Kirkland Brand Products

[bltkmt]

+1 on the men's dress shirts...I have a bunch of them now. They last, and they look just as nice as shirts 3-4 times as expensive.

 

[audreyh1]

Last Valentine's Day, I cooked up two of their racks of lamb (oddly small packaging for Costco, one was going to be on the small side for us).

They were out of this world. Just some salt, fresh rosemary & thyme, olive oil and a bit of pepper. Baked and then broiled to finish.

We also get the lamb chops regularly. So many good things there. I wish they would package their steaks in smaller sizes, seems they are 4-5 steaks to a pack, and that's $50 or so. Isn't a $25 package size more than enough for 'bulk packaging'? I'd rather not freeze them.

-ERD50

Yes - I'm also a big fan of their lamb. It's Austrailian lamb - tends to have a bit more flavor than the US lamb.

Try Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón), crushed garlic, olive oil and salt next time as a wet rub/marinade (paste) for the rack of lamb. Out of this world!

Paste based on this recipe - forget the syrup. Use smoked paprika instead on the chili powder and I usually leave the paste on for well over 30 mins. Half the paste recipe for one rack.
Rack of Lamb | Weber.com

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

+1 on the men's dress shirts...I have a bunch of them now. They last, and they look just as nice as shirts 3-4 times as expensive.

The one complaint I have about their clothing is the limited selection of sizes. I wish there was a big & tall Costco!

 

[W2R]

Walt,

I suspect I save more than the cost of the membership on almost every trip I make. Plus I buy the executive membership for $100 and get 2% back on all of my purchases at the end of the year. So if I buy at least $5,000 over the course of the year I get my membership back. If I buy more (which I always do), I make money on the membership.

The extremely generous return policy is also worth far more than the membership cost, and I've used it many times when things break, sometimes years after I first purchased them.

I recommend you look past the stumbling block of paying for a membership and see what you're missing. The difference in prices are so substantial that I try to avoid all other stores unless it's absolutely impossible to find a comparable item at Costco.

We got our first Costco last year but I haven't been there yet. Sounds like I should drive the five miles or so to it and see what everyone is talking about. I can't imagine spending $5000 at one store.

 

[HFWR]

We got our first Costco last year but I haven't been there yet. Sounds like I should drive the five miles or so to it and see what everyone is talking about. I can't imagine spending $5000 at one store.

I think Costco is counting on shoppers to buy lots of stuff, to take advantage of the "rebate". Likely also true for cash-back and reward credit cards.

 

[audreyh1]

Actually, you get your membership back just from the great deals on quality merchandise. I can't get over how much cheaper their really high quality olive oil is, not to mention produce and meats. And gas. The rebates are just icing on the cake.

 

[MichaelB]

Actually, you get your membership back just from the great deals on quality merchandise. I can't get over how much cheaper their really high quality olive oil is, not to mention produce and meats. And gas. The rebates are just icing on the cake.

That's my experience. Last week I found two branded items we regularly buy at the grocers I had not previously seen at Costco (canned sardines and tuna, both in olive oil). The savings are more than 25%. Gasoline is around $.20 per gallon. Like ERD, we get their lamb chops regularly, they are delicious, and once in a while a whole beef tenderloin.

 

[audreyh1]

Here is my favorite lamb loin chops recipe. Rosemary Lamb Chops | Weber.com

 

[braumeister]

I've run the numbers a couple of times and there is no way that paying double the membership fee (for the "executive" level) would pay off for us. Just don't spend enough there in the course of a year.

But the regular membership is absolutely a no-brainer, due to the lower prices. The higher quality in many cases is the icing on the cake. I use my Fidelity Amex card for purchases, so I get 2% cash back anyway.

And as I've said before, if you buy 39 shares of Costco stock, the dividends will cover the annual membership fee.

 

[RetireAge50]

The executive membership cash refund pays our entire membership fee twice over. This is in addition to our Amex refund. Takes a couple hundred a month to pay for itself. We do this on gas alone.

Also, can get a refund of the executive membership fee if it does not pay for itself so pretty much no brainer.

 

[Chuckanut]

One year the exec member refund was less than the membership fee. Costco refunded the difference on the spot. They're not perfect, but they know how to treat their customers right.


Sent from somewhere in the world with whatever device I can get my hands on.

 

[powerplay]

One year the exec member refund was less than the membership fee. Costco refunded the difference on the spot. They're not perfect, but they know how to treat their customers right.


Sent from somewhere in the world with whatever device I can get my hands on.

I wish that was my experience, but it's not. It was such a hassle and I will never do it again.