Costco: welcome to the temple of mass consumption

I live in the French countryside, 30km from Paris. Several months ago, in the middle of a field, where some cows used to go for a daily walk, a new building appeared. In big red letters, it was written “COSTCO” on it.  In friendly neighbor’s discussions, on the market square, after the Sunday mass, people started to wonder what it meant. Gossips started to circulate: “it’s an American store” guessed one. “Everything is cheap there, but full of GMO and hormones” responded the other. So this is how it looks from outside.

 

At the same time intrigued by this supposedly-American sign, and thrilled to discover what was inside, I decided to go in, and explore this mysterious place.

So. An interesting fact I had no idea about before entering was that to buy anything there, you must ask for a member card, and pay 34 euros for it. Actually, first, you have to wait for approximately twenty minutes in a line, before even accessing the store. And I let you imagine how many people wanted to experience shopping in this brand new temple of mass consumption. 

What surprised me most when I eventually entered was the huge variety of goods you could find there, and the size of the store. From fashion jewellery to muffins, from sofas to fruit, wine, clothes, and everything you could imagine: all was sold in packs of 4 to 12 units. 

At some point, I even found it quite ridiculous. For instance, a typical French cheese named “Rocamadour” (that you usually buy for special occasions, or when you’re having guests) was sold in wooden containers in unbelievable quantities. But it’s not the only case of such an absurdity: the list goes on and on. Literally everything was disproportionate: 500g of Tzatziki. 2l of Vodka. A pack of 50 pencils or 30 peanut butter bars.

And the worst thing is that you don’t have a choice! I mean you can’t just take two of them, because that’s all you need. If you do so, the prices will not only be less advantageous: you’ll pay more for a unit than for the entire pack!

To me, it was the perfect representation of what me mean when we say such cliché words as “consumerism”, “standardization” etc etc. Because yes, people go to Costco with their children, having fun with them, and yielding to every temptation – not really considering the prices, the quality or any other relevant criteria. By doing so, we lose the notion of value in food. We stop asking ourselves what is to be eaten for a normal meal, and what is for a special day. Because they’re all in the same 12 unit packs, right? 

Consuming food has become nothing more than a trivial ritual, not an enjoyable moment. Not a time when you appeal to your senses and appreciate the taste of each aliment. 

I can’t judge the quality of the products offered: all I know is that most of them come from the US (the company Kirkland is very well represented, by the way) though you can find food produced in France as well.