I made the trip to "the" large warehouse yesterday (warning: costco content)

[KungFuPanda]

We have both Costco and BJs just a few miles from my house. I prefer Costco, and BJs doesn't have gas. I wouldn't make extreme trips for either, but there are only four in my family and we're not huge eaters. I get more goods there than food. My favorites are:

 

Glasses/contacts

Deodorant

Dog food

Toilet paper

Printer Ink

Lightbulbs

Batteries

Electronics

Pajamas

Chicken broth

Canned tomatoes

Dried Mangos

 

We usually have lunch there because the kids like the pizza. Recently I bought heat and eat wings because DS had a gluten free friend at his birthday party. They were good and easy, but too much for just my family. I bought pretzel chips there too. there too. My sister told me to eat them with hummus and now I can't stop. The combo is just too delicious.

[Cammie]

Just lurking because Costco is one of the main things we miss not living in the US....it sounds corny but it is true.  When we go to the US we get a membership just so we can stock up and fill our suitcases!

[JeneralMom]

DH and I wax poetic about Costco. I miss it so much. I knew it was a budget helper but turns out it was a budget saver. Wish we had one in Perth.

[bobbeym]

I love Costco!  I just made my bi-monthly trip last night.  We don't eat a lot of packaged convenience food so it's not hard for me to stick to my list.  Plus it's the only place I can find decently priced organic roasters and ground buffalo.

[idnib]

My husband is at the big warehouse right now. I just had to stop him from impulse buying a security camera system. It's something he does want to get, but I think he needs to do more research to make sure the one he chooses will actually work for us. And he's apparently buying $150 of frozen fish. I'm just hoping that this is because it was on a big sale and not just because he suddenly decided we needed $150 worth of frozen fish.

 

If it's the 8-camera ~$400 system it's supposed to be pretty good. We had a few break-ins in our neighborhood and had a neighborhood meeting. One of the attendees was an electrician who said he had many requests to install new security systems, had researched them, and liked and recommended this one.

 

I can't help you with the fish.  :D

[Joyofsixreboot]

For those who can't do the big amounts, sometimes I split with friends and family. Today I bought 60 waffles. I'll take 30 and my friend will take 30. Easy peasy.

[BarbecueMom]

I'm living vicariously through all you Costco shoppers this weekend. I was supposed to go this morning, ended up admitted to the hospital instead. I'm wondering which trip will end up costing more.

 

Someone eat some samples for me. Anything but chicken broth and jello.

[IfIOnly]

I :001_wub: Costco!! I live 5 minutes from ours and spent a lot there today. I'll be feeding 9-15 people next week on any given day and I still came in under budget.

I live less than 5 minutes. I love Costco, too. Besides the quality of foonecessary, too.ces, they pay their emploees very well and give them generous benefits. There are very few companies like yhat around anymore. I buy organic chickens and hamburger by the cases fir chraper, but Ill by conventional by the case if necessary, too. Their conventional hamburget is incredible quality and taste.

[IfIOnly]

I :001_wub: Costco!! I live 5 minutes from ours and spent a lot there today. I'll be feeding 9-15 people next week on any given day and I still came in under budget.

I live less than 5 minutes. I love Costco, too. Besides the quality and cost benefits to me, they pay their emploees very well and give them generous benefits. There are very few companies like that around anymore. I buy organic chickens and hamburger by the cases for cheaper, but Ill by conventional by the case if necessary, too. Their conventional hamburger is incredible quality and taste.

[Wildcat]

.

[Garga]

We go to BJs. I did a careful price comparison so I know what items are really good deals and what aren't. When I use their coupons I can save a bundle.

 

I learned the hard way to always (always, always) go in with a list and Stick To The List. Oh my...always stick to the list. Of course, the time I bought the box of 30 Mounds bars was pretty awesome. I ate one a day for a month and gained about 50 pounds. Oh, Mounds bars, you are sooooo yummy!

 

Anyway...always Stick To The List. Do not put Mounds bars on the list.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I'm living vicariously through all you Costco shoppers this weekend. I was supposed to go this morning, ended up admitted to the hospital instead. I'm wondering which trip will end up costing more.

 

Someone eat some samples for me. Anything but chicken broth and jello.

 

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Oh no, I hope everything is okay?

[umsami]

Anyway...always Stick To The List. Do not put Mounds bars on the list.

 

 

But if you feel like a nut, Almond Joy bars are perfectly fine to put on the list. :)  (It's like a Bounty bar with almonds for those of you who don't have Mounds/Almond Joy.)

 

That reminds me, there's this chain of delis here called TooJay's which makes a Mounds cake.  It is insanely good.  It's a rich chocolate cake and then the filling is the coconut Mounds filling (I'm assuming it's coconut and condensed milk and who knows what else.)    Soo sooo good.

 

 

[Peaceful Isle]

Love costco's organic meat, fruits, and veggies :)

[KungFuPanda]

Just today my son asked why everything was made by Kirkland :-) I had to explain that not everyone's homes were stocked exactly like ours.

[BarbecueMom]

Just today my son asked why everything was made by Kirkland :-) I had to explain that not everyone's homes were stocked exactly like ours.

 

Ours is!  And whatever foods aren't Kirkland brand are all those silly knockoff Aldi brands.

[BarbecueMom]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Oh no, I hope everything is okay?

 

I think I'm okay, still here and bored, though.

 

I think I could eat a Costco-sized anything after two days of Jello and broth.  Except Jello and broth.

[Ann.without.an.e]

But if you feel like a nut, Almond Joy bars are perfectly fine to put on the list. :)  (It's like a Bounty bar with almonds for those of you who don't have Mounds/Almond Joy.)

 

That reminds me, there's this chain of delis here called TooJay's which makes a Mounds cake.  It is insanely good.  It's a rich chocolate cake and then the filling is the coconut Mounds filling (I'm assuming it's coconut and condensed milk and who knows what else.)    Soo sooo good.

 

 

 

Oh wow!  That looks like perfection :)  

[marbel]

That cake is lovely.   And reminds me... all the Costcos I've been in have this huge chocolate cake.  I do mean huge.  But it is delicious.  My daughter asks for it for her birthday each year.  After we eat our birthday party pieces, I portion it out and freeze it so we have cake for months after.  It freezes well. (I also wrap it really well.)   So fun to get in the mood for cake and just go to the freezer and get some. 

 

 

[mom31257]

I've never belonged to Costco, but I've been thinking about visiting. The closest is about 35 miles away and in a busy area, so I wouldn't get there more than 1-2 times a month.

 

Do they let you "preview" membership and shop for a day? I'm not sure I would want to commit without giving it a try.

 

[Pawz4me]

 

Do they let you "preview" membership and shop for a day? I'm not sure I would want to commit without giving it a try.

 

I've been wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking, and thanks in advance to anyone who can answer.

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

I've never belonged to Costco, but I've been thinking about visiting. The closest is about 35 miles away and in a busy area, so I wouldn't get there more than 1-2 times a month.

 

Do they let you "preview" membership and shop for a day? I'm not sure I would want to commit without giving it a try.

 

 

I've been wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking, and thanks in advance to anyone who can answer.

 

 

 

I wish they had a trial but they don't.  They will let you browse the store but you can't purchase anything :(  I did some browsing and price checking before I joined.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I am loving the toilet paper.  14.99 for like 1000 or 1100 square feet and the rolls are huge.  I've never seen such big rolls. 

[Wildcat]

.

 

 

[Mnemosyne]

They really are. Costco has a reputation for being very good to its employees. After a year of shopping at BJ's, where the employees all mumble, look at the floor or somewhere near the top of your head, don't respond when you say thank you, or smile generally, I was absolutely shocked at how much of a difference cheerful, friendly staff makes in my shopping experience after the Costco opened. I didn't realize it mattered that much to me, but apparently it does!

 

I can't remember if there are glasses at our Costco? I don't think there are, actually. But that may differ by location. 

 

 

Yeah, this can be a problem. These days, for most of the things I buy, our local grocery stores don't carry them, carry them at inflated prices, or never put them on sale. When I was buying more mainstream groceries, though, I could shop with sales and coupons more cheaply (though less conveniently) than I could at Costco. It's a fine line.

 

 

There are glasses at our Costco, FWTW.

[KatieJ]

Yes you need a membership to do any purchasing.

I believe they give you a 100 percent refund on your membership if you are unhappy.

Another thing you can do if you know someone with a membership is have them put some money on a gift card for you. You can them shop and pay for your purchases with that gift card. You just show the gift card at the door as if it was a membership card.

[Mnemosyne]

Yes you need a membership to do any purchasing.

 

I believe they give you a 100 percent refund on your membership if you are unhappy.

 

Another thing you can do if you know someone with a membership is have them put some money on a gift card for you. You can them shop and pay for your purchases with that gift card. You just show the gift card at the door as if it was a mbetship card.

 

You even get a refund on the more expensive one if you don't make back what you spent in rebates every year (which is super easy if you go there once a month).

 

I go at least every couple weeks. Love Costco.

[FloridaLisa]

LOVE Costco! Just went today in fact.  It's cheaper on nearly everything than my Walmart and Sam's <----- both of which drive me nuts. Friendly, helpful staff. Quick check out. Lots of organics and they keeping adding new organics every time I go. Just don't go on weekends! 

 

A few other Costco favorites:

• Christmas trees -- hands-down the least expensive real Christmas trees so fresh they sometimes have snow on them. :)
• buying a slice of cheese pizza cut in half for my littles and paying as I'm checking my groceries. My kids LOVE this. Super convenient to pay with the groceries and then head over to get the pizza on the way out.
• Rental cars through Costco.  Cheaper than any other club or discount I've found. You can do this online
• My Costco rebate check. YES! I finally signed up for the premium membership and I always get back the difference in a rebate check.  

I keep to a list and am not afraid to give back a couple of impulse purchases when I'm checking out and realizing how much is in my cart. 

 

Lisa

[BarbecueMom]

So I got out of the hospital today (nasty case of shigella, don't recommend it), and we actually stopped at Costco on the way home. Say what you want about jumbo-sized, but healthier than usual convenience foods, but they are awesome for a house full of hungry people when the primary cook is unable to cook for a while.

 

I do recommend the smoked pulled pork. It was mighty tasty. Yes, added nitrates, but I had limited options.

[KungFuPanda]

Have you guys tried the stuffed peppers? They're delicious and a full meal in one pan.

[stripe]

Ours is!  And whatever foods aren't Kirkland brand are all those silly knockoff Aldi brands.

The Aldi stuff is not knockoff. ;) Trust me on this one. They just have their packaging on it.

 

BTW non Costco members can buy stuff off the website. A year ago, as a non-member, I bought their generic for Claritin and had it shipped to my house (free!); it had a 5% surcharge, which was not much at all. I post this because someone posted on another thread that she mostly is a member for medicines. If you're just buying things like that, you don't even need to be a member.

 

Copied from my receipt last year (format got ugly):

 

Your Order

Kirkland Signature™ AllerClear® Non-Drowsy* - Item# 529688

Standard 3 to 5 Days

$12.99

 

 

Subtotal:

$12.99

Shipping & Handling:

$0.00

Non-Member Surcharge:

$0.65

   

 

[shawthorne44]

We have a business membership at Sam's.  I prefer Costco, but they don't sell boxed soda syrups and we have a soda machine.  

I like the gas prices.  Ours is close enough that it is across the highway from where I bought gas before.  

 

One thing I found handy is to put out the word that I had a business membership.  Then people bought things online using my number, and my membership ended up costing less than free.  My boss bought a >$1000 bed for her kid from there.  At my next shopping trip I had a $100 credit to use.

 

We love the sample ladies.  Usually that is lunch for DD, and we've discovered some good things we would have never tried.   

 

 

[IfIOnly]

Our car and rental insurance is through Costco! Best prices we could find after price comparing.

[idnib]

Off to Costco in an hour! I can't resist the Buy 1 Get 1 on the Finish dishwasher tabs.

[blondeviolin]

We just moved to an area where we have Costco. After nearly 9 years of Sam's, I nearly cry every time I walk into Costco now. With 7 people, I typically don't have to worry about produce going bad. We fill up bi-monthly, but I stop in between those trips to buy more fruit. Love the tortilla dough, their clothes, their healthier snack options (dried mangoes, blueberries, fruit strips). I spend about a grand there each month. Which, for seven people in a high COL area, that's not bad!

[blondeviolin]

We have a business membership at Sam's. I prefer Costco, but they don't sell boxed soda syrups and we have a soda machine.

I like the gas prices. Ours is close enough that it is across the highway from where I bought gas before.

 

One thing I found handy is to put out the word that I had a business membership. Then people bought things online using my number, and my membership ended up costing less than free. My boss bought a >$1000 bed for her kid from there. At my next shopping trip I had a $100 credit to use.

 

We love the sample ladies. Usually that is lunch for DD, and we've discovered some good things we would have never tried.

So...tell me about this soda machine? Is it for your business?

 

I don't have a diet coke addiction. That would be my husband. ;)

[BarbecueMom]

 

The Aldi stuff is not knockoff. ;) Trust me on this one. They just have their packaging on it.

 

 

Oh I know, it was a joke. I'm the biggest Aldi apologist around. It was in reference to the previous threads where people were freaked out by the "Friendly Farms" dairy and the "Millville" cereals and the similar-to-name-brand package design.

[marbel]

Oh I know, it was a joke. I'm the biggest Aldi apologist around. It was in reference to the previous threads where people were freaked out by the "Friendly Farms" dairy and the "Millville" cereals and the similar-to-name-brand package design.

 

We are big Aldi shoppers but those brand names crack us up.  Goldhen eggs! 

 

Right now Mama Cozzi's Buffalo chicken pizzas are in.  I bought 6 for the freezer the other day.  I would have bought more but my daughter said it would be a bit embarrassing.  She will be sad when we run out in a few months time.... :sad:

[shawthorne44]

So...tell me about this soda machine? Is it for your business?

 

I don't have a diet coke addiction. That would be my husband. ;)

 

No, just a diet coke addict.  Although the coke machine is a genuine 5-head restaurant one.  

 

Over beers with friends I mentioned that I always wanted a coke machine.  A year or so later, one of the friends said that he had one I could have for free.  He managed one of those warehouse rental places, and a restaurant supply place had folded.  It was used and dirty.  I looked and looked for someone to work on it.  But, they don't want anything to do with a home owned one.  But, then eventually I figured out that I could just replace all the hoses.  

 

What I've been investigating lately is homemade syrups but I haven't made the plunge yet.  You can use any sweeter you want, spenda, stevia, white sugar, etc.  There is a recipe for the original phosphate version of Coke (minus the drugs) that looks interesting.  You can buy caffeine powder on Amazon.  I've been pondering a caffeinated splenda Orange soda.  

 

Online I read about someone with a really simple setup.  A CO2 tank, a pressure regulator and hooked up to the tap water.  Put CO2 water in drinking glass or glass bottle, and add syrup.  There are two soda machine supply stores that I know of.  One near DFW and one somewhere in the northeast.  You can get used CO2 tanks on ebay, and then exchange for full at Home Depot.  

 

One thing I learned from a soda expert (there was at least one, but he died) is that taste tests show that lots of CO2 is what people like.  In a blind taste test, you can get Coke drinkers to prefer Pepsi and vice versa if you ramp up the CO2 in the one they wouldn't otherwise like.  It is why glass bottles taste good, and 2-liter bottles are sucky.  Plastic bottles can't hold much pressure.

 

Soda trivia.  Back when soda fountains were new, many places banned the sales of sodas on Sundays.  They caused too much fun and giggling among the young-ins.  Soda Fountains wanted to serve something, so they created the "Sunday" which used the soda syrup on top.  The name Sunday was a F.U. name, that was later changed to Sundae to take out the F.U. aspect.  

[vonfirmath]

You even get a refund on the more expensive one if you don't make back what you spent in rebates every year (which is super easy if you go there once a month).

 

I go at least every couple weeks. Love Costco.

 

Not any more. (or maybe it depends on the warehouse) I had the more expensive membership for a year. Didn't make back what I paid. Tried to get a refund of the difference and found that was not true.

[KatieJ]

Not any more. (or maybe it depends on the warehouse) I had the more expensive membership for a year. Didn't make back what I paid. Tried to get a refund of the difference and found that was not true.

 

Hmm.. You won't get back the cost of the Gold Star membership ( the membership everyone needs to join) but you should have been able to get back the upgrade price.  In other words, the Gold Star is 55.00.  Executive is another 55.00.  Your rebate needs to be at least 55.00  or you get back the difference of your rebate check and the 55.00 executive cost.  I believe you do have to give up your executive membership at that time.  

We did it the first time we signed up for Executive membership and our rebate did not cover the cost.  Several years later we found we were shopping there more often and upgraded. Our rebate has always covered the entire cost of our memberhsip (110.00) at least.

 

 

 

From the Costco website:

 

On Membership: We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissatisfied.

[cjzimmer1]

 

I think we used not quite 1/3 of the bag and the rest went bad, so I just buy a bag at Kroger when we feel like potatoes. We don't eat many potatoes, but we used to. I see people buying those huge bags of white onions all the time and I'm like :ohmy: . We eat a lot of onions, but man! :lol:  Now, the stuff we really plow through is kept in the arctic room. I hate going in there because it's so cold! Brr!

 

 

Yeah I hate the cooler room too.  Sometimes I will just skip produce because I'm not willing to venture in there (unlike a lot of Costco fans, with the exception of lettuce, I find produce at Costco to be quite a bit more expensive than my other options, although they do offer a few things I can't find anywhere else)  You can laugh but one thing I really miss about Sam's is their 50# bag of onions.  We go through that in about 6-8 weeks in the summer and about a month in the winter.  Depending on the meal plan for the week, sometimes I have to buy 20 pounds of potato at once.  I make about 5-6 pounds for one meal. 

 

[Joker]

So, we walked through Costco today and noted prices and then went to our local Publix. There was only one item at Costco that was cheaper (and this was regular prices not sales)! I've heard such good things that I thought there would be many good deals. I did like the looks of their produce but we get a weekly delivery of local produce cheaper than I would be spending at Costco. There was no grass fed beef and the chicken wasn't any less than what I spend at Whole Foods. I was disappointed.

 

If it matters, the items we were comparing today were:

 

trash bags

diswasher / laundry detergent

paper towels / toilet paper

toothpaste / deodorant / soaps, etc.

coffee

frozen fruit

printer ink

babybel cheese (we go through this stuff!)

generic Zyrtec - This was the only deal and it is a big one, but I can order it online without a membership.

 

So, was I missing something?

 

[idnib]

So, we walked through Costco today and noted prices and then went to our local Publix. There was only one item at Costco that was cheaper (and this was regular prices not sales)! I've heard such good things that I thought there would be many good deals. I did like the looks of their produce but we get a weekly delivery of local produce cheaper than I would be spending at Costco. There was no grass fed beef and the chicken wasn't any less than what I spend at Whole Foods. I was disappointed.

 

If it matters, the items we were comparing today were:

 

trash bags

diswasher / laundry detergent

paper towels / toilet paper

toothpaste / deodorant / soaps, etc.

coffee

frozen fruit

printer ink

babybel cheese (we go through this stuff!)

generic Zyrtec - This was the only deal and it is a big one, but I can order it online without a membership.

 

So, was I missing something?

 

Hmmm...

 

I can speak to the following:

 

dishwasher detergent: regular for 90 tabs here $9.99, picked up a box at Costco yesterday for $14.99 but it was Buy 1 Get 1 Free so it was good..

 

Coffee: $15.95/lb normally (organic), $19.00 for 2 lbs at Costco.

 

Babybel: Can't remember prices but it's at least a $2 cheaper if I recall. 

[Joker]

Hmmm...

 

I can speak to the following:

 

dishwasher detergent: regular for 90 tabs here $9.99, picked up a box at Costco yesterday for $14.99 but it was Buy 1 Get 1 Free so it was good..

 

Coffee: $15.95/lb normally (organic), $19.00 for 2 lbs at Costco.

 

Babybel: Can't remember prices but it's at least a $2 cheaper if I recall. 

 

I'm guessing it must be a regional thing. The coffee was basically the same price as Publix (slightly cheaper at Costco but by so little it wouldn't make a membership and drive worth it). The cheese was the same per unit price. The detergent is cheaper at Target for me.

[idnib]

I don't have Publix so maybe they just have really good prices. I was surprised when you mentioned the same prices as WF.

[shawthorne44]

I have noticed a trend in which items are cheaper.  If it is an item that a business is likely to buy, then it is cheaper.  So, that giant can of Nacho Cheese is pretty cheap.  The giant container of ketchup is cheap.  But the case of Campbell's soup isn't.  The tempting pre-made stuff in the frozen section isn't either.