Even if we don't shop at Costco very often, we always get gas there. Just from that, we saved 70 dollars.
Printable View
Even if we don't shop at Costco very often, we always get gas there. Just from that, we saved 70 dollars.
I've shopped at Costco, BJs and Sams. I don't really like Sams in comparison to the other 2. BJs has a better selection of smaller sized grocery items than Costco and I love their coupon policy. I moved from the east coast to Seattle and we don't have BJs here so now I shop at Costco (Costco trivia - Seattle is the home of Costco, and their store brand Kirkland is named after a town in the Seattle area).
I do think that overall the quality of items of Costco is top notch. I highly recommend their rotisserie chickens - they are the best we've had, and much larger than the ones at the grocery store - for $4.99. Costco also sells discounted movie tickets, we can see an evening movie for the price of an matinee with these.
They have amazing customer service and a fantastic return policy - they stand behind everything they sell. They also treat their employees really well and that is important to me.
I personally don't care for costco. There just isn't enough things I'd purchase to make it worth it. I do have a Sam's membership, but dh's work pays for it. I got the free spouse card that came with the corporate membership.
I found something I wanted to buy from costco. A new bread machine. I debated on getting a membership so I could buy it.
I did not get the membership. I paid a 5% surcharge for not having one, which was only $4.25.
I acutally saved $45 doing it that way, since I really didn't want the membership to start with.
My father had both cards so he put me on as his spouse for each card even though we live in different states. I just let him put his address so it all worked out. My mom doesn't go without my dad so she has no problem with him switching everything to me. YAY for free memberships!
I perfer Costco's to Sams.
I mooch trips with my mom because she has a card for her daycare.
I think their meat prices are very good compared to my local stores. I like that they have different items than my regular grocery store too.
We used to have a Sams membership for several years, until we changed to Costco last year. I can only speak for myself when saying this, but every time I go to a club store I buy way to much! Everytime I leave our bill is over a hundred dollars. Sure you can find some good deals, but I am giving up our membership at the end of this month when it is due again. If I want something from there I will go with my parents or a friend. It just isnt worth the extra money.
I had one but it has exspired . I liked cosco ,but I had to drive over an hour to go there. my neice will go some times and I ask her to pick spmething up for me.
today I went to costco... here is some of what I got.
case of campbells mushroom soup 5.97
swiss miss hot chocolate mix - 60 indiv. packets 1.97
lysol air srpay, citrus scent... 3 huge bottles- 5.97
soft scrub, 3 pack... 4.97
3 pounds kirkland brand tortilla chips
( its a corn chip) with sea salt- 3.97
kirkland brand professional makeup brushes, 14 peice set- 12.00
stove top stuffing, a case ( 6 packs I think)- 1.97
a rotessie chicken- 4.99
a honeydew melon 3.50
12 pack variety pack breakfast danish 6.99
We just got a Costco membership. I think it will benefit us in the long run. Some things that I thought were a great deal, 15 boxes of Annies Mac and cheese were 9.99. They are $2 a box at Kroger!
We also use 100% maple syrup for our waffles/pancakes. It is pretty pricey, usually around $5 for a small bottle. I got a big jug for $19.99 at Costco. Also, their 1/2 sheet cakes are really good and are only $15.99. (Kroger charges $40 for that size PLUS whatever decoration you put on it.) Since I have 4 kids and we always get a bakery cake as a special treat for their bday, $15.99 is a good deal.
I also go 6 hearts of Romaine for about $3. Milk was $2.79 a gallon, I haven't seen milk that cheap in a while, it has been $3.50+ at Kroger for months.
Some things I didn't think were worth the price, $7 for 2 average size jugs of Kirkland diswasher detergent. I can get name brand for cheaper when I use coupons.
I was treated rudely by the card checker on the way in one time. I went to the customer service desk and told them I wanted to cancel my membership and why. The manager refunded my membership fee but kept my account active. That gave me a year to shop there free and that told me that Costco doesn't work well for a single person. I didn't re-up when my membership ran out.Quote:
Originally Posted by HBS
UKBB
I looovvve Costco. We built a home in 06/07, and Costco was a huge help in getting us in under budget. We purchased granite countertops (saved over $6,000), toilets, faucets, fireplace, TV, cfl lightbulbs for the whole house, DDs bed & dresser, silverware, coffee maker (save me from Starbucks), etc. I have found great deals on holiday dresses (ususally $15-20) for DDs, clothes for DH (undershirts, socks, jeans ). The couple of times I have had to return something it has been super easy. I regularly shop there for staple items (eggs, milk, bananas, meat, kirkland laundry detergent, and chicken breast). I love that they now have chicken breasts in multi-pacs like ground beef. I would recommend Costco for regular shopping, but especially for anyone who is working on their home. We also get our gas from Costco. Since we knew we would be spending a lot in building the house, we upgraded our membership to Executive Membership with AmEx CC that we pay off each month. We got 2.5% rebate back from Costco and (3-1%) back from our AmEx. Hope this helps. BTW I do not work for Costco, but I should.
Currently the Costco I frequent has gas 20 cents cheaper than the average elsewhere in town, so that's my main focus, but there are other pluses, as well as some minuses.
Pedigree dog food is was $18.59 for 52 pounds while I found a 40 pound bag for almost the same price at Walmart. 12 pounds of food is about 10 extra days of feeding per bag.
The granola at Costco rocks! It's full of lots of healthy stuff but isn't exactly low in fat or calories; like anything, you can definitely overdo it, but I find that I can get nearly a month of servings out of one carton. It's kind of addictive....
The fresh veggies are almost always an amazingly good deal as well as frozen foods.
It's easy to have a huge bill at checkout, because even though the buys are a good deal per serving, you are getting a whole lot of servings per item, so they add up fast.
I'd say, do your research and limit yourself to a list and you'll do fine. The savings on dog food and gas alone are worth the price of a membership to me and you can split the fee with a friend/family member because you get two membership cards per account.
I have no idea about Sam's Club, but the gas prices usually are pretty comparable with Costco, so maybe that would work if you were more inclined towards that company.
Jo
I adore Costco. If nothing else, milk in my neighborhood runs $3.59 per gallon, at Costco it's $2.99 per gallon. We go through so much that milk alone makes the membership worth it. I love everything else about Costco too.
You have so many replies you may never get around to reading mine! lol.
But I had to say, my costco card is completely worth it.
#1 - We are a family of 6 and I shop 3 x a month max.
#2 - The city I shop in is hard pressed for good deals, it's pretty spendy generally.
I actually just upgraded to executive membership, when I found out, if I had done that a year ago I would have gotten a $70 dollar Costco gift card as my reward this year, based on my spending. That would amount to a $20 yearly membership fee, and the savings blow that out of the water. I especially love their produce. It's a flat fee and good quality. It's the best savings, on most things, in my area. I suppose it is very relative to where you live.