Costco or Home Depot = $$$$...

Most of you have probably made a visit to your local Costco or Home Depot recently to pick up some items of "need." Can anybody post a note saying that they were able to spend less at one of these places than they had initially planned? Maybe I am being far-fetched, but I am going to assume that a majority of the people who are asked that question will reply with a firm "NO!"

You see, it's just almost impossible to do, we as Americans are a society of consumption + impulse, so places like Costco and Home Depot are like a drug to us! Think about it, how many times have you drove to Costco to buy just a couple of things, maybe $50 worth of stuff, and you walk out $200 later with a flat cart full of nonsense!?!?!

Costco is genius (they really do have an awesome business model) and has figured out a way to hypnotize anyone who walks through the doors! Once you flash your card and walk through that entrance into the warehouse of spend, the trance is on! All of a sudden you "need" 64 AA batteries, 8,000 yards of duct tape, 18 lbs of mango slices, 6 jugs of spaghetti sauce, 18 chicken breasts, 16 cinnamon rolls, a 6-month supply of soap and shampoo, and 500 blank Cd's. Not to mention 250 granola bars, 10 lbs of M&Ms, and every one's favorite, the 10 lb jug of animal crackers that are sure to go stale before you even get through half of it! But for the amount you get it's so cheap so why not!?!

Home Depot is genius too! They must use a similar hypnotic technique like Costco does cause you always walk out with a bunch of stuff that you somehow convinced yourself you would use or need. That crazy power drill that can drill through titanium like it's warm butter or the super glue that supposedly glued a Toyota Tundra to a wall! How could you pass crap like that up??

Guy on cellphone with friend before walking into Home Depot: "Yea, I'm just walking into Home Depot now, need to pick up some screws and maybe some grout to redo some tiling, just the mix-it-yourself kind though cause the other stuff is more expensive, let me call you back."

Same guy calling his friend back after walking out of Home Depot: "Shit man, I just dropped some serious cash at the Depot, ended up buying a box of tungsten strip-proof screws, some fancy pre-mixed grout.......a washer, a new BBQ, and a new Trex deck! DAMMIT!"

Costco and Home Depot, I salute you, I can only hope to have as successful as a money-making machine as you guys are one day! In the meantime, I will continue to spend freely against my will at your establishments!

Other like establishments that take advantage of American's impulsiveness:

1st Team:

(1) Best Buy

(2) Target

(3) Ikea

2nd Team:

(1) The Container Store

(2) The Apple Store

(3) Crate and Barrel

Honorable Mention:

(1) Firework Stands

(2) Golf Stores

(3) Taco Bell