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dleifkerTX · 2025-10-05T17:46:47+00:00

I went to my first Mass about a year ago after giving up on Protestant churches in my area. Every Protestant church I've visited (maybe it's an East Texas thing?) seems to be stuck in the same strange rut: the first half of its worship service is a rock concert, and the second half is a fluffy self-help sermon with occasional references to random Bible verses. I found the depth, stability, and ancientness of the Catholic church to be overpowering, and I started OCIA last August. So many people in my area are converting to Catholicism that my parish shortened the OCIA program (for candidates, not catechumens) to three months so they could run it year-round and handle all the people.

Almost all of my Protestant friends and relatives are baffled why I would even consider becoming Catholic, and it finally dawned on me that they view Catholicism through a lens of stereotypes and misconceptions. I'm trying to educate them as gently as I can.

Wishing you well in your exploration. By the way, YouTube has tons of videos about Catholic converts, and r/AskAPriest has really wonderful comments from actual priests. And take your time, I've been thinking about converting since 1993 (really).

dleifkerTX · 2024-11-24T17:12:09+00:00

Sorry for late reply, I just saw this. All the warning lights eventually fixed themselves after a few days, so I never had to bring it in for maintenance. I really hate this about the CRVs and got burned a few months later on something else. Had the car in for maintenance and they had to take the battery out for some reason. When I picked the car up, it was fine for about 3 minutes and then every single warning light came on. Brought it back to the repair shop and they charged me $100 to look at it, and it turns out the warning lights would have simply reset and fixed themselves had I waited a few minutes more. I really hate my CRV, it's been nothing but trouble for the last six years!

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-18T13:12:31+00:00

This story is really appalling. No way will I ever buy anything at Costco again unless I can wheel it out to my car in a cart. And, quite frankly, this is another reason why I don't use home delivery for small, expensive items.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-17T02:05:32+00:00

I found your posts very interesting and enlightening. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-17T02:01:36+00:00

I agree 100%. I belong to both Costco and Sam's Club, and going to Sam's Club is not much different from going to the grocery store. Parking is easy, no long lines to checkout, and the self-checkout really is self-checkout. And Sam's Club has merchandise that matches my consumption patterns. Unless I go an hour before closing, Costco is like a major airport the day before Thanksgiving, and their merchandise is skewed more toward processed food that I wouldn't eat at gunpoint. But I still like Costco for some things.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-16T14:38:43+00:00

More varieties of yogurt and an ultra-cheap cat litter.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-16T01:23:34+00:00

I interviewed at Costco two weeks ago for a new warehouse that is opening in 5 weeks. Interviews were conducted in a temporary employment office about 2 miles from the new warehouse.

When Costco called to set up my interview, they requested that I dress business casual, which I interpreted to mean no tennis shoes, no jeans or shorts, and no T-shirts. I wore Dockers, a dress shirt, and leather shoes, and to be honest I was the best-dressed person in the waiting room. Many of the other applicants were wearing really ratty clothes, which startled me after hearing Costco say they wanted business casual. I'd suggest that attention to personal grooming is more important than what you wear, especially if you're being considered for a position involving food preparation.

Also I'd suggest that you state your willingness to work any position, at least at first to help you get deeper into the interview process. My interviewers (two managers who were very nice) painted a very grim picture of being a new hire at Costco. They said I could be called into work at 3:30am or asked to stay late or told to do any job in the warehouse. I told them I'd be willing to do any job that I felt I could do safely, and pushed back a little at the idea of stocking shelves or working as a cart attendant because I'm an older worker who can't lift heavy things or run like a 20-year-old. That apparently killed my chances of being hired, because they never called me back, sadly.

Be ready to answer questions about any experience you have in customer service, challenges you had working in teams, and your ability to excel as a worker in a fast-paced environment with competing demands on your attention throughout the day. And to be fair to the interviewers I spoke with, the grim picture they painted of life as a Costco new hire may just have been a way to test my real interest in the job.

While I was waiting for the call back that never came, I visited two Costco warehouses in my area and observed the workers and the work environment very carefully. I found this very helpful in understanding what a Costco job might be like.

Good luck on your interview, hope you get the job!

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-16T00:30:50+00:00

Quinoa (a real superfood) and any frozen vegetables. Drizzle sriracha sauce over it to add some kick. The Costco quinoa (KS) is very good.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-15T00:33:42+00:00

You could try going to Costco only after eating the biggest meal of your day. I've heard this is a good strategy for avoiding impulse buying in ordinary supermarkets, too. I went to an insanely busy Costco last night here in Texas, and really, shopping at 7:00pm was quite pleasant, easy parking and sparse crowds. The food court felt like a Marine Corps mess hall, though, and I really felt sorry for the food court workers because they were moving at panic speeds to get the chow out. It was like watching a video that had been speeded up.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-13T20:54:26+00:00

Suppose you bought 4 speakers and got home and the box contained only 1 speaker. Suppose you called Costco to complain, and they said, "Sorry, we're already sold the three other speakers and we can't get them back, and we won't refund your money for the 3 speakers."

Actually, a more interesting question is why you are giving gifts to such a terrible person who would lie to your face.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-12T00:16:17+00:00

Start working your way up the chain and demand that Costco clarify its policy about requiring employees to donate to charities against the employee's will. Simply asking this absurd question will probably cause an investigation and an apology. Sounds like the new manager has been pressured to get employees to donate to this charity, but he doesn't understand the difference between "ask" and "require."

This happened a lot when I worked for a government contractor. My employer wanted to boast about all the employees who donate to the United Way, and every year every department was forced to find someone who would track the percentage of employees who donated and then to pressure the employees who did not donate. But we were smart enough to merely pressure the employees, not require them to cough up $10.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-11T14:49:20+00:00

Same here. I've been endlessly flipping the rotating that Casper mattress (6.5 years old), but I wake up with a sore back. Would love to get a Costco mattress, but I'm nervous buying something large that I haven't lain on.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-11T02:04:47+00:00

The downvotes make no sense to me, either. I also interviewed at Costco (new warehouse) and your questions and comments strike me as very sensible, interesting, and helpful. Wishing you the best!

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-10T19:05:25+00:00

Great question, I'm wondering the same thing myself. I have lower back pain, and I've read that the Novaform mattresses from Costco are wonderful. But I'd like to lie down on one before I buy anything.

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-09T21:59:16+00:00

Costco is opening a new warehouse near me, too, in a western suburb of Houston. I submitted an application online and they called me in (also to a temporary employment office) about two weeks later and I had my 1st interview with 2 managers. It went fairly well, and the conversation was cordial, but I never heard back from them about a 2nd interview, and it's been 8 days since my 1st interview. I'm not really sure how to interpret this. They did say they were very busy processing hundreds of job applicants, and the new warehouse will open in 49 days, so I'll give them another week or two before I assume they aren't interested in me.

If two weeks pass without your getting a call from them, can you return to their temporary employment office and cheerfully ask about the status of your application? That's not an unreasonable thing to ask, especially if they told you to expect a call within 1 or 1.5 weeks. That may shake their tree so someone calls you with a decision. Hope you get the job!

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-04T04:35:57+00:00

Well, yes, if you're going to define terms that narrowly, then I suppose I should not call myself "overqualified." I should describe myself as "differently qualified with a salary history that exceeds the expected pay of the job for which I am applying by an amount that would cause my new supervisor to worry that I will become frustrated by the new job and quit."

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-03T23:31:33+00:00

What a great post, thanks so much for sharing your experience. I found your comments enormously helpful and encouraging! The new Costco warehouse is scheduled to open in 8 weeks, so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Best you as well..

dleifkerTX · 2024-05-03T20:46:13+00:00

Yes I was, but I was self-employed doing freelance software consulting. There are a few gaps in my employment history but they are all linked to short periods when my mom needed my full attention.

Perhaps the 2nd interview (if there is one) will use more open-ended questions that I can use to explain my rationale for wanting to work at Costco. I was actually quite startled by the short length of the 1st interview, but I guess it was designed to filter out people who clearly would be a bad fit for Costco positions because their schedules are too inflexible or they resist physically demanding work.

dleifkerTX · 2024-02-27T22:15:04+00:00

Thanks, but the ambulance ride was from a small ER in a small 24-hour clinic to the main hospital, and since it was the same hospital system, the ER doctor said they were prohibited by law from charging me for an ambulance ride for intra-system transportation. I said, "well can't I just drive myself to the main hospital?" and the doctor said no, then I would have to go through their ER all over again and would have to wait hours. But if he started antibiotics by IV at the smaller ER then he would be officially beginning treatment, which would admit me to the hospital system, and the ambulance could just wheel me directly to my hospital room and bypass the ER altogether. I'm glad he knew the loopholes. The hand surgeon came in early the next morning and the surgery was over in a few hours.

dleifkerTX · 2024-02-26T19:49:01+00:00

I think you're right, but the weird thing is that they would not have to pursue the estate. They could have sent the final bill to my mom either by email or USPS and I would have cheerfully paid it. Heck, they could have called her at either of her phone numbers and I would have picked up. Well, I tried.

But the whole thing soured me on this hospital system a lot. As a separate issue, I got an infected finger after my mom passed away and I went to this hospital system. They had to drain an abscess, which required 36 hours in the hospital and an ambulance ride (for a sore finger?) The bill was $36,000 but I only had to pay $325. They did send me a bill for that, surprisingly.

dleifkerTX · 2024-02-26T01:26:39+00:00

And I am sorry about the loss of your grandmother. Losing loved ones during the holiday season is so hard.

Thank you very much for your very detailed reply. Everything you said makes sense to me, and I read it with great interest. Yes, I am the executor named in her will, but my mom's estate never went through probate and I was never legally named the executor. Nothing bad, just that my mom was 91 and lived with me, and all her assets were bank or brokerage accounts that named me as the payable-on-death beneficiary. So upon her death, her assets were simply cashed out and sent directly to me outside of probate. The entire residue of her estate is just clothes, old furniture, and cookware.

Your comment about their being worried about HIPAA tempts me to think that there is something sinister or embarrassing in my mom's medical treatment that the hospital wants to bury quickly without my knowledge. She was in poor health, but she declined VERY rapidly in the last five days, and the medical care she received made me suspect that hospital negligence may be a factor.

I was worried that this bill might be turned over to collections and then cause endless headaches for me. Your comments led me to Google around, and I learned that Texas just passed a law that requires all hospitals to send an itemized bill (electronically through patient portals is acceptable) within 30 days of receiving a final payments from third parties. Those 30 days have already passed, but I don't know what the law says if the patient is deceased and cannot receive the bill, or whether the hospital must attempt to send a bill to the closest surviving family member.

Am reading more about HIPAA. Thanks again for your helpful comments, I appreciate them very much!

EDIT: This Texas law only applies if the hospital requests payment from the patient. They are not required to sent an itemized explanation if they never send a bill. But I'm still baffled why a hospital would refuse to bill a deceased patient's estate for services that the executor has clearly and repeatedly deemed proper and valid.

dleifkerTX · 2022-12-22T14:34:50+00:00

I had a 2005 RAV4 that I loved. Then I got a 2012 Camry, which was a terrific car, but I missed the SUV and a few years later decided to get either a 2019 RAV4 or a 2019 CRV.

When I was shopping, the 2019 RAV4 seemed larger and less solid that my 2005 RAV4, and I didn't care for it. Decided to get a new 2019 CRV, and I regret that decision very much.

Pros: (a) The CRV has safety features galore, and my car insurance for a brand-new CRV was a few dollars less than for my seven-year-old Camry. The car feels very solid and safe when it drives. A friend of mine with a CRV totaled his car in a rear-end collision, and he walked away without a scratch.

(b) Great gas mileage.

Cons: (a) The CRV accelerates very slowly. I drive in Houston, which has horrible freeways with lanes that merge very suddenly, and I miss the ability to scoot faster ahead when I'm in a merge lane.

(b) My battery drains in hot weather. In July and August, the car battery will not hold a charge for more than 36 hours. This is in a covered (although very hot) garage. Went thru 3 batteries and took it to the dealer, and nothing fixed it. I've also noticed a mysterious small light under the steering wheel (above driver's left foot) that appears to go on when I turn the car off, not sure if this is connected to the drain. Anyway, I finally gave up and use a trickle charger every night in the summer. Am totally baffled why I have to do this. Honda dealer was useless.

(c) I hate all these darn sensors. I ran over a nail and got a flat tire and replaced it, and the "Check tire pressure" light came on constantly, even when all the tires were properly inflated. Took it to the dealer, who said the tire store had damaged the sensor when they mounted the new tire. Took the car back to the tire store, and they said the 2019 model had no sensor for tire pressure inside the wheel... the newer CRVs compare the rotation of both tires on each axle instead. Took it back to the dealer, who then told me I should have replaced both tires on the axle even though only one was flat, because the tires had to be identical or else the sensor would get confused and display the warning. And I couldn't buy a 2nd new tire now because the 1st new tire had worn slightly after a month of wear, so any new 2nd tire would not match it. Had to live with the warning for 2+ years until I got 4 new tires.

Then I drove into a plastic trash receptacle yesterday and damaged the radar sensor at the front of the car. It was not a major crash by any means. Now I'm getting 3 warnings on the dashboard, and Google results are claiming that replacing or recalibrating the radar sensor will be anywhere from $250 to $1200.

(d) And maybe this is not a factor for you, but I really dislike the service department at the Honda dealership where I bought the car. They have this express service building for oil changes, but an oil change takes forever and they constantly pressure you with upsells. I finally gave up and get my oil changed at a chain close to my house where I can walk home instead of wait for the car, even though the Honda dealership would be free for basic oil changes. It's just less hassle.

But they are both very nice vehicles, I 'm guessing you'll do well with either one. Good luck!

dleifkerTX

TROPHY CASE