WALLA WALLA — The interrogation of Michael Wilcsek commenced over tasting room counters and restaurant dining tables.
Wilcsek’s 23-year history with mega-retailer Costco and recent relocation to Walla Walla would trigger a barrage of questions from strangers when his job became the subject of conversation.
“Are you here for work?” they would ask. “Is Costco coming?” “Where?” “When?”
In reality, Wilcsek’s move from Bremerton about two months ago had nothing to do with work. It had to do with the culture of fine wine and food.
He and his wife like it here so much that Wilcsek doesn’t mind hitting the alarm at 2:15 a.m. five days a week and driving 43 miles to Kennewick, where he stocks products and drives a forklift at the nearest Costco.
Nevertheless, people’s appetites for the membership retail warehouse gave him an idea: If he’s already making the drive, why not save other people the trip and do their shopping for them?
“Everyone’s so interested in Costco,” Wilcsek said. “So I thought if I could save them time and money by me shopping there, why not?”
After his shift ends at 10 a.m., Wilcsek meanders through the bulk retailer, picking up items for local residents, schools and businesses. Then he loads the goods in his pickup, makes the hourlong drive back to town and delivers the products. He calls his operation “Walla Walla to Costco to You.”
On a recent afternoon, he unloaded pear boxes full of packages of Swiffer Sweeper cloths for the Fat Duck Inn.
Alexa Palmer, owner of the Catherine Street bed-and-breakfast, said the service saves what amounts to a day’s worth of travel and shopping about every three weeks. Having formerly owned a retail business, she said the thrill of shopping for the kinds of items she needs is long gone.
“Shopping is a job for me,” she lamented. “It’s not fun anymore.”
The products she needs from Costco typically include cleaning supplies and paper products. That means she doesn’t have to give overly specific instructions to Wilcsek about what to buy.
“For toilet paper you’re pretty much safe: Get the cushy kind. Don’t get the crepe paper,” she said.
When customers have more specific orders, Wilcsek can refer to people’s past Costco receipts to find the items they want.
He charges a $15 delivery fee for orders less than $150, and 10 percent for orders greater in price, though he said that’s not a hard and fast fee structure.
“If someone wants a $2,000 big screen TV, I won’t charge $200,” he said. “But if someone wants $2,000 worth of groceries, that’s a different thing.”
Judi Robinson, co-owner of R-Kids Early Childhood Education Center Inc., said at 15 percent of her roughly $1,000 monthly Costco bill, she’ll likely save money by having Wilcsek do the shopping.
The Wilbur Avenue preschool prepares about 28 breakfasts, 72 lunches and 60 snacks daily. It goes through about six gallons of milk a day.
Since Wilcsek’s trips to Costco take place five days a week, Robinson said she can now buy perishable bulk items on a more regular basis for cost savings. Furthermore, Wilcsek said he’s willing to stop at a couple of other places where she would typically buy items.
Robinson said her monthly trips to the Tri-Cities in an SUV usually eat up several dollars in gas. She also stops for lunch along the way. The price of travel — including her time — becomes a heavy investment before the groceries are even purchased. To have Wilcsek do the shopping gives her a weekend of her life back every month.
“I feel like he’s an answer to prayer,” Robinson said.
Since he stocks products in the store, Wilcsek typically knows off the top of his head whether Costco has certain items and exactly where it is in the store. This came in handy for Palmer when she was on the hunt not long ago for a chair.
“We bought patio furniture, and I needed one more chair to go with the set. He knew exactly what I was talking about,” she said.
His detail-oriented nature — perhaps partly attributed to his own history in restaurants and hospitality — help with the service, she added.
“I can tell him to pick up candles and that I need moss green,” she said. “He’ll know what I’m talking about.”
Wilcsek said he’s targeting an array of possible customers, from individuals and small-business operators to people who did their own shopping at Costco but might have forgotten to pick up one or two items.
“From the interest I’m getting, I think it’ll work,” he said.
Though the potential exists to develop hundreds of customers, he said he’s equally happy if the service proves popular enough to cover the cost of his gas and vehicle maintenance.
“It’ll help the people of Walla Walla, and it’ll help me.”
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