By LINDA PETERSEN

I have fully embraced the magic of Amazon, with my Prime membership, nearly everything I need materializes on my doorstep the very next day. Alas, gone are the days of leisurely Friday night shopping sprees at Ann & Hope with my good friend. We would waddle through the aisles after stuffing ourselves with fish and chips and strawberry cheesecake at Chelo’s. Thanks to Amazon’s online shopping, our beloved girls’ night out has been reduced to texting each other.  (Plus she has moved to another state.)

After meeting up with friends at Dave’s Bar and Grill, Hubby got it in his head that Costco was the place to go for a new refrigerator when ours kicked the bucket. So today we bravely joined the great Sunday migration into the store. I should have known we were in over our heads when we circled the parking lot like vultures, searching for a spot. But in my sheer excitement—visions of bulk bargains and free samples dancing in my head—I ignored the warning signs and charged ahead, straight into the chaos.

First, we had to sign up for a Costco membership with the help of an enthusiastic store clerk who was so cheerful and energetic that I was still grinning like a fool when they snapped my ID photo. Clutching our shiny new cards, Hubby and I eagerly stepped into the throng of Sunday shoppers—and immediately lost each other. Had we stuck together, he’d be hovering over my shoulder, scrutinizing my choices. (“We do NOT need a ten-pound bag of Swedish Fish!” he’d grumble, crushing my bulk-buying joy.) Free to roam, I could shop with reckless abandon, at least until he found me.

Costco boasts an incredible amount of selection, offering everything from everyday essentials to the truly unexpected. Among the treasures I found, (but did not purchase) were gigantic tubs of peanut butter, large family sized boxes of cereal, enough olive oil to last a lifetime, enough popcorn to supply a movie theater, an industrial size container of Nutella, whole salmon the size of small sharks, and their famous rotisserie chicken on sale daily for $4.99. There are chicken meatballs made with alfalfa and dandelions, and real coconuts to drink with a straw. They also have wheels of cheese so huge they could serve as a coffee table, and muffins so large they could each be shared by four people. There are giant containers of laundry detergent, which Hubby purchased to last us all year, along with enough toilet paper and paper towels to reach out to where the fires have recently been extinguished in California.

In the front section are televisions large enough fill my living room wall, reminiscent of the drive-ins I used to go to as a child, (but much, much clearer.) There are refrigerators at reasonable prices with fancy upgrades, such as attached tablets that can be a family calendar and organizer, along with a list of recipes, coupons and rebates. New fridges can include an entertainment system streaming music, internal cameras to remotely post pictures of what is inside the fridge for when I go grocery shopping, an easy grocery re-ordering system, and triple cooling systems for produce that keeps the food fresher for longer periods of time, (good-bye limp scallions and celery.)

Costco also has an enormous choice of reasonably priced clothing, such as name brand jeans and shirts, fluffy hoodies and a multitude of underwear. Next to the clothing are a huge variety of books of all sorts for all ages, including the Fantastically Great Women series for my granddaughters. Toys are also sold, such as puzzles with more pieces than I would ever assemble, giant teddy bears six feet tall, and a Bluey house with all the major characters included. For outdoor lovers, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, huge playsets, outdoor games and comfy lawn furniture are sold.

Huge bottles of health and beauty aids line several aisles, including shampoo in bottles the size of fire extinguishers, and vitamins and medicines sold in amounts so large they would not need to be purchased again until the year 2030.  Costco also sells diamond rings, designer handbags and luggage, musical instruments such as saxophones and guitars, outdoor greenhouses, inflatable lawn decorations and the materials needed to build a barn.

When Hubby and I finished shopping and finally met up, we enjoyed a hot dog and a refillable soda for only $1.50, and a piece of pizza almost as large as a whole pizza. Shopping at Costco is almost as much fun as shopping at Ann & Hope.