A man has paid $65 a year for a Costco membership for 11 years straight. That is $715 total. Every year, same routine. He walks in through the front doors, grabs a rotisserie chicken, a giant pack of paper towels, a 48-pack of something he does not need, and a $19 sample-table impulse buy. He leaves with a $214 receipt, loads the trunk, and drives home. That was his entire Costco experience. For 11 years. He thought he was a smart shopper because he bought in bulk. Last month his brother-in-law, a former Costco warehouse manager with 14 years inside the building, watched him unload the trunk in the driveway and shook his head. "You're paying for a membership you've never actually used." "What are you talking about? I'm there every week." "You've never checked the price tags for the little asterisk. You've never asked for a price adjustment. You've never filled a prescription there. You've never booked a trip through Costco Travel. You've never done the math on the Executive upgrade. You've never used the free warranty extension. You've never gotten a tire installed, an insurance quote, or a hearing test. You've never once pulled into the gas station. And you buy the brand names on the shelf while the Kirkland version sits right next to it." "You shop the front of the store. The part they designed to make you spend. I'm going to show you the part they designed to save you money." He pulled out a notepad and wrote down 10 things. Some take 30 seconds. Some take 2 minutes. Together they turn a $65 membership into hundreds of dollars back every single year. He went back the next day. His first trip took 20 minutes and saved him $83 before he even reached the register. Here is every single thing he wrote on that notepad 🧵