Shopping Revelations

As I mentioned in my last post, we headed out to the Natick/Framingham area today to get some shopping done.

Through work, I had the option to join BJ's for $35. As I've never been overly impressed with Costco, the warehouse club I previously belonged to for a year, I decided to give BJ's a try. Today was the first time I had ever stepped into a BJ's and let me say, both Andrew and I were pleased by what we saw:

• A huge parking lot with plenty of parking, light years above the Waltham Costco parking lot, which was like a war zone
• A spacious and clean store with a easy-to-navigate layout
• Lots of great new products to choose from that weren't previously available at Costco
• A lot of the same things I did enjoy at Costco, which is a relief
• Self check-out lanes, something Costco didn't have. We didn't use them this trip but it's nice to have the option.

This BJ's is also behind Target, which I am constantly visiting so I already foresee a lot of warehouse shopping in my future. Going to Costco used to be such a chore that I would put it off and end up going only 3 - 4 times a year.

Lowe's was next to Target and BJ's, thus forming a trifecta of great stores. I've always visited Home Depot in the past, as this Lowe's was just built a couple of years ago and I never think of it when I think of hardware stores. Which is a shame since it is light years better than Home Depot. The merchandise and the prices seemed to be same but what made a huge difference was the service:

• Two different people approached me, asking if I needed help. I feel like every time I've gone into Home Depot, it takes forever to find someone who can help me.
• The person I did end up asking for help walked me directly to what I needed, rather than gesturing towards an aisle or telling me an aisle number.
• The Lowe's employee that rang me up guided me to her open register when I was heading to another register with a line and was the sweetest lady to boot. It also didn't hurt that she complimented me on my earrings!

I'm pleased to know that I have all these great stores within close proximity, saving me time in the future. Call me one of the newest and an enthusiastic Lowe's and BJ's convert.