What does Costco Have That I Can't Find Other Places?

[imnontrad]

I like Quinoa and the price for a 3 lb bag is an extremely good deal. I would also get the pack of 5 dozen eggs to last me for weeks. I also like their frozen chicken thighs.
Make a list of things you like to have around the house or would be interested in buying in bulk. Then enter and, if asked, say you are going for an eye exam or the pharmacy (whichever is not right near the entrance) (https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/costco-without-a-membership) then go through all the aisles and note the items you are interested in. (don't forget the rotisserie chicken which, forme, is 5-6 dinners of meat/broth). Then decide if it is worth it.
I usually wait until there is a Groupon deal. Then when my year membership is almost over, I stock up on the things I really like and then see how long I can go without signing up again. Some things I bought have lasted me more than a year.

 

[Bigal50]

Find a friend who’s a member and go with them. I don’t think it’s worth it for you. Things are in large quantities

 

[Badger]

I have been a fan of Costco after they opened their first store in our area about 20 years ago. A few years later I thought they would be a good investment and bought stock at around $65/share. It seems to have been a good buy at that time. I'm guessing it has something to do with their business model and popularity.

Cheers!

 

[Music Lover]

Find a friend who’s a member and go with them. I don’t think it’s worth it for you. Things are in large quantities

I know plenty of couples and single people that shop at Costco, me included (although I'm married now). Maybe it wouldn't be wise to buy bananas in bulk but meat can be frozen and there are plenty of other items that keep well.

Even a regular grocery store packages many items in portions that are too large for one person. When I first lived on my own I immediately got a freezer so I could separate large packages of meat and also buy in bulk when I saw a deal.

 

[leftcoastjayhawk]

... Most of their stuff is sold in bulk,...

Reminds me of a Jay Leno joke about Costco. He said they had a great deal on Lamborghinis. But you had to buy a "3 Pack"!

 

[pacergal]

Our key to easy in, easy out is to go weekdays about 30-60 minutes prior to closing. It is much less crowded, I have a list of what I want to buy, and I pretty much have things memorized where they are placed so we get in and out fairly quickly. (at least until they re- arrange again!)

 

[jdnd9091]

Costco

I'm a GM for Costco for 33 years and I just wanted to share a few thoughts.
-What we have that no one else does is Kirkland Signature brand. Our house brand is made to be better than the leading brand (Proven many times over by Consumer Reports) and between 20-35% cheaper.
-I travel all over the Country and have never found a cheaper rental car. One lady was renting a car in Sacramento and I pulled the price up on my app. She would have saved over $600.00.
-We catch as many over charges at the door as we do items missed. It is to control inventory as we have the lowest shrink in all of retail. This helps us keep prices low.
-We have some of the best employees in the US and pay them very well with outstanding benefits. Our members like this compared to other retailers.
-Our cleaning standard in fresh foods are second to none. Our members know this.
-Best meat in the Country and we actually make a lot of bakery items from scratch. Not many do anymore.
-Our lines do get crazy at times, but the average member is out in 60 seconds. So if you are 6 people back in line it will take about 5-6 minutes. I've waited longer than that when I'm next in line at a grocery store.
-Where can you take the wife for dinner for less than $5.00, or the biggest pizza in the US for $10.00?

Obviously I'm bias because I worked for this great Company for 33 years, but I know what we stand for, and it is the best merchandise at the lowest possible price. I hope this helps a few people understand what Costco stands for.

 

[Badger]

I'm a GM for Costco for 33 years and I just wanted to share a few thoughts.
-What we have that no one else does is Kirkland Signature brand. Our house brand is made to be better than the leading brand (Proven many times over by Consumer Reports) and between 20-35% cheaper.
-I travel all over the Country and have never found a cheaper rental car. One lady was renting a car in Sacramento and I pulled the price up on my app. She would have saved over $600.00.
-We catch as many over charges at the door as we do items missed. It is to control inventory as we have the lowest shrink in all of retail. This helps us keep prices low.
-We have some of the best employees in the US and pay them very well with outstanding benefits. Our members like this compared to other retailers.
-Our cleaning standard in fresh foods are second to none. Our members know this.
-Best meat in the Country and we actually make a lot of bakery items from scratch. Not many do anymore.
-Our lines do get crazy at times, but the average member is out in 60 seconds. So if you are 6 people back in line it will take about 5-6 minutes. I've waited longer than that when I'm next in line at a grocery store.
-Where can you take the wife for dinner for less than $5.00, or the biggest pizza in the US for $10.00?

Obviously I'm bias because I worked for this great Company for 33 years, but I know what we stand for, and it is the best merchandise at the lowest possible price. I hope this helps a few people understand what Costco stands for.

That is why I am a shareholder. Not affiliated with Costco but +1. I have always found the Kirkland brand to be superior to most others. I also like the well kept and clean stores in my area and appreciate the pleasant and helpful employees at checkout.

Cheers!

 

[Sue J]

I'm a GM for Costco for 33 years and I just wanted to share a few thoughts.
-What we have that no one else does is Kirkland Signature brand. Our house brand is made to be better than the leading brand (Proven many times over by Consumer Reports) and between 20-35% cheaper.

I was surprised to find some Kirkland items on Amazon. How does that happen?

 

[athena53]

-We have some of the best employees in the US and pay them very well with outstanding benefits. Our members like this compared to other retailers.

This is one reason I'm a customer and a shareholder. I've been shopping at the same Costco for 8 years and I see very little turnover. I don't want the low prices I pay (or the stock dividends) to be a result of under-compensating employees.

I was surprised to find some Kirkland items on Amazon. How does that happen?

Maybe people buying in large quantities and reselling at a higher price? You'll notice that many times sale items, especially electronics, have a limit on how many you can buy and they may be trying to prevent that.

 

[Koolau]

We have been Costco members for over 20 years. We have an Executive membership and were not sure it would be worth it after the kids left the nest. We go to Costco once or twice a month (we do have a car) and still get back more than our membership every year. Costco Travel is good as well.

We go at least twice a week and sometimes three times. We get most fresh produce there (salads by the bag, bundles of fruit, etc.) It's close to us, and compared to the grocery stores close by, there is simply no price comparison - IF Costco has the item Still one of my few significant issues with Costco. Availability of certain items. YMMV

 

[Koolau]

-Our lines do get crazy at times, but the average member is out in 60 seconds. So if you are 6 people back in line it will take about 5-6 minutes. I've waited longer than that when I'm next in line at a grocery store.

This used to be my biggest complaint. It seemed as soon as lines began to slack a little bit, Costco would pull several checkers, leaving long lines at the remaining checkouts. There were times, a line went clear back into the store aisles. It was frustrating. I had a maddening talent for picking the slowest line.

Now that there are self-check stations, you get in one line and wait for a station to open up. These check outs aren't practical for full carts, but work well for a dozen to maybe 20 items. I still get frustrated because Costco doesn't have "wands" like Sams. Also, like yesterday, I'd swipe an item and the robot would say "place the item on the counter!" It would keep saying that, even though I'd done so. It would take 30 seconds of screaming at me before it would finally realize I'd done what it wanted. Not once, but on half my items. Pretty soon, I was yelling back at the robot! Not a pretty sight.

But, it's still such a vast improvement, that I can't complain too much (heh, heh, all evidence to the contrary)

Nothing is perfect and Costco is no exception. I'm just so thankful we have access in Paradise. YMMV

 

[audreyh1]

I was surprised to find some Kirkland items on Amazon. How does that happen?

If you pay attention you’ll notice that these are usually selling for 2X+ what a Costco member can buy at the store. Hugh ripoff in general. Watch out for online sellers pulling stunts.

How does that happen? A seller buys the item at Costco then tries to sell it through Amazon at a huge markup. There are lots of online sellers trying to sell harder to get items at highly marked up prices, hoping for buyer ignorance.

 

[Sue J]

If you pay attention you’ll notice that these are usually selling for 2X+ what a Costco member can buy at the store. Hugh ripoff in general. Watch out for online sellers pulling stunts.

How does that happen? A seller buys the item at Costco then tries to sell it through Amazon at a huge markup. There are lots of online sellers trying to sell harder to get items at highly marked up prices, hoping for buyer ignorance.

Oh, I pay attention!

$14.49 https://www.costco.com/kirkland-sig...3-50-mcg.,-600-softgels.product.11467951.html

$15.26 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL8FE8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AS2PC0R214UOR&psc=1

Less than $1 difference.

Another time I bought another supplement (Slo-Niacin) from Amazon and when it arrived I looked up the return address and it was a Costco distribution center. I was very surprised!

 

[Aerides]

Another time I bought another supplement (Slo-Niacin) from Amazon and when it arrived I looked up the return address and it was a Costco distribution center. I was very surprised!

That's a seller who is drop-shipping which is against the rules on amazon, ebay, walmart, etc., so report them.

 

[audreyh1]

That's a seller who is drop-shipping which is against the rules on amazon, ebay, walmart, etc., so report them.

Exactly! I’ve been shipped stuff directly from Sam’s that I ordered from a seller on Amazon. It was a good price on hard to find paper and convenient to me as I’m not a Sam’s member, so I didn’t mind.

Costco is not selling through Amazon.

 

[COcheesehead]

That's a seller who is drop-shipping which is against the rules on amazon, ebay, walmart, etc., so report them.

It’s also a stolen credit card scam.

It happened to me.

An item was advertised as new and at a good price. So I bought it. When it arrived it was direct from Back Country - the online sporting goods company - only the bill to on the packing list was not my name or the seller’s.

So the scammer pockets the money, uses a stolen credit card to ship you the goods. I tried to return it, report it - nobody cared

 

[Aerides]

It’s also a stolen credit card scam.
.

it can be, but more often it's a business model for small sellers who don't know the rules. Same as a lot on ebay, use their Prime accounts on amazon to order there, make a few bucks in upcharging.

 

[Chuckanut]

A bit off topic, but has anybody been able to use Apple Pay at the Costco self checkout line?

I tried it with my Apple Watch and there was no response. I ended up pulling out my credit card. I use the Costco Visa.

The watch worked fine at Trader Joe’s.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, I use it all the time Apple Watch. We mostly use the Costco self-checkout.

I’m using the Costco VISA via Apple Pay.

 

[braumeister]

A bit off topic, but has anybody been able to use Apple Pay at the Costco self checkout line?

I tried it with my Apple Watch and there was no response. I ended up pulling out my credit card.

The watch worked fine at Trader Joe’s.

Depends on the card you used (through the watch). Costco doesn't take Mastercard, which is what the Apple Card is. Select a Visa and you can use your watch.

 

[Happyras]

Another Costco point, I ordered an eternity ring for my wife of 24 years, it was on sale $500 off and $150 off, delivery to the Costco of my choice. A very low sales tax at the one I chose. I took DW with me to pick it up yesterday, and yup did not fit or match her big ring. She chose one out of the case, can you say upgrade? Still, the same ring elsewhere would be nearly 2X the price, as most jewelers make a fair margin on such items. It was so easy to return the one I ordered up front in minutes. As they say.....happy wife/happy ...

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We do not use Costco for much, just some items that we really like. Petrol, Good Meat, some Fish, Mushrooms, Lettuce and Tomatoes and of course their $1.50 Hot dog Lunch. We go a little more now that they are closer to us. Whatever, we always buy enough to get more than it costs for the Membership/Credit card fee. We are NOT Executive members either.

 

[Chuckanut]

Depends on the card you used (through the watch). Costco doesn't take Mastercard, which is what the Apple Card is. Select a Visa and you can use your watch.

I use the Costco Visa card at Costco.

 

[Another Reader]

Just opened the new sale circular that came today. Lots of overpriced junk. Won't be making any special trips this round.

There used to be more worth buying on the sales. Or maybe I'm just less of a core Costco customer now...