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I'm not finding my best values at Costco. . .


Pegasus
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So, I joined Costco for the first time this year because I'm getting an amazing deal on one of my prescriptions. You do NOT have to be a member to use their pharmacy but I figured if I was going there anyway to pick up my script, I'd join and do some shopping too.  DH and I have priced many of our typical purchases and, with a few exceptions, we are still getting a better value at Aldi and/or Walmart. 

Great deals at Costco - Kirkland brand of Zyrtec and Claritin, some prescription drugs

Good deals at Costco - scoopable cat litter

That's it so far.  I won't renew my membership next year.

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A few months ago DH and I were considering becoming members at Costco, so we took a morning to go look around. And we decided it wouldn't be anywhere near worth it for us. We weren't impressed by the selection of products or by the prices, which really surprised me. I'd heard so many good things and really wanted to like it. I wanted to be one of those raving-about-Costco-people! But . . no.

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I priced Sams to see if it would be worth the membership and didn’t see much that I couldn’t get at Wal mart for the same price. We don’t have Costco, but BJs is coming soon. I don’t have high hopes. WalMart has gotten better over the last couple of years, so it’s worth my while to go in there. 

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I had considered renewing my Sam's membership (I let it lapse after I divorced my ex, it was in my name only) for the Kirkland's Zyrtec but it really wasn't that much less expensive to justify $50 a year membership.

Then I found this generic Zyrtec on Amazon and never looked back. There are 3 Sam's Clubs we could go to but they are all 90 minutes to 2 hours away. Just not worth it for us at all.

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We are Costco members because the savings on our air purifier filters actually covers the membership cost with some left over.  So it’s a no brainer.

 

Their price on Udi’s bread is excellent here.  But not everyone needs Udi’s.

I also like that it’s the only place where DS can eat the rotisserie chickens, for an easy meal.  The chickens are a pretty good deal for $5.  ?

So I’m not really a member for the savings.  I like the convenience, and we have certain items we always buy there.  

Their prices on Sartori cheeses can’t be beat.  They have wine we like for a few dollars less per bottle, some other things, but mostly luxury items and not every day groceries.

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21 minutes ago, SamanthaCarter said:

I priced Sams to see if it would be worth the membership and didn’t see much that I couldn’t get at Wal mart for the same price. We don’t have Costco, but BJs is coming soon. I don’t have high hopes. WalMart has gotten better over the last couple of years, so it’s worth my while to go in there. 

BJs has the best clearance sales.  It will be unadvertised.  Recently, I got two long heavy duty grill gloves for under 7.  They were the cuisinart brand on amazon for 25.  A new thick yoga mat was 4. Make sure to check the end caps for other extra deals. 

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I think my Costco membership paid for itself the year I had two kids on Claritin year round.  And I’ve bought 60 rolls of Scotch tape (yay coupon!) there this month, about $4 less per 12 roll package than Walmart.  I’m hoping that gets DS8 through the school year, lol.

Gas was 43 cents a gallon cheaper at Costco than anywhere else this morning.  Walmart doesn’t have a gas station here so I’m not sure how it would compare.

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Great tires.
Really like some "staples" like  pesto, feta, olive oil, Himalayan salt.

I like that you can return anything. It really matters. I've returned hundreds of dollars of items over the years. You can do that with Amazon, if you want to deal with boxes and shipping and soemtimes paying return fees. No thanks.

Our walmart offers bettter prices but is really depressing.  I'll go sometimes, but joylessly.  Blah.

The store I hate is BJs, where you have to use two different coupon books they sent you, or hunt down deals item by item on the app.  Why do they make you that? People want interactive shopping? Because some people will get frustrated so they dont' have to give everyone the $2 off yogurt deal? I don't know, but I don't like being forced to play games.

 

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A quick calculation for us shows that costco gas (at least $0.30 cheaper/gallon) saves us >$250 a year.  Also, I shop heavily at Aldi, but some things are higher quality at Costco at similar or lower prices (frozen convenience foods, roast beef for sandwiches, beef hot dogs, fresh mozzarella, etc...).  Also, we've gotten great deals on car rentals, tires, computers, and tv's. 

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The annual savings on gas alone more than covers the cost of an Executive Membership for me, and I find their prices to be at least equal to, if not lower than, most competitors, and the quality is generally higher. I also really appreciate the fact that they treat their employees extremely well and are rated as one of the best large companies to work for in the entire US. Starting pay is $14/hr, their health & benefit package is extremely generous, and their policy is to promote from within as much as possible. Many of the top executives literally started at the warehouses. I shop almost exclusively at Costco and Trader Joe's (which also pays and treats their employees really well), and feel like I get really good quality for very reasonable prices at both.

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I keep a membership for Sam's and Costco. I watch the ads for "coupons" on brands that I won't compromise on--like Tide detergent or Finish dishwasher tabs. Scott tp. Paper towels, batteries, Sams recently had a coupon for the k cups my husband likes, and that was a really good savings. We are careful about comparing prices.

 Then there are the unique items--one time purchase things. Like I had been eyeing the Lifetime raised garden bed kits on Amazon, Walmart, etc. Sam's had the best price, so I ordered it. Not long after I ordered it, they marked it down even more. I contacted customer service and they did a price adjustment. Great deal. It's just nice to have the options. 

And tires at Costco. 

I have Amazon Prime, too. I think I have a problem. ?

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If I had access to Aldi, I wouldn’t use Costco. As I don’t have Aldi, Costco brings my gluten-free bread, eggs, nuts, and allergy-friendly canned tuna and snack foods into line with the prices I used to see at Aldi. My gf bread alone pays for my Costco membership in just a couple of months. 

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I think you have to be selective about the products, and look for sales and coupons.  There are some more specialized things like tires someone mentioned above, or propane cylinder refills, that I haven't usually seen better prices on.  (Also, you probably know this but you have to remember to count how much you get back at the end of the year as part of your savings.)

Then, there is a matter of product availability, and quality.  Sometimes I can find a type of product cheaper, but I like the Kirkland product better.  I find if I do groceries I often spend about the same but the quality is a bit better overall.  And for a few things like toilet paper I can get the bigger sizes.

So, some of it may come down to whether you are willing to go to more stores for the best deals at each, and that's going to depend a lot on your circumstances.  

I do find I prefer Costco to Walmart in terms of the way they run their business - I think they are better employers and less exploitative.  So - that's another factor.

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Many years ago now, we made the same decision. We had been members for a couple of years, but chose not to renew. They have great produce, their meat is actually edible, they have some lovely things come in to the store. However, their parking lot, size of the store, and line-ups at the checkout made the visit take much longer than other stores. They never had everything on our list, so that meant another visit to another store. And then there was the membership fee. Having one monthly trip to the city with small children in tow made the choice easy, once a Superstore opened up.

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I will admit some things are hit or miss. I think we get our membership back easily on eyeglasses. They take DH’s insurance and we have seven of us in eyeglasses and/or contacts currently. 

 

If not that, then tires. 

Icing on the cake:

Cheap organic produce, sneakers, Puma socks, Tide, sheets, Kirkland tp, grain free dog food and cat food, gel pens, and plants. 

 

I’m a diehard fan. 

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3 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

I will admit some things are hit or miss. I think we get our membership back easily on eyeglasses. They take DH’s insurance and we have seven of us in eyeglasses and/or contacts currently. 

 

If not that, then tires. 

Icing on the cake:

Cheap organic produce, sneakers, Puma socks, Tide, sheets, Kirkland tp, grain free dog food and cat food, gel pens, and plants. 

 

I’m a diehard fan. 

 

Yes! The eye glasses! My husband and I get our progressives there. It's cheaper than using our insurance at the eye doctor. And Consumer Reports rated their labs highly for quality.

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We get great deals on filling our glasses prescriptions there; they take our insurance, my progressive lenses alone are several hundred less than they would be elsewhere, and dc's glasses have an extra discount just because dc is a minor.  The huge bags of frozen organic veggies are much cheaper at Costco, and I can find gluten free items there I can't get anywhere else locally.  The gas price is the best around.  

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We ended up giving up our membership recently. I get better or equal deals on dairy and produce at Aldi's. Aldi's is quicker to shop. Gas was never more than 10 cents cheaper at our costco so there was not much savings there. As my family gets smaller (kids leaving for college) I just don't need/want giant containers of things. I do miss their rotisserie chicken, whole coffee beans, and wine; but not enough to add another store to my shopping routine.  

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I'm in it for the cake.  ?

I was in charge of buying cake for our homeschool graduation, and Costco beats everyone on their decorated cakes.   We've found good deals there on socks, and it's always fun to go and try the food samples, but I haven't found much else there that's worth it.  We don't buy gas there because Costco is out of our way by at least 25 minutes and we can cross the border to the neighboring state (three miles) and get gas for up to $.50 a gallon less.  

So far, no one has mentioned GFS, so maybe that's a regional thing, but I love GFS!!  Still a warehouse type of store, and much smaller than Costco, but they don't charge a membership fee. Their selection is limited, but they have great bulk deals.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.12/lb  Yes, please!!  

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I love Costco but I don't find that everything is cheapest there. Some of their foods are more high-end, maybe that's not the right word, more "gourmet" than I am usually looking for.  Like, they have great cheeses but I am not often looking for a giant hunk of Manchego, more often just need some decent Swiss for ham sandwiches. I get that at Aldi.  However, Costco's price on feta is amazing, and we use that a lot in the summer. In the winter, we love their brie.  (In case you're wondering, yes, we do like cheese here. And those cheeses are available year-round, but for some reason in my house feta is a summer cheese and brie a winter cheese.)  Oh, speaking of ham, mine just started carrying this nice little boneless half-ham for $2.69 a pound. It is as good as the best deli ham around here, which is $8.99/pound.  It's also better than the cheaper deli ham at $4.99/pound on special.  And it freezes well.  

We love pesto and theirs is a great value.  So while it's not really a staple item, it's a small luxury made affordable. 

But if since everyone's list is different, well....

So much depends on what people are looking for. 

ETA: We also always buy our tires there.  The Charisma towels are a great value.  I used to buy sheets there but found I like IKEA's better. Zyrtek.  Shampoo/conditioner.  Dishwasher tabs, esp when there's a coupon (which there is several times a year).  All Free and Clear laundry detergent. Parchment. It's not just about groceries for us. 

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Our Costco is very close to us, and if you factor in everything we buy there throughout the years (tires, eyeglasses, propane, meds, gas, passport photos, tennis balls, clothing, food, books/gifts, hardward/lighting, furniture, toys) then it's definitely worth the savings. I can't stand the produce at Super WalMart, and the selection of food is the pits, so I rarely go there. 

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I find prices are usually comparable to walmart but with better quality in some things. And for a while we used their dog food, which paid for the membership all on it's own. I also find a few things a year that area  great buy, like sheets, etc. Oh, and their towels! I find their white regular towels to be an amazing value. It's all we have now. 

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This is a side issue but so many of the other value stores around here are terrible to shop in.  I used to be a huge fan of Aldi but the stores here are going downhill. I don't bother to look at most produce anymore; there are always packages with moldy fruits and vegetables in them.  I do try to buy my citrus there and they are usually safe.  Mostly now I use Aldi to stock up on nonperishable or freezer items that we like.  Our Walmart is dirty, poorly stocked, has surly employees for the most part (there are some nice people) and takes forever to get through.  Sam's Club is like Walmart. I don't need a wonderful shopping experience, but I like the food to be rotated and cared for, and prefer that the employees don't treat me like I'm an annoyance just by showing up and making them work. 

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1 hour ago, mom@shiloh said:

I'm in it for the cake.  ?

I was in charge of buying cake for our homeschool graduation, and Costco beats everyone on their decorated cakes.   We've found good deals there on socks, and it's always fun to go and try the food samples, but I haven't found much else there that's worth it.  We don't buy gas there because Costco is out of our way by at least 25 minutes and we can cross the border to the neighboring state (three miles) and get gas for up to $.50 a gallon less.  

So far, no one has mentioned GFS, so maybe that's a regional thing, but I love GFS!!  Still a warehouse type of store, and much smaller than Costco, but they don't charge a membership fee. Their selection is limited, but they have great bulk deals.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.12/lb  Yes, please!!  

GFS is nice. I buy parchment sheets there- 50 full sheets for like $4 and I cut them in half to fit my cookie sheets.  The quality of their food seems pretty good, too. 

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18 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Our Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi are in the same shopping center which means I try to go on weekday mornings and NEVER on a weekend. 

 

Oh wow- just wow.  I cannot imagine the traffic! But that’s like the grocery trifecta of goodness right there....

 

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I go once a month, usually before a volunteer meeting I have in that town. It's been well worth it. I actually tracked it for six months when we were cutting the budget to the bone and decided to keep it. We really like Kirkland branded items.

I buy these things:

  • Jeans for my oldest
  • Furnace filters
  • Frozen chicken
  • Allergy medicine
  • Uldi bread (I freeze it and take out what I need)
  • Rice
  • Vitamins
  • Shampoo and body wash
  • Olive oil

My Wal-Mart is terrible -- very poorly stocked and dirty, and I rarely shop there. I don't have an Aldi or Lidl close by.

The gas in my town is consistently cheaper than Costco.

Do what works for you! I also do Amazon Prime because I have somewhat limited shopping in my area and don't have time to drive further.

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There isn't a Costco anywhere near us, but when a big Sams went in about an hour away, we tried it out. We couldn't get generic of the things we normally buy in bulk (canned veggies, for example) and they didn't have the sizes we were looking for in other things (like we'd normally get a 18 oz something & they would only have 7 oz), so it was always more expensive. More than half the items on our list, they didn't have at all. It was not worth it at all for us.

I do know some families who are smaller than ours that make the longer drive to Costco with coolers in the back of their truck. Walmart is more convenient for us (still an hour away, but just one stop for everything) and not overly expensive the way we shop. I wish it made sense for us, but it just doesn't. (My mom, on the other hand, has a Sams card & she shops there. I have no idea how that works well for her, but whatever!)

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10 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

grain free dog food and cat food, 

Are you actually finding grain-free canned pet food at Costco? This is one of the things I looked for and mine did not have it.  I currently have my pet food shipped from Foster & Smith as the best compromise between quality and cost that I can find.

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I'll have to keep the tires in mind as we paid WAY too much for tires at a "discount" tire store last time.

Someone mentioned travel and I'd forgotten that I used Costco travel for a lodging reservation and saved a few bucks.  We've also sometimes used their gasoline but it is not as convenient and not always cheaper around here.

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I liked Aldi when it opened until we realized that we just don’t like a lot of thier foods, especially boxed stuff. Its a drive, but I am down there on occasion, so I buy maple syrup, parchment paper, whatever produce looks good, a box of baby lettuce heads, and maybe some sausages and that yummy Indian simmer sauce. We hate thier cheese. Same with Wal-mart’s.

We really do prefer to shop at what’s within two miles from us. That’s big lots, kroger (majority),Walmart, kroger gas, hospital pharmacy for cheap Zyrtec, Lowe’s for charcoal. We are going to the opposite end of the spectrum in that we order dog food and meds from Chewy.com, glasses from Zenni, supplements from Vitacost, and a select few dry goods from Amazon (the essential ovaltine). 

Places like Sams and Costco don’t really have any place in our lives for saving money. 

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1 hour ago, Pegasus said:

Are you actually finding grain-free canned pet food at Costco? This is one of the things I looked for and mine did not have it.  I currently have my pet food shipped from Foster & Smith as the best compromise between quality and cost that I can find.

Not canned - just dry. ;)

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45 minutes ago, SamanthaCarter said:

I liked Aldi when it opened until we realized that we just don’t like a lot of thier foods, especially boxed stuff. Its a drive, but I am down there on occasion, so I buy maple syrup, parchment paper, whatever produce looks good, a box of baby lettuce heads, and maybe some sausages and that yummy Indian simmer sauce. We hate thier cheese. Same with Wal-mart’s.

We really do prefer to shop at what’s within two miles from us. That’s big lots, kroger (majority),Walmart, kroger gas, hospital pharmacy for cheap Zyrtec, Lowe’s for charcoal. We are going to the opposite end of the spectrum in that we order dog food and meds from Chewy.com, glasses from Zenni, supplements from Vitacost, and a select few dry goods from Amazon (the essential ovaltine). 

Places like Sams and Costco don’t really have any place in our lives for saving money. 

Distance would be the other thing for us as well. I can walk to Aldi's and Publix. Costco is across town.

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I haven't read the entire thread but these are some things we save money on at Costco:

sugar: brown sugar, powdered, and regular

chocolate chips

nuts: peanuts, pecans, almonds

raisins (we go through a lot of them)

medications: Omeprazole, allergy medicine, ibuprofen

vitamins: Smarty Pants (with coupon), kirkland daily multi, glucosamine/chondroitin

skinny pop and kettle corn (impossible to find the big bag at any grocer)

paper towels (since double coupons are now gone, this is the cheapest place for us)

gas

occasionally things like socks and pants 

roast beef

italian sausage (much cheaper for me per link than buying Johnsonville, even with coupon)

Gluten free frozen pizza and chicken nuggets (and often the GF bread also)

large bags of blueberries for smoothies

packing tape, white board, etc.

batteries (kirkland or Duracell with coupon)

softener salt

And: soft serve. Seriously, it's so cheap. 

-----

My friends have noted that they are great for glasses/contacts and another one I had not thought of was hearing aids.  They saved thousands of dollars by buying hearing aids at Costco.

 

Another comment: if you get the executive membership and don't get the difference between the executive and general membership back in cash back then they will refund you whatever that difference is. So if you pay $100 for executive and it is $50 for general and your cash back is only $30, they will give you the additional $20. You are guaranteed the price difference in cash back.  

 

ETA: I don't find that their chicken price is cheaper than the grocery or Aldi and it has the white striping everywhere else has, so I won't buy it.  

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20 minutes ago, cintinative said:

<snip>

Another comment: if you get the executive membership and don't get the difference between the executive and general membership back in cash back then they will refund you whatever that difference is. So if you pay $100 for executive and it is $50 for general and your cash back is only $30, they will give you the additional $20. You are guaranteed the price difference in cash back.  

<snip>

I am not sure this is always true though I have heard it before. I have tried more than once to find this information on the Costco website and have not found it yet. I have read that they will refund the difference the first year, and downgrade the card to a general membership.  I investigated this quite a bit when I got my check last year, because it didn't quite cover the executive membership.  I ended up keeping the membership because we anticipate more high-cost purchases this year than last.  (2 sets of tires, for example!)   I think I was also told somewhere that it might depend on the particular store, though that really makes no sense to me. 

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2 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I have actually gotten the refund of the difference in the past.  Just walked up to the customer service counter and asked and they were like "Sure, hang on!"  And last when I got a membership again, the lady at the counter specifically mentioned it in trying to get me to do the executive.  So I can say for sure that, yes, they do refund it.  


Well, I will try it next year if we don't earn enough. Maybe they don't advertise it though I have never known Costco to be devious in that way.  Well devious is too strong a word. I like Costco and I figured that earning enough rewards to cover my membership was my responsibility, not theirs.  :-)

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It will depend a lot on what your family buys. Sometimes I think the amount of pure maple syrup my family uses pays for our membership by itself. Like a PP said, we also use a lot of their frozen fruits, esp berries, sausages, and cheeses.

That said, you certainly want to compare to other stores, and don't get sucked into buying the large quantity at Costco if you won't use it all.

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I haven't read all the post, but I just wanted to add how you can save:

Gas (when we're taking car trips we stop at various Costcos along the way. And, of course, I gas up w/ them at home all the time.)

Tires -- high quality at killer prices.

Eye glasses -- same.

Dog food -- highly rated and great price. I also use the cat litter.

 I buy gift cards at Costco that give a $100 value for $80 and then use the gift cards on our trip. Gift cards include restaurants, ice cream spots (Cold Stone Creamery), donuts, spas, entertainment (Cirque Du Soleil and Wicked), iFly indoor skydiving, theme parks, luaus in Hawaii and a ton more. (Google “Costco” and “gift cards” to find these deals.)

The Costco car rental prices are unsurpassed.

We bought a cruise through Costco too and got a great deal.

They also do hotels but I haven't used them for that.

Costco has its own mobile app. You can take photos on your smartphone and use the app to send photos to the nearest Costco. Pick them up that day at awesome prices.

The toilet paper!! Again, high quality, great price. I think it's their most often sold item.

Shoes and clothes -- and I love that I can return them w/ no questions asked.

The food we buy: the ICE drinks in the Kirkland brand, the Pesto, the batteries, the pool floats again are high quality, beach towels etc.

There's a lot. And I like that their items are reliable and can be trusted.

Clark Howard -- the smart budgeting guy -- wonders why everyone isn't a member because the deals are so good.

Alley

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Oh, I forgot maple syrup. And a huge bag of Tollhouse chocolate chips. And vanilla -- buy boy has the price on vanilla skyrocketed.

I also get laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent at Costco.

We also get a great deal on the peanut butter that I put into the dog's Kong each evening and freeze.

Alley

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20 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

For people who say gas.  How much is gas by you and how much does your Costco gas cost? 

Yesterday, I paid $2.45/gallon at Costco.  The lowest I saw while dropping kids off at various camps was $2.88/gallon (QuikTrip).  In full disclosure, that's the largest gap between Costco and other stations in a long time.  It's usually no more than 20 cents per gallon difference.

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1 minute ago, BarbecueMom said:

Yesterday, I paid $2.45/gallon at Costco.  The lowest I saw while dropping kids off at various camps was $2.88/gallon (QuikTrip).  In full disclosure, that's the largest gap between Costco and other stations in a long time.  It's usually no more than 20 cents per gallon difference.

 

THank you for that.  Gas buddy is reporting it being 2.67 and I know the lowest in the area I saw was 2.69.  But maybe that isn't with member pricing.  Can you non members buy gas there too at normal prices?

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6 minutes ago, Jen500 said:

Foe me, gas is always about 14 cents cheaper at Costco than the other local stations

For us the biggest difference I have ever seen is 2 cents.  Most times it exactly the same as everywhere else. But I know my state has a minimum markup law which I think why nearly every gas station everywhere in the city is pretty much the same price.

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