Costco is Brainwashing You

Have you ever spent any time thinking about Costco and the rituals we go through when shopping there? Specifically, the idea of stopping as you exit and showing your receipt to a Costco employee so they can put a pink mark on it?

Why do we stop at the door and get our receipt checked? Do you do that at a department store or the grocery store? Does the local mini-mart check your pockets when you leave? So why do we do it at Costco?

We do it because that is how it's always been done. We do it because Costco puts employees at the exit and tells them to do it.

So do you have to stop? Does Costco have the legal right to make you stop? What would happen if you just kept on walking? Why do we sometimes wait in a long line of other exiting shoppers just to be checked for stolen goods? I'm not a criminal, are you?

Today I was leaving Costco after purchasing a bouquet of flowers for my wife. I don't really mind stopping as long as there is no line and the employees are ready for me at the door. Today the two employees at the exit were busy talking to each other and after extending out my receipt to them with no response back, I kept on walking out. My feet didn't skip a step...just kept on walking.

What happened next surprised me. One of the employees followed me out, yelling "excuse me sir, excuse me! Did you get your receipt marked?" I turned around and said "nope, you weren't paying attention" and kept on walking to my car. I looked back a few steps later and she was standing there almost in shock that I didn't let her mark my receipt.

Costco is not only brainwashing their employees, they are brainwashing us. I'd love to see a national "Don't stop for the receipt markers at Costco" day. Anyone with me?

Jeff the Great goes to Canada for his drugs

I recently had another one of those "he said what?" moments while picking up a prescription the other day. I have some medicine that I take regularly and usually get from Costco. While I was between employers and paying for medical 100% out of pocket, these meds cost me $28 for a months supply.

For convenience sake, I transferred my meds to a pharmacy close to my office. Who cares where I get it, the copay will be the same, right? Was I in for a surprise!

When picking my meds up from Walgreens for the first time, I was presented with a $20 bill! How can this be? The pharmacy tech and I checked everything....it was the exact prescription I was buying when I paid 100% out of pocket.

That's when the Pharmacist came to the window, looked to his left, then his right, and said "I don't get my prescriptions here, they are too expensive. Try Costco."

What?!? Did he just say I what I think he did? And some wonder what is wrong with our countries prescription drug process?

Turns out the exact same generic version of my prescription is $88 for a months supply from Walgreens and $28 from Costco. As you might guess, I am taking the pharmacist advice and going back to Costco.

I wonder what would happen to health care insurance premiums if EVERYONE used either Costco or Walmart for their prescriptions? I'm doing my part....

-Jeff the Great

UPDATE: I have since discovered that Walmart does offer a generic version of the above referenced prescription, for $4 without insurance. $88 at Walgreens, $4 at Walmart...go figure.