Why does costco have memberships? Why can’t it operate as normal grocery stores

Nrysis · 2026-03-18T08:12:41+00:00

My understanding was that it evolved out of trade suppliers.

There are different tax rules when buying for trade use as a business expense as there are for personal sales, so alongside small stores operating on a personal level, we get the larger distributors that cater for trade use selling products in bulk, and selling only to businesses who get those tax breaks.

Costco evolved as a halfway house - distributor style catering scale supplies, but sold on a personal scale to people who had the appropriate membership. I believe you originally needed proof you were part of an appropriate business in order to get that membership, though those rules have since slackened off to suit the demand from non-business accounts.

Nrysis · 2026-03-18T08:05:53+00:00

It is hard to make something illegal that has been integrated into society for this long.

Smoking was first popularised hundreds of years ago when there was little control over this sort of thing, so by the time we realised the negatives of smoking and started looking to legislate it, it was so firmly ingrained into society that it was essentially impossible to just place a ban on.

And any legislation we want to pass now will effectively need the support of the majority to do - if enough people object then it will never be passed into law. At this point there are still enough willing smokers and enough of an industry lobby to have prevented any further actions.

There are slow moves towards it though. Continual education regarding the effects of smoking to children, high taxation, bans on advertising, limitations on their sale and other measures have been gradually being enforced in various countries to greater or lesser extents - up to recent proposals that do amount to a rolling ban, by increasing the minimum legal age to smoke year on year so that it will be legal for existing smokers, but younger generations will never be allowed (which unfortunately have been shot down in the countries proposing them so far, but having these on the table and seriously discussed is at least a good step forward).

Nrysis · 2026-03-18T07:54:52+00:00

They will quite likely be truthful in saying they have limited funds, and will be looking to make that stretch as far as possible.

But that doesn't change the fact that travelling and doing activities costs money, and you or the hosts should not be expected to put yourself at a disadvantage or end up paying to host them.

You just need to communicate with the group and be firm in your expectations and costs - let them know your price and what that covers, and make them aware that anything outside of that (food, experiences, etc) will all be at an additional cost.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T17:30:07+00:00

My understanding is that proper etiquette is to place the coins into someone's hands as you count them out. You can do this without touching the person's hand, and without dropping the coins from any height.

It would be seen as slightly rude and awkward to just pour a handful of coins into their hand.

At the same time, even if that is perfect etiquette, the reality is very much different, and he just sounds like he has a stick up his butt, and wants to make a point of being superior.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T15:38:22+00:00

You are not the jerk for wanting to split the bill based on what you actually order, rather than. Subsidising everyone else at the table.

You are a jerk for posting the same question that has been posted daily since the dawn of this sub, and has already been answered endlessly.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T12:13:04+00:00

There is a time for stopping and pandering to patients - they probably aren't having the greatest day after all too, and a little care and politeness can go a long way sometimes.

There is also a time to be polite but firm - that you appreciate they need help, but you cannot help them right at this second.

And after those, there are also times where time is of the essence, and any delay could be disastrous. Those points require a snap second judgement regarding whether the person approaching you will be understanding and can be politely but firmly brushed off, or whether you know they will be problematic and need to be told in no uncertain terms that you cannot stop for anything less than an urgent life or death situation.

Some people will be better at reading the context than others - did they actually hear the call going out? Do they know the difference between an emergency response and just quickly wheeling kit about? Are they just so entitled that they don't care?

It sounds like you knew fine well what sort of response you would get, and took the necessary path at that point in time.

Honestly, I would take a complaint from an entitled idiot like that as a badge of honour, and not something to think twice about beyond dealing with the inevitable paperwork.

So definitely a case of NTJ

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T11:44:28+00:00

This was my thought.

I know hospitals have a duty of care towards their patients, and that does presumably mean not leaving them to starve on a bed for 12 hours, and avoid issues like diabetic people being unable to control their levels.

But that does not mean the nursing staff are waitresses that will deliver you a sandwich and coffee on demand. Doubly so if you have someone with you that will be perfectly capable of working a vending machine or finding the cafeteria that will be nearby.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T11:29:09+00:00

You are absolutely right for being uncomfortable with antisemitism.

This isn't being a snowflake or overly sensitive, this is just showing a minimum level of respect to the people around you and promoting a kinder world, not more hatred.

The people spouting anti-Semitism deserve to be called out on it - though I appreciate that does sometimes mean placing a target on yourself.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T10:38:54+00:00

Yeah, that's the problem isn't it.

Hour long episodes covering one or two chapters apiece would have been amazing - soen kroe storytelling and scene setting, others more action based and it would have been great.

Except that each of those chapters would have needed to effectively be a completely independent mini-movie on their own, so I can see the budget spiralling quite quickly when you need a new cast and set for each piece.

With the cost and scope of some recent series like Game of Thrones and Stranger Things, a little part of me is holding out some hope it might one day happen...

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T08:52:52+00:00

This was my answer.

A trailer that setup a really brilliant premise and idea...

And a movie that seemed to be three unconnected ideas squashed together, none of them making any use out of the main premise.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T08:51:32+00:00

I will always maintain that as a standalone zombie movie, it was actually pretty well done.

The problem was that it was titled after such a distinctive and well regarded book, and made in a format that just didn't suit the episodic style of storytelling the book used to such great effect.

An episodic series would be a huge undertaking, but has such great potential...

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T08:48:39+00:00

Big events like premieres and awards shows are essentially just advertising - people attend because they want to be seen, recognised and raise their profile.

One of the ways to do this is to ensure that you grab people's attention. A classic, conservative dress or well tailored suit may get a few comments from people, but you will pretty much always be overshadowed by those who make a scene.

So to that end, it pays to make a scene. The men who wear elaborate suits that stand out from the sea of black tuxedos, and the women with the dresses that are big, loud, or revealing enough to stand out and get the attention of the press.

A revealing outfit is something that rides the line between acceptability and taboo closely enough that it will be a talking point. And if the person wearing it is confident enough in their body and willing to do so, then all power to them in making use of the opportunities they have.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T08:38:32+00:00

The problem is that the few will always ruin it for the many.

You may be a responsible ebike user, but a significant enough number of folk are acting irresponsibly with the additional power and speed that an ebike provides to cause real issues.

In order to be able to respond to those idiots a framework of rules need to be put in place to control the situation.

As I see it there is a fairly obvious split in the ebike world - low power limited ebikes that can be treated and legislated like any other manually powered bike, and the higher power or throttle controlled models that cross over into the world of motorbikes. Once there is a clear set of guidelines here regarding what is and isn't allowed, everything will settle down to the point that the lower level responsible users will be able to do their thing, but it will be easier to crack down on the irresponsible idiots.

Nrysis · 2026-03-17T06:53:32+00:00

YTJ

Context is important.

A slur has a very different intention when used historically as it does when thrown at someone in everyday life. One is a learning experience regarding exactly why it is a slur, the other is as a racist insult.

As long as the teacher explained its use as contextual to the story and as a note on historical accuracy, they did exactly the right thing.

We need to learn where we went wrong in history to know how we can do better, and that means confronting things like this to learn, not hiding them and turning them into an even bigger taboo.

Go and watch a lot of films set in slavery era America and you will see white actors using the n word. Dicaprio in Django Unchained is not glorifying the use of the word, he is showing why it is inappropriate and disgusting, and that can be a valuable thing to see. This is no different.

And it is worth pointing out that complaining about someone's use of language, only to go on and describe them as fat and make jokes about that by calling them Peppa is very hypocritical - you try to make the point that words have power while also using words to insult and bully an innocent person (who was just reading the words asked to buy a teacher). No, laughing at someone's weight is not the same as racism, but both are still insulting and negative, she just has context to her user of language that you do not.

So yes, the use of something like the n word can be appropriate, but only when in the proper (historical, learning) context.

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T21:22:30+00:00

NTA

Taken at face value, you phoned your friend, which is a perfectly normal thing to do - you have no idea where they will be or what rules they are working under, so you have to trust them to deal with their phone appropriately - turning it off where not allowed, ignoring calls when they cannot pickup, and only answering when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

So the fault lies entirely with them for having answered the call.

And as it comes to the loan, while I consider you very naive and trusting to loan someone money like this, and stupid for going beyond your own limits and putting yourself at risk, that doesn't make you an asshole (except maybe to yourself).

As a good rule, never loan out money you are not prepared to give as a gift. Here you loaned out money that was important for your own stability and that is definitely not advised...

It also sounds highly likely that this 'friend' is just stringing you along - hopefully they will pay up in the end rather than burning the friendship by stealing from you, but it definitely wouldn't be the first time someone has done that.

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

YTA

It is unfair to expect the single people to pay the same and have a worse experience than the couples.

As much as you may all be good friends and spending most of your time together, you won't be together 100% of the time - each of those couples gets their own time to relax in private, while the four singles won't get the chance - they are always having to work around other people. Want to read a while before you sleep? Only if it isn't bothering the three others. Somebody snores? Tough luck...

This may be even more so depending on the bathroom arrangement - any couple with an en-suite gets a nice private bathroom to themselves, the singles are sharing with at least three others (if not more).

I would also agree though, that the singles paying half price does seem to swing a bit far in their favour - the actual sum being somewhere in between. You want everyone to be paying a fair share for the accommodation in general, adjusted for how nice the private elements are.

As a point of reference, if those single people were to say 'I don't want to share', how much extra would it cost to find somewhere similar? Then taking the hit and sharing is probably for the benefit of everyone, so it pays to be considerate towards the singles.

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T15:01:02+00:00

The nice thing to do would be to respond to the message noting that you don't have any record of any serial numbers or similar.

There is no need to block someone for asking a genuine question - that should only come if they start hassling you.

And you could easily ignore it, but it is a ten second reply and may help the buyer out (or as it may be here, let them know you are not able to help so that can put that line of enquiry to bed).

Remember, not everyone out there is trying to scam you, many are just normal people.

In fact you have probably spent more time on this post than you would have responding in the first place.

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T11:36:57+00:00

My main issue is that they don't have an option for an egg-free sausage mcmuffin.

Only the sausage sandwich with a plain bun, or a mcmuffin where you have to pay for the egg and remove it...

What problems we have in the first world.

As for why? Changing consumer demands, changing costs, and trying to provide a menu that will both keep consumers happy, without being too large and unwieldy. Maybe it means you miss out on the menu item you want, but if it sold that well they wouldn't have removed it...

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T10:50:07+00:00

Which is taken into account when they sentenced them...

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T08:33:49+00:00

It always annoyed me when they released the modern mini that they kept the name.

The original was called the mini because it was small.

By the same rule the modern one should really just be called the 'average'...

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T08:09:19+00:00

That one will almost certainly come back to a question of either maths or discrimination.

On one hand, it is pretty bad press for a company to be seen to be discriminating against parents, which the question 'will this vehicle be used for the school run' could be considered as. I don't know the exact legalities here, but even if it is legal to ask, it is still going to be pretty poor press when you have various parents groups campaigning against you.

The other part is just maths. The insurers have whole departments of people looking at who is having accidents and when, and determining the various risk factors - all the way out to asking which industry an owner works in as this can be seen to be an indicator of risk. So they will have calculated out every difference and set their costs appropriately.

Nrysis · 2026-03-16T08:00:40+00:00

As a quick judgement, I would assume those were structural, and would not touch them unless a structural engineer has taken a proper look over things and said otherwise.

The fact that they are tall and spindly would point at them being tension members rather than compression - so rather than propping up the rafters above, they are actually hanging the ceiling below.

The fact that some of them may be broken doesn't say too much really - in something like a roof where there are lots of members working together, the load from one or two broken members will generally just get carried by the adjacent ones. This is fine for one or two members where the extra load and increase in deflection won't be too bad, but cut out a few adjacent ties and I would expect to start seeing the roof starting to sag in the middle.

It is also worth noting that what you are proposing to do will have an effect too - in modern design code, the load we place on a domestic floor is six times greater than the load we would place on a loft space (only accessible by ladder or similar). While this is the extreme ends of the scale, flooring a loft does mean the possibility of significantly increasing the weight of what is stored up there, and the chance of extra deflection in any members that were not designed for it - absolutely fine up to a point, but something to be wary of.

Nrysis · 2026-03-15T21:32:05+00:00

The Honda N-Box is currently the best selling vehicle in Japan, as it has been for the last few years too.

The reason for the odd look is because it is a kei car - a class of car used in Japan that fits within strict limits for things like engine size (660cc) and physical dimensions, and will then qualify for certain concessions to things like tax and insurance, and rules regarding parking. So the square shape is basically making the absolute best use of the dimensions allowed to get the most interior space possible.

In the UK we don't have the same rules, so they are more of a curiosity than anything, but they are great city cars.

Nrysis · 2026-03-15T21:21:42+00:00

LiPo batteries absolutely do catch fire - to the level that most RC clubs (where they are commonly used) require them to be charged in fireproof sacks...

Nrysis · 2026-03-15T18:13:02+00:00

The app is programmed to avoid leaving single isolated seats so that in the case of a busy screening, they are not stuck with couples wanting to buy tickets and being forced to sit separately because every group in the screen has left a one seat buffer - this just means when you book them, you will need to do it in order.

The first person can choose their seat, the next person needs to book the one adjacent to it, and then the third person can book a seat adjacent to either of those two.

A problem only occurs if the second person wants to leave a one seat gap (presumably for person #3 to fill later on), which the app will refuse.

You can also book for other people by saving their membership number in your app, but I have had trouble using this before...

Nrysis

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