One man’s birthday dreams were brought to life by his loving wife at his favorite place in the world.
Wil Cid has always loved the Costco Wholesale club in Sacramento, according to his wife, Vivian. The couple has called Roseville their home for 25 years after moving from Cuba.
Vivian said the idea for the unusual birthday party came from seeing how much Wil enjoys the warehouse store.
“He’s a total fan of Costco,” she told ABC 10. “He knows everybody at the other store at Stanford Ranch, and they’ll say, ‘Hi, Wil.’ I always laugh and say, ‘Why do they know your name?’”
Instead of a traditional venue, Vivian chose the new Costco at Roseville Baseline Marketplace for the surprise. Friends and family were asked to grab shopping carts and pretend to shop until they ran into Wil in the aisles.
To plan it in secret, she created a private group chat with a cheeky invite and asked guests to arrive before she and Wil did.
“I told them, ‘This is how we club at our age,’” Vivian joked. “We used to go clubbing in the disco days, but now this is our club.”
On the day of the party, Wil thought he was just going out to dinner with Vivian, their kids, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. On the way, Vivian suggested they stop at Costco to pick up a gift card.
Inside the store, Wil noticed familiar faces but didn’t realize what was happening until he reached the food court, where everyone was waiting.
Costco membership manager Matt and other employees also stopped by to wish him a happy birthday, and one staff member even offered to make him a special name badge as a keepsake.
“They were awesome,” Vivian said.
The birthday meal included Costco’s famous pizza and cake, though Wil admitted he had expected something else.
“I was kind of looking forward to a steak that night,” he told the outlet. “A steak, sweet potato, and carrot cake, and it ended up being pizza and cake.”
Still, he said the effort behind the surprise meant more.
“The fact that she took the time to do it was really nice,” Wil said.
“There are simple things in life that bring you joy,” he added. “It doesn’t have to be an expensive dinner.”
Wil first became a member in April 1988, when Price Club was still a Southern California staple.