Costco, the membership warehouse chain built on bulk paper towels and rotisserie chickens, has quietly become something sociologists call a “third place” — a gathering spot outside home and work where Americans build community, according to a USA Today report.
The shift comes as traditional venues for face-to-face connection, from churches to bars to civic clubs, have thinned out across the country. Americans now spend about 35 minutes a day socializing, down from 45 minutes two decades ago, and only 30% engage in any face-to-face socializing on a given day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey. The U.S. surgeon general’s 2023 advisory found roughly half of adults report experiencing loneliness, and the Survey Center on American Life found 44% of Americans say they have nowhere in their community to go regularly.
Into that gap has stepped, unexpectedly, a warehouse club known for selling supplies in bulk.
Sampling, Socializing and the Kirkland Date Night
“Costco has turned shopping into an experience, not just an errand,” said Phil Lempert, a consumer and trend analyst known as the “SupermarketGuru,” in comments to Fox News Digital. “You go in for paper towels and walk out having sampled food, discovered something unexpected and maybe bumped into someone you know. Their secret sauce is the sampling.”
Some married couples have turned Costco runs into a substitute for date night, calling it “clubbing for married folks” or the “Kirkland Signature date night,” a nod to the retailer’s private label. Others have used the store to find romance, and according to Reddit posts, some couples have even held their weddings there.
At the University of California, Davis, students Sharon Hwang, Katrina Le and Steven Zhang organize group trips to their local Costco food court once or twice a quarter, according to USA Today.
“If something small like a Costco trip can help someone meet new friends or feel a little bit connected, then I feel like we accomplished something,” Hwang told the publication.
Friends and social media influencers Analyse Talavera and Carmen Rene Smith described trading expensive dinners out for Costco stock-up trips.
“Especially in this economy, instead of going out and dropping $200 on dinner — which Analyse and I are good for — we go to Costco and stock up on meal prep for the week and then top it off with a $3 fro yo,” Smith told USA Today.
A Tennessee Tradition Two Decades Strong
In Brentwood, Tennessee, what began more than 25 years ago as two military veterans meeting for a Friday hot dog at their neighborhood Costco has grown into the Middle Tennessee Veterans Support Group, nicknamed “Camp Costco.” The informal gathering now supports a couple hundred service members spanning generations.
“Nobody cares what rank you were or what service you were in,” Marine veteran and group member Paul Napoli told USA Today. “Everybody mixes together.”
Loyalty By the Numbers
The pattern shows up in the data, too. Costco shoppers average 31 trips to the warehouse annually, according to consumer analytics firm Numerator, and spend at the food court at levels comparable to major regional fast-food chains, including In-N-Out.
Lempert argues the membership model itself feeds the sense of belonging that keeps people coming back.
“Membership changes the psychology of shopping — it makes one feel special,” Lempert said. “You’re not simply a customer walking into a store; you’re a member of a club. Costco has essentially made the membership card part of the consumer’s identity.”
“Costco creates a kind of retail ritual: the treasure hunt, the samples, the food court, the great deal you want to tell somebody about,” he added. “Consumers aren’t just buying products. They’re sharing an experience, and that’s incredibly powerful in an increasingly digital and isolated shopping world.”
