a jewish friend told me that they were taught not to pay retail so even costco would be disqualified.
the first time my (toisan) parents visited me from the midwest, i took them to all the usual tourist places, like universal, the huntington gardens, etc. the only place they wanted to re-visit was costco in alhambra - where they walked up and down each aisle comparing prices that they’d have to pay in ohio. granted, it was over 25 years ago.
I guess I should have seen the coming of Costco back in the days of Adrays and ABC Premium. I was too busy saving a buck to notice.
AKA The 11th commandment. Wait… or is the 11th commandment Moses never bought stock on a Friday? I can’t remember but it’s one of those.
The one I know is “Thou shalt not speak ill of thy fellow Republican.”
re: parking - the alhambra costco was analyzed
These are on sale at Costco (at least the Alhambra one) for $8.99.
Currently about one third of the parking lot at Alhambra Costco is roped off for repaving and restriping. Yes, that makes finding a parking spot more difficult than usual.
Confession: I might be the only one here who’s never had a Costco membership.
Nope. Me!! I always buy the smallest sizes because I like to buy fresh. The only thing bulk I buy is stuff that I can use to refill like Dish Soap or that I can scoop like Rice. Although if we ever The Jungles Costco we were promised ever opens… that may change…
I think we cover our Costco membership in savings on toilet paper alone.
I would throw in the rotisserie chicken as well that covers the membership.
If someone is on a budget the $5 rotisserie chicken is arguably one of the best things you can get.
Super versatile when you remove the meat off the bones that can be used for multiple meals.
Using the bones and carcass to make a soup will stretch it out even further.
They usually have bags of rotisserie chicken meat that are cheaper, though it’s even cheaper to buy raw chicken thighs and cook them yourself.
Personally I find the flavor of the rotisserie chickens unpleasant, maybe because of the water, sodium phosphates, hydrolyzed casein, modified corn starch, sugar, dextrose, isolated soy protein, monoglycerides, and diglycerides in the marinade.
COSTCO Rotisserie chicken smell >> taste - and that doesn’t mean the taste, to me, is bad.
We remove the skin and broil in the toaster oven for chicken skin crisps.
I’m pretty sure gas (for the car) covers the membership for us.
And if we make a pair of eyeglasses once a year (which we don’t; we’re more like every other year), that also makes it worth it.
Not about food, but in case you do go to Japan for food: FWIW, Japan has really affordable stores for eyeglasses in general, with lots of frames to choose from and fast turnaround.
Edit: Also, with the current crazy strong USD–>JPY currency exchange rate, it’s an even better deal…
And using my Costco credit card I get 4% back. Too bad about the 10% alcohol reducing the mileage and screwing the environment.
Strong 2nd on @J_L recommendations for glasses in Asia. In my case it was Korea. If you suffer from very big fat Asian noggin syndrome the glasses in Asia are custom made for us. I bought 3 pairs almost a decade ago. All 3 pairs with custom lenses were under $100 total. They are the best fitting glasses I have ever owned. I plan on stocking up if we go back to Asia in the next few years.
Alas, I have only visited Asia once in my entire life! But perhaps I will go again one day… for food and for eyeglasses! 
