Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dog lunch meal. But can shopping there really save you money? Clare tells Teo about her quest to find out, and the surprising ways that some people work the system of wholesale retailers. 

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

You help make Control F a reality by supporting the show. Donate to KUOW at this link to keep us in your feed and free for everyone.

Sources in this episode:
Consumer Price Index data, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets, Consumer Reports
Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research
Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco 
Interview with Jordan Page
Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon

Costco is a beloved brand, famous for its bulk deals and $1.50 hot dog lunch meal. But can shopping there really save you money? Clare tells Teo about her quest to find out, and the surprising ways that some people work the system of wholesale retailers.&nbsp;
We want to answer your questions about how our world works! <a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
You help make Control F a reality by supporting the show. Donate to KUOW <a href="https://donate.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">at this link</a> to keep us in your feed and free for everyone.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/">Consumer Price Index data</a>, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</li>
<li><a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/money/prices-price-comparison/most-and-least-expensive-supermarkets-a3157951568/">Most and Least Expensive Supermarkets</a>, Consumer Reports</li>
<li>Cost of Living Index (COLI) data, The Council for Community Economic research</li>
<li>Interview with David and Susan Schwartz, authors of The Joy of Costco&nbsp;</li>
<li>Interview with Jordan Page</li>
<li>Interview with Tan Vinh and Chris Solomon</li>
</ul>

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data &mdash; hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data &mdash; and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. 

Control F

A breakdown of grocery prices at Costco, versus the average price of groceries at other stores. 