Costco

So. A month ago I went to Costco. 

It's in the middle of a pasture. Apparently most Paris suburbs didn't want the big American megastore around,
so they looked elsewhere.

 (Throughout the post, click to enlarge any picture).

Tires, tires everywhere!

Joining was worth every moment of the wait!

Ahh, familiarity. Even in the john.

 Going to Costco wouldn't be worthy of a mention, much less a blog post, except that there is exactly one Costco in all of France - in all of mainland Europe, as far as I know. Josh turned me on to everyone's favorite big box store in the early 2000s in Massachusetts, and I've been a huge fan ever since.

They have the hot dogs! And the first decent pepperonis I've ever seen in France!

Also fries at the food court AND espresso. Both of which are sorely lacking at U.S. locations.

Costco France launched the same month that we did, July 2017, a fact we both attribute to the Universe being a just and loving place. We shopped at the Greenville location almost weekly during our time there - the produce is fresh and often half the price of other grocery stores, the meat is good quality and affordable, and we used Kirkland brand diapers, wipes, and often clothes for the kids. Josh's mother worked for Costco in Sequim, Washington for much of his childhood and young adult years, including when I met her for the first time. She baked bread, packaged those enormous muffins, frosted cakes - it's a big part of our lives. Knowing that they pay well and generally treat their employees like human beings is a huge reason for my loyalty. That, and the quality is great.

SO. We had planned to go together as a family on the Sunday before my parents arrived in Paris, since we were heading up there to collect them anyway. But, this being France, Costco is closed on Sundays, so instead I decided to drive up and back in a single day, covering 500 miles and about eight hours of driving, not to mention almost 80 Euros in tolls.

I know, I've lost my mind.

But one thing about living overseas is that you miss familiarity. I'm always telling people that everything in France is just a liiiiiittle bit different than back in the States. Not a lot different - in Japan it was a lot different, and I think I learned faster as a result. Here it's a little bit different, so slightly that I pretty regularly find myself holding up a half dozen shoppers at the market because I've forgotten to weigh and sticker my produce. Or, like last week, I pay four Euros so that the car wash can thoroughly scrub NOTHING, the AIR, because I didn't realize that here you pull in first, then get out and pay and reenter your car after the automatic wash is done. Everything is a little bit different.

That's true for Costco too, and I knew it wouldn't be exactly the same. But the prospect of visiting one of my favorite shops, picking up some familiar products and discovering new ones, and eating a perfect hot dog for once, was enough to make me do it. That, and eight hours in the car listening to whatever I damn well please with no one asking for snacks or potty breaks! Josh kept the kids at home.

I've never seen a raclette skillet at a Costco in the U.S., but it wouldn't surprise me.

 So I headed out a little too late, around 9:00 a.m., and had the most beautiful drive through rolling hills. The toll highways are expensive here, but they make life so easy! You pick up a ticket at an entry gate, and pay one large toll at the exit nearest your destination. No coins, no constant stopping, no worries. There are large and relatively clean rest stops every 20 minutes or so, many with bathrooms and restaurants and gas stations. I listened to a podcast about the new Star Trek series, one about making phone calls in French, and much of the Hamilton cast album. It was delightful. Soon I'd arrived, starving, and waited a few minutes to join and get my card. I had a hot dog and fries at the food court and headed in to my happy place. Well, one of them.

Almonds and pistachios that don't cost $35/lb! 

Candy. So much candy.

 It wasn't long before I started seeing American goods! My search for Goldfish crackers was a bust, but I grabbed Pop Tarts and microwave popcorn for some expat buddies. I'm also thrilled to report that Costco France has samples throughout the store, and I tried quite a few goodies. Watching French customers, who are generally unaccustomed to samples, very casually circle the tables, waiting to see how it works, was pretty amusing.

They have the diapers and wipes! Fortunately, the Sullins family is past needing those.

 If you know me, you know I bought a bag of Reese's miniature peanut butter cups for $20. I'm proud to say that over a month later, we haven't quite managed to eat all 3.5 pounds of them.

Hippie baking products

Coffee capsules - but I'm not willing to buy that many without first trying one.

My kitchen is well-stocked already, and yet I'm always tempted by pretty new stainless bowls,
strainers, and pans. I resisted.

Batteries for a good price - expats take note!

They had pet food, but not the kind Charlie eats. Ah well! 

 The seasonal items were particularly enticing. I didn't pick up any Halloween costumes for the kids, but boy did I want to. Christmas was in full swing as well, with candies and decorations and the gorgeous gift tags and wrapping paper I always used back home. October is too early for Christmas, even for me, but I grabbed a pack of the paper anyway. Ho ho ho!

These were adorable. I bought some and brought them to a Halloween party in Clermont - where Lincoln told everyone that I'd made them myself! I set them straight...mostly.

 Next was the bakery! Since I love to bake at home, I haven't ever gotten hooked on the muffins, breads, or desserts here, and I'm definitely not buying Costco pastries in France. Still, seeing them made me smile and think of my mother-in-law, Judy.

 Nor did I pick up any "Real American Super Buns."

Hey hey, sheet cakes! Now I'll know where to go before the next major protest!

 The butcher shop was beautiful, with tons of cuts of beef, pork, and lamb. Unfortunately for me, our refrigerator and freezer are the size of postage stamps, so I couldn't indulge much. Fortunately though, my husband has a smoker and knows how to use it - so those pork ribs did make the journey back to Auvergne and into our bellies!

 Next we come to the truly European products, which again were gorgeous. Mortadella, parmesan, and pasta from Italy. French and Spanish hams. And, oh Nelly, the cheeses.

Tomme is mild and soft and wonderful.

Up top there are mini Camembert rounds, in a container and ready to be melted in the oven and swooned over.

And it wouldn't be a French supermarket without a metric ton of shredded Emmental.

 In the prepared foods section, some greatest hits appeared, like the Caesar salad, mac and cheese, and rotisserie chickens. And there were some new favorites too - quiches, cold lentil salad, and more.

Who wants to store that many Ziploc bags or big red cups in their French apartment?
Well, I do, a little bit. But I didn't get them.

 Again, thanks to the tiny fridge in our apartment, I couldn't really explore the fruits and vegetables section with much purpose. I did see huge boxes of shallots and leeks, beautiful eggplants and zucchini, and pretty decent-looking fruit. It's hard to get excited about those, though, when I have a gorgeous farmer's market one block from my house, three days per week. Not to mention the grocery stores and indoor markets that dot the region.

Bubbles! We're hooked, but I prefer not to fill my whole garage with bottles.

A few more Kirland brand favorites in the laundry section.

 One difference between U.S. and French Costco is the booze. Many of the American stores sell it, but in a separate building or section of the store. In France it's right in next to the vegetables, top shelf liquors alongside more pedestrian ones.

 I was hoping for some good American craft beer, but Budweiser was about all they could offer.

 Oh, but the wine section. It's a damn shame that I'm so ignorant about French wine still - a fact that is slightly less true now, after my parents' visit and my first trip to a wine tasting festival. But I didn't pick anything up at Costco despite the rows and rows of bottles. Next time I'll be better prepared.

 On to frozen and shelf-stable foods! Bag o'snails, anyone?

Anyone?

Beuller*?

I do not know what Lady Chips are, and I didn't buy them to find out. But if you're in need, you can find them at Costco.

Hey look, American food! Probably made with Emmental though.

So great to see this Kirkland version of Nutella! It's made without palm oil, which is terrible for the environment, and it tastes a lot like the original. I made breakfast buns using this as the filling. VISIT ME.

That Kirkland super premium vanilla ice cream would take up my entire freezer. But French versions of vanilla just taste weird to me - if it hadn't have been for the 4 hour drive home, I might have bought it anyway.

 Another big hope was that I'd find Kirkland peanut butter. It's not hard to find natural peanut butter in France, but the taste is sometimes a little odd, and it's about three times as expensive as you'd expect in the U.S. Alas, I found almond butter and Skippy but not the one I wanted. It was great to be able to grab Skippy for some buds in Clermont who miss it, though.

 Cereal! Again, no regular Cheerios - evidently we Americans are the only ones who like our cereal as plain as all that. The Rice Krispies I picked up were not a hit with my munchkins either. I suspect the Unicorn Froot Loops would have been, but I'm the worst so I left those on the shelf.

Hellman's mayonnaise, and not for 9€ a jar! 

 One more aisle had some familiar heroes - Kirkland brand nut snacks.

 My hunt for crackers yielded exactly one result: these three seed sweet potato abominations. Not a Triscuit, Goldfish, or Wheat Thin to be found, alas. The French do not enjoy a cracker.

I bet they'd enjoy this carrot cake, though. As I very nearly did.

Worth it.

 Costco France is a long-ass drive, too expensive to be smart. But the feeling of familiarity, and a trunk packed with peanut butter pretzels, nut bars that aren't 80% sugar, peanuts, ribs, a take and bake pepperoni pizza (which I baked that night because it won't fit in the fridge) (it BARELY fit in the oven), and treats for our friends was absolutely a good use of my Saturday. We're scheming now to take orders and maybe drive someone else's bigger vehicle to stock up for the Clermont Americans, maybe next month or the month after. In the meantime, I'm trying to purchase one new French product per week or try a new dinner recipe. Balancing the familiar and the new - that's the closest I've found to a good plan since we arrived.

*Yes I know the Ferris Beuller reference is almost as old as I am. I'll see myself out.