Tag: News

• Melania Trump called the Trump rally shooter a "monster" who saw her husband as "inhuman."
• The former first lady made the statement on Sunday after the attempted assassination of her husband.
• Authorities have identified the suspected gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Former first lady Melania Trump denounced the assassination attempt of her husband at his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, calling the shooter a "monster" who "sought to ring out Donald's passion."

In a Sunday statement, the former first lady issued a call for unity as she thanked the Secret Service agents who rushed to her husband's aid as he spoke to his supporters. In her remarks, she focused intently on the effects of the shooting on her family.

"When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of devastating change," she said.

And she addressed the suspected shooter, whom authorities identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks and who was killed on Saturday, as a "monster."

"A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration," she said. "The core facts of my husband's life — his human side — were buried below the political machine."

The former first lady in her statement also urged Americans to come together regardless of their political orientation.

"Let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm," she said.

Trump was speaking to his supporters on Saturday when gunshots rang out at the Pennsylvania event, and the former president was swarmed by members of the Secret Service. Photos from the Trump rally showed Trump with a bloodied ear as he emerged from the assassination attempt.

Trump in a Truth Social post wrote that a bullet had "pierced the upper part" of his right ear and thanked the agents who came to his aid during the incident.

Melania Trump has not been as active on the campaign trail this year as she was in 2016, but she has been a firm supporter of her husband's reelection bid.

• Ukrainian soldiers are forced to set aside grief on the battlefield, says psychiatrist Yulia Brockdorf.
• Brockdorf visits Ukraine to provide counseling and aid. The war continues taking a mental toll on soldiers.
• Prolonged service, PTSD, and lack of consistent aid exacerbate soldiers' mental health issues.

Ukrainian soldiers who have long been fighting on the front lines, facing the horrors of combat, are being forced to set aside their grief on the battlefield, said visiting psychiatrist Yulia Brockdorf.

"It layers on, these losses, these injuries, the ungrieved pain," Brockdorf told Business Insider.

The healthy processing of emotions and grief are pushed aside for the mission at hand, defending the nation from a relentless foe. "You need to set it aside because you need to focus and do your job because if you don't do your job, you will encounter more losses," she said, explaining how many Ukrainian soldiers she's worked with view their situation.

Brockdorf has made several visits to Ukraine since the Russians launched their full-scale invasion in February 2022 to provide counseling services and medical equipment to soldiers, as she is also the co-founder of DAWN, a nonprofit organization that has been supporting Ukraine. Her last visit was in March of this year.

'We just kind of go and do our thing'

Oftentimes, Brockdorf encountered seemingly desensitized attitudes toward death among soldiers defending Ukraine. "So frequently, it comes down to 'it's war, it happens,'" she said.

When grief can't be processed right away, it builds and becomes harder to deconstruct later on, Brockdorf said. Some soldiers are able to walk away from the war without trauma from witnessing losses, but others may experience post-traumatic stress disorder, which varies in severity.

A foreign volunteer helping defend Ukraine, speaking from their own experiences, said that losses in this war, the largest land war in Europe since World War II and a truly catastrophic human tragedy in terms of combat losses, are unavoidable and difficult to process when they happen.

"You lose people pretty much almost every week, not necessarily always from your company, but also from like neighboring companies, just people that you know," they told Business Insider. "In the grand scheme of things, our optempo is, I guess, quite high, so you don't really have the time to mourn people anyway, so we just kind of go and do our thing."

'A lot of anger inside me'

Dr. Vladislav Matrenitsky, a Kyiv-based psychotherapist, author, and founder of the Center for Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Psychedelic Medicine Expio, has worked with Ukrainian veterans and observed that some patients who experience PTSD have expressed behavior like hyper-vigilance, agitation, and anxiousness.

Many soldiers are left to process the trauma from the battlefield only once they're back home with their families, but this can put their relationships at risk if PTSD sets in and symptoms surface. This issue has long plagued soldiers returning from war.

"The problem is that not many of them understand why this happens, but they think, 'It's okay, it's just stress, and I will be okay with some time, with rest,'" Matrenitsky explained. "One of them told me, 'I have such a lot of anger inside me that in the night I go in the city to look for somebody to fight with.'"

For others, it's not anger, but terror. Some soldiers have reported nightmares and panic attacks. One told The Washington Post previously that he had nightmares of his tank commander who was burned alive while another dreamed of stepping on another mine and losing his other leg.

In addition to the growing number losses on the battlefield, Brockdorf added that the lack of consistent aid being sent to Ukraine also impacts soldiers' mental health. "The access to supplies, medical supplies, being armed, has direct impact on the suffering, experience and confidence and sense of feeling supported," she said.

Despite the trauma of war, troops stay on the line and often don't share their burdens.

Some of Ukraine's soldiers have been serving on the front lines for long stretches as Ukraine grapples with manpower shortages. Brockdorf says this prolonged length of service can also aggravate soldiers' feelings of exhaustion and abandonment.

As Mark Hertling, a former US Army general noted earlier this year in a discussion with CNN, staying on the battlefield for two and a half years "just takes an incredible account of fatigue, psychological damage, and the toughness of being in the trenches in the front lines will really be a morale factor."

And, indeed, that damage can be lasting, which is why Brockdorf says it's important to be there for Ukrainian soldiers.

"I think that's very important for Ukrainian defenders to know: that they are not forgotten," Brockdorf said. "When you live long enough and you only see around you bullets, drones, and dirt in those trenches, it's hard to know that somebody out there really remembers and really fights for you."

Ryan Pickrell contributed to this reporting.

• Former US President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
• The gunman was on an elevated surface around 450 feet away from his target.
• The Secret Service has been criticized for failing to prevent the incident.

The gunman who shot at Donald Trump was only about 450 feet (roughly 137 meters) away from the former US president, satellite imagery shows.

Trump was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday when gunshots rang out, and he was swarmed by Secret Service agents.

The former president emerged from the incident with a bloodied ear as the agents ushered him away.

The FBI has since identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, PA, as the shooter.

Crooks "fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position," according to a statement shared by Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.

The Associated Press geolocated a video on social media showing a man in gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a manufacturing plant just north of where the rally took place.

The shooter could have reasonably struck Trump from that distance.

US Army recruits are trained to hit human-sized targets 150 meters away with an M-16 rifle, the AP reported. The AR-15, which the shooter reportedly used, is the civilian version of the military-grade M-16, per the report.

Members of Trump's Secret Service stood around 440 feet (or about 134 meters) away from Crook, per the satellite images.

When asked whether law enforcement was unaware of the shooter's presence until shots were fired, Kevin Rojek, an FBI Special Agent, said: "That is our assessment at this time."

Matt Shoemaker, a former intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency, called the incident a "major failure" of the Secret Service.

"I've been to these sorts of events before, and there are layers upon layers of security," Shoemaker said. "So for the alleged shooter to be on a rooftop, with a clear shot to the podium — it is mind-boggling to say that this was overlooked."

Tim McCarthy, who in 1981 defended then-President Ronald Reagan from a gunman, agreed that the incident represented a failure by the service.

"Any time a protectee is harmed, there's something that has to change," McCarthy told Chicago-based outlet WGN-TV. "You have to critically look at what happened, why it happened, and how it can be prevented in the future."

• A failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday left him with a bleeding ear.
• Former Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy compared the incident to the 1981 Reagan shooting.
• McCarthy said the Secret Service had failed to protect Trump despite its best efforts.

A former Secret Service agent said that the assassination attempt on Donald Trump represented a "failure" for his security team.

Tim McCarthy, who in 1981 defended then-President Ronald Reagan from a gunman, was giving his assessment of the Saturday shooting to Chicago-based outlet WGN-TV.

"It's a failure. Plain and simple," McCarthy said. "When President Regan was shot, that was a failure too."

"Any time a protectee is harmed, there's something that has to change," he added. "You have to critically look at what happened, why it happened, and how it can be prevented in the future."

Despite this, he said the service had been doing "almost everything that is humanly possible" to prevent potential attacks, but that there "is no full-proof security anywhere in this world."

Trump had been speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when the shooting took place. He was seen defiantly raising his fist with a bloodied ear before being ushered away from the scene by the Secret Service.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that a bullet had "pierced the upper part" of his right ear.

The FBI has since identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed at the rally.

McCarthy, who reportedly retired from the Secret Service in 1993, said he did not have intimate details of Trump's security detail, but said it was likely "darn close" to what President Joe Biden receives.

He said that for a president, security teams sweep the area and secure the building while obscuring the view using "different types of shielding" such as campaign events or banners. They would also rearrange the podium to block views from outside the secured area.

"Now, in some cases, it's almost impossible to do that, but that's why the Secret Service has counter-sniper teams. You survey the buildings that would have an overview of where the protectee is going to be," he added.

In this instance, he said any counter-sniper team "obviously or possibly" did not see the shooter.

As a last resort, agents shield the protectee from attack.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the "DHS and the Secret Service are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting."

"We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security."

Whilst the assassination attempt may result in "less visibility out in the public for former president Trump," McCarthy doubted that the assassination attempt would deter him too much from his scheduled outings.

The Secret Service is "probably gonna have to hold his horses to keep him from getting out into the public right away," he said.

And Trump has already signaled his intentions to make his next public appearance.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked people for their "thoughts and prayers" following the attack, and said that he was looking forward "to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin," where the Republican National Convention is set to take place.

• Grace Ryu helped her 60-year-old dad get a job at her workplace when he retired as a business owner.
• Ryu vouched for her dad and sat with him during his Zoom job interview to translate.  
• It's the first time her dad ever received health insurance through an employer and a 401(k).

My dad owned a wide variety of businesses. We grew up in Maryland, where he ran a mini-mart in downtown Baltimore. Many Koreans owned liquor stores and mini-marts back in the 1990s, and when my dad talks about that business, he says those were the good days when he made a lot of money.

He worked every day from Sunday through Saturday and only took time off for one weekend in the summer when we went on a family trip to Ocean City. He even worked every holiday.

Because he worked a lot, I don't have too many childhood memories with him. But I do remember that every night after work, he'd go into his room, take out all the money he earned that day, and count it all before dinner time. I thought, "Wow, my dad is so rich."

My mom told me that he works hard so that he can take care of our whole family, which includes our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Of course, I didn't understand the kind of burden that was at the time — I was only 6 years old — but I just knew whatever my dad was doing was super important.

My dad owned many businesses

My dad moved us from Baltimore to California for better business opportunities in 2001, when I was 9 years old, but it was harder out here than it was in Maryland. He owned a dry cleaning business for a few years, but that was more of a struggle than owning a mini-mart, with more work and less revenue.

He eventually moved on to owning a small deli shop with the help of his brother. He did this, alongside my mom, for 16 years. My dad worked the grill and made the hot dishes while my mom took customer orders and packed the food.

In 2021, a little after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, their lease was coming to an end. They had two options: either renew it for another five years or sell the business and find something else to do.

My parents chose to sell because I was pregnant, and they wanted to be close to their future grandkids.

I vouched for my dad at my job

My dad told me that he still wanted to work after he sold the lease. He wasn't ready to retire — mostly for financial reasons.

He talked about working with my cousin in a dental lab or doing transportation for the elderly, but those jobs either required him to learn a whole new skill or get some type of license. He's been in the food industry for the last 16 years, and while my dad is sharp for a 60-year-old, I didn't think a big career pivot was the right move for him.

That's when I thought he could get a job working in the kitchen at the hospital where I worked. I talked to the manager of food services at my hospital and asked if they'd give my dad a job in the kitchen. I vouched for my dad and explained to the manager the different skill sets he picked up from owning all his businesses.

Whatever I said worked because my dad landed the job. He had a formal Zoom interview, which I attended to help with any translation. We were thrilled — the job came with benefits, so for the first time, my dad was receiving health insurance through an employer and signing up for a 401(k).

At first, helping my dad at work was challenging

As ecstatic as we were about him getting this job, going through the onboarding was a beast. He's lived in America for 36 years, yet his English was barely at an elementary reading level. This was mostly because my mom took on most of the administrative work when it came to the business. She was the one who talked to the customers, vendors, and inspectors while my dad hid in the back, cleaning and doing whatever else my mom needed him to do.

A big part of me was relieved I'd be close by to help him if he had any questions since I knew the hospital and how it worked. I knew helping my dad navigate through the hospital's system wouldn't be a problem, but being the middleman between him and others was difficult.

The language barrier was one thing, but the other challenge was his unfamiliarity with modern technology — he has never owned or used a computer in his life and struggles to even use his smartphone.

I had to fill out all of his onboarding paperwork since it was all online, and he couldn't be placed on some of the easier jobs, like taking orders for patients or administrative work. He was placed in the kitchen, where he plates patients' trays for mealtimes and does the dishes.

He wanted to quit after a few days

Working at the hospital was the first time my dad had a boss other than himself, and I think he might've felt looked down on because of it. Many traditional Korean men pride themselves on owning their own businesses and making a lot of money.

The first few days of work were the hardest for my dad, so hard that he wanted to quit. The language barrier, the cultural differences, and the technological illiteracy all became too much for him to handle.

I never pressured him to stay because I knew this job would be challenging for him. I told him I'd support him if he decided to quit, but my hope was that he would stay so that I could help him out with whatever problems came his way since we were in the same building.

It took him two months to feel comfortable at his job, and he absolutely loves it now. In fact, he loves work so much that he picks up extra shifts. He's learned more English so he can voice his concerns and ask questions to his supervisor, and he's always so excited to introduce me to his coworkers even though he's already introduced them to me before.

I love working with my dad

When I have a shift on the same day as my dad, I like to visit him in the kitchen. One day, on my way out, I looked back and saw my dad doing the dishes — and I wanted to cry. He was all wet, and seeing him do such a hard and thankless job broke my heart. The only reason I knew my dad was OK was because of how he looks as he works: he's always smiling with so much enthusiasm and joy.

In the 30 years I've seen him work, his demeanor and work ethic have never changed. Whether stocking groceries, ironing clothes in 100-degree weather, or making a big order of 100 breakfast burritos at 4 a.m., he never complains. He's taught me to do all things with joy, especially in my workplace.

I love the days I get to take breaks with my dad. We sit in the cafeteria and talk about how work is going, if there are things he needs me to do, or our family dinner plans. Ever since my dad started working with me, I've documented our time together. I always want to film myself watching him at work.

People in the hospital probably think I'm crazy for taking selfies with my dad and filming myself saying hi to him, but honestly, I don't care because I'm so insanely proud of him. He's my role model and the most hardworking and happiest person I know. I love working with my dad.

Grace Ryu is a registered nurse also studying to be a family nurse practitioner. She's a wife and new mom and loves spending time with her family in her free time.

If you work with your parent or child and want to share your story, email Manseen Logan at mlogan@businessinsider.com.

• Donald Trump has suggested he will speak at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin.
• The gathering is set to take place just days after Trump survived an attempted assassination.
• The FBI has identified the shooter involved as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Donald Trump has suggested he will speak at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin this coming week, just days after he survived an assassination attempt.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked people for their "thoughts and prayers" following the incident, and said that he was looking forward to speaking to "our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin."

"In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win," he added.

Thousands of Republicans are set to arrive in Milwaukee on Monday for the opening of the four-day event, during which Trump and a not-yet-announced running mate are set to be officially nominated by the party.

It follows what the FBI has designated an assassination attempt on the former president.

Trump had been speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday when gunshots rang out, and he was swarmed by Secret Service agents.

The former president soon emerged with a bloodied ear, defiantly raising his fist to the crowd.

In another post on Truth Social, Trump said that a bullet had "pierced the upper part" of his right ear, while also thanking the Secret Service for their quick response.

Following the incident, the FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was killed at the rally.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Rojek said in a press conference that the FBI did not "currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was."

One spectator was killed in the incident, and two were critically injured, officials have said.

• "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed" star Shannen Doherty has died at the age of 53, per People and The Independent.
• Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 but announced in 2017 that she was in remission.
• Her cancer returned in 2019, and eventually spread to her brain and her bones.

Actor Shannen Doherty, known for roles on the shows "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed" has died at 53, per People and The Independent.

"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease," publicist Leslie Sloane, Doherty's publicist, told People on Sunday.

"The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace," Sloane added.

The actor was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and had been outspoken about her health journey over the years. As part of her treatment, she underwent anti-estrogen therapy, a lumpectomy, a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. In 2017, Doherty announced via Instagram that she was in remission.

During an appearance on "Good Morning America" in February 2020, the actress revealed her cancer returned the year prior, and that it had spread to other organs, making it metastatic stage 4.

"The best example that I can continue to set for other people with cancer, and to the outside world who doesn't have cancer, is to show them what a cancer patient looks like. We are employable," Doherty told Variety in 2021 while discussing her acting career.

Doherty was born on April 12, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee. Her professional acting career began in the '80s with roles on TV series like "Father Murphy," "Magnum, P.I." and "Little House on the Prairie." Doherty also appeared in several TV movies before making her acting debut in the cult classic film "Heathers." She starred as Heather Duke, one of three popular girls with the same first name, in the movie.

Doherty's breakout role came when she was cast as Brenda Walsh on the teen drama series "Beverly Hills, 90210."

The Fox series ran for 10 seasons and spawned a franchise that included "90210," which Doherty also appeared on. In 2019, she reprised her role as Brenda for the revival series "BH90210," which lasted for one season.

The actor went on to portray witch Prue Halliwell on the series "Charmed," which ran for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006. In 2014, she competed on season 10 of "Dancing With the Stars."

Her recent roles included a part on the "Heathers" reboot series and a guest appearance on season four of "Riverdale." She also filmed three movies back-to-back in 2021: "Dying to Belong," "List of a Lifetime," and "The Fortress."

In late 2023, Doherty revealed that the cancer had spread to her bones but said on her podcast, "Let's Be Clear," that she was "not done living yet."

This is a developing story with more to come…

• The FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as the man who shot at Donald Trump. 
• Crooks was a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pa., and was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
• Crooks was a registered Republican. His motivation for shooting at Trump remains unclear.

The FBI said it had identified the man who shot at former President Donald Trump, who had been speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Crooks was shot dead at the scene by a Secret Service sniper after he fired from "an elevated position" outside the rally venue.

Law enforcement found an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle near Crooks' body, according to The New York Times.

The FBI told Business Insider that the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing and active.

Who was Thomas Matthew Crooks?

A voter registration showed Crooks was a Republican.

Business Insider did not find any associated criminal record in Pennsylvania state court records or in federal court databases.

Federal Election Commission records revealed that Crooks made a $15 donation in January 2021 to the Progressive Turnout Project via ActBlue, a platform that raises funds for political candidates.

The upcoming election in November would have been the first time Crooks would have been old enough to vote in a presidential race.

It is not yet clear what his motivation was for shooting at the former president.

Crooks graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, according to local media outlet Triblive. He received a $500 "star award" from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the outlet.

According to reports from USA Today, dozens of law enforcement vehicles were stationed outside the address listed on Crooks' voter registration record as of Sunday morning.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene, according to the outlet. A bomb squad was also in attendance.

Crooks' residence is about an hour's drive south of Butler.

Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN that he was trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" and would wait until he spoke to law enforcement before speaking about his son.

• A "pronatalist" couple is trying to address the falling birth rate by having seven to twelve kids.
• But they aren't planning on footing the bill for all those kids to attend college someday.
• Instead, they want the kids to run cash positive businesses or be published in journals by age 18.

College is expensive enough with just one or two kids. But what if you have seven, ten, or twelve?

The ideal number of children for Malcolm and Simone Collins, a "pronatalist" couple who aim to save humanity with their prolific procreation, is in the double digits. They already have four young kids, and Malcolm recently wrote that they would like "at least seven, but ideally as many as twelve" in an article published in The Free Press.

But they argue just because they're giving their kids the gift of life — and, in their view, giving the planet the gift of a better future — doesn't mean they should have to open their wallets to cover hefty college bills for elite universities.

After all, they don't even pay for indoor heating in their Pennsylvania home during winter. Simone Collins said in an email to Business Insider that the couple "would much rather save our money for IVF and be able to have more kids than be extra comfy in the winter, plus none of our kids mind the cold (they actually report, unprompted, to love the cold)."

"We can't afford elite education for over seven — let alone four —children, so we're building an elite education in-house," Simone Collins said, referring to the Collins Institute, a lab school the couple founded for middle school-age to post-graduate students.

"It covers from when someone can read to mid-way through a PhD in most subjects," said Malcolm Collins. "The most expensive part about having a kid, if you're a middle-class American, is the social expectation that you're going to pay for them to go to college."

He later noted his grandmother paid for his education at the University of St Andrews and Stanford University. Simone worked while on a scholarship to George Washington University, and Malcolm covered her master's degree at the University of Cambridge.

While the couple hopes to inspire new leagues of parents to tackle the falling birth rate, they're also challenging traditional parental expectations about providing for their children.

"By the time they reach the age where a normal kid would be going to college, they should have a cash-positive business that pays for their lifestyle, or they should be published in a major journal which can help them get into a good college," Malcolm Collins said, admitting he finds it "relatively unremarkable" to be published before college. "This happens all the time. I was actually working on a paper before starting college but after getting into my top choice in the first couple month[s] of the school year I never submitted it."

In his view, any teen could devise the same business plan as an adult. If it's a good idea from one of his future teens, Collins is willing to invest in their companies "to make money for the family," but the goal is for his kids to have "financial security."

"We are aiming for that as a goal. Do I think we'll hit that with all of our kids? Are we going to kick a kid out on the street if they hit 18?" he said. "No, not at all."

It's not the family's first unconventional take. In May, they found themselves in hot water after a reporter wrote about how Malcolm slapped his toddler in the face at a restaurant.

When faced with online criticisms of child abuse, the Collinses, who are white, told Business Insider they found the feedback to be racist.

• I'm a single woman who loves shopping in bulk at Costco.
• I love grabbing household items like Kirkland Signature trash bags.
• I also like to pick up products like Welch's fruit snacks and Miss Vickie's potato chips.

Many people think bulk-shopping destinations like Costco are reserved for families. After all, over 50% of Costco shoppers have kids. However, I've found solo-shopping at Costco to be both practical and a lot of fun.

At the end of every month, I head to the store for free samples, Costco pizza, and household essentials. Here are nine products I love picking up as a single woman who shops at Costco.

I always stock up on Kirkland Signature salmon.

Eating healthier has been my new obsession lately, so stocking up on Kirkland Signature salmon is a must. At home, I slice the filets into 8-ounce portions, which equates to at least eight or nine portions for me to enjoy.

Welch's fruit snacks make the perfect workday snack.

Fruit snacks have become a staple in my lunchbox for a quick pick-me-up during the workday. I love buying a box of 90 pouches of Welch's fruit snacks when I visit Costco.

Bobo's PB&Js are great for an on-the-go breakfast.

I love grabbing a Bobo's PB&J before I head out for work. A box comes with 20 bars in both strawberry and grape flavors. As an added bonus, they're gluten-free and packed with great taste.

I can't get enough of Miss Vickie's chips.

I love all of Miss Vickie's potato chips, but the jalapeño flavor is my favorite. This box includes 30 bags featuring four of the brand's popular flavors: sea salt, sea salt and vinegar, smokehouse barbecue, and jalapeño.

I love making Dunkin' coffee in the comfort of my own home.

Costco has tons of coffee options to fit different tastebuds. Buying Dunkin's ground coffee in bulk offers a cost-effective, convenient way to enjoy my favorite brew without heading to the drive-thru.

I always grab a box of Poppi prebiotic soda.

The emergence of Poppi prebiotic soda on social media is one to be studied, and I can't deny how incredibly good the drinks are. Buying the cans in bulk saves me money, and I love the variety pack that includes flavors like lemon-lime, raspberry-rose, and watermelon.

I use the Lotus Biscoff cookies to make ice-cream sandwiches.

Biscoff cookies are more than just an airplane snack. I love using them to make homemade ice-cream sandwiches.

Buying trash bags in bulk has been a game changer.

Buying trash bags in bulk has been a total game changer for me. With the scented Kirkland Signature kitchen bags, I always have a surplus of bags ready to tackle any mess.

Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one.