Costco Adventures

I love Costco. We go there all the time, and we spend 95% of our food budget and other budgets there.We eat lunch there, when we stop in after church, and we like the samples, and look at all the cute baby stuff we cant afford right now. Costco is wonderful. I tell everyone about it, and they join and experience the wonder, too. I joke around about my "Costco Lifestyle" and I eargerly anticipate the arrival of my Costco coupons in the mail. Such is the extent of my devotion to Costco. I've never had a bad experience there until today.

So the last week, we've been experiencing some upheaval. It's been very stressful for me, and this morning it got even worse. I'm a mixture of angry, bitter, and scared (disclosure: this is not adoption related upheaval. The adoption is the happy part of my life right now). Anyways, I had spent the 4th morning in a row crying. And we arent talking sniffling, we're talking full on sobs, tears staining bank statments on the desk crying. It's ugly crying. Anyways, to relieve the tension, I went for a drive through north Wake county Into and across Durham County and down through Bahama (pronounced Ba HAME uh), and Durham and stopped off at the durham Costco for a Rotisserie Chicken ( and my first can of baby formula!!!). I'm still slightly weepy, and very tired. Ugly crying wears you out.

I usually make an effort to put the cart in the cart corral when I am done with it. I respect Costco employees and know that the person who gets stuck with that job has a hard job. THose carts are big and heavy. And becuase it's 100 degrees, and becuase I'm emotionally and physically too tired, I make the choice to put the cart with 4 other carts in the parking space next to cart corral, which is overflowing. And then a lady in a green SUV drives by.

The Lady has red hair, and I recognize her vaguely as someone who I think works at Costco. I cant be 100 % sure, but I'm pretty sure she does, since I'm there all the time and see the same people over and over. She drives by me in the parking lot, with her window rolled down, and says rudely to me,

"I bet that was a good choice for you wasn't it? A real good idea. Nice job."

I'm dumbfounded for a moment, and then I realize she probably wanted to park there. It was near the door, and in the shade. Granted, as a Costco employee, she shouldnt be parking near the door, but maybe she was late for work, and was desperate. I did that once when I worked retail. And becuase it's 100 degrees outside, and I've been crying all day, I start to cry again. Right there in the parking lot at the Durham Costco.

Well, that was my experience. I'll keep shopping there, becuase I love it, but I'll be wary of the Red Haired Costco Lady. There was a part of me who wanted to go and complain, and demand restitution. But I was ugly crying, and the customer service line was rather long. So I just packed my weepy self into the car and drove home.

Shame on you costco lady. I always look forward to my costco trips, and you ruined mine today when I needed it most. I hope you are happy.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.