Jumping to the other ship

We'd been members of Sam's Club, the warehouse wholesale branch of Wal-mart, for years. Way back in the day, our annual membership had been free, which is how we got started. And there are some things worth buying in bulk -- detergent, paper towels, and so forth. And then, when the kids arrived, we found the best secret in Sam's -- the house-brand diapers. Less expensive than Pampers or any other name brand offered, and they worked fine and fit better.

I'm not much of a fan of Wal-mart -- I don't shop there unless I've run out of other options. But I was willing to shop at Sam's Club, as it served a purpose financially, there was no other warehouse club in range, and the diapers were really good.

Costco opened a store in North Austin around 2001, and I got the complimentary one-year starter membership, but never renewed because the location was no advantage. That changed recently; Costco opened a South Austin store last year.

And, about six months ago, we stopped needing diapers. And this is very, very much a good thing. (Way to go, Carson!)

When our Sam's membership came up for annual renewal in May, I let it go, rounded up the kids, and off we went to Costco. We signed up a few weeks ago, and they still had me in their records.

So far, all is good. Prices are comparable, location is not bad, and the product selection is similar, sometimes identical. Plus they sell sushi trays (including huge sushi trays), which I haven't yet tried but am anticipating with enthusiasm.

There are a number of Wall Street advisers who don't like Costco because they sacrifice some potential profitability in favor of treating the employees well, and the CEO doesn't pull down some obscene, eight-figure salary. On the whole, Costco has a better moral and ethical position than Sam's (Wal-mart, remember; nothing more need be said). Well, Wall Street is packed full of assholes, so to hell with them. Out here in the real world, Costco serves us well.

Buh-bye, Sam's Club. Hullo, Costco.