My personal Costco Effect

[walkinwood]

No one mentioned the food samples?

If you do some menu planning and eat at home say 5 lunches & 5 dinners, you can buy fresh produce, fruits, fish, meats & dairy at Costco & not waste anything. You may have to freeze some stuff.

I find that you have to make a list or you'll come home with more than what you need.

 

[akck]

Oh, right, I forgot about the cheese! Awesome cheese.

We found that cutting the big blocks of cheese in say four pieces, and then vacuum packing three of them, the vacuum packed ones last for up to the sell-by date if not longer. That's how we handle the larger quantity.

And, yes, the parmesan is incredible.

We've gotten the shredded parmesan and vacuum packed it. I don't know if this will always happen, but the last sealed bag of parmesan didn't last as long as the others before it molded. It could have been because we went through a dry spell on its use so moisture formed in the bag. I made smaller bags this last time so we'll see how they do.

 

[Koolau]

Costco is one of the reasons we can "afford" Paradise. Many food items are HALF the cost of equivalents in the food stores. Typical banana prices at the food stores are $1.20 to $1.30/lb. At Costco, 3 lb for less than $2.00. If I occasionally have to pitch the last banana because it has gotten too ripe, it's still a bargain at Costco vs food store prices.

I too have noticed the "Costco" effect. Maybe it's the fear of spoilage of the large quantities sitting in the fridge or on the pantry shelf, but we go out to eat much less often of late. Saves a lot of money. We still have our Sams card, but don't shop there nearly as often. Bought tires elsewhere a couple of years ago and just bought tires at Costco. Will never buy tires anywhere else but Costco. Good prices and GREAT (fast) service.

RE: "Organic" foods, vs. GMs, etc.: I've never seen a peer-reviewed study in which the health "benefits" of "Organic" have been proven. It makes sense that a lack of additives COULD be a good thing. Still, it's a theoretical consideration as near as I can tell. I'm not "against" organic and "for" GM, I'm just sayin'... And, as always, YMMV.

 

[Mulligan]

Costco is one of the reasons we can "afford" Paradise. Many food items are HALF the cost of equivalents in the food stores. Typical banana prices at the food stores are $1.20 to $1.30/lb. At Costco, 3 lb for less than $2.00. If I occasionally have to pitch the last banana because it has gotten too ripe, it's still a bargain at Costco vs food store prices.

I too have noticed the "Costco" effect. Maybe it's the fear of spoilage of the large quantities sitting in the fridge or on the pantry shelf, but we go out to eat much less often of late. Saves a lot of money. We still have our Sams card, but don't shop there nearly as often. Bought tires elsewhere a couple of years ago and just bought tires at Costco. Will never buy tires anywhere else but Costco. Good prices and GREAT (fast) service.

RE: "Organic" foods, vs. GMs, etc.: I've never seen a peer-reviewed study in which the health "benefits" of "Organic" have been proven. It makes sense that a lack of additives COULD be a good thing. Still, it's a theoretical consideration as near as I can tell. I'm not "against" organic and "for" GM, I'm just sayin'... And, as always, YMMV.

I get the fact that food would cost more on the islands, but bananas at $1.20 a pound at grocery store? I don't get it since bananas are grown locally there and consumed there. I am a banana eater here in mid west and they are 45 cents a pound and the banana plantations are thousands of miles away from here. I guess I would be scared to find out what a pound of hamburger costs at the local grocery store there.

 

[imoldernu]

Aldi Effect +1

BTW... wonder what the price of Ramen Soup is at Costco?

FWIW... re: Genetics... IMO, this should be mandatory viewing, for those concerned with the future. The video is no longer available (copyright), but the article is there. The video is often aired on LinkTV... next airing Dec 27. It may still be available on some sites...

The World According to Monsanto | Watch Free Documentary Online

 

[Marita40]

Just for yucks here what $19.04 bought at Aldi yesterday. It still amazes me that I can buy a huge bag of groceries for that price.
Head of cauliflower
Two cartons of fresh blueberries
One large bag of baby carrots
1 large tub Fage 0% Greek yogurt
8 large Red Delicious apples
One oversize container of old fashioned oats
One large tub of shredded Parmesan cheese
100 count ziploc-style sandwich bags
1 large European dark chocolate bar
1 huge bag of chex-mix style snack
Dozen eggs

I try to try something new each time and so far haven't been disappointed. This time it was the chex-mix snacks. The bag was about 4 x the size of the name-brand chex-mix for about 1/3 the price, the contents of the mix was exactly the same, and the taste was super fresh, crunchy, and all around better than the "real" chex mix.

 

[Koolau]

I get the fact that food would cost more on the islands, but bananas at $1.20 a pound at grocery store? I don't get it since bananas are grown locally there and consumed there. I am a banana eater here in mid west and they are 45 cents a pound and the banana plantations are thousands of miles away from here. I guess I would be scared to find out what a pound of hamburger costs at the local grocery store there.

Mulligan, you are both right and wrong about bananas here in Paradise. Yes, they are grown locally, but only the so-called "apple bananas". The kind of bananas you are familiar with are NOT grown locally. The "normal" bananas are shipped in from similar growers as your $.45 variety. But HERE, in the food stores, those $.45 bananas are $1.19 or $1.29. I suppose the biggest factor is that Hawaii is THE MOST isolated inhabited spot on earth (excludes Antarctica since it is not truly "inhabited"). Costco can sell them for less (perhaps) because they ship in large volumes and have pricing pressure on producers (only the shipping costs are different). This is wild speculation on my part.

Now, let me blow your mind. The apple bananas are MORE expensive locally than "normal" bananas! Don't know for certain why, but they are.

Oh, and hamburger runs almost $4.00/lb though it tends to be a loss leader item (like milk - which just crossed the $5/gal threshold at COSTCO!).

My best guess as to why locally grown produce tends to be as expensive or MORE expensive as shipped-in produce: Local land for growing is very high priced (alternative use for the land tends to dictate the actual price of land here). Also, labor costs are high here. A banana boat loader or cutter in India or Philippines or Brazil probably doesn't expect to make $8 to $10/hour or more as they would here.

As a side note, there was a time less than 20 years ago when Hawaii was a major producer of pineapple and sugar cane. Now almost all of that is gone. Primarily, the reason is labor costs became non-competitive with the rest of the world. Pineapples are still grown for the tourists, but not for local consumption or export as they used to be. Sad, really. Hawaii has priced itself out of self-sufficiency in food production. Too bad we don't have oil (well, we do have sun-tan oil, heh, heh).

So endeth today's lesson. YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

We were Price Club's members before it became Costco. So, it goes back 30+ years.

Costco always has excellent prices and high quality. If they carry something I need, I would buy there without bothering to check elsewhere. However, we have found that our grocery need has greatly diminished compared to when we were raising two teenagers, and Costco huge packages of fruits/veggies/meats became too much for us. So, we started to buy more groceries from other stores like Sprout, Fresh & Easy, and Trader Joe's.

Regarding wine, I happened to watch a CNBC report on how Costco has become the #1 wine retailer in the US. It has a lot of purchasing power, and many wine producers have to kowtow to it. Costco only marks up 15% on wine as whatever else it sells, hence its wine bottles are good buys. However, as I buy mostly wines under $10, Costco's selection of wine is too rich for me, and I do not get wine there often.

And talk about food in Hawaii, in my recent visit to Kona, as we stayed in a timeshare and had a kitchen, we did some grocery shopping at the local Costco as well as a couple of smaller grocery stores. My, veggies and fruits were expensive!

Even on the big island where there's more land, I think the higher labor rate is a reason locally grown food is expensive. Driving across California, where one sees fruit and nut orchards extending to the horizon, one must ask how many workers are needed to tend to all those trees and pick the harvest. Yes, the cheap immigrant laborers, whether legal or illegal, must be a main reason our mainland food is so cheap, compared to that in Hawaii as well as European countries.

A side note: Why is gasoline only $3.99 at Kona Costco, which is less expensive than in California? Something is very wrong! And I mean the higher price in California, not the lower price in Hawaii, of course.

 

[lhamo]

If I occasionally have to pitch the last banana because it has gotten too ripe, it's still a bargain at Costco vs food store prices.

Really ripe bananas can still be thrown in a smoothie or used to make muffins/banana bread. Just throw them whole in the freezer. Let them thaw a bit when ready to use and then smoosh them out of the peel. Or you can unpeel and freeze whole in a container.

 

[obgyn65]

I have a Walmart neighborhood market next door to the condo where I live. I love it !

 

[Badger]

We are fortunate to have a Navy base with commisary within a couple of miles so I rarely go into a Publix or WD grocery store. We do, however, go to Costco 1 or 2 times a week if just for lunch before a movie. I find the Kirkland brand of just about any item to be equal to or better than most brand name items. The place is clean and the employees are cheerful. They also have a great bakery (during the fall I usually buy quite a few of their very large and tasty pumpkin pies at $6).

My AmEx card pays for the membership each year and then some.

I was so impressed with their quality products, treatment of employees, and method of doing business that I bought stock 4 years ago and it has doubled since that time. That may not be a good return on my investment but I am pleased enough. Wish I had bought more.

 

[JustMeUC]

Get a buddy that has a membership to take you in and see. And you can pay for stuff yourself (AMEX, debit card or cash) on your friend's membership card. That's why they let my cousins do.

Our local costco will NOT allow anyone but the member to pay for stuff.... I had to buy my own membership after trying a couple of times to shop with my aunt. It has been money well spent, I really love Costco!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Our local costco will NOT allow anyone but the member to pay for stuff.... I had to buy my own membership after trying a couple of times to shop with my aunt. It has been money well spent, I really love Costco!

You can just pay your friend.

 

[Nords]

And talk about food in Hawaii, in my recent visit to Kona, as we stayed in a timeshare and had a kitchen, we did some grocery shopping at the local Costco as well as a couple of smaller grocery stores. My, veggies and fruits were expensive!
Even on the big island where there's more land, I think the higher labor rate is a reason locally grown food is expensive. Driving across California, where one sees fruit and nut orchards extending to the horizon, one must ask how many workers are needed to tend to all those trees and pick the harvest. Yes, the cheap immigrant laborers, whether legal or illegal, must be a main reason our mainland food is so cheap, compared to that in Hawaii as well as European countries.
A side note: Why is gasoline only $3.99 at Kona Costco, which is less expensive than in California? Something is very wrong! And I mean the higher price in California, not the lower price in Hawaii, of course.

The Hawaii Visitors & Conventions Bureau thanks you for paying tourist prices!

You need to spend more time here. Or buy more SPAM.

Hawaii has significant issues with immigrant labor. It's not just a Mainland phenomenon, and a migrant worker's wages buy a lot less housing here. Local farmers only grow the crops that they can get to market with less labor than Mainland/international shipping. Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia did a great job of killing local pineapple and sugar cane (which was struggling even in the 19th century), and the same economics are at work for the rest of the farming community. Even local dairies and egg producers are perpetually on the brink of bankruptcy. Think about how much of that Big Island land you saw lying fallow because it's lava, or too rocky, or too much slope, or not enough water. If the state and land trusts could turn that property into farmland they'd have done it decades ago. We don't have any better solutions than California or Texas or Florida or any other big agricultural states.

Gas is Costco's loss-leader. Hawaii Costco stores are the state's #1 gasoline sellers (despite being outnumbered by gas stations at least 10:1), and they're even priced below military bases. Our local Costco actually ripped up parking lot to install more gas pumps so that people could spend less time in line and more time in the store. Ours doesn't waste any infrastructure on water spigots or vacuum cleaners or car washes or other "maintenance", and the only reason they offer air is because of the tire sales. It's all about getting people on the property so that they'll do a little shopping.

Veggies & fruits: If I went to a Mainland grocery store for my papaya, mango, lychee, tangerine, mandarin oranges, macadamia nuts, bok choy, sprouts, Okinawan sweet potato... I'd go broke. Yet I'm a little embarrassed to be seen buying them in local stores when they're so easy to grow at home. Meanwhile cow's milk, potatoes, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and even apples can be horribly expensive-- especially out of season-- because they're "Mainland" products that locals might not generate much demand for. But strawberries & tomatoes are popular here, and they're easily grown by local farms.

Kona is probably the most expensive part of the Big Island. (Try Hilo or Puna.) The Costco is aggressively priced, as are the island's Wal-Marts and Home Depots. Most thrifty shoppers buy their veggies and fruits at farmer's markets, and I'm not sure where to look for one in Kona. But to afford to shop in the local grocery stores, residents make heavy use of the local affinity cards and sales flyers. If you're paying list price at Times or Safeway or Star Markets or Foodland, you're subsidizing everybody else.

It's not just military benefits. Among Costco, Wal-Mart, farmer's markets, and gardening, I'm not sure that there's any reason to go to a local grocery chain. People are shopping at local grocery stores for the loss leaders and the convenience.

 

[NW-Bound]

Veggies & fruits: If I went to a Mainland grocery store for my papaya, mango, lychee, tangerine, mandarin oranges, macadamia nuts, bok choy, sprouts, Okinawan sweet potato... I'd go broke. Yet I'm a little embarrassed to be seen buying them in local stores when they're so easy to grow at home. Meanwhile cow's milk, potatoes, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and even apples can be horribly expensive-- especially out of season-- because they're "Mainland" products that locals might not generate much demand for. But strawberries & tomatoes are popular here, and they're easily grown by local farms.

Kona is probably the most expensive part of the Big Island. (Try Hilo or Puna.)

Ah, now that you've mentioned it, we happened to be buying some fruits from roadside vendors when visiting Akaka Falls near Hilo. See photo of the big avocados we bought at 2 for $1. My wife wanted to get $2 or $3 worth, but I had to talk her out of it. The fruits were still a bit green when we bought, and we managed to get only one ripe enough to eat before our week-long stay was up. The fruits in the picture were about the size of a large orange.

Also bought some cherimoya fruits ($5 for 3 lbs), and small papayas (< 6" long) at $2 for 5 fruits. Forgot to take the photos of these. I did not see tomato for sale.

With the climate so moderate year-round, if I were a Hawaii resident I would be sure to grow a lot of veggies too.

 

[FUEGO]

Just for yucks here what $19.04 bought at Aldi yesterday. It still amazes me that I can buy a huge bag of groceries for that price.
Head of cauliflower
Two cartons of fresh blueberries
One large bag of baby carrots
1 large tub Fage 0% Greek yogurt
8 large Red Delicious apples
One oversize container of old fashioned oats
One large tub of shredded Parmesan cheese
100 count ziploc-style sandwich bags
1 large European dark chocolate bar
1 huge bag of chex-mix style snack
Dozen eggs

I try to try something new each time and so far haven't been disappointed. This time it was the chex-mix snacks. The bag was about 4 x the size of the name-brand chex-mix for about 1/3 the price, the contents of the mix was exactly the same, and the taste was super fresh, crunchy, and all around better than the "real" chex mix.

I am always amazed when I can fill my trunk full of groceries that include many fresh fruits and vegetables for usually $40-60. Yesterday's haul included grapefruits, tangerines, oranges, pomegranates, avocados, and bananas, with all the citrus fruits and the bananas for under $.50 per pound, and the avocados and pomegranates not far behind (but sold piecemeal not by the pound. My only regret is that they don't carry limes, so I have to go somewhere else to get that relatively common ingredient in our cooking.

One of the best money savers at Aldi is the discount/clearance items. Seasonal stuff (like thanksgiving stuff right now) goes on the chopping block at probably 20-30% of the price of regular non-sale items at the grocery store. They also recently had a lot of their italian food line on clearance so items like dried tortellini, ravioli, gnocchi, etc were a buck or so per pound, and sauces were a quarter or a third the price of what they normally sell at in grocery stores.

Sometimes they have great quality cuts of meat that we love discounted to well under $1/lb (with close expiration dates). Which raises the question - Is it possible to get tired of eating pork chops or ribs? Empirically, I would say no.

Oh, and for those who go to Aldi, you must try their Jalapeno Potato chips. The really thick kind of chip (a "Krunchers" brand knock off I think). It is a bit spicy but wow are they good, and they are under $2 for a big bag. If you are eating junk food, it better be delicious.

 

[palomalou]

Noelm, is the Costco you are complaining about the one in East Harlem?

And re Aldi, does anyone know for sure whether their ground beef is free of pink slime?

 

[youbet]

Noelm, is the Costco you are complaining about the one in East Harlem?

And re Aldi, does anyone know for sure whether their ground beef is free of pink slime?

I don't think you can ever be completely sure about so-called "pink slime" content unless you have your butcher grind sirloin, round or chuck (depending on what you're going to use it for) while you observe. Better still, grind it yourself at home after you've trimmed to your own specifications.

 

[noelm]

Noelm, is the Costco you are complaining about the one in East Harlem?

Its Yonkers. Every time I go there, its more and more frustration. New Rochelle is little better. But both are equally worse for grocery. I plan to give a try to Costco at Nanuet and see how it is.

 

[Brat]

I don't think you can ever be completely sure about so-called "pink slime" content unless you have your butcher grind sirloin, round or chuck (depending on what you're going to use it for) while you observe. Better still, grind it yourself at home after you've trimmed to your own specifications.

I asked a Costco butcher about that. He told me that they have their own processing plants and DO NOT use any 'pink-slime'.

 

[audreyh1]

More Costco Effect!

King crab legs, at home, just awesome! I've been watching the prices, and this week they were $19.99 a pound. They are usually $25 a pound.

I recently noticed our favorite seafood restaurant had seriously raised the prices on their King crab, so I told DH we're just going to have to eat it at home and I would check out the Costco prices. Great timing!

We finally tried their littleneck clams last week. I'd been hesitating because the clams are so huge. Turns out they are Cedar Key (FL) clams which I'd never had before. Well they were excellent - very nice and tender even though they are large. Will definitely get them again.

Yep, we've been eating high on the hog!

 

[audreyh1]

I asked a Costco butcher about that. He told me that they have their own processing plants and DO NOT use any 'pink-slime'.

I think Costco is one of the very few companies left that inspect the meat they buy. They also do their own butchering. I'm very picky about who I buy my meat from.

 

[er33]

We personally spend too much at Costco. The bill when we leave is never less than $150 and we don't buy a lot of groceries - simply cause we wouldn't be able to eat them before they rot. I do buy appliances from there and also some furniture when we need it. Recentl bought a recliner and a mattress for a total of ~$1000. Been happy with it and of course the rock solid Costco guarantee.

 

[deserat]

We personally spend too much at Costco. The bill when we leave is never less than $150 and we don't buy a lot of groceries - simply cause we wouldn't be able to eat them before they rot. I do buy appliances from there and also some furniture when we need it. Recentl bought a recliner and a mattress for a total of ~$1000. Been happy with it and of course the rock solid Costco guarantee.

When we go there, it's always $100 or more. And they are mainly a cash business....so very profitable. What I've noticed about their fruits is that they last longer than the ones I buy in smaller containers for some reason. I love their chopped butternut squash and the brussel sprouts - I roast them in them in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper and a little garlic powder - awesome. We've bought their prepared salmon and pizza....love it.

We don't eat out often in any case.....we went out the other night for the first time in a long time and frankly were disappointed in the quality of the meal. Place was packed, though. Same thing happened for me at another restaurant for a club meeting - wasn't very good. I can cook something much nicer and cheaper at home....

 

[audreyh1]

When we go there, it's always $100 or more. And they are mainly a cash business....so very profitable. What I've noticed about their fruits is that they last longer than the ones I buy in smaller containers for some reason. I love their chopped butternut squash and the brussel sprouts - I roast them in them in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper and a little garlic powder - awesome. We've bought their prepared salmon and pizza....love it.

We don't eat out often in any case.....we went out the other night for the first time in a long time and frankly were disappointed in the quality of the meal. Place was packed, though. Same thing happened for me at another restaurant for a club meeting - wasn't very good. I can cook something much nicer and cheaper at home....

I've noticed that Costco takes a lot of care with handling their fresh fruits and vegetables - and it shows. The produce is usually in top condition, and yes, it stays fresher longer. Which is good, because you're usually bringing home a large portion.