[Serenoa]

In the other post about what stores/services TV is missing I see many repeated requests for a Costco store. I didn't want to hijack that thread by asking there, but what exactly is the fascination with Costco? I can understand how a Costco / Sam's might be popular with families who can save by buying mass quantities of food staples, but I can't imagine that being practical or appealing for retirees. We have a Costco here in B'ham & yes, it may be a nicer store than Sam's but we still can't see that their prices justify the annual membership cost. What are we missing? I've always suspected that these membership "wholesale" clubs were just a marketing ploy to make consumers think they were getting an extra good deal. Am I wrong?