Maybe the most surprising thing about my middle age is the fact that I’m such a Costco fan now. No, corporations are not our friends, but as Jake Lunbderg writes in The Atlantic,
Costco is a marvel not just historically but also in this moment. In an age of broken institutions, insufferable politics, and billionaire businessmen auditioning to be Bond villains, most things feel like they’re getting worse. Costco seems to stay the same. The employees are generally satisfied. The customers are thrilled by the simple act of getting a good deal. All of it makes a unique space in contemporary American life, a space of cooperation, courtesy, and grown-ups mostly acting like grown-ups.
Of course, Costco is also very media-shy and last year The New Yorker asked “Can the golden age of Costco last?” but for now… I’ll take a business that isn’t blatantly trying to rip off its customers.