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[bstnh1]

Photo from TV - "Brownville's Food Pantry For Deer Trough View" on You Tube. 24 hour live cam. 400 lbs of oats are put out every day around 9 am from December 15 to April to help sustain the deer population in that area of Maine. Interesting site to watch. A couple hundred deer come each day.

 

[ibglowin]

Well that makes absolutely zero sense from a wildlife maintenance standpoint. If you need to put out 400lbs of food a day for them to survive in the Winter then you have too big a herd and they need to be thinned out unless this is on a private property ranch of sorts.

Photo from TV - "Brownville's Food Pantry For Deer Trough View" on You Tube. 24 hour live cam. 400 lbs of oats are put out every day around 9 am from December 15 to April to help sustain the deer population in that area of Maine. Interesting site to watch. A couple hundred deer come each day.
View attachment 118989

 

[bstnh1]

Well that makes absolutely zero sense from a wildlife maintenance standpoint. If you need to put out 400lbs of food a day for them to survive in the Winter then you have too big a herd and they need to be thinned out unless this is on a private property ranch of sorts.

The deer are wild, but It's on private property, run by a non-profit, funded by donations and completely legal in the state of Maine during the months they are fed. The guy has been doing it for more than 30 years to help sustain the deer herd in this area. They don't need the food to survive. It just makes it a bit easier for them.

 

[jswordy]

The deer are wild, but It's on private property, run by a non-profit, funded by donations and completely legal in the state of Maine during the months they are fed. The guy has been doing it for more than 30 years to help sustain the deer herd in this area. They don't need the food to survive. It just makes it a bit easier for them.

Feeding grows nice bucks, too! Deer that are not fed in my area will go through the combine leftovers in corn fields. I saw two does field dressed that were packed with corn all the way to their esophagus. All from gleaning local fields.

If I allow a guy to hunt my farm, I always ask him to shoot does only. That's because they mow down anything with spikes on it around here and that is so short-sighted. I want to see some older bucks try to establish. That's when you get your better fawns. There's a six-point on the place now, and that is a big rack for around here. Long may he run.

 

[jswordy]

If you know, you know!

 

[jswordy]

Went to the "little" Costco today. The original store here. Last time we were in it, memberships were $35. About 10 miles up the road, they built a new "big" Costco last year.



Saw this sign on the way...

 

[ibglowin]

 

[ibglowin]

That was a LONG time ago in a galaxy far far away...........

Went to the "little" Costco today. The original store here. Last time we were in it, memberships were $35. About 10 miles up the road, they built a new "big" Costco last year.

View attachment 119045

Saw this sign on the way...

View attachment 119046

 

[ibglowin]

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind......

If you know, you know!

View attachment 119041

 

[jswordy]

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind......

SHHH! Spoiler! I went to grade school with kids like you!

 

[jswordy]

That was a LONG time ago in a galaxy far far away...........

View attachment 119048

Yep, and we turned them down then!

 

[ibglowin]

Yep, and we turned them down then!

We have the Executive membership. They pay US to shop there!

 

[jswordy]

Sa

We have the Executive membership. They pay US to shop there!

Same. Buy $6,750 of junk in a year and you pay for your membership. I am almost there after the first purchase. We'll see how much we actually go there. Not a whole lot of name brand stuff in the areas we would most use it.

 

[ibglowin]

Sa

Same. Buy $6,750 of junk in a year and you pay for your membership. I am almost there after the first purchase. We'll see how much we actually go there. Not a whole lot of name brand stuff in the areas we would most use it.

We actually buy.......

FOOD! LOL

 

[jswordy]

We actually buy.......

FOOD! LOL

Frankly, I did not see any pricing that was all that great. Yeah, we get a whole 2% back. Yay. I suppose we could hit it just right and maybe do better if we catch them at the right time on sales. A whole lot of stuff was also "off brand." So, I know what name-brand spices taste like, for example. But will Geewhiz brand that I never heard of from Costco taste the same? I literally grew up on Aldi food so I know what "mystery brand" can be like sometimes.

Lots and lots and lots of ultra-processed foods. I did buy the largest bag of Cape Cod tater chips I ever saw in my life, lol. Mrs. Jswordy was pondering a gargantuan blob of six million rolls or so of toilet paper, but in the end (YES, a pun!) she said we have nowhere to store it. She says she is gonna give Costco a try when she is in the area. I bought a bottle of Kirkland wine just to see what the deal is.

I try to shop the best deals and so when I have to, for example, enter my vehicle tag number online at Costco just to get tire pricing, I'm like, what? Why? Why do they need that information?

Printer ink, we can get about $20 cheaper. The coffee I drink, yeah a HUGE package is cheaper but they stock it ground only. I want beans. So, it'll take some getting used to in order to suss out the actual deals, and see if what they have fits what we need. There's tons of stuff they stock we will never need at any price, like mile-wide TV sets and etc. (I have not watched TV in 6 months, lol!)

All in all, a good and very interesting first foray. We plan to check out the "big" Costco in the future.

 

[ibglowin]

The hands down best whole bean coffee they sell is not available in store its only available online. Takes about 3 days to get to you.



We find many things almost too many things every time we go. We get our reading glasses and contact lens there, our eyes examined as well. We always peruse the sales circular as well for sales items and instant rebates. We buy all our OTC meds there, including vitamins and supplements. The rotisserie chicken for $4.99 is a complete steal. Our local Smith's (Kroger) sells a rotisserie chicken that weighs 50% less and sells for 2X as much. We usually buy 2 and freeze one. Yep the toilet paper comes in ginormous packages but guess what you only have to buy TP once a year! Their prices on cheese's are always about 50% less than our local Kroger store. The large 2lb block of Tillamook cheddar cheese is $15 at Kroger and $8 at Costco. The 2 pack of finely shredded mexican cheese is also 50% less than Kroger. 2 pack of French baguettes (fresh no less) are about 50% less than Kroger. 2 pack of Goat cheese is 50% less than Kroger. Watermelon in season is 50% less than our Kroger. A 3 pack of our favorite red chile (made here in ABQ, NM) is the same price as ONE jar at our local Kroger. Rao's pasta sauce, same thing 50% less than Kroger. Their Prime briskets are cheaper than Choice briskets at Kroger (per lb). Condiments like pickles and olives are 50% less. Interstate batteries. Same thing about 50% less than a comparable battery at Autozone. Clothes are a great bargain year around. Gas is usually $0.30-0.60/gal cheaper than what we pay locally! Costco may not be for everyone but they seem to be doing something right. Their stock is hovering around $1000/share vs Walmart at $90/share. YMMV as they say.

Frankly, I did not see any pricing that was all that great. Yeah, we get a whole 2% back. Yay. I suppose we could hit it just right and maybe do better if we catch them at the right time on sales. A whole lot of stuff was also "off brand." So, I know what name-brand spices taste like, for example. But will Geewhiz brand that I never heard of from Costco taste the same? I literally grew up on Aldi food so I know what "mystery brand" can be like sometimes.

Lots and lots and lots of ultra-processed foods. I did buy the largest bag of Cape Cod tater chips I ever saw in my life, lol. Mrs. Jswordy was pondering a gargantuan blob of six million rolls or so of toilet paper, but in the end (YES, a pun!) she said we have nowhere to store it. She says she is gonna give Costco a try when she is in the area. I bought a bottle of Kirkland wine just to see what the deal is.

I try to shop the best deals and so when I have to, for example, enter my vehicle tag number online at Costco just to get tire pricing, I'm like, what? Why? Why do they need that information?

Printer ink, we can get about $20 cheaper. The coffee I drink, yeah a HUGE package is cheaper but they stock it ground only. I want beans. So, it'll take some getting used to in order to suss out the actual deals, and see if what they have fits what we need. There's tons of stuff they stock we will never need at any price, like mile-wide TV sets and etc. (I have not watched TV in 6 months, lol!)

All in all, a good and very interesting first foray. We plan to check out the "big" Costco in the future.

 

[jswordy]

I'm just parachuting in as a newbie and looking around. It is kinda hard when it is Name Brand vs. Joe Schmo's brand. And ya gotta look at sizes and costs. I scoured Costco meat prices. Not any difference from the prices of meats we buy often from Kroger or Publix here. I usually shop for meats only on sale, but the regular Costco pricing was about the same as regular Kroger.

Used to eat cheeses. We don't eat much cheese now, discovered that way we avoid the "allergies" everyone around here says they have. No cheese = clearer nose. Same thing with precooked or processed foods. Not much of that for us.

We looked for eggs, found none, maybe due to the recall, I dunno. I did not see a big difference in the spices and condiments aisle among the brands I know, though the packages were super-sized and many of the brands are unfamiliar.

I know Interstate is a higher-dollar battery brand to start with. There are only three manufacturers of batteries. Lots of brands, though. I usually get mine as a return from the auto parts store. New battery, usually returned because the problem was the alternator, maybe not the recommended number but it fits the tray and sells out the back door for $50 or $75.

I didn't see any regular $9.95 a pair jeans like Rural King stocks. Saw $10.99 women's yoga pants, but I don't wear those, lol. The gas price is nice but I live 25 miles from the store. I have a friend who regularly posts his Kroger points gas buys, gets it for 9 cents a gallon a lot. I can't do that either, due to the mileage away we live. Glad Costco stock is doing well and glad the company is doing well. The place was mobbed with people who were off for the holidays today.

But what I need to see is, what do they sell that we can use? That's going to take some time to figure out. I do know that just because I scan a card to get in, that doesn't mean everything is automatically cheaper. We're giving it a shot. Today, we learned to bring our own bags! We'll see what happens...

 

[winemaker81]

I'm just parachuting in as a newbie and looking around. It is kinda hard when it is Name Brand vs. Joe Schmo's brand. And ya gotta look at sizes and costs. I scoured Costco meat prices. Not any difference from the prices of meats we buy often from Kroger or Publix here. I usually shop for meats only on sale, but the regular Costco pricing was about the same as regular Kroger.

It's like any other shopping experience, where ya gotta examine things and do the price and quality comparisons. Some Costco items are really good values, others are not.

Overall Kirkland branded items are good quality. That doesn't mean I like 'em all, just most.

And size does matter! I like their mayo ... but it would take years to use up the jar. Some things we don't buy for that reason. OTOH, the price for olive oil is very good.

Regarding meats? Costco meats are not cheaper. Overall, they are higher quality. A few years back we had Costco's lower NY strip and Harris Teeter's higher end. Not a planned test, just what we had. The Costco steak was clearly better.

A Costco brisket is going in the crockpot this morning. We really like their stew beef, and the fish/seafood are actually a good price. We have to hunt to find a package of trout that's only 2 lbs, as opposed to 3+!

But what I need to see is, what do they sell that we can use?

Yeah, that is the kicker. At this time Mrs. WM81 and I find value in the membership, and for us it's worthwhile.

You need to spend some time, going up-n-down all the aisles to see what looks good. The sheer mass of things is overwhelming, so it takes time.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Frankly, I did not see any pricing that was all that great. . . . All in all, a good and very interesting first foray.

The best deal is the free tasting’s. Really like the oriental dumplings I had five years back. Really like the honey if making a cyser. Really like the large size pot pie if having a group over.

I did not see any pricing that was all that great. . . . . A whole lot of stuff was also "off brand." So, I know what name-brand

As a food industry person it isn’t really off brand. Our factory would package the advertised brand as well as Kroger or Giant or ALDIs or Albertsons or even Kirkland. ,,, A contract is a contract. The US food industry is quite centralized. The cost of a factory is high enough that most products won’t have that many suppliers.

Mrs Rice also finds value too, so we / she gets big rotisserie chickens and calls them turkey. . . . . Some folks don’t like to cook

 

[winemaker81]

Mrs Rice also finds value too, so we / she gets big rotisserie chickens and calls them turkey. . . . . Some folks don’t like to cook

I've never weighed the chicken. I'll do that next time, just out of curiosity.