"Costco Replaces Yellowstone"

I don't know, "why", really, the article from the Desert Sun in the sidebar caught my imagination like it did, but after reading the article I became curious about the fact... "Is SHOPPING the "new vacation destination"!?

In the article, it talks about this couple that "camped in their motor home outside a new Cabela's store overnight, then spent the day shopping". In fact, they planned two days of their vacation time, around "shopping at Cabela's stores"!?!

It brought to mind an article in my Costco's member's magazine a while back, that told of many, many, people that "Plan their annual vacations around traveling between various Costco stores"!

One couple, interviewed for this article, stated that; "We plug all the Costcos into our motor home's GPS system, within a 1,500 mile radius of our home, then take off, to visit them all on our yearly vacation!"
Well, I guess, since Costco always has those little "food/product sample promo ladies" set up throughout their stores, one COULD save on eating while on vacation, just by sampling all the free food!?

But, "palnning an entire vacation, around visiting various stores, all basically built the same and offering nearly all the same products"?

Granted, when I went to Cabela's flagship store, it WAS a lot of fun and it takes quite a while to go through the whole place, if you want to see everything. I guess I don't see, though, this "planning an entire vacation around", or, "camping out in a parking lot, until the doors open" as a "vacation-destination"!?

I don't know........ maybe it's a "good thing"? Maybe, it will take a load of Yellowstone and such places, if it really catches on!?

Or, maybe, some people are just, plain, "weird"?

 

[Bruno]

I recently had to travel to Minneapolis and stayed near the Mall of America. The Mall itself has Vacation Packages to fly there and shop. I spent and hour in the place and was dumbfounded by it size. It is a destination.

My sister and mother take a shopping vaction once or twice a year to NYC. The shop, eat and see a show. They claim there are things there that you can not get here. It makes them happy so I am all for it.


Now a Costco vacation is a bit down scale. Then again people go to Ponderosa, Cheescake Factories and Olive Gardens on vacations. What ever floats your boat.

 

[jayL]

I agree that it's a bit flaky, flybinder. Then again, I travel to check out breweries and bars, as well as restaurants. (the boston beer works being the latest... 5 out of 5 stars on my scale). My female friends and relatives do the shopping vacations, and think I'm the nut for driving hundreds of miles to get drunk... or, worse yet, pull a few slimy fish around by their mouths.

 

[pete41]

Don't know if it is so much weird as being wired for the urban,indoor lifestyle.
I am a remarried widower.Took my my wife and new Sister in law for a ride over to Gainesville,Fl..We went through the Horse farms country and some scenic national forests.I noticed that my SIL would look around in the towns but read a book in the country.Finally while going through the Ocala National forest I mentioned how pretty it was as I didn't want her to miss anything.My SIL glanced out and said ``nothing to see but trees '' and went back to reading.
I said what do you want to see.She said go through the towns so they can see people,houses and stores.That was their idea of scenery.
Just about forty years ago when we first moved to Montana,My deceased wife Barb and I went for a ride over toward the Madison river.Awesome scenery with snow capped mountains 360 around us.I said,beautiful isn't it.I looked over and she was crying.Asked her why and she said``All this country and no shopping centers''.
She was just homesick-first time away.We got a lot of laughs out of that.

 

[Acristickid]

I think it is complete lunacy- but I am in the camp of "whatever floats your boat is cool with me as long as your not hurting anybody or cost taxpayers money".

This is before my time but... When there was a war on- people had butter and gas rationed- made sacrifices. Now- when there is a war on- we are told to GO shopping!

I broke up with a girl over shopping. She managed an Ann Taylor and spent her whole paycheck on clothes and makeup. She was hot but there seemed to be no end to the spending.(maybe she was just being patriotic)

 

[ian_brown]

I didn't read the article, but certain big-box stores let people park campers in the parking lots for free. If Costco has the same policy, programing them into a GPS would allow you to avoid campsite fees and restock in the same place. It isn't scenic, but it works if you're just passing through an area.

 

[tomgamber]

Yeah, we have friends who travel around and they are allowed to park their camper overnight on long trips in Walmart and Sam's Club lots. Some only allow "Good Sam" members to do so. but its becoming common. Good marketing if you figure you can wake up get a bunch of supplies and hit the road again.

 

Sorry, Chaps, but as USUAL, I'd been inhaling way too much fly head cement, while also sipping some Crazy Susy wine, when I first posted!

The "Costco vacationers", in that article, made it clear that; "That was ALL they did, when on a "Costco vacation" (their term, not mine), was "To travel from one Costco, to the next Costco until they'd hit them all then they'd go home with "a completed and very satisfying vacation behind us!".

I, do know, that our local Costco has a big, blue, sign up that clearly states: "NO, overnight parking allowed!", but I don't know if that's just or Costco or not!?!

But, after reading all the other great and hilarious posts made so far, on this topic, I guess maybe it's not all that uncommon anymore for us to be an; "Indoor/Mall/Shopping Crazy society" after all!?

Sure, I can see, (and have done it myself a few times), to go see interesting sites, like breweries, cheese factories, etc, ONCE, just to say "I've done it!", but these people and ones like them, do this EVERY YEAR as their "annual vacations"... and that, to me, I guess is a perfect example of "Whatever floats your boat"!
AT LEAST that's LESS people, on my local streams!

 

[ryanh]

I said it before and I will say it again, we of all people have no business scrutinizing any one else's hobby.

Acristickid,
I (and probly most of you) have spent whole paychecks on fly gear at one time or another in my life. That is my passion, that is why i go to work in the morning. Some people it is clothes, some people it is NASCAR.

 

[Acristickid]

Ryan-

I am going to use my get out of jail free card.

I agree with you but I can still call'em crazy.

Like I said, "Whatever floats your boat is allright with me".



Things I don't understand:

GWAR and or dressing up like D&D?

Cleveland Browns fans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Am7QJ0Zoto

As for her specifically: she spent her WHOLE paycheck. Like can't afford the car payment and various other bills. Maybe cool for her but not when someone else is writing out checks.

 

[jayL]

GWAR. I never thought I'd see them mentioned on a FF forum.

I can't explain GWAR, but I used to ALWAYS get flack from fellow fisherman when I was younger for something similar. It's time for a little Jay history...

I was a hell of a little punk rocker in my teen years. I wore spikes, chains, piercings, etc. I had pink, green, purple, etc hair at one time or another. Bright orange was my favorite. I grew out of it, but sometimes people just make odd choices. I used to get hell from fellow fisherman, but ended up befriending many of the local guys that I often ran in to. Add waders, which I often cinched down with a studded belt, and you had a completely out of place fisherman. I guess you can't judge a book by it's cover... even if it spends its vacations shopping at COSTCO.

As for D&D, I go to an engineering centric college, so I see plenty of those dudes. Pretty odd if you ask me.

 

[Acristickid]

jayL

Yea- GWAR.

I think that was floating in my head because it is Halloween!

The wierdest (I mean in a good way) band I ever saw was
The Flaming Lips midnight show at Bonnaroo. The do some dressing up too. I enjoy that band.

 

[ryanh]

Acristikid,

The best sage advice I ever seen was carved into a stall in the mens room of the Rathskeller in State College, and I quote, "No matter how hot she is, there is some dude some where who is sick of her $h*&".


Amen to that. But I have to admit I still have spent WAY too much money on FFing gear. Money is temporary, gear is forever.

 

[troutbert]

In some future epoch, anthropologists will look back and say, "Ah yes, the Costco Culture." They had very strange rituals back then.

 

[Acristickid]

ryan-

Agreed on the gear issue!

troutbert-

One of my college professors use that same deal -but it was diapers!

 

[mattd]

JayL, Your description reminds me of fishing with my little bro. Only person Ive ever seen in waders with a mowhawk. Always easy to find though, you can hear the chains from under the waders. I just never could figure out how he could wear jeans with the crouch at his knees under waders.

He also introduced me to GWAR and no, don't understand. He told me the band members are actually pretty normal dudes with proffesional jobs. Dont know bout that.