A Filipina Discovers COSTCO!

Pea visits the newly built largest Costco in the state of Florida, comparing everything she sees to Filipino life — prices, appliances, portion sizes, and the sheer excess of American consumer culture. Her running commentary is equal parts genuine amazement, cultural comparison, and deadpan humor as she works through every department from electronics to the frozen food aisle.

First impressions and electronics ​

• Pea's only prior Costco reference is the movie Idiocracy ("Welcome to Costco. I love you") — actual store is clean, organized, and enormous
• Membership is required to shop, but she's just browsing
• A 98-inch TV for $1,349 blows her mind — she says the same size at Robinson's in Dumaguete would be easily $2,000
• Adds a massive TV to her bucket list for gaming
• Notes everything in the store is oversized compared to Filipino norms: "I haven't seen a TV that small, like a monitor"

Furniture and home goods — constant Filipino comparisons ​

• Tries out furniture on display: "In the Philippines, they're very strict about it — 'No, not allowed!' But how would you know if it's comfortable?"
• Spots a large safe/vault and jokes about whether average American families actually own these — imagines what James Bond would store in one (fake passports, cash, handguns, grenades)
• Tests a Purple mattress at $1,599.99: "What is in there?" — compares to Filipinas who sleep on banig (woven mats) with no cushion
• Finds a $500 mattress more reasonable: "For a Filipina, it's the price first, not the quality first"

Appliances — genuine astonishment at American kitchen gadgets ​

• An induction cooker with a built-in screen: "Can you watch a video while you're cooking? Just watch my videos while you're making your breakfast"
• A fridge with a monitor that lets you see inside without opening it — she jokes about putting a head in it because she's been rewatching The Walking Dead (the Governor's head collection)
• Washer and dryer combos: "An average Filipino family can't afford it, so we do it by hand"
• Notes Filipino dryers don't actually get clothes hot/dry — they just spin out extra water, and most people air-dry outside because electricity is expensive
• Dishwashers: another appliance the average Filipino family doesn't have — "We usually do our dishes by hand in cold water"
• She was surprised to learn American dishwashers use hot water that kills bacteria — acknowledges Filipinos probably aren't killing bacteria with their cold-water hand washing, but shrugs it off: "We're still alive. I'm happy. I'm healthy"
• A multi-function machine (smoothies, juicing, chopping, dough, puree): "This is something you won't see a lot in a Filipino home because we do everything by hand. We chop things. When we're making a juice, we actually squeeze them"
• Her rant about American machines: "I won't be surprised if I find a butt-wiping machine here" — considers patenting one
• A dedicated egg cooker sends her over the edge: "You have a separate machine to cook your egg, to boil your egg. Can't you not cook eggs in a pot? Okay, you guys and your machines. Bloody Americans"
• She catches herself: "Not spoiled, but you're just used to what you have in your reality. This is your world"

The frozen section — Pea vs. the cold ​

• She's visibly freezing walking through the refrigerated sections: "This is not a Pea-friendly place or a Filipina-friendly place — I'll turn into an icicle or a pickle"
• Checks egg prices: $4.32 per dozen — acknowledges it's more than the Philippines but notes prices seem to be coming down
• "Good thing I'm wearing a bra" (reacting to the cold)

Bulk buying culture shock ​

• Giant package of kitchen towels, held up for size comparison: "We are used to just buying per piece, not by bulk, because we live day by day and we just think of what we're going to use now"
• Concedes buying in bulk saves money if you have the space
• Notes many Filipinos don't use kitchen towels (they use washable cloths) and some don't use toilet paper either

Food section — portion sizes and humor ​

• Fish sticks tongue-twister: tries to say "fish sticks" three times fast, ends up saying "fish dicks"
• "Boom Boom Shrimp" — jokes about whether it's an appetizer or afterparty feast
• A massive bag of edamame: "It'll take me about half a year just to consume everything in this bag"
• Enormous bag of Doritos for $7: genuinely questions whether one person can finish it before it goes stale — concludes it must be for parties, then: "My party days are over"
• The "land of the giants" feeling: "I feel like a miniature person standing next to you big Americans"

Outdoor furniture and equipment ​

• A deep seating set with a fire table: fascinated by the concept of having a campfire outside your house for s'mores
• Rocking chair: "This would be great to cook your dried fish outside for your Filipina — you can just grill the dangit. But it's kind of fancy for cooking your dried fish"
• Storage barns: "This is more waterproof than the house I grew up in"
• Notes Filipinos don't have separate structures for tools — "We borrow it from the neighbors"

Generators and power outages ​

• A 9,400-watt generator for $899 catches her eye as a genuinely good deal — half-size units she's seen were $1,300
• Practical advice for foreigners in the Philippines: power goes out frequently, so a generator is worth having
• She wants one for her forever home so she can still upload videos during outages

Lawn equipment and golf carts ​

• A $250 weed whacker prompts a personal hygiene joke
• Golf carts / ATVs: notes the price is cheaper than what she saw at the flea market ($10,000 for a "limousine" golf cart)
• "Imagine my whole family in the barangay would fit in here"

Checkout and food court ​

• Self-checkout: Pea actually likes them despite knowing many Americans hate them
• No bags provided — you have to bring your own
• A hot dog and drink for $1.50 at the food court: "Am I reading that right? What a deal"

Overall verdict ​

• She doesn't think a Costco membership is worth it for her, but she loved the low prices and strange merchandise
• Signs off with an extended James Bond bit

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