Tell me what things are NOT a bargain at Costco? TIA!

[Little Nyssa]

Hi all... I am just switching over to shopping at Costco... I dislike going there because it is so dreary and grey and industrial, and often the shoppers seem crabby, but in this economy I realized I have to do it, and be cheerful about it!:001_smile:

 

So, I have found lots of things that are bargains there, which is good. Other things I see on the shelf, I need to take a minute to calculate whether they really are a good buy, and it is hard to have the presence of mind to do that when I have to compare different size bottles in the different stores, how much the price/ounce would be, while DC are hanging on me and the carriage, squabbling, bumping into people, and trying to make impulse buys for me! Also I feel flustered because there are so many products and people... I am tempted to buy things without calculating, and just go on faith that Costco must be cheaper... yet I am keeping a notebook on prices, and I see that it is NOT always cheapest at Costco. For example, yesterday shampoo was 1/3 more expensive than TJ. I don't mind going to two different stores if I have to. Going without kids is not an option right now.

 

Can anyone clue me in about whether there are certain things that are NEVER a bargain at Costco?

 

Also, if you see something that is a good price, will it be a good price again the next time you come? Or do the prices and products change from week to week?

 

Thank you!!!

-- your clueless, flustered, yet economical, Nyssa

[BlsdMama]

I'm in the PNW as well.

 

Salmon and fish and seafood in general is cheaper elsewhere than Costco.

I can get better coffee at about the same price elsewhere.

Ground pork is more expensive there than Fred Meyer's.

 

I can get less expensive beef but frankly not the same quality. I prefer Costco. We also get the big bags of chicken breasts.

 

Things that ARE a better deal at Costco - raw almonds, maple syrup, and dried fruit. Organic chicken broth is less expensive, cheese, butter, and eggs.

 

I get my produce there because it's good, I can often get organic, and it's cheaper or close to the same than at the local grocer.

 

I think the t.p. doesn't last as long as the Scott 1000 rolls so I prefer those over Costco's bulk package.

[momto4kings]

Cheaper at Costco:

 

bread

tortillas

frozen fruit

bananas

lettuce

laundry detergent

flour

canola oil

[DawnM]

Can you still get raw almonds at your Costco? Ours stopped carrying them after that salmanila scare a few years back.

 

Dawn

 

Things that ARE a better deal at Costco - raw almonds, maple syrup, and dried fruit. Organic chicken broth is less expensive, cheese, butter, and eggs.

 

I get my produce there because it's good, I can often get organic, and it's cheaper or close to the same than at the local grocer.

 

I think the t.p. doesn't last as long as the Scott 1000 rolls so I prefer those over Costco's bulk package.

[KrissiK]

I'm not sure what is not cheaper. Refried beans are definitely cheaper. So is chicken broth. Milk. Cheese. I think their meat is definitely better quality than anywhere around, so I buy my meat there, whether it is cheaper or not.

[Tap]

Canned good in regular size cans are better than the everyday price at nice grocers like Safeway/Zupans, but not cheaper than other big box stores like Winco/Food World. Sale prices at nice grocers can be less also. SO, it depends on where you are likely to buy them if you are not getting them at Costco. I would say most grocery things fall into this category in the dry goods/canned goods area. The exception are things that are bought in huge sizes. I make my own pasta sauce, and will throw in one of the huge cans of tomatoes from Costco. They are much cheaper per ounce that all the small cans.

 

I like their olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Their baking aisle is just as cheap if not cheaper that big box stores. BUt most items are in huge packages, so I think that is why.

 

I love their albacore tuna in the can. It has a spiral of real tuna, not the tuna mush that is in many other brands. It is a larger size can that most grocers carry, so don't compare can to can, but ounce to ounce.

[sweetbasil]

Dairy products are almost always much cheaper. Like PP stated, the meat usually isn't cheaper than but the quality is much higher. Organic produce is generally cheaper (unless you have a great farmer's market). The spices are a good deal -- I usually buy mine from Penzey's but I really like Costco's cinnamon.

 

I can get diapers, wipes, agave syrup, maple syrup, canned tomatoes, etc cheaper on Amazon. In general, I have found processed foods and canned foods to be more expensive at Costco than elsewhere.

[Ginevra]

I get bread, milk, cream, cheese, eggs, some cleaning products, batteries, canned veggies and crushed tomatoes, chicken breasts and ice cream at costco. Those are products I took great pains to break down in my price book years ago and they remain a good deal. There are some products that are close, but I buy them because it's easier than trying to scramble to the store for a sale (canned tuna springs to mind).

[sassenach]

Off the top of my head, the only thing that is for sure NOT cheaper is cereal. Also, their chicken always seems more expensive.

[Cindy in C-ville]

Fabulous question! I'm taking notes!

[FairProspects]

For us cheaper items are:

 

Meats - chicken breasts, organic beef, meatballs, etc.

Paper goods - paper towels, TP (we are not picky about it)

Dog food

Batteries

Plants, flowers, trees

Some Clothing - esp. Levi jeans, Calvin Klein items, pajamas (we buy nearly all the kids pajamas there)

Some prepared snack items - rice & bean chips, bagel bites, artichoke & cheese dip

Diapers/Pull-ups/Wipes

 

Tap, Tap, Tap is right in that canned goods are usually cheaper elsewhere. Fish is higher priced but frequently better quality - fresh caught rather than farm-raised and often not from China (which is super important to us).

[Maus]

:DAnything that the kids don't like, or that you use infrequently enough to not consume before it goes bad!

 

Generally, DVDs and BlueRays are cheaper at Walmart.

 

We generally have the biggest problem with things that are the same price as elsewhere, and now we have a HUGE bag of it.

[BarbecueMom]

Between sales, coupons, and discontinued/expiring/damaged markdowns, I usually get bacon, chicken, eggs, paper towels, canned goods, toiletries (except soap), and fruits/veggies at the grocery store, Walgreens, or Target. Cereal is higher at Costco, but no one here eats it. Spaghetti is cheaper on sale at the store, but Costco's tastes better. Most other things are a good buy, but I have to pass on some things due to the size, even if it's cheaper. As much as DS1 loves sour cream, he can't eat that whole tub before it goes bad. :001_smile:

[wapiti]

What is cheaper: Leapfrog DVDs $6.99. They were in a random spot.

 

i agree that the cereal is not cheaper than say Target.

 

Yesterday i got some odd applesauce containers there that the dc loved.

[TrixieB]

These are always priced lower that the regular price at local supermarkets:

 

packaged heads of Romaine

Tillamook sharp cheese (blocks)

almond butter

organic eggs

organic apples

Feta cheese

artichokes (in season)

sliced deli turkey

graham crackers

saltines

batteries

 

Sometimes local stores will have better sale prices on organic apples or Tillamook sharp cheddar, but I haven't seen better sale prices on the other things on my list.

 

I haven't seen Costco prices change much from week to week. Cheese has gone up $1 in the last couple of months, and lettuce $0.30, but the other prices have been stable for quite a while.

[kalanamak]

The biggest error I see at Costco is people buying things they don't need.

 

I get big bags of coffee filters for the staff offices at work, and their canned dark Kirkland coffee is preferred by many at work. Big bags of frozen blueberries are a deal, and bags of lemons and bell peppers. Their organic EVOO is a decent cooking grade oil. Batteries I think are a good price.

[WeeBeaks]

I depends on where and how you usually shop. If you are a couponer and use coupons matched with sales in the regular stores, then Costco is usually not cheaper. If you just buy what you need at the regular price at the regular store, Costco is often cheaper.

 

I find meat is not an equal comparison as I find the Costco price per pound is higher, but the quality is also higher. For example, bagged boneless skinless chicken from Costco versus the last bag I got at our Kroger store had the Costco breasts truly skinless with nearly all the fat removed. The Kroger ones some had a bit of skin and nearly all had some fat attached to them. The Kroger also had more liquid frozen into the bags so less usable meat. I have always been satisfied with meat purchased at Costco versus not always with our regular grocery.

 

Tuna same brand is usually cheaper at the reg grocery on sale. Cereal when using coupons is usually cheaper at the reg store. Oatmeal Costco is usually cheaper but you have to buy a huge amount. Baking supplies are nearly always cheaper for me at Costco, as long as I use them in those quantities.

 

Seasonal fruit is usually cheaper at the regular store. I find refried beans and canned tomatoes, canned fruit, etc., usually cheaper at the regular store if I wait for a sale and use coupons.

[laundrycrisis]

I do not buy vinegar, lemon juice, flour, sugar, coffee or broccoli at Costco. We have a local grocery that has better prices on large bottles of vinegar and lemon juice, and equal prices per oz on coffee, flour, and sugar but in a more manageable amount. I get fresher broccoli at Meijer or Aldi. The broccoli at Costco has been cut and bagged.

 

Our main purchases at Costco are Red Bull, Clear Care for contacts, hydrogen peroxide, flushable wipes, Charmin Ultra, Bounty paper towels, laundry products, dish washing products, Clorox Cleanup, frozen cheese pizzas, Ling Ling potstickers, vanilla ice cream, rotisserie chickens, ice-coated frozen chicken breasts, frozen tubes of ground beef, big containers of blueberries in season to freeze, Duracell batteries, beer, butter, cereal bars, brisket and ribs to cook at home, bread, bagels, and Mike's Hard Lemonade variety boxes. :)

[Little Nyssa]

Wow, thank you for all the responses! BlsdMama, I especially appreciate the comparison to Fred Meyers since we have one near us. Dawn, the local Costco does have raw almonds, and they were sampling them yesterday.

Thanks everyone!!

[Orthodox6]

Off the top of my head, the only thing that is for sure NOT cheaper is cereal. Also, their chicken always seems more expensive.

 

Not the greatest food choice, but Cheerios' lower price at Costco pummels even Walmart.

[Halftime Hope]

Wow, thank you for all the responses! BlsdMama, I especially appreciate the comparison to Fred Meyers since we have one near us. Dawn, the local Costco does have raw almonds, and they were sampling them yesterday.

Thanks everyone!!

 

We eat a lot of nuts. Costco and Sam's both sell nuts that are dried out compared to the really fresh ones at Tom Thumb or, when I can get them, new crop ones at Kroger. This goes for raw almonds and pecans. The first bag of almonds that I bought at Costco I took back. No flavor, no "fresh" natural oils in them, just dry and tasteless.

 

I do buy large cans of macadamias at Costco, but they are roasted and salted, not raw.

[abacus2]

In my comparisons, Costco has always come out regular price or better. Some things are amazing deals, like Cheerios and Nesquik powder.

[DawnM]

That actually makes me angry. My local store told me that they stopped carrying them NATIONWIDE!

 

GRRR!!!!!!!

 

Dawn

 

Wow, thank you for all the responses! BlsdMama, I especially appreciate the comparison to Fred Meyers since we have one near us. Dawn, the local Costco does have raw almonds, and they were sampling them yesterday.

Thanks everyone!!

[Diana B]

We are a small family of 3, so we don't need most of Costco's big bags of stuff. But here is the stuff we do buy:

 

~ Coffee - We have found organic, fair trade, whole beans for a great deal ($4.50/lb or so). AND we really like it. Definitely a good purchase for us. We also buy coffee filters here.

 

~ Tillamook Cheese - although I can often find the 2lb blocks on sale for cheaper, Costco has the best regular price.

 

~ Tortillas - we buy the uncooked kind out of the fridge section. Definitely better priced than Fred Meyer.

 

~ Baking Soda & White Vinegar - for cleaning purposes.

 

~ Turkey Sandwich Meat - if you are up for slicing your own, they have high quality chunks at a very good price. (It's a lot of meat, so we don't buy it often as we can't get through it. But if I had a big family, we'd buy it much more regularly. Makes turkey sandwiches a much more frugal meal!)

 

~ Butter - if I haven't found a good sale on butter recently, I'll pick this up as well.

 

~ Sugar - best price for organic, raw cane sugar. (Even though the price did go up recently.)