Image via WikipediaThe many empty parking spaces close to the entrance welcomed me. I was the second customer at the photo counter. Aisles were empty. I didn't have to wait on a line to order an 18-inch pizza for dinner or pick up a berry smoothie for my wife.
Yes. This was Costco in Hackensack this morning, about 30 minutes after its 10 a.m. opening. A store that is often so crowded you think it is giving stuff away was civilized for a change. Even the sun was shining.
Encountering a woman in one of the aisles, I asked her, "Have you every seen Costco so empty?" She replied, "No. But it's wonderful." And both of us laughed heartily.
What was I doing in Costco the morning after a major snowstorm?
Well, my wife and I got out early to clear the driveway, sidewalk and walk, and I needed a few things, including an 18-inch vegetable pizza from Costco ($9.95). It's big enough for lunch and dinner. The berry smoothie is $1.45, plus tax.
And I wanted more Kirkland-brand organic chicken stock to make the recipe for tortellini soup on the back of each carton ($10.99 for six quarts).
I also wanted to develop photographs in my digital camera, including several I took this morning of the winter-wonderland scenes around my home. They were ready in 15 minutes, compared to the usual one-hour wait.
Besides the chicken stock, I found Lucini-brand marinara sauce with roasted garlic ($4.97 for three, 13.5-ounce pouches); Cabot sliced cheddar cheese ($6.99 for two pounds); fresh strawberries, ($5.99 for two pounds); and Vlasic Farms sour pickle spears made with sea salt ($3.35 for a 62-ounce jar).
