s bank account is 100 and Consumers bank account needles somewhere between 0 and 1. Costco just wants you to forget about the first ingredient in that formula and focus on the last two – which is what we almost exclusively do when we shop for groceries and why Costco is undefeated.

Another stroke of Costco’s brilliance was rolled out recently when they began offering a weight loss subscription program. Oh the irony.

Costco: Let us sell you more quantity than you really needed then when you’ve become unhealthy because you either ate more than you needed or didn’t really have good variety in your diet we’ll be there to help by offering a weight loss subscription program. 

I believe variety complex is the main reason we rarely meet our food budget when including Costco in our shopping routine. If I have $300 to spend on groceries, I will come home from the grocery store with more variety and ultimately get more bang for my buck than if I spend $300 at Costco even if unit pricing was better at Costco. Penny Wise pound foolish shopping at Costco? You said it!

So, you might say Costco would be great for buying for large groups! Remember though Costco is the house and the unwavering concept  of variety complex is on their side. Because of that, odds will always be in their favor – regardless of target party size. For two years I was part of planning high adventure activities for our church youth group. The first year another leader was in charge of the food. He went to Costco. We had enough and ate well. No complaints. The next year I was in charge of food. I did all the food shopping at the grocery store. Partway into the trip the leader who bought the food the previous year commented on how much food we had and how incredible the variety was. There were plenty and more! We came home with lots of extra in fact. He asked me where I shopped and how much I had spent thinking I had way overspent our budget. When I told him the answer to both he let out a quiet , “huh.” I had actually spent the same as the previous year. No complaints about quantity or quality. In fact, people were more satisfied versus the previous year. Why? I believe it was because their food variety needs were met more adequately. As much as I’d love to eat mash potatoes every meal, I know I will feel more satisfied if I eat a variety even if it means I spend a bit more per potato when I do eat potatoes.

I know I will convince exactly zero people to join my lonely island with this letter here today. I wouldn’t believe it either if we hadn’t lived on/off the Costco dream three or four times and tracked our food spending each time. So maybe I am the odd case. If someone else has tried something similar and found differently I’d be curious to hear your experience.

In the end, maybe I’m just jealous of all those who can comfortably shop at Costco without financial regret and get full variety satisfaction. I suppose Costco is a higher class of life than I can comfortably afford so maybe I am reaching out for justification of my biases and financial circumstances. Ah well, I guess all I can say is long live the Costcoland – the happiest retail space on earth.

Parables from Moab

 

Parable #1 – If you splash through the mud in an open vehicle, you are bound to get dirty.

Mud is an irresistible playground for children. In spite of failed commands to “stay out of the mud” from a parent’s voice of warning, children naturally gravitate to the enticing, fun, and inviting mud. Perhaps, the mud squishing between fingers and toes is soothing. Perhaps, the plastered mud feels cool and refreshing. At any rate, children and grown up children are tempted by the mud. With all of the seemingly benefits of mud, the result is that you will get dirty.

While meandering on the open road of the beautiful Chicken Corner’s trail, we encountered a mud hole where previous torrential rains had washed out the road. To reach the other side of the trail, we had to cross the mud hole. To most of the party, crossing through the mud and getting dirty was an exciting adventure and the real reason for adventuring on the trails in razors.

Splashing through the mud hole was entertaining, amusing, and harmless in this case; however, some mud holes in life which initially appear inviting and enjoyable are not harmless. Temptations to engage in muddy waters of drinking or smoking or stealing or skipping church or watching R rated movies may initially appear enticing and pleasant, but in reality filthy our souls and make us spiritually dirty.

Temptations are part of our mortal existence; however, if we want to avoid getting dirty, the best and safest practice is to avoid finding the mud. Satan is cunning and deceitful. If he can lead us to the mud, we may become as children and the mud is too enticing and too irresistible. We may foolishly believe that we can eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us (2 Nephi 28:7).” Remember if you splash through the mud in an open vehicle, you are bound to get dirty.

 

Parable # 2 -If you are climbing a steep rock, you have to thrust the throttle forward or you will slide backwards.

We may choose to splash through the mud and cover ourselves in dirt as Cody and Mina did at the conclusion of our razor run on the Fin and Things course. Fin & Things was quite the name for an ATV trail along the east side of Moab. “Fins” are the Navajo Sandstone slickrock formations northeast of Moab, and the “things” are what remains as the fins erode. The fins started as wind-blown sand dunes some 200 million years ago, they got cemented into sandstone, and they are now going full circle back to sand blowing in the wind.  Eight couples if four razors decided to tackle a more challenging trail than we had covered earlier in the day. The three mile trail appear innocuous until we encountered steep hill and boulder ascents, narrow passages, steep hill and rock descents and bumpy hardened sand dunes.

Needless to say the trail was sufficiently challenging and scary for me to elicit a cardio workout; especially when observing a four wheeler sliding backwards down the steep rocky trail. Not having enough momentum and too much weight to reach the crest, the driver of the four wheeler had to allow the vehicle to gently and slide down the trail, remove his passenger, and thrust the throttle forward with you enough power to keep the four wheeler steadfastly climbing.

I likened the experience to our journey in life. We are either thrusting the throttle to move forward as we climb the hills of mortality or we are sliding backwards down life’s trail. What are the elements that provide the power necessary to ascend to our eternal home? The ingredients seem simple, redundant, and perhaps mundane and yet they are the fuel to prevent us from sliding backwards. We are counseled to hold daily individual and family prayer, daily individual and family scripture study, to attend the temple regularly, and to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. In 2 Nephi 31: 20 Nephi admonishes, “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ having a perfect brightness of hope….”

We can climb the hills no matter how challenging or how steep if we thrust our throttle forward centered in the daily practices of the gospel.

 

Parable #3 – If you think you are in control, think again.

Often times we encounter situations in life that are beyond our control. We did not choose the situation and the situation was not of our own doing and yet there we are in the middle of a violent rain and hail storm and we can use our agency to choose whether we stop or whether we “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.” We can blame God or become angry with others or we can use our agency to submit to Heavenly Father’s will and accomplish His purposes. We can choose the path that emulates the Savior and leads to our eternal home or we can choose Satan’s plan of misery. We “are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27).”

None of us is in control of every situation in life; however, we are in control of our response and we are given the gift of agency to choose how we respond. Will we respond in the Lord’s way or will we respond in the way of misery? If you think you are in control, think again because while you are not always in control of what happens to you, you are in control of the choices you make.

 

Parable #4 – If you think someone is watching you, you are right.

By Sunday evening the children were ready to be uncaged from the house and the adults were ready to be uncaged from the children and so we decided to take a walk. The intended long walk was abbreviated due to that enticing mud, the retention pond full of water from the previous night’s downpour, and the rocks waiting to be thrown into the water. The instructions to “stay out of the mud” were futile and soon children and adults were walking on the muddy sand and throwing rocks into the pond.

After five minutes or so of observing everyone throwing rocks, Soren, decided he would not miss out. I took him from his stroller and this thirteen month old knew exactly what to do. He walked across the sidewalk, across the rocks, and was headed directly for the mud. I restrained him from crossing into the mud, but left him standing on the rocks. Soon he picked up a rock in each hand and threw the rocks in the direction of the pond. Of course, he did not have enough strength to land the rocks in the pond, but this did not deter him. He continued to pick up rock after rock and fling the rock as far as his little hand had capability.

Intrigued by this whole process of watching a thirteen month observing those around him and determining to join in, his little brain knew exactly what to do. He modeled the behavior of those around him. He walked immediately to the rocks, bent down and picked one up, and threw it. “Remarkable!” I thought as I watched this scene unfold and then I contemplated the profundity that someone is watching you, even if you are not aware. What kind of model do you want to be?

The Lord instructed the Sons of Mosiah to be examples to the Lamanites. “Go forth among the Lamanites thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls (Alma 17:11).” If you think someone is watching you, you are right.

 

Parable #5 – The end is closer than you think.

Riding razors across rough terrain was not the only wheeling adventure we had in Moab. We also rented bikes and rode from the bike shop on Main Street to the head of the Colorado River Pathway. Little did I realize that the route from the bike shop to the bike path was two miles and the bike path was an additional 2.5 miles one way.

Though we biked in the morning, the sun was shining in a cloudless sky and the temperatures were warm. Riding to Lion’s Park located at the head of the bike trailhead was a sufficiently demanding ride; however, our bike ride along the Colorado River would be denied if we did not continue to ride another 2.5 miles.

The pathway was not difficult, but we were tired and hot. We stopped to gather our physical strength as well as to admire the amazing sheer cliffs and other beautiful rock formations surrounding the river. At this point, I think most in our biking party were ready to turn around and return home.

I wondered how far we had come and how far we had to go. I knew the paved path ended after 2.5 miles, but had no idea how far we had travelled; however, Mina had a pedometer and could tell us approximately how far we had travelled. She calculated that we had covered about two miles and only had a half-mile remaining. With this knowledge, everyone agreed to press forward to the end of the path.

We hopped on our bikes and began pedaling along the path only to discover that just around the bend was the end of the path and we were only a couple of blocks from the path’s termination. I thought about how disappointed I would have been if we had not finished the path; especially knowing how close to the end we were.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is comprised of five steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, and enduring to the end. The Lord Jesus Christ promised in 3 Nephi 15:9, “Behold I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.”

We endured to the end and finished the trail. How great was our reward for finishing the trail and how dissatisfied we would have been if we had learned we were only blocks away and we did not finish the trail.

When we are discouraged, frustrated, beaten down, and think we cannot ride another block, we may be closer to the end than we think and how great will be the reward for enduring to the end and finishing the ride to end of the trail. The end may be closer than we think.

Parable #6 – There’s no place like home.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy follows the direction of the Good Witch Glinda and clicks her ruby red slippers together three times and repeats, “There’s no place like home.”  She repeats the line in the final scene after returning home from Oz and cries, “Oh Auntie Em, there’s no place like home.” For me, there is no place like home, but home is not my house where I live, or the cabin I stay in, or the condo I rent. Home is my family.

Home was five days in Moab with all twenty members of our family. Webster’s Dictionary defines home as, “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. I disagree. Sometimes people want to sell their house and post a “home for sale” sign. My home is not for sale and will never be for sale because my home is my family.

If we were asked to sell our house and live in a tent, I would still own my home because my family is an eternal unit sealed together through the power of the priesthood. There’s no place I would rather be than with my family and that truth was reinforced on our family vacation in Moab. There’s no place that brings me greater joy than having each possible family member gathered in the temple or on the temple grounds.

Our ability to gather as a family and experience the joy of “no place like home” extends beyond this life. In D&C 130:2, the Lord teaches, “And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.” Indeed, there’s no place like home.

 

What did the San Andreas Fault say to the Sierra Nevada Fault?

 

 

 

-“It wasn’t my fault.”

 

 

We have a major issue in our society today, and we must take action to bring awareness to others about the need for social change.  As President Obama recently stated in a town hall meeting in the UK, “..change takes time.” However, we cannot stress how urgent this issue is.  For a long time now we have referred to the big toe as the “big toe”. However, this is discriminatory.  Do you know how the big toe feels when you call it the big toe?  That’s right, it feels big and clunky. Do you know how the other toes feel, when you imply that they are little?  That’s right, small and insignificant.  We cannot allow this discriminatory behavior anymore.  It is time for social change. We must now, therefore, refer to all our toes as Non-Sizable Digits. Thank you.

I fear that a majority of people’s perception of the purpose of government is trending towards: “leave me alone in all my moral decisions, but take care of all my temporal needs.”

Where have personal accountibility and sustainability gone?

Do you remember when Barack Obama said that we needed to stop fighting wars and pay down our national debt?  Just wondering, because that was $8.386 trillion dollars worth of debt ago, and, by the way, we’re still fighting wars.

If someone punches you in the face, and you ask them to stop, then they punch you in the face again, and again you ask them to stop, and then they punch you in the face yet again, and once again you ask them to stop, and again they punch you in the face, the question is not why don’t they stop when you’ve asked them to stop, it’s why are you still within arm’s reach of that person?

Gratitude not attitude. That’s all I have to say about that.

We had a lesson on getting offended today and this got me thinking. Consider the following:

Suppose I’m sitting on my porch. I’m minding my own business simply enjoying a peaceful afternoon. Then, suddenly one of my neighbors walks past and decides to light my pants on fire. Yes, he’s literally lit my britches on fire. Yes, there is literally a fire burning in my britches. Got the picture? Great. Now, at this point I’m at a critical junction in life where I must choose one of three paths:

Path One: Run after him seeking to return the favor by lighting his pants on fire. The consequence for choosing path one: running around the neighborhood with no pants (because they’ve burned off), a seared bottom, and a low probability that I’ve even been able to exact any kind of meaningful revenge.

Path Two: Run from house to house griping to my other neighbors about what this one neighbor has just done to me all while hoping for some form of sympathy and that someone will take my side in this awful wrongdoing. The consequence for choosing path two: a reputation in the neighborhood as the crazy guy who runs around outside with his britches on fire, and then with no britches at all (because they’ve burned off)….. and a seared bottom.

Path Three: Put out the fire in my britches then grab all my other clothes and offer them up for burning as well. The consequence for choosing path three: peace, calm, lack of increased tension with offending neighbor, maintained reputation…..and lack of a seared bottom.

So, I don’t know why my neighbor lit my britches on fire. It doesn’t matter. What matters is how I react. The point is people will say and do things to me whether intentional or not that could certainly be considered offensive. When I choose to take offense I’m the one who ends up with the seared bottom, and chances are the offender gets off scott-free – no way around it. But, if I calmly put out the fire in my britches, and offer up more for the burning, I’ve mitigated any chance to make things worse and likely make resolution all at once. Easy? I never said that. Probability for perfection, in this regard, in this life – low. But, possible most of the time? Yes.

It seems that these days people are really in to yelling at each other.  You turn on the TV, and people are yelling at each other.  You go to a movie, and the people are yelling at each other.  You get in your car and drive to work, and people are yelling at each other (honking included). Not that all yelling is bad, sometimes a sense of urgency has to be conveyed.  But for all other cases, civility works pretty well.