A great holiday spot for the whole family—go on a Costco adventure together!

Since university days, whenever I had nothing to do on holidays, I loved going to hypermarkets/warehouse stores with my brother. It was always a great way to kill the boredom of the day, and we often discovered great finds and scored some deals!

With the wet and cold weather plus smog these past few days, I didn’t dare take the kids out to play, but I was also feeling cooped up inside, so...

The one-day pass requires getting stamped at the counter first before you can enter with the ticket:

1. Go to the membership application counter to get the stamp.

2. The staff explained: by using the one-day pass to apply for Costco membership on the same day, you can get an additional $200 gift voucher (which can be used as an instant discount), and you can also enjoy a 5% discount (if you’re not a member and use the one-day pass without applying for a card that day, there’s an extra 5% charge).

Grab your cart and get ready to enter—Up, Dad’s bad example!

Kids should sit in the child seat!

Time to enter—Up!It’s the X’mas season, and Swarovski necklaces and earrings are on major discount!

I saw the super eye-catching “Roots pink laptop bag” for just $999—I absolutely love it!

“Tide” is a laundry detergent brand I quite liked back in university (I remember… back then it was only available at Makro in Neihu), and I always felt that after washing, clothes had this faint, refreshing scent that was so comforting. Since having kids (especially two with sensitive skin & allergies—what a handful @[email protected]), I’ve had to go back to the purest and most natural options, with as little artificial fragrance, coloring, and sugar as possible. So anything related to strong scents… all out!

So ever since Xiaoyu was born, I’ve been using detergent powder/liquid from Orange House. That is, until I saw Tide’s white bottle “Baby/Sensitive Skin Laundry Detergent.”

There happened to be a demo auntie there, so I asked her to explain the differences between the three types!

The auntie first asked us to smell the scents—it was that familiar faint fragrance from memory!

The auntie enthusiastically did an experiment for us using common types of stains—like soy sauce, colored paint, blood stains, makeup… etc!

She took out regular water X?? and compared it with the detergent ??, the design is really unique, it looks like the kids’ version of a rocket launcher when they were little, the top part opens up when you press it, and then the fragrant mist sprays out wow, it’s really cool

Then, put the lid on and shake it up. Wow!It’s clean!

The main differences between the three differently colored bottles are now the special offer items (demonstrated by the auntie), and another function.

While we were asking the auntie, more and more people gathered around, and everyone was grabbing two big bottles each!(surprising)

Next, we headed to the toy section that makes kids scream with joy!The best thing about buying toys at Costco is that big international toy brands often have limited-time promotions exclusive to Costco. Like this year when I took Xiaoyu abroad, the “British Skoot suitcase” that made him the center of attention among the other kids was a great find at Costco,

It’s actually one of the dream items (is it that dramatic?) that Old Wood (that’s me!) had wanted to buy for Xiaoyu ever since he was born, but could never bring myself to pull the trigger. I looked at it for two years and it was always priced between $2500~$2900. This summer at Costco, it was only $1599—saving $1300 instantly, so of course I didn’t hesitate to grab one.

And recently I saw this “SCHWINN 12T tricycle,” which made me itch to buy it. If it weren’t for the fact that we’ve already splurged on the pricey “Radiofly,” I would’ve totally bought this super cool tricycle. Its retro design, the backward-facing seat, and the wide-axle rear wheels—doesn’t it look like the Harley Davidson of baby tricycles? (nodding vigorously)

Also, things like large kitchenware sets, dreamy princess castles, HELLO KITTY makeup cases… all super great deals!

Wow!So many settings, the little girls are going to scream!

Boys’ hero series, sports car dreams!

Cute and affordable Disney-licensed plush toys!So happy!

Alright!Next up is the fresh produce and fruit section—Mom’s favorite—Up, Dad disappeared in the blink of an eye, actually speeding off to queue for the beef tasting!

Costco’s meat is really top-notch—even Xiaoyu, who has recently started disliking meat, unusually said he wanted more!More meat!

Super fresh!All kinds of juicy and delicious fruits straight from producers around the world have always been my favorite. The huge space that looks like a small warehouse is actually a freezer, storing all sorts of delicate and mouthwatering fruits—cherries, cranberries, Japanese mandarins…

Then something my husband gave Xiaoyu to try really caught my attention — using “pomegranate red” to make Christmas pancakes? That must be full of Christmas flavor!

Wow, what a long line of people, huge and plump fruits, and a whole box for just $599!

Seeing how much the little one loved them, I couldn’t help but try a small bite — super sweet, so I ended up taking a whole box home, Up!As soon as we got home, we devoured two, and they were a huge hit!

And the pancakes I made really did have that Christmas vibe — both my husband and the kids loved them, not bad at all!

Finally, you definitely can’t miss the fresh sashimi and nigiri here — buy some to treat your father-in-law too. Costco’s salads, wraps, roast chicken, pork… have always been great for parties & picnics. Sometimes when I’m too lazy to cook or eat out, picking up ready-to-eat items here works perfectly for both personal use and hosting!

Oh, and also — after the “milk collapse” incident, I discovered Costco’s new star dairy product: this milk from Korea, buy one get one free for $199, it’s really popular. Last time I used this milk to bake a cake, and the taste was really good too, highly recommended!

Also, you can find some nice foreign-language children’s books here!

The checkout area is packed with people!

Lastly, let me share a belated unboxing review!

Dermatologist-approved, colorless and fragrance-free, no fluorescent agents, no colorants, no phosphates!

I really think this faucet-like switch is such a clever design!

The lid also thoughtfully marks the required cc levels for different levels of dirtiness.

So cool — usable with one hand, no mess on hands, and truly fragrance-free!

It foams up very easily. Though I’m not in chemical engineering, I think the principle is similar to why facial cleansers need to lather well to ensure effective cleansing and easier rinsing. I think so anyway, because usually, when judging whether something is rinsed clean, you check if the foam is gone. Seeing how much foam it produces with just a little stirring makes me feel more reassured. Recommended!

Don’t miss out on laundry tips — follow Tide’s fan page and give it a like: https://goo.gl/6xMLiS

Read more: