Surprise Party in Bulk: Dad Celebrates 40th Birthday at Beloved Costco

A dad who loves his regular trips to Costco was given an incredible 40th birthday surprise when friends and family deliberately bumped into him as he made his way around the aisles, leading to a wonderful in-store celebration.

When listing things her husband, Adam, likes the most, Katie Staley, 38, said that Costco would be close behind his love of family and sports.

This played into Katie’s thinking when she was planning Adam’s 40th birthday celebrations, as she initially came up with the idea of having a small surprise party at the wholesale store.

The event would be an ode to a McDonald’s birthday party Adam had as a child, Katie said, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go above and beyond just handing out cake to strangers in the store.

Katie, from Kansas City, Missouri, started to reach out to friends and family, and soon she had a long list of people who wanted to attend: aunts and uncles, neighbors, high school friends and parents, and work colleagues.

Using a Facebook group to communicate with attendees, Katie gave everyone a play-by-play of how Adam makes his way around the story.

The first stop would be the Chiefs or Royals memorabilia, Katie said, and then a straight shot to the alcohol, grabbing a chicken, paper plates, and then frozen veggies and the water and soda aisle.

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Friends and family were encouraged to spread out around the store, bumping into a stunned Adam as they nonchalantly found ways to record his surprised looks as he thought he was meeting them by chance.

The group then gathered for a bigger party in the store, where Adam was treated to cake and Katie praised the Costco staff for being so accommodating.

The surprise was also not the first silly adult birthday Katie has planned, either.

In the past, she has arranged a scavenger hunt birthday surprise for Adam, and even had a fire truck drive by and honk.

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Katie said: “Adam loves Costco and he loves to visit with people.

“It was beautiful, as he is such a friendly person.

“I wanted to tap into that childlike part of him and throw silly parties.

“My message to others is to find funny ways to celebrate your loved ones.

“Brainstorm their favorite things and go from there.

“The planning is part of all the fun.”