Costco? What makes it awesome for you?

[broadway]

I think you are letting emotion over ride logic. You should run the numbers. Do you ever happen to drive in that direction anyway. Even if Costco were 35 miles I would still join. Just the saving on tires makes it worth it for me. I would not go every week like I do now but I would go once a month and stock up and fill up.
The best Caribbean cruise deal I would find was on Costco.

I buy my tires every 5 years. I get mine from the little shop that only sells tires.

I buy a big screen TV when the current one breaks down. It has been 5 years and still going strong.

We don't eat meat. So no savings with that.
We don't drink dairy. So no savings with that.

We haven't had a big ticket purchase item in years.
Replacing my Honda with 200K+ miles is probably the next purchase.

 

[athena53]

Replacing my Honda with 200K+ miles is probably the next purchase.

They have a car-buying service- new AND used! I haven't tried it but I might when I need to replace a car. Anything to avoid the BS and haggling at dealerships.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Interesting thread. Didn't Kramer join a warehouse club with predictably disastrous results?

It's $55 for a regular membership here. Not a big deal, especially if it's refundable if one suffers buyers remorse over it. Try it, you might like it.

We don't begin to break even (we don't buy gas, tires, computers, TVs, etc. there, and even the Costco membership people said it's not worth the $ for us to upgrade to an executive membership) but we like to stop in every month to six weeks and buy what we do like there and whatever catches our impulsive fancy.

You can easily check online to see what big (and small) items are available and what they run--we actually rejoined after a long hiatus a few years ago just to order nice-quality cast aluminum patio furniture, with free shipping. We have had eye exams and bought glasses there (my ophthalmologist says he takes his mother there for glasses), and an electric piano for our grandkids. You don't need a receipt to return anything as your purchase history is stored in the system.

Googlemaps says our Costco is 3.5 miles/12 minute drive from our house so pretty convenient for us.

 

[euro]

This falls into my category of - its only $60 right? Try it.

Agreed - in fact, they'll refund all or at least a prorated amount if you end up not liking it. Very low risk

 

[euro]

They have a car-buying service- new AND used! I haven't tried it but I might when I need to replace a car. Anything to avoid the BS and haggling at dealerships.

I just tried out the car buying service. I ended up getting an even better deal at a local dealership, but that did require some haggling. The Costco deal would have been fair and acceptable as well, however. One minor drawback with it was that the nearest Costco-participating Subaru dealer is 85 miles away from me, so that was a bit of a logistics issue. Maybe for other brands, their network is better?

 

[Olbidness]

I use multiple such stores (Sams Club, BJs, and Costco). One thing that helps is that pretty much all of them let you add someone else (one free, reduced price after that), so I split the membership costs with a few friends/family members. For those wondering if the cost is "worth it", such an arrangement can help out the numbers. Though honestly, I save enough throughout the year to more than offset the membership costs.

My mom was visiting me from out of state and while she was here I added her to my Sams membership. It was funny as she thought we were breaking some kind of law, made her nervous. I teased her that when they took her picture, that it would be her mug shot. So now I use the membership and she and her little community where she lives use it too. They make a little outing of the Sams run. Makes her very popular.
The fuel is the cheapest around and the roast chickens can't be beat.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Gas
Tires - free rotation and life of tire repair which we've made use of
Eye exam and glasses
Organic coffee beans for me, instant coffee for DH
Clothes - Their clothes selections are pretty random and change frequently. We look each time we shop there and if we see something we like we chuck it in the cart. We each bought new winter coats there this year.
Bread
Nuts
Organic meat and eggs
Fish
Snack bar items - frozen yogurt, pizza slice, salad
Deli chicken
Ink cartridges refilled
Discount movie tickets
Discount restaurant gift cards
I replaced my laptop with one from Costco this year. Costco had by far the best deal for my price range and brand plus they have their own tech support.

 

[Danmar]

Shop at Costco a lot. One on the way to lakehouse and we use it to stock up on supplies for several weeks at a time and to entertain. Works both in Canada and US so our purchases in Arizona count towards our rebate. Usually earn 2-3X the annual fee in rebates.

Can't get everything there but some things are excellent value, coffee,water,toilet paper,olive oil, balsamic,detergent, fresh veggies and fruit, liquor and wine. Couple of complaints: very little low cal choices, some stuff just disappears not to be seen again, screwing around with which credit card they accept. But on balance very good place to shop.

 

[REWahoo]

Here's one of many sites telling you how to shop at Costco without a membership.

You can get prescriptions, eye exams and hearing tests. You can also purchase alcohol and (using a Costco cash card) shop for anything without a membership.

 

[Teacher Terry]

WE belonged for a few years but found it was not worth it. Long lines that took forever and huge quantities we could not use. Our Winco is a better deal. If I really want something I have friends with cards that I can go with.

 

[audreyh1]

We upgraded our membership to Executive after about a year, because we were buying well over half our groceries at Costco. Our 2% rebate now exceeds the cost of the membership.

 

[W2R]

We got our first Costco a few years ago, but I have only been there once. It is very crowded, and so is the parking lot. Oddly, I am not getting any younger these days, my knees are very crummy and painful, and I'd rather shop someplace smaller that didn't require so much walking and standing in line. Costco seems like some level of h*ll to me, and consequently I don't go there at all.

Instead, I consciously spend excess discretionary money on the luxury of avoiding Costco in favor of more expensive, smaller establishments that I can reasonably handle (or even more often, shopping online).

I have heard so many good reports about their hearing aid services, that if I ever felt I needed a hearing aid I'd go there for that. But that's about all. So far so good.

WE belonged for a few years but found it was not worth it. Long lines that took forever and huge quantities we could not use.

Oh that's another objection to Costco that I forgot to mention. Being single, for me the huge quantities are just insane. I didn't see anything there that I wanted that came in a reasonable quantity (for me).

 

[Gotadimple]

Gas
Tires - free rotation and life of tire repair which we've made use of
Eye exam and glasses
Organic coffee beans for me, instant coffee for DH
Clothes - Their clothes selections are pretty random and change frequently. We look each time we shop there and if we see something we like we chuck it in the cart. We each bought new winter coats there this year.
Bread
Nuts
Organic meat and eggs
Fish
Snack bar items - frozen yogurt, pizza slice, salad
Deli chicken
Ink cartridges refilled
Discount movie tickets
Discount restaurant gift cards
I replaced my laptop with one from Costco this year. Costco had by far the best deal for my price range and brand plus they have their own tech support.

You forgot passport photos. $4.99 plus sales tax gets you 4 photos. Cheaper than anywhere else near me.

- Rita

 

[T-Minus]

Costco Travel - we've used them several times and, while not the lowest rock-bottom price, they do a very good job of minimizing hassles for a very good price.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

You forgot passport photos. $4.99 plus sales tax gets you 4 photos. Cheaper than anywhere else near me.

- Rita

Good to know! I do have to renew my passport this year.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Oh that's another objection to Costco that I forgot to mention. Being single, for me the huge quantities are just insane. I didn't see anything there that I wanted that came in a reasonable quantity (for me).

We get some long lasting staples at Costco like coffee and assorted nuts. Meat and bread we put in a chest freezer. But even with two in our household most produce is in too big of quantities for us to use up and the prices are not the best compared to other stores in our area.

 

[aja8888]

They have a car-buying service- new AND used! I haven't tried it but I might when I need to replace a car. Anything to avoid the BS and haggling at dealerships.

New Costco member here... new store nearby,

I gave the "new car buying service" a test last last December when I was in the market for a new GMC Colorado Pickup truck. Costco was offering a $700 cash card if you made a deal with a auto dealer. So I signed up and got a "certificate".

One word - DISASTER!

Costco lined me up with two dealers. One I made an appointment with and went there (40 miles away). Salesman stood me up for the appointment. They had no truck that we discussed ahead of time. Sales Manager said Costco gets "supplier pricing" but could not tell me how that compared to a walk in offer. I left.

Second dealer appointment: bait and switch with the truck we discussed was actually previously sold. Nice. Same thing - supplier pricing with no explanation as to how that compares to a private deal. (maybe they don't want you to know?)

So I went to another GMC dealer that did not participate in the Costco deal. Walking in and pricing a truck got me a $5K less pricing deal than similar Costco supplier pricing baloney (they gave me a ballpark number). About a 10% difference off MSRP for someone with shoes on and can find their way home. I asked more about supplier pricing and was told that the pricing was aimed at fleet buyers and you could do better on your own. I don't know how true that was, but we all know that vehicle pricing is hard to figure and the dealer always wins.

Look, I have bought many cars in my life and several of them new. I am not a novice to this process and have pretty good negotiating skills. No way would I use this service (if that's what you want to call it) to buy a vehicle.

I still have not bought the truck - spending the money on dental work instead!

But, six months later, Costco is still bombarding me with car buying e-mails and I can't shut it down!!

 

[ABQ2015]

My household is one person so it can be difficult to buy in bulk, especially perishables, although I have plenty of storage room.

Rental Cars - I save enough to pay the membership cost on one vacation rental car and I usually rent twice a year.
Gas
Frozen fish and shrimp - wild salmon comes in single vacuum packed filets so convenient for a single person.
Frozen berries
Organic milk
Yogurt
Beef and organic chicken breasts
Packaged salads
Campari tomato
Rotisserie chicken
Vitamins and supplements
Quality skin lotions
Halloween candy - I live in a very popular neighborhood.
Microwave, coffeemaker, and Foodsaver/bags - brand name and good prices
Cleaning supplies
Batteries
Printer Ink
Handmade Christmas cards and gift tags - the gift tags are a big hit and can be used as toys or Christmas tree ornaments.


Other threads have raved about their fancy Parmesean cheese and similar items. I don't care for their produce - even if I find it in a reasonable size, it tends to go bad quickly. I have not found their fruit to be that flavorful (e.g., fruit bowl, apples, peaches) - will have to check out the berries and pineapple. Their highest quality coffee is the French Roast which I do not like. I don't care for most of their home goods although I have not tried the bedding. There was recently a great deal on a high quality touchscreen laptop but I did not want touchscreen. Same with TVs when all the good deals were for smart TVs.

I have read that their paper goods and cleaning supplies are not that much of a bargain and that you can find better deals at Target or Walmart when items are on sale. Since I work, I don't have time to check prices so Costco is convenient and prices are very reasonable if you can store the excess items.

 

[Mango1956]

We live an hour away from any Costco but go down to the big city once a month and multitask.
This list is pretty representative of what we buy at Costco:
Copper River Salmon (in season)
Lamb chops
Manchego Cheese
Wild King Salmon burgers (frozen)
3 lb bags of coffee beans
toilet paper, paper towels
occasional bottle of wine or vodka
gas in the car
occasional electric device (Braun shaving razor the most recent)

 

[Midpack]

And if the Costco store savings aren't enough, I often have their big all beef hot dog (,polish or brat) with a 20 oz soda with refill for $1.50. I don't like or eat hot dogs otherwise, but for $1.50 if I'm at Costco at lunchtime - sometimes I cave for the sake of LBYM.

BTW, I avoid Costco at lunch Mon-Fri and on weekends. It's too crowded then, and lots of people are there just to make a lunch of grazing all the free samples (for shame).

 

[Bestwifeever]

And if the Costco store savings aren't enough, I often have their big all beef hot dog (,polish or brat) with a 20 oz soda with refill for $1.50. I don't like or eat hot dogs otherwise, but for $1.50 if I'm at Costco at lunchtime - sometimes I cave for the sake of LBYM.

BTW, I avoid Costco at lunch Mon-Fri and on weekends. It's too crowded then, and lots of people are there just to make a lunch of grazing all the free samples (for shame).

Why "for shame"?

 

[braumeister]

And if the Costco store savings aren't enough, I often have their big all beef hot dog (,polish or brat) with a 20 oz soda with refill for $1.50.

I know people who live near an IKEA store who frequent it for the same reason. IKEA has a very similar hot dog/drink combo at I think the same price. But the Costco hot dogs are both bigger and better IMHO.

 

[audreyh1]

During the winter season, a lot of snowbirds show up at Costco for free samples on Fridays and Saturdays, but I think they also buy a lot. I don't think there is shame in it.

 

[SumDay]

1. They treat their employees well. That's important to me.

• Ditto, this is a huge deal to us.
  
• I love the eyeglass department - I get a better price buying there than I do with my employer vision insurance.
  
• Shoes - just got a $12 pair of sandals that I'm in love with.
  
• Great meat - pork, chicken, beef.
  
• The roasted chickens for $4.99. GREAT fast meal on a busy evening.
  
• Dog food
  

I could go on & on, but all of the above, coupled with the several hundred dollar rebate we get each year make it worthwhile for us.

That said, had I not discovered Costco (& Amazon) I'd probably be retired by now.

 

[calmloki]

Don't know why people complain about Costco crowds - took these pictures about 11AM on Wednesday, January 11 this year at the Costco near the airport in Portland Oregon:

http://i.imgur.com/aUXyc5H.jpg

checkout:

http://i.imgur.com/0ICxzpz.jpg

parking:

http://i.imgur.com/N9HMFjo.jpg