Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-13-2014, 02:08 PM   #41
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Ah hah! There's a reason for everything. Also, as obtuse as I can be sometimes, my observation was correct.

Quote:
Originally Posted by omni550 View Post
Uh Oh! Lemme read that too.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 01-13-2014, 02:24 PM   #42
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Quote:
Originally Posted by Midpack View Post
Too soon old, too late smart (me)...
Sorry for making you feel bad, but perhaps Costco did not expand to the Northeast until later. Both Price Club and Costco originated from San Diego in 1976. They merged in 1993.

We joined Price Club in 1980, when we were just married. Back then, Price Club's membership was only opened to certain groups, and that included state employees. As my parents were state employees, their offsprings could also open an account with the State Employee Credit Union. Then, with the CU membership, we got to Price Club through the back door.

PS. Correction needed. Costco was founded in San Diego, but its first store opened in Seattle.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 02:28 PM   #43
Moderator
rodi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: San Diego
Posts: 14,140
I'm a costco fan. I have the "pleasure" of having the original Price Club warehouse as my local store... not as shiny and new as other costcos around town - but I know it well and can get in and out quickly.

I love that costco is carrying more and more organic foods. I buy their organic hamburger and organic whole chickens. Both are far cheaper than I can get elsewhere.

But there are downsides to costco. I avoid it like the plague around lunch time because too many people come to "graze" at the food sample-fairies... making it a traffic cart nightmare. I also make sure I'm there right when it opens during the Christmas season because there are too many looky loos clogging up the parking lot and store - when I'm just trying to buy the family groceries and get out.

A friend calls it the $200 store. Can't get in/out without spending at least $200. Even with booze and occasional pricey add ons (usb flash drives for example) my average weekly bill was only about $150 - that's for a family of four and 99% of our grocery/sundry/booze bill.

As far as quantities - I resisted the large bags of flour and sugar - till I did the math and realized even if I threw away 1/3 (which I don't) I was still ahead on price per pound basis. Since I bake and make my own bread - it was a total winner. Storage can be an issue, though.
rodi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 02:33 PM   #44
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ziggy29's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
Quote:
Originally Posted by rodi View Post
But there are downsides to costco. I avoid it like the plague around lunch time because too many people come to "graze" at the food sample-fairies... making it a traffic cart nightmare. I also make sure I'm there right when it opens during the Christmas season because there are too many looky loos clogging up the parking lot and store - when I'm just trying to buy the family groceries and get out.
Costco is a perfect example of the kind of place that makes it great to be retired. You can pick a time to go when the lunch rush and the hordes of weekend warriors aren't invading and the experience can be a fair bit more, shall we say, sane.
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
ziggy29 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 02:37 PM   #45
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
Speaking of prices, if one looks for sales and promotions elsewhere, Costco's prices can occasionally be beat. However, if I need something and have no time to wait, I know if I buy something at Costco, I will not be overpaying for things like tires, car batteries, and many other household products.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 02:49 PM   #46
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,890
I gave up my Costco membership a few years ago for a number of reasons. Packaging too big, constantly bumping into co-workers and other undesirables because everyone shops there, too many temptations, lack of consistency in the store selection, long checkout lines, grazing herds, etc.... It just was not my cup of tea.
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 02:49 PM   #47
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
calmloki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Independence
Posts: 7,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by rodi View Post
I'm a costco fan. ....
As far as quantities - I resisted the large bags of flour and sugar - till I did the math and realized even if I threw away 1/3 (which I don't) I was still ahead on price per pound basis. Since I bake and make my own bread - it was a total winner. Storage can be an issue, though.
Regarding baking bread and Costco - bought a 2# vacuum packed container of Red Star yeast, stored it in the freezer and have been using it since - it went past it's pull date a year ago, but the bread still rises...Think it was about the price of 6-8 1/4 oz yeast packets. Flour I pause on but haven't bought - I got unbleached bulk flour at Winco the other day for $0.30/#, which was way cheap - how does the Costco stuff compare. Also, which do you get and do you find the bag will fill and be contained by a 5 gallon plastic covered bucket or do you have another method?
calmloki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 02:56 PM   #48
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,795
Recently got a Costco membership as a gift & went with DW to activate it. After all the hype, inc friends & relatives, must say I was somewhat disappointed. We shopped/browsed for 2 hrs & did find lower than ave prices on many items (though usu in large quantity packages). Generic drugs (the few they stock) are MUCH cheaper than drug store prices. OTOH lots of stuff was 'meh', or worse. Cliff bars were same (or sl more) than I usu pay. The limited selection of e- tablets were same price as big on-line retailers, and Epson ink for my printer was more than I usu pay at big local e-store. DW decided to finish her grocery shopping at Kroger & prices on chicken breasts, fish, bread, and milk were cheaper (this week at least ).
I'm big Gas Buddy fan and Costco (& Sam's Club) almost always have cheapest prices around. But can't use my fav rebate-rich Visa card & lines at pump are usu long (at least whenever I've driven by).
ERhoosier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 03:14 PM   #49
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Chuckanut's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: West of the Mississippi
Posts: 17,134
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29 View Post
costco is a perfect example of the kind of place that makes it great to be retired. You can pick a time to go when the lunch rush and the hordes of weekend warriors aren't invading and the experience can be a fair bit more, shall we say, sane.

+1

a huge +1. !!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
Comparison is the thief of joy

The worst decisions are usually made in times of anger and impatience.
Chuckanut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 03:14 PM   #50
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
powerplay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,608
Quote:
Originally Posted by NW-Bound View Post
Another chain I have seen with happy workers is Trader Joe's, though there is not much known about how they are treated.
I have a neighbor who works at TJ's. He seems to be pretty happy with them. Several years ago he moved to AZ and transferred to a TJ's there. A couple months ago he is back in the neighborhood and working at the same TJ's he did before the AZ move. I also chat with the woman who does the samples on Sunday morning when I shop and she is quite happy with her employment at TJ's and she is in her early 60's.

I'm a happy Tj's shopper and Costco as well.
powerplay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 03:19 PM   #51
Moderator Emeritus
aja8888's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Conroe, Texas
Posts: 18,593
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29 View Post
Costco is a perfect example of the kind of place that makes it great to be retired. You can pick a time to go when the lunch rush and the hordes of weekend warriors aren't invading and the experience can be a fair bit more, shall we say, sane.
We don't have a Costco near us, but there is a contingent of retirees that hang out in the local Sam's club. After lunch they move over to Home Depot and look at the tools they wish they could still use.
aja8888 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 03:21 PM   #52
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,678
Reading all these posts makes me wish we had a Costco nearby. Our closest one is about 35 miles away and it's in a high traffic area that I try to avoid.

My parents joined Costco when one first opened near them in the 1990's. They told me they'd go there to shop and they would graze all the samples instead of making lunch. I remember my Dad being so excited about all the bargains that he bought 24 grapefruits and offered me half of them. I only had room for a few but I remember they were very good.
__________________
Married, both 69. DH retired June, 2010. I have a pleasant little part time job.
Sue J is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:11 PM   #53
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Ready's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,995
Quote:
Originally Posted by aja8888 View Post
We don't have a Costco near us, but there is a contingent of retirees that hang out in the local Sam's club. After lunch they move over to Home Depot and look at the tools they wish they could still use.
Ouch!
Ready is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:22 PM   #54
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Brat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 7,107
I have a TJ's a few blocks away, Winco is in route to the Costco near NIKE. What not to love!
__________________
Duck bjorn.
Brat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:36 PM   #55
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Chuckanut's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: West of the Mississippi
Posts: 17,134
I thought the old folks hung at at IKEA, where they eat the meatballs and talk.
__________________
Comparison is the thief of joy

The worst decisions are usually made in times of anger and impatience.
Chuckanut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:38 PM   #56
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
audreyh1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
Quote:
Originally Posted by Midpack View Post
Anyone know how often selection changes at Costco? Is it mostly new every week or so like an Odd Lots or mostly consistent like Target, or something in between? I hope I can count on having much the same selection from one week to the next (changing slowly over months, years), but I don't know.

I did try Google, didn't find an answer, probably bad search terms.
Many food items are available year round. Some fruits and veggies are seasonal. A few items change in the refrigerated section. Most of our regular items we are able to buy each week (or two weeks which is our usual frequency)
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
audreyh1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:45 PM   #57
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
My BIL and his wife like to go to Costco on Saturday around noon. They call it "going to the dim-sum".

I usually avoid that peak time, but once on an RV trek happened to stop at a huge Costco in California at a weekend lunch time for refueling. We intended to have a slice of pizza for lunch, but after the "dimsum", and they had a lot to offer there, decided to skip the pizza.

Regarding the gas price, it is interesting to know that it may not be the lowest local price in some places. I will have GasBuddy available enroute in my next RV trek to check the price, which I had taken for granted that it was always the lowest.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:47 PM   #58
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
audreyh1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 37,931
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwsteve View Post
Net of rebates of 3-4%?? On average price of 3.50/gal, that is another .10/gal or more.
Nwsteve
3% rebate is available at any gas station with the Costco AMEX card.

I don't believe Costco gas counts towards the executive 2% rebate.
__________________
Retired since summer 1999.
audreyh1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 05:54 PM   #59
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
calmloki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Independence
Posts: 7,271
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brat View Post
I have a TJ's a few blocks away, Winco is in route to the Costco near NIKE. What not to love!
Remarkable to leave Costco with a few items rattling around in the bottom of the industrial-sized cart having spent $75-100, then go to Winco and stock up on Veg and bulk foods and piles of staples and load bag after bag in the car, having spent $25-35.
calmloki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2014, 06:09 PM   #60
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
NW-Bound's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 35,712
There's a special store near us that's called "AJ Fine Foods". Going there, and you will think that Whole Foods is for riff-raff. I could not find imported Spanish chorizo and bomba rice at Whole Foods, but AJ got them (if you have the money!).

My, it would be nice to shop for groceries at AJ exclusively, as my brothers joked. I guess if one has that money, then he can also use XO cognac for mouthwash, as my brothers also joked.
__________________
"Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man" -- Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)

"Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities Can Make You Commit Atrocities" - Voltaire (1694-1778)
NW-Bound is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:52 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.