A Costco Holiday

Yesterday afternoon I did what many a middle-aged man does the day before Valentine’s Day. I bought flowers.

On the way home from work, I stopped by – not at Hallmark, not at the “local flower shop” which I don’t really know where it is, but – and now you must forgive me: Costco.

The parking lot was full at 4:00 in the afternoon. As I walked from the car to the doors, I saw at least five men my age walking back to their car, not with baskets full of groceries, but a single bouquet of flowers. As I entered the store, there were more coming out.

I started to get nervous. Will there be enough supply? Am I too late? But Costco, in its refined marketing wisdom, had a huge flower stand in the middle of the store. Grouped around it were men of all ages and sizes, picking out the merchandize.

I held back wise-cracking comments about “the pilgrimage” and other stuff, got the flowers, and joined the endless procession, surely scaring the newcomers in the parking lot as I left.

There were more business men alone in Costco yesterday buying a single product than I have ever seen before. It was comical. Somebody should have taken a picture.