The most consistent complaint about holiday gift-giving is not the cost. It is the time — the hours spent searching for the right thing for the right person at the right price, scrolling through Amazon recommendations, browsing mall stores, and inevitably settling for something that is adequate rather than genuinely good. Costco solves this problem. Not because Costco has the most variety — it deliberately does not — but because the institutional buying power and the quality

Every August, millions of families make the Costco run before college move-in. The cart fills with twin XL sheets, noise-canceling headphones, snack packs, laundry detergent, protein bars, and the complete institutional supply of toiletries that will sustain a semester of dormitory living. The parking lot fills with sedans and SUVs loaded to the roof with the physical evidence of a child leaving home. For the parents leading this expedition, Costco is the obvious choice. For