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The One Thing Americans Still Agree On? Costco.
Why a warehouse club with blockbuster appeal might be our last, best source of common culture.
Even before a wave of wide-eyed international tourists arrived in the U.S. this summer to marvel at our massive retail footprints, Costco was having a blockbuster year.
Beyond the usual viral clips of influencers curating Super Bowl spreads or Lunar New Year feasts, social media has been flooded with Costco-themed date nights, in-store birthday parties, marriage proposals, and backyard bashes. Down in Alabama, a local brass band marched through a warehouse during Mardi Gras. In Colorado, a dedicated baseball fan brought an entire, steaming Costco rotisserie chicken into Coors Field.
In a previous era, this level of cultural ubiquity would be measured in box-office sales, Nielsen ratings, or platinum records—the traditional yardsticks of the "monoculture." Today, in a fractured America defined by digital echo chambers and deep political divides, our shared cultural rituals haven't died. They’ve just been reformatted into a 150,000-square-foot warehouse.
The Heartbeat of Cultural Agreement
"Costco seems to me to be the heartbeat of America culturally," says Noah Rinsky. "It’s one of the last places that, across the aisle, we can all agree is good."
Rinsky is the founder of Old Jewish Men (OJM), a Brooklyn-based digital brand with nearly 875,000 followers. OJM regularly uses Costco for its content, even hosting a sidewalk chicken-eating contest in Park Slope that drew hundreds of spectators. The humor works because Costco's no-nonsense, value-driven identity—epitomized by its legendary $4.99 rotisserie chicken—aligns spiritually with a pragmatic, old-school mentality that a precious, upscale grocer like Whole Foods could never replicate.
Yet, America's deep-seated affection for Costco goes beyond mere grit or low prices. Our highways are lined with discount stores, and over 200 million Americans subscribe to Amazon Prime without writing love letters to Jeff Bezos.
So, what makes Costco different?
1. "Spiritual Efficiency" and the Good Life
The quiet joy of hunting down free samples and buying Q-tips in packs of 1,875 taps into what Woodrow Wilson once called America's "spiritual efficiency." It’s a national mindset that connects the practical wisdom of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard's Almanack to Warren Buffett driving a decade-old Cadillac.
At a time when inflation has shoppers of all income brackets feeling anxious, finding a high-quality seasonal item or a stellar "dupe" under the Kirkland Signature brand offers a reassuring feeling: the good life is still affordable.
2. The Power of the Viral Find
Laura Lamb, the creator behind Costco Hot Finds (5.6 million followers), recently posted about finding an 8-pound tray of bone-in chicken wings for $5.99 a pound just ahead of major summer sporting events. The response was instantaneous and overwhelming.
Within days, her post sparked a digital storm, capturing the exact blend of excitement and practicality that defines the Costco experience. It’s a shared scavenger hunt where everyone wins.
3. A Business People Can Feel Good Supporting
Unlike many retail giants, Costco enjoys a stellar reputation for how it treats its workforce. Employees are paid well above the industry average, enjoy strong benefits, and climb internal ladders—current CEO Ron Vachris actually started his career as a forklift operator on the warehouse floor.
This corporate decency makes Costco a "safe space" for consumer enthusiasm. Shoppers don't feel the ethical friction that often accompanies spending money at other retail behemoths.
The Ultimate Shared Experience
| The Costco Monoculture | The Modern Digital Experience |
| Physical & Active: Demands showing up and pushing a giant cart. | Passive & Algorithmic: Isolated scrolling on a screen. |
| Shared Values: High quality, extreme value, and fair labor. | Fragmented Interests: Highly personalized, niche echo chambers. |
| Unifying Quirks: $1.50 hot dog combos and giant wheels of cheese. | Divisive Content: Designed to outrage or separate. |
Ultimately, Costco’s edge over our hyper-individualized, algorithm-driven world is that it requires active participation. It is a physical, collective pilgrimage.
By inspiring equal parts awe over ethical corporate behavior and massive, 72-pound wheels of imported Parmigiano-Reggiano, Costco has achieved the impossible: it has become a brand with the cultural capital to unite a divided nation.
And, of course, that $1.50 hot-dog-and-soda combo never hurts.