In a hurry, I grabbed a cart and flashed my membership card at the guy at the door. Rounding the digital-camera kiosk at the end of the computer aisle, I was promptly stopped in my tracks by a sleek, widescreen rear-projection TV showing an...

A month or two ago, I was on my way home from work when my wife called and asked me to swing by Costco to pick up a pound of our favorite Newhall Blend coffee beans. "We're out," she informed me. "And this time, please don't forget to grind 'em before...