In cash-strapped California, Costco is the new fun night out — and even a way to find true love

Forget dinner and drinks.

As Californians grapple with the punishing cost of going out, the humble Costco run is morphing from a weekly chore into an unlikely form of entertainment — complete with cheap eats, treasure hunting and even the possibility of finding true love.

A devoted community has sprung up around the warehouse giant, and Golden Staters are at the forefront of the thrifty trend, according to a new USA Today report — which shows that shoppers aren’t necessarily racing in for 36 rolls of toilet paper and racing back out.

For everyone from Los Angeles influencers on bestie dates to Silicon Valley moms looking for new friends to Cal college students forming social clubs that visit their local store together, Costco has increasingly become a preferred hang, the report detailed.

And when even a casual night on the town can deliver a brutal bill — and in an era where feels like there’s a cover charge just for setting foot outside your Los Angeles home — it’s not difficult to see the appeal.

The average cost of a date in America is a whopping $189, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article that cited data from BMO Financial Group.

At Costco, meanwhile, two people can still get the legendary hot dog and drink combo for a grand total of $3 before tax.

Call it a Kirkland Signature date night — which is precisely what some Costco devotees do.

“Costco trips have turned into a date night thing for the hubs and I,” one shopper wrote in an online fan forum, asking if anyone else got “giddy” going on a shopping excursion with their significant other.

“We literally call it our Costco date,” another responded. “She has the chicken bake and I have the hotdog.”

The same poster confessed that they don’t get the full Costco experience quite so cheaply, though — joking that their discount dinner comes “after we have spent at least $200 on I don’t know what.”

Still, the warehouse has plenty of the ingredients of an old-fashioned night out — wandering around, trying food, browsing things you don’t need and sitting down for dinner afterward.

Costco itself has apparently noticed its romantic potential: its website features an entire section with date night ideas for couples.

While its suggestions lean more towards buying movie tickets, flowers, and restaurant gift cards, some Californians are taking another route — directly to their nearest warehouse.

Last November, more than 200 singles descended on a Costco in San Francisco for a singles night sponsored by an AI dating app called Rarebird.

Those there looking for love wore bird pins to identify themselves and carried cards with icebreakers that encouraged people to do things like swap Costco product recommendations.

Costco has produced at least one real life California romance that made it all the way to the altar.

Lisa Torres and Sterling Lockert say they originally met while working together at Costco, eventually number and stayed in touch after Lockert moved away and then back.

The pair married in Marin County in May, and billed their story on their wedding website as “From the Costco Aisle to the Wedding Aisle.”

Costco has also become a popular party destination for thrifty revelers, too.

Earlier this year, Vivian Cid surprised her Costco-obsessed husband with a birthday party at the newly opened Roseville store — secretly assembling friends and family there.

“We used to go clubbing in the disco days, but now this is our club,” Cid said.

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