Costco

I can only say that going to Costco is an enjoyable trip. Not only do I find 'almost' everything I am looking for, I get it at excellent prices. Whether it be food, electronics, books, movies, clothing, equipment, etc. It is at Costco. I bought my iPod for $10 less than ANYWHERE (including the apple store). AND, I know that Costco has one of the best return policies. Don't forget to eat, while you are there. They are almost everywhere in the country and (thank heavens) they are expanding!!!! Can anyone do it better, I think NOT! more

As a family, we try to get to Costco once every couple of months. We stock up on toilet paper, paper towels, soda, bread to freeze, croissants to freeze and cereal. They also have very good prepared meals such as meat loaf with mashed potatoes. The sandwich trays that they make (like the turkey and swiss on a croissant) taste extremely fresh. If you go to the Issaquah location, make sure to get there early because parking gets tight. If you have a loaded cart, sometimes the people who load up your cart at checkout don't pack it as efficiently as possible and things can fall out of the cart in the parking lot, so keep an eye on that! more

Costco, Target and Nordstrom Rack. Need I say more? Costco is so fantastic. As part of company policy, they cap their profit margins at 15%, and always carry good-quality, higher-end items which appeals to the middle and middle-upper class families which form the majority of the population on the Eastside (Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland). From Costco, I just bought a bottle of French Bordeaux wine (which uses mostly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes), a first-growth (or grand cru) '03 Chateau Angelus for $130. This is a fantastic deal and has a lot of potential to appreciate in price if stored properly, in my humble opinion. Target is kind of a more retail-friendly version of Costco, with less of a warehouse, bulk product feel, but still very good quality brands (like Isaac Mizrahi). There is one in Redmond at the end of 520, and one in Factoria in the Factoria Square Mall. Nordstrom typically carries high-end, stylish items, and their "outlet" version, Nordstrom Rack, carries previous years unsold inventory at deep discounts. Since I am not typically a fussy dresser and do not have to follow the current season's latest fashions, I am more than happy to purchase the high-quality apparel that is readily available at Nordstrom Rack. They have a branch in downtown Seattle next to the flagship Nordstrom store, and another branch just south of the Factoria Square Mall. The other two places that I like to shop at are the Seattle Premium Outlets next to the Tulalip casino, and Robson Street in Vancouver, BC. Seattle Premium Outlets carry the good solid stylish American brands like Polo, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, and Nike. They have a wide variety of clothing sizes at discounts of 20-30% over regular retail. This place is very popular among the Hongkongers who live in Vancouver, especially with current USD-Canadian dollar exchange rates. On Victoria Day (a Canadian holiday), when I visited the outlets, every single car in the parking lot had BC plates, and 70% of the people I saw in the outlet mall were Asian and speaking Cantonese :-) According to the cashiers that I chatted with, they are ferrying them over by the busloads now as part of organized tours. Who would have thought that an outlet mall would become a tourist attraction?!!! Last but not least, I really like Robson Street in Vancouver, BC. It is the closest shopping experience I have seen to the Champs d'Elysees in Paris, or SoHo and Bleeker Street in NYC. There is a distinct European feel to it, with many sidewalk cafes and European labels, like Chanel, Prada, Armani and even fcuk, for example. (Incidentally, fcuk stands for French Connection UK, and not a misspelled version of something else that you may have been thinking). I really really wish we had something like Robson Street here is Seattle. I think it would revitalize the shopping economy here. Perhaps when we finally tear down the Alaskan Way viaduct and open up the waterfront with the Olympic Sculpture Park, we could do a more Euro-style shopping district here, bordering Pike Place market and Pioneer Square. more

Our family has the executive membership which returns 2% purchase back to you which in our case more than paid for the membership. The merchandise is high quality and priced almost half of regular stores. You must have some storage space because you buy in bulk which I like since I don't have to buy something as often. They have food, clothes, electronics, appliances, furniture, gas, office supplies, luggage, and more. They give money back guarantee on what they sell without a hassle. The down side is difficult parking and crowded aisles due to popularity of the store. more

They have the best gas prices on the Eastside, but you need to be a member. more