Some people think I am just playing shop, but I think its just that I am excited by the little things....
So for instance, those of you that have an individual Costco membership (half the country seem eligible), you will know that you are not allowed in the warehouse before noon on a weekday. I'm usually at work, so I never really cared, but I had heard a rumour that the tasting of products was a lot better before noon (from a like-minded greedy person).
So I was very excited to find out what happened when you are a trade member - this may seem sad, but again, I like to get excited by the small things in life, and then the big things are more managable when they are disappointing.
I went in on the first morning to get a set of postal scales and some paper (playing shop you see) and to see what else they had that might be useful, and there was a big crowd around a table within 2 seconds of the shop opening. I went over to see if there was something free, and there was. Free pastries, muffins and hot drinks - if you have never had Costco baked goods you won't understand but they are so good (but also so bad). This was marvellous - not only did I have a trade card with my shop name on (first bit of proper trade kit) but here was free food EVERY MORNING. I knew that I would soon be the size of a house, and it felt good.
So I trundled off to buy things I didn't really need and then I went to my next exciting trade place. The packaging wholesaler.
This was a very strange experience. I got to the depot, where there was no sign of a reception. Feeling incredibly foolish, I rang a buzzer. I explained I wanted to speak to Tony (I had phoned in advance), and I was buzzed through and asked to wait in reception. In reception, there were 2 chairs, a large pot plant and the toilets. Tony and his sidekick came out, a bit like a tattooed Laurel and Hardy, and the proceeded to question me about my requirements - standing up. This felt very uncomfortable - I was expecting to be led to some kind of tabled area, where they would show me packaging brochures, and they would tap my details into a computer. Not a bit of it. We stood by the large pot plant for the entire 15 minutes, talking about box sizes, bubble wrap and jiffy bags. They scribbled my website name onto the back of an envelope and I fully expected them to throw it in the bin before I had left the car park. I didn't think they were taking me seriously (probably the chocoloate muffin smeared on me) so I was very surprised when Tony sent me a very useful follow up email later the day. But I still didn't have an prices. I guess they wanted to see what quantities I ordered in.
Which of course was the minimum. If you have ever tried to order the minimum size at a packaging warehouse, you will know that this is still quite alot. I think they enjoy, maybe once a day, watching some silly woman try and get an enormous roll of bubble wrap into her car. Tony told me to bring my car around to pick up my order when I went back a week later, so I drove it around to the loading bay where he was standing next to a roll of bubble wrap so large it was as tall as him, and as rotund. Internal swearing. I had to put the seats down, luckily the bubble wrap broke into two, still enormous rolls, and I just about managed to get my boot shut.
I won't tell you what my husband said when he opened the cupboard under the stairs and found one of them. I didn't have the heart to tell him there was another one in the garage.....along with a similar size roll of brown paper, 50 flat packed boxes and 72 rolls of logo'ed tape
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