Costco-loving UCLA students beat cost of living crisis, forge bonds with shoppers club

Forget traditional frat parties or networking events.

At UCLA, the hottest new campus club is all about $1.50 hot dogs and buying toilet paper in bulk.

Cash-strapped deal-loving California college students are fighting back against the Golden State’s crushing cost of living — and Gen Z’s loneliness epidemic — by turning their shared obsession with Costco into an unlikely social club.

The newly formed UCLA Costco Club is bringing bargain-hunting Bruins together for group shopping expeditions to the beloved warehouse giant, where students can stock up on groceries without breaking the bank, and perhaps make a few friends along the way.

Founded in September, the club is already proving to be a hit, with more than 50 students showing up for its inaugural meeting, according to the Daily Bruin.

While many college clubs revolve around sports, partying or professional development, this one has a decidedly more practical mission: helping students stretch their dollars in a notoriously expensive city.

The concept is simple. Students with cars and Costco memberships team up with classmates who lack either, making group trips to the nearest warehouse — a journey that can take more than 40 minutes from the Westwood Village campus, depending on traffic.

Once there, they can take advantage of buying goods in bulk, potentially splitting supersized grocery purchases that might otherwise be impractical for a single student.

“We realized it’d be best if we can just all band together, have people with memberships and cars, go to Costco so we can buy items in bulk,” Kathryn Chong, the club’s social media manager and a fourth-year biology student, told the school newspaper. “It just makes life easier and more enjoyable.”

Beyond road trips to the warehouse, the club also plans to roll out meal-prepping classes, Costco trivia nights, and campus food drives.

It’s a clever workaround for the financial squeeze facing young Angelenos, particularly those living off campus who must contend with rent, expensive groceries, and the added burden of getting around car-dependent Los Angeles.

For students without a vehicle, even reaching the discount warehouse can be a costly and time-consuming undertaking.

The Costco Club is also offering something increasingly elusive: an excuse to hangout in person.

A July Harris Poll found that 51% of Gen Z adults said say they feel lonely on a typical weekend — the highest rate of any generation and a staggering 37 percentage points higher than 62-to-80-year-old Baby Boomers.

Nearly half (49%) admit they don’t have enough friends to spend time with in person, while 65% say they now experience their social lives more through their phones than face-to-face. A shocking 68% said going out wasn’t worth the financial hit, while 79% wanted to find more affordable ways to spend time with others.

The trend comes as Americans are increasingly ditching pricey traditional outings in favor of more wallet-friendly ones. Costco has even become an unlikely destination for budget-conscious date nights, with shoppers turning trips to the warehouse into cheap entertainment and opportunities for romance.

“We are totally open to all years, all backgrounds, and whether you go to Costco all the time since you were a kid or this is your first time going to Costco or you just you just want to make new friends,” club president Serenity Shadowens told the Daily Bruin.

“We want to emphasize creating a community and a light-hearted space where people can come after your classes and laugh and have a good time.”

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