Aubrey Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Gamom3's fan rec has me wondering once again... Would we love Costco? Would it be worth the $? Would it be *really* expensive because of the extra $ we'd spend on things *because* they're at Costco (& cheaper)? Is it so big & overwhelming that I'd avoid it like the zoo? I mean, I do go to WM. I hate that place, but I go because their prices are good & I only have to haul the dc out of the car once. The few times I've been in Sam's, though...maybe I could handle it now that I'm older? Is Costco a bulk-buying thing like Sam's? (I assume it is.) Alright, pros & cons, please. The fan, you see, comes w/ a spare. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 I like Costco because 1. I love how the meat is packaged 2. They carry a lot of organic items 3. They have my printer's ink cheap 4. Other office supplies are cheap too; paper, page protectors, binders. 5. Cheap, delicious 1/2 sheet birthday cakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 All the above plus great prices on glasses. (I keep my membership in large part because of the optical department!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 See if you have a friend near by that has a membership. You can visit with them and see if you like it. I find the food there is much nicer than Sam's. We have been members for 12 years, and have been very happy will all things Costco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted June 4, 2008 Author Share Posted June 4, 2008 See if you have a friend near by that has a membership. You can visit with them and see if you like it. I find the food there is much nicer than Sam's. We have been members for 12 years, and have been very happy will all things Costco! I've never actually bought anything at Sam's. As far as Karen's note about organic food & nice packaging of meat...I think I'm in a different economic bracket for consideration of food items. Quality is not high on my list, iykwim. I was raised by a single parent, & dh is in seminary now, so I'm pretty used to buying the cheapest thing on the shelf after it's been clearanced out. I have limits, but I get really, really excited about a good deal. Good quality, otoh, sometimes pleases me & sometimes makes me sad. As in, where have you been all my life??? LOL So is Costco a good deal on quality, or would even a cheapskate like me be happy there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 We almost didn't renew our membership. It expired in the middle of May and we we waffling about it. Ds4 is finally out of diapers and I thought we could do close to as well shopping the ads at the grocery store. And then last week the tread on one of the tires partially separated on my husband's way hope from work. The auto mechanic was closed for the day. Costco was open and sold him four tires and installation. The savings on those tires paid for the membership for the year. And the car was on the road again in about an hour. Great service! So if you need tires definitely consider the membership, for other stuff. Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Well, my membership could currently be paid for in 100% Juice Cranberry Grape juice. $6.99 for 192oz (my kids are allergic to milk). I love love LOVE their baby wipes. I'd post some prices - but i'm not sure what kind of things you buy. You can go get a pass to walk around and check it out - that would be my recommendation! They give out lots of samples - so go around lunch time for a free meal :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Most things are about 50% off, but not all. There are lots of the same brands you would find in a regular supermarket. Everything from junk to organic and in between. We shop at Costco to save money (less than Krogers or Publix). I saw on a list that some Costcos let you in on a one day pass. I don't think you can buy, but you will at least get in and look at the prices and selection to see if you find it worth the membership price. I know we save the $50 in the first shop we do each year, easily! I hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I agree with Jenne. It may not be worth your $$. The Kirkland brands (Costco's store brand) are Not always cheaper than the off brands at Wal-Mart or wherever. Sometimes they are - but definitely not always. Definitely if you need to make a bigger ticket purchase, Costco can be much cheaper. I second the recommendation to go in on a pass or with a friend and check out the things you'd be interested in. Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 The meat is not expensive for the quality, chicken breasts are $1.99 a lb I think. I started buying the hormone free super thin frozen breasts (no pounding required, yay), $21 for 10 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 It's been worth it for us! We have the American Express Membership BECAUSE we get a percentage back from Costco and a percentage back from AE when we use the card. Once a year we get a rebate. The rebate is enough to pay for the membership! We are a family of 5. We are big eaters. Plus, we have "hospitality" dinners in our home 1-4 times a month! We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and most of the time those things are WAY cheaper than at grocery stores! Plus we shop there for as much as possible which saves on gas going from store to store as some do to get the sale prices! Another benefit is that we get in an hour earlier than the regular Costco card holders, so we are in, get all of our shopping done and are out before they can even go in the store! GREAT benefit there! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 We keep membership for paper products, like cups , plates, paper towels also computer paper and ink. We go about twice a mo. We also bought computers there. But finding a buddy, is a great idea. Jeannette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraciWA Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 We live so close to one that we save a lot on the staples for our family of five. Plus gas is much cheeper there.:auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Phooey. If you had a Sam's 3 blocks away but a Costco 15 minutes away? I was hoping they were six of one, half dozen another. It sounds like Costco has the better deals on things I buy regularly (office supplies, organics). Would you still choose Costco if it meant highway time? jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 For us, the nearest Costco is 40 minutes away so we let our membership go. I did this three years ago before gas prices shot so high and I *still* think we save money. I found that I bought a lot things that I wouldn't normally have purchased just because the price was so good. I also have learned that of the things I do use, they pretty much all go on sale eventually. I've learned the sales cycles of the local grocery stores through the regular weekly fliers, and I stock up accordingly when things are on sale. Now with gas prices the way they are, I *know* we are saving money by not shopping at Costco!!! I also like supporting our local economy and stores more than the neighboring county's economy/stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christi/NC Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 I go twice a month and I buy specific items--only ones that are saving me money. My list usually has some or all of these items: Milk (always) bread (half the price of WM for the brand I like) eggs cheese (mozzerella and cheddar and cheesesticks) cheerios pineapples, strawberries butter tortilla chips ground beef bonless, skinless chicken breasts Gas is usually quite a bit cheaper sometimes significantly. We do buy all of our tires there and you cannot be the prices on glasses and contacts--at least not around here. I drive 15 minutes to get there. HTH, Christi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magistramom Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 We've been sans Costco since last January. After years and years of having a membership, it's been a hard habit to break! I'd say go for it, especially if you can stick to the basics (eggs, cheese, milk, butter, meat, and bath/kitchen products). When we were Costco shoppers found it hard to resist the huge bags of Jolly Ranchers, the handy snacks for the kids, and especially hard to avoid the frozen ready to eat, easy to prepare for lunch, meals (chicken pot pies, corn dogs, bagel bites, etc.). All that "bad" eating disappeared when we stopped the membership (read here, I had to cook more responsibly). I believe we could easily go back to Costco now, and that we could resist the temptations with our renewed commitment to eat healthier. However, I'm finding now, that I can do better budgeting and stocking up by carefully shopping in the "regular grocery store". It's certainly NOT as convenient - but if you have the time it can be done. If you do decide on a membership, here's some advice: SHOP WITHOUT CHILDREN (well, unless your children are the type that don't ask for this and that on each aisle). Also, at the end of the year for your membership, stock up on as much as you can for the next three-six months or so - and reapply for membership when you begin to run out of your Costco favorites. In doing this, you can stretch out the payments to every other year rather than on a yearly basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 Costco is consistently rated one of the best places to work, and I like supporting a company that has good business practices. I drive 2 hours one way to my Costco (no that is *not* a misprint!) so I make huge purchases when I go, which is about once a month. As it came time to renew my membership I did lots of calculations to see if it was worth it (even figuring in the gas), and overall our food budget went down while the quality went up. Not to mention my pantry is very well stocked! We could do a month without hitting the grocery store, easy. I love Costco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted June 4, 2008 Share Posted June 4, 2008 It takes less than 10 minutes to get to our Costco. We go there first, before the main shoppers go. Then what we can't get there we get at Safeway on our way home---while the other shoppers are at Costco. So it works out well! We try to go every OTHER week, and we buy only the products on our list---which is VERY hard sometimes! But it's saved me from making a rash choice to buy something, then later wonder why I did that! The gas is almost always 3 or more cents cheaper at Costco than even Safeway's-with-the-10-cent-discount-per-gallon cost, so that has saved us a LOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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