New Costco store just opened nearby, what items do u like to buy at Costco.

[gerntz]

petrol
bread
wine
liquor
more wine
butt pampering
Did I say wine?

 

[NW-Bound]

And during the holidays, they have nice, nice cheeses. And big, big bottles of booze. And expensive bottles of Cognac.

But again, everything too big unless you have 20+ people to feed.

 

[audreyh1]

OMG! Right - wine!!!

They save my butt on wine. Without Costco I’d have to order wine online as the selection in the other local stores is not good enough.

 

[rk911]

not a big fan of costco...don't appreciate the strip search on the way out. fry's does the same thing so i don't often shop there either. but i rarely go to or enter the store. that's my wife's enjoyment. i'll buy gas if i'm nearby and if i can't get it any cheaper...which i frequently can. in fact most of the time when i compare prices i can find the same or better deals elsewhere. about the only thing i really like from costco are their muffins. don't recall the brand but they are scrumptious.

 

[Sunset]

Cruises (sometimes) , You have to compare but sometimes their price on a cruise after accounting for cash card mailed back to you and OBC's make them cheaper.
That's not counting the 2% rebate as an executive member.

Note: I will not use their Citi credit card for travel anymore (it did earn 3% on travel and still does) but it has no cancellation insurance as they removed it.

Everyone has already mentioned many of the other things I buy there.

 

[tb001]

We love Costco. Many of our regular items have been mentioned. IMO, best to not shop the household isle—that’s where the spend adds up fast and the products aren’t always best value.

Our regulars:
Liquor/beer/wine
Cheese—triple cream Brie, sliced sandwich cheese, tillamok extra sharp cheddar, jarlsburg, really good block feta
Butter, milk and eggs
Rotisserie chicken
Lamb chops, steaks, pork tenderloin and chicken breast/thighs
Our local Costco has started carrying fresh ahi steaks which are amazing. Most of the other fish looks great, but too much for us to eat before it turns and don’t like to freeze fish.
Tapenade, Creme fresh and sour cream
Frozen Normandy veggies
coffee (when it’s on sale)
Olive/avocado oil
Fresh veggies and fruits—we freeze what we don’t use
Frozen berries for smoothies
Paper products (napkins, tp, paper towels)
Vitamins and otc meds
Splenda
Canned goods/pantry staples when we run out
Trash bags
Laundry detergent

Most of the staples go on sale regularly—just look through old circulars to see. You can often find better deals if you are a big sale shopper, but for meat it’s hard to beat on a quality basis. Fresh produce it pays to shop from the back/inside of the aisle—usually fresher.

 

[braumeister]

You really can't go wrong with anything carrying the Kirkland brand name.

 

[Osprey]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

 

[Midpack]

The one thing is always buy at Costco is gas. Typically 10-20 cents/gal less than outside. Every once in a while the price may be the same, but I’ve never seen it more - though it could happen if prices fall dramatically on the outside...

If you can’t stand haggling on cars, you can get a pretty good price on a new car through Costco - but not available for all cities/makes/dealers, check your local Costco. And if you’re willing to haggle, using a Costco written price is a good place to start, and then negotiate even lower (you can beat the Costco price if you’re savvy). For example, Costco would have saved me $3300 on my Outback, not bad. But I got $4900 off with further negotiation...

 

[COcheesehead]

Frozen organic blueberries
Homemade chicken noodle and white bean chicken chili soups
Wines
Rental cars
Travel packages
Auto buying program
Gas

And to the post above...never been strip searched, but willing to try.

 

[HarveyS]

I agree with all the above and would second car rentals. I've had great luck scoring very good prices on car rentals through costco travel. also get a second driver included for no additional cost.

 

[griffithee]

We had one open a mile and half from us in August. We go there two or three times per month and get our gas from there. Plus we like to grab a hot dog and a slice of pizza on every trip.

 

[TrvlBug]

Just got my Costco check and it's $232 for our family of 2! The branded Visa will come in Feb and its $600+/- right now .

We buy:

gas
prime grade rib eye cap steaks
rotis chicken
homemade chicken noodle soup from their rotis chicken
chicken tortilla soup (seasonal)
barbacoa/pulled pork/braised short ribs (in small 2 or 3 meal packages)
nuts
paper products
smaller packages of fruit, veggies, & berries
frozen & smoked salmon & baguettes
cheesecake during holidays
casual clothes
& lots of other stuff I forgot about

Love Costco!

 

[audreyh1]

I use the car rentals through Costco all the time.

 

[gerntz]

not a big fan of costco...don't appreciate the strip search on the way out.

I've never been touched by a Costco employee.

 

[gerntz]

I’ve decided to not buy olive oil at Costco any more. The bottle is just too big, and while I’m no connoisseur, the oil gets funky before we can finish it. I’m going to stick with smaller bottles at a nice market near our house.

The large quantities at Costco stop us from buying a lot of their fresh foods. I'm somewhat surprised their milk bottles aren't a 5 gallons size.

 

[njhowie]

Cashew clusters - extremely addictive.

https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-cashew-clusters,-2-lbs.product.100333877.html

 

[Sue J]

I forgot about major appliances. I bought a washer from Costco because they doubled the standard warranty, I think that was if you bought it using their branded Costco Citi Visa card. Then I added the Square Trade warranty on top of that. The washer price on sale was already a good deal. Could not purchase it in the store, I had to order online without ever seeing it.

We also bought a motorized Sunsetter awning through Costco. It was a great price on sale and then the Costco package included some important accessories.

 

[FIYes]

I like shopping at Costco.

Things I buy regularly are
Gasoline
Laundry detergent...Kirkland has both quality and price
Dishwashing soap..again Kirkland brand for quality and price
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Bottled water...don’t use a lot but like to keep a case on hand for boil water advisories, etc
Casual clothing for both DH and me
Coffee
Olive oil
Cat food
Greek yogurt...Kirkland brand
Eye glasses

Things I buy occasionally
Rental cars
Cruises
Tires
Electronics
Prepackaged foods...crackers on sale
Pumpkin pie


Things I almost never buy there
Fresh produce....the packages are too large, I do better with in season and on sale at local groceries

 

[Chuckanut]

If you are going to buy at Costco you might as well get their Costco Visa card and save another 2% on everything you buy there. Well, not quite...
You get 3% if you buy travel or restaurant meals on it, and 4% on gasoline.

 

[timo2]

Right beside you brother.... I mess with the counter help & ask for a polish. They start entering & then get a look on their face....but we don't have a polish.

I read an article that said Cosco was having supply chain issues with the polish dogs, so they switched to their Kirkland brand hot dogs.

 

[timo2]

Don't forget about the Rotisserie chickens at Costco.

From the article: "At the back of Costco's stores, past the televisions, jewelry, jumbo-sized ketchup jugs and tubs of mixed nuts, is one of the retailer's most prized items: The rotisserie chicken that costs just $4.99.

Cheap Kirkland Signature rotisserie chickens aren't only a quick way for families to get dinner on the table. For Costco, the chickens are a lure, pulling customers into stores and getting them to browse the aisles, adding sometimes hundreds of dollars worth of items to their shopping carts before they pick up that bird.
The chickens have become almost a cult item. 91 million were sold last year, double the number from a decade earlier. They have their own Facebook page with nearly 13,000 followers."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/11/business/costco-5-dollar-chicken/index.html

 

[W2R]

We have a fairly new Costco that opened about 5-6 miles away from us several years ago in a slightly "iffy" part of town. That doesn't sound far but given the traffic patterns, it is far enough away that it seems like quite an afternoon's jaunt just to get there and back.

I don't shop there. We went there once, to look around. It was frightfully crowded. The HUGE parking lot was nearly full. It may (or may not?) be cheap, but I didn't see any huge bargains on anything I wanted. Overall we thought it was a tremendous hassle so we haven't been back.

When I shop for groceries locally (which I can do, finally, now that I have had my knee replaced), I go to a regular supermarket about a quarter mile from us that has everything I need.

When I get gas, I stop at a gas station just down the street.

Blow That Dough. I guess I am trading the possible price difference for convenience and more serene surroundings.

 

[pacergal]

We shopped at Costco more often when kids were younger, great place for cereal, etc with teens! Now we go less often, but still buy:

Paper products
USDA prime meats: filet mignon, prime rib, pork tenderloin, boneless/skinless chicken
Kerrigold Irish butter
dog treats-only those made in USA
laundry and dish soap
protein bars
starbucks coffee beans
Quinoa
whole unsalted nuts, especially almonds and macadamia

Most of their food packaging is too much for the two of us. I only buy produce if hosting a meal.
Some kids toys and towels/bedding can be a good buy.

It all depends on what we see when we go.

 

[brett]

Everything. Some notables would include prescription eye ware, tires, furnaces (plus install), books, prescription drugs ant otc, personal care products, rental cars, food products, fruit, veg, meat, seafood, wines, clothing....the list is endless. Not to mention Costco online!