Costco newbee with questions

[ChrisC]

1) if you don't want to buy a membership, get a friend to take you and have them
buy a gift card for you and then reimburse them for that. The gift card will gain
you entry to the store until it runs out.
2) echo CFB's very long post on the previous page. Costco seems to have found the
sweet spot of value/quality (at least in my mind) on so many things that I sometimesfeel guilty when I automatically go there and don't comparison shop.
3) Their return policy is so good that I sometimes feel cheated when they don't
even ask for a reason for the return.
4) If you get the Executive Membership (so you can shop an hr earlier on wkdays
than the masses) and don't get your $100 back from the 2% rebate, you can
request that the difference be credited to you so effectively, the Executive
Membership costs nothing.
5) As I understand it, their tech support on electronics/computers is forever at
no extra cost.

The bakery at Costco has lots of sweet stuff too. I can't recall the last time I purchased a sheet cake from someone other than the Costco bakery; I know some people who find excuses to buy the sheet cakes at Costco -- they are really good and cheap too.

The refund policy tended to bring out the worse in some people and it was a classic case of the tragedy of the commons, where unchecked self-interest affected everyone's enjoyment of a generous policy, so I guess the changes to the policy on electronics will probably benefit everyone. I benefited from the old policy a few months ago before Costco changed it. I bought a Vizio TV a few years ago, and the input jack for the cable tv came off and couldn't easily be kept in tact. I brought the TV back intending to get a new one; since I bought the TV, the price had dropped on it so I got cash back at the old price and bought a wider screen TV with the cash and pocketed $50.

And like others, Costco pays me to shop at the store and generally feeds me lunch. The other thing about Costco that I like is that the employees appear to be genuinely content -- the turn-over does not nearly appear to be as bad as at other chains. Costco is on my short list for part-time employment when I retire.

 

[saluki9]

Booze prices are good here in CA. A case of Sierra Nevada is under $20. About $7-8 a six pack when not on sale in the supermarkets.

I've tried the kirkland brand champagne (from debruyne in france) and their vodka is also pretty decent. Its alleged to be Grey Goose, but the grey goose folks say NO! But its made in the same town, in a building on the same street...sooo...I think it is.

Seems costco has applied to make their own beer as well, which will be crafted by Gordon Biersch.

Despite everybody else raising prices somehow they keep them down. We had a party last weekend and we picked up cases on Blue Moon at Costco for $20 and Sam Adams for $22.

I also like the giant bottles of Maker's Mark for $31.99

 

[clifp]

Maurice I can't believe you've been an active board member for 6 months and aren't a Costco member.

Costco is part of the holy trinity of the ER boards. The others are Pen Fed and Vanguard of course.

The difference between Costco prices (and often quality) are much greater in Hawaii than the mainland. So even single people like myself shop there on a regular basis. Twice a week for me cause my exercise class is right next to Costco.

 

[youbet]

Booze prices are good here in CA. A case of Sierra Nevada is under $20. About $7-8 a six pack when not on sale in the supermarkets.

.

Sam's and Costco booze prices are good here in Illinois too. I just happen to live near a warehouse size discount liquor store that will match any price in the Chicago area. So, despite the good prices at Sam's and Costco, they're better yet. The good thing about Sam's and Costco is that if I haven't planned ahead and need something on the spur of the moment, both stores are closeby and have decent prices all the time. But for most stuff, I just scan the Trib on Sundays and tear out ads featuring my favorites at ridiculously low prices as loss leaders at various major booze emporiums around town and take them to my favorite store which happily matches them all! It's truly a good deal......

 

[TromboneAl]

Don't know if it is true at all COSTCOs but the ones out this way, especially on Saturday have enough free food samples to fill in for a meal. This is a LBYM board, right?

I use little paper cups to start fires in our woodstove-type fireplace every day (put in some vegetable oil and paper towel, surround it with wood and light it).

So, we always save the little paper cups that the samples come in. Sometimes I look in the garbage cans by the sample carts, and of course there's a several year's supply of cups. Can't think of a way of scrounging them without causing a scene, though.

 

[DJRR]

I use little paper cups to start fires in our woodstove-type fireplace every day (put in some vegetable oil and paper towel, surround it with wood and light it).

So, we always save the little paper cups that the samples come in. Sometimes I look in the garbage cans by the sample carts, and of course there's a several year's supply of cups. Can't think of a way of scrounging them without causing a scene, though.

Psst.....Al you can BUY the cups too LOL. Although I must admit that one day my wife made me scrounge the trash for Box Tops for education. The guy was giving out samples and the empty boxes has $.50 coupons on them!!! I collected $10 for my elementary school is short order

 

[Free To Canoe]

Loved Cosco's outdoor food courts in Calif. (no membership needed). Now that I live in PA, Cosco is not nearby. I really miss the Very Berry Sundaes.

 

[Moemg]

1) if you don't want to buy a membership, get a friend to take you and have them
buy a gift card for you and then reimburse them for that. The gift card will gain
you entry to the store until it runs out.
.

I wonder if that would work at Sam's club ? I do not shop there enough to pay for a membership so I usually look for shop for free coupons but this would work even better .

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I miss the $1 berry sundaes too on the occasions when Gabe insists on an ice cream and Baskin Robbins wants to charge me $3.50 for a scoop of ice cream.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I wonder if that would work at Sam's club ? I do not shop there enough to pay for a membership so I usually look for shop for free coupons but this would work even better .

I thought that you could buy a Walmart/Sams gift card in a walmart and then use it as your membership/purchase at sams. Not sure if you can still pull that routine or if they charge you extra or not.

Its $3-4 a month. If you're not saving at least that much you're not trying hard enough or buying enough booze!

 

[Moemg]

I thought that you could buy a Walmart/Sams gift card in a walmart and then use it as your membership/purchase at sams. Not sure if you can still pull that routine or if they charge you extra or not.

Its $3-4 a month. If you're not saving at least that much you're not trying hard enough or buying enough booze!

I'm going to call Sam's and ask them and I'm sure I could save at least $3-4 a month but I enjoy getting a free pass and having lunch a few times for free . It is cheap and fun !

 

[maddythebeagle]

The day passes at Sams dont allow you to buy anything without a surcharge..you used to be able to shop there occasionally and buy with those...One thing that does work is 2 family members joining together...I have my sister on my account so we get 2 for 1...I dont know what the point of buying gift cards with a member? I have bought Walmart gift cards at Walmart for better points rewards and used them in Sams...They do allow Mastercard now though...

As far as savings, we have a list of items that we get with some things better getting locally on sale...

 

[Moemg]

The day passes at Sams dont allow you to buy anything without a surcharge...

They usually do not add the surcharge . They just ask you if you would like to join .

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I dont know whats wrong with me. I forgot to mention bacon! Bacon at Costco is a fine and wonderful thing.

Four pounds of kirkland bacon in regular or low sodium is about $9. Four pounds of Fletchers dry cured thick sliced is about $10. They have the precooked bacon in large packages but I've never looked at the price.

I saw yesterday that inflation is having its way with some food court items. The berry sundae is now up to $1.65 but they're slicing fresh strawberries on top to go with the presumably previously frozen berry mix. The iced mochas are $1.45 now. But the hand dipped ice cream bars with chocolate and nuts are still $1.50.

Gabe's a costco-holic. He calls the sample servers "lunch ladies" and yells it out whenever he sees one. On the way in he also lets me know that he wants his own hot dog AND his own coke. For a buck fifty, who cares that he only eats two bites of it...

 

[Purron]

Gabe's a costco-holic. He calls the sample servers "lunch ladies" and yells it out whenever he sees one. On the way in he also lets me know that he wants his own hot dog AND his own coke. For a buck fifty, who cares that he only eats two bites of it...

Gabe's a costoco-holic just like his dad I can just see you two in Costo having the time of your lives. Dad gettin' the bacon and Gabe running toward the "lunch ladies".

 

[Maurice]

Some great replies. Although it sounds like Costco isn't worth it for me until I move out of the city and get a car.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Bottle of wine and a nice chunk of stilton with six little loaves of crusty italian bread in a backpack works for me

Get a trailer for your bike!

 

[Nords]

I saw yesterday that inflation is having its way with some food court items.

Hasn't made its way out here yet. We've been paying the same pizza & fro-yo prices for literally years.

I got a Costco rebate card for returning a contact lens, and we've been chipping away at that to dine on Friday-night pizza for weeks...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The pizza and the roast chicken both went up a buck in the last year. But the chicken - which was already way bigger than the supermarket roasters - got even larger.

I brought one home the other day and my wife shredded about 1/3 of it for a salad. Iit was so much I thought it was the whole thing.

 

[Purron]

Yea, those Costo chickens are great. I love bringing one home, having a nice roasted chicken dinner, then using up the rest the next day. I like to cook up some pasta, throw some veggies and dressing in, and make a cold chicken pasta dish. DH loves it!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

You can eat it in two days?

The only way I can pull that off is by getting help from the dogs AND the cat who thinks its a dog.

 

[Purron]

You can eat it in two days?

The only way I can pull that off is by getting help from the dogs AND the cat who thinks its a dog.

Actually, I usually freeze some for another meal. Plus, my kitties all enjoy a healthy healping too!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The end of it makes for a nice chicken soup too. Theres always a lot of tasty juice in the bottom of the container, plus the bones and some stock, veggies and at the end toss in the remainder of the diced chicken.

I also make a rapido chicken and dumplings sort of thing with it when I'm just tired of eating roast chicken and chicken sandwiches. Put a couple of cans of chicken stock and some frozen peas/carrots/whatever in a big pan with a lid, bring to a boil. Add something to thicken it a little if you like. Toss in some diced chicken meat and then drop some supermarket pop-the-can biscuits on top about an inch or so apart, cover and let simmer until the biscuits are done using the toothpick test. Let it stand for about 15 minutes and the biscuits will soak up a fair bit of the liquid and become dumplingish.

Very nice for a meal that takes about 10 minutes of active work.

I usually end up with 3-4 uncooked biscuits left over. I make them the next morning in the toaster oven for breakfast with jam and honey.

 

[clifp]

Costco chickens take me about 4-5 days to finish off. I generally make chicken stock or chicken soup with the carcass.

The cats like the chicken when it is on the counter waiting to be sliced or on my plate. But I am always surprised when put the Costco chicken skin in their plates that they don't gobble it up. Purron do you heat it served cold, chop it?

They raised the price to $5.49 but at a buck or so a meal it is a heck of a deal.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

It is that...

They rub the chickens with Lawry's seasoning before rotisserieing them. Maybe thats what puts your cats off.

If it has any effect on dogs, its post mortem. They gobble up the skin and give me the "MORE!" look.

Its fun looking at the range of things Costco makes from the chickens that dont sell. Not sure what the offerings are in hawaii but we get rotisserie chicken enchiladas, greek pasta salad (with pasta, red onion, cherry tomatoes, feta, and a greek dressing), caesar chicken salad, etc. The unbought chickens do not go to waste.

That greek pasta salad is killer on a hot day. My wife, who is a chicken enchilada connoisseur, says that with the sauce I make from pureed organic salsa (about $4 for five metric tons at costco), a little pepsi, a little orange juice and some smoked jalapeños...well...something magical happens within a few hours...