Large warehouses. Cheap gas. Free food samples. Buying in bulk. Cheap hot dogs and pizza. Big packs of bottled water. These are the things I think of when I go to Costco, and I'm sure others do too. And a great stock. The Chinese have a specific name for Costco that's a mix between how it sounds and the meaning, and it means "good market with plenty." A fitting description for this generation of getting cheap stuff and a lot of it.
I went to Costco today on my day off to get gas, and realized that the Lindero Canyon location in Ventura County doesn't sell gas! Not all Costcos do! Imagine that. I had also heard that Costco had been getting a ton of business recently as customers flocked to stores to load up on emergency provisional goods in case the coronavirus got out of control (a lot of people watched a lot of zombie and apocalypse movies over the weekend), and my visit confirmed my suspicions: even at 11:30AM on a Tuesday morning in March (not like huge holiday weekends in December and January) the store was packed, people with large shopping carts stacking up on bulk items. Costco purportedly doesn't make any money on their prices of goods, they sell them to you at cost (no markups) and only make money on their membership fees, but I'm not so sure.........those acai bowls and cheap food items are pretty enticing though. Costco has kind of a unique shopping experience different than other stores in the airiness of its stores, MJ and I feel like we're going on a date every time we go to one. Just have to make sure there's a gas station if I'm going there for gas!
Completely separate note, I've realized as I'm growing older that the phrase "youth is wasted on the young" is applicable in more than one way. There's the most common interpretation which is young people are the only ones who have youth but they while it away without appreciating it, but also because youth is when we develop all of our habits and basis of how we will be in the future. I think I watched too much TV or played too many video games as a kid, I didn't absorb enough information and wasn't able to develop any special skills, except maybe Chinese language. The repetitive behavior of youth and the formation of the body play a critical role in those formative years, I'd say from like 6 years old to 18; those are the critical times you're training yourself for the future. Language comes best at those times, sports (you have to start early as an athlete or else have no hope of making it big), musical prodigies. But not just specific skills, it's also the attitude and psychology that's developed during those times, whether to read a lot, work hard, be able to express love and compassion, etc., etc. I find that no matter how much we think that we can always start over as adults, there's still that foundation as a child that's built there that persists that can't be replicated. I guess that's why tiger moms and helicopter parents are so insistent on forcing their children to do what they think is best for them......and in a way it's a gift. It works both ways for me: I wasn't able to develop amazing chess ability or sports ability, and didn't like science and engineering which could have been major benefits for me later on in life, but I did focus a lot in English grammar class (which allows me to have natural command of the English language and help MJ on her essays and writing assignments), read a lot of Kanji as part of my Chinese studies early on in life that's paying off now, and also, maybe most importantly, I developed a strong work ethic during the high school years of always doing my homework and studying for tests, as well as working hard on the job (started my first job at age 16). Invaluable experiences for the rest of my life.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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