i pledge allegiance to costco

warehouses. what is it about costco that is SO awesome to me? is it the random but totally cool items sold? (i was eyeing the kayaks, rosetta stone in mandarin, and played around with a g.e. camp lantern with a replaceble flourescent bulb. the lantern was less than 10 bucks! i have 2 of the non-replaceable bulb lanterns but as i examined the bulb i thought, where am i going to find a mini bulb like this anyway?) or is it the fact that at any day of the week, usually during lunch (because that's when i'm there), i can sample the myriad of food. yesterday i had tzatziki and louisiana hot links. i was really tempted by the pizza samples, but my constant digestive battle with diary quickly squashed that idea. OR is it the fact that every year, i get this rebate check from the credit card company that i quickly convert to costco cash? i desperately need tires and that check covered one of the four i'd have to purchase.

my recent experience at costco was extremely pleasant. i met cheryl at the hot links table. she was quite the salesperson. cheryl struck up a convo with me by asking if i make pancit. i was taken back. you see, pancit is a popular stir-fried noodle dish of the philippines. she knew i was filippino. rarely do people know that about me without me divulging that fact. she told me that she uses those particular hot links in her pancit. she also told me she was jamaican. that's when i really got excited. i asked her where i could find chicken curry patties here, meaning las vegas. but i didn't quite communicate that to her properly because it didn't register. she pointed to the different turkey burger and chicken cutlet patties, nearby. i asked the question again, and added 'you know the ones you eat with coco bread?' cheryl lit up and said, 'oh you mean pa tays?' i said, yeah those. i told her i lived in new york where i enjoyed a good pa tay or two but could never find them out here. she told me of a store on the other side of town that sold them. anyway, we hit it off.

i now have a new friend whose name i can drop when i visit the jamiacan store across town to get some jamaican chicken curry pa tays, some coco bread and maybe even some oxtail soup. 'girl, tell them that cheryl sent you.' it was a good day at costco.

i forgot one more thing. doesn't everyone have a secret desire to work there?