How to do it:

No mega-corporation is exactly “good” and Costco’s model can be hard on small businesses it resells, but in today’s environment it’s about as good as big gets. Costco treats its employees well, has re-affirmed its commitment to DEI, carries local and “better” products, and is a good way to save costs if the bulk makes sense. Here are some ways to make it make sense:

Form a mini co-op. Get one membership, and split bulk buys like TP or three-packs of ketchup with one or two friends. This works best if you either have someone extremely organized and detail-oriented, or you can form a buying group with someone close enough you don’t mind approximating the totals. Consider ringing up shared items separately from any personal purchases.

Donate spares: If your obstacle is storage, shop at Costco and donate extras for community resilience. The bulk discount often means three units for the price of one or two, so you may be able to make significant donations without much additional cost.

Costco isn’t the BEST place you can buy — that’s usually a local store. But it’s a much better choice than most, and you can leverage it to do more good.

FOOTNOTE: a few months back there were headlines that Costco had stopped carrying Mifepristone, and abortion pill. This was BAD REPORTING. Costco’s pharmacies are not full-service and generally only carry widely used drugs, in keeping with their business model. Fewer than 600,000 doses of Mifepristone are prescribed annually, and Costco has never carried it. They do carry PlanB at extremely modest prices, and you don’t have to have a prescription or membership to walk in and buy it.