Costco Membership

SID297

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See I found food prices and all to be relatively close to some of the other places local to us.

I don't know where you're shopping, but in MB Costco is 25-50% cheaper on most food items (same quality and quantity) than pretty much anywhere else. Then there's the $12 0.5 gallon Kirkland American Vodka and $14 Kirkland Spiced Rum...
 

roadracer247

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We've got a Costco opening up near us in a couple weeks. Any thoughts on if it's worth it or not? We have a family of 4.....

It’s worth it for my family. Sure it’s busy, but the lines move quickly. Customer service is generally solid. Good meat selection. People say buying in bulk saves money too. Plus the gasoline at our local Costco is about fifty cents a gallon cheaper than local stations. Plus all the other random shit they sell. An easy place to spend about twice what you intended to spend.
 

SID297

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Just make sure it is all you use and you will realize it is better. Meat is good.

You will also find other deals. For example, I was just in the market for tires. I never would have thought Costco carried name brands, walking through there I see a sign, something along the lines of "buy four Michelin, get instant $70 and an additional $60 if on Costco card." It just so happened the tires I wanted, the best, were Michelin's and were 210$ a pop retail. With the tires, tax, etc, that is around $900. With the money back, payed $770. So I got them tax free and discounted at the end of the day. No place could have matched that deal.

I just bought 6 batteries for a boat at Costco and saved $300 versus Napa (my old go-to place).
 

BlckBox04

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There's not enough savings on any good to ge me to shop at Costco where I live. There are 3 Costco's within 10 miles of me and they are always packed--always. I've been twice, and that was enough for me. It's absolute chaos on every square inch of the Costco property inside and out.

There's 7 in a 50 mile radius of me, so they're obviously doing something right
 

08mojo

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There's 7 in a 50 mile radius of me, so they're obviously doing something right

Agreed. I thought that was evident by stating they are always packed. I just can't stand crowds and I am willing to spend more to do my shopping in a peaceful environment. It's the same reason I don't physically participate in the black friday/after holiday sales.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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I try to get to costco by 10, 11 am on sat/sun and it's fine, I breeze right in and out. $1.50 hot dog and drink ftw
 

04MysticCobra

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Costco is great. Have about 6 stores within an hour from me. My wife has one 2 miles from her work and gets the cheap gas there all the time. Only place I can get my Taylor Farms salad kits. Damn California. We like it at 3 in the afternoon at our local one on a Saturday or Sunday where we get in and out relatively easy.
 

BlckBox04

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Agreed. I thought that was evident by stating they are always packed. I just can't stand crowds and I am willing to spend more to do my shopping in a peaceful environment. It's the same reason I don't physically participate in the black friday/after holiday sales.

I wasn't disagreeing with you, I was more so stating for the other guys who are saying it's not worth it, because thousands obviously feel it is.
 

CobraBob

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I've been a Costco member for well over 20 years. We don't go there as much as we used to, mainly because we have a membership with B.J.'s Wholesale as well. We shop at B.J.'s more than Costco because their overall selections are better and the checkout lines are smaller. Gas is cheaper than Costco, too, because they give B.J.'s members an extra .10 off a gallon.

Costco Pros
Lower prices than you'll find at supermarkets and department stores.
Lower gas prices (varies by location).
Occasional discounts on tires.
Quality food and merchandise (for the most part).
GREAT return policy.
Bulk size packages (unit prices) typically priced way lower than smaller packs.

Costco Cons
Inconsistent stock. Many items they stock today will be gone next week.
Long checkout lines.
Too many bulk size packages (food, mainly). Sometimes the sizes are too big.
You won't find overall a big selection of items as in a Super Stop & Shop.

IMO you can't go wrong with a Costco membership unless you don't go there often enough to justify the annual membership cost. Just bear in mind that when you go to a Super food store, you're offered pretty much everything you might need. For example, there is typically an entire aisle of ice cream products. At Costco, you see an ice cream section that is only about 6' long. I know that's ice cream, but the same thing applies with much of what they offer. Either what you're specifically looking for isn't available or the options are limited. With home goods, clothing, etc., your selections are limited, but the item prices are usually lower than you'd find anywhere else. If you're okay with the limited item selections overall, it's a great place to shop. You'll probably find that you will buy maybe 50% of your groceries at Costco, and what they don't carry you can buy at your favorite grocery supermarket.
 
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AustinSN

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It's just me and my wife and I find enough value in it.

Paper towels and ass wipe are probably the most important thing from there. They are cheap and like, perfect.

The kirkland AA batteries are really good and it saves you an ass ton of money, if you want to buy duracell the huge packs are pretty cheap too.

I put an Interstate Battery in my moms car from there, it was $99. The only cheaper place was walmart and it was their "value" battery, any of the higher quality ones were over $100.

Meat is top notch.

I love all the free samples, not to mention the hotdog/pizza deal.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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Meat is top notch.

overall yes but their flank steak is not very good compared to publix, tried it a few times.

I will say next time I go I intend to take a better look at the pricing on toilet paper, laundry detergent and such vs the normal stores just for peace of mind. Im guilty of just getting and going. I have bought most of my appliances there because it's the same price or cheaper than anywhere else with free delivery and free extended warranty. Hell I got an extra 3 year parts and labor on my fridge for $100 (price dropped to 1999 so it came down a tier).

get a trial membership or join and go a couple times during the cancellation period and compare prices. As mentioned I bought a food saver so I buy loads of pork chops and such then put em into 2 pack bags and freeze em. The rotisserie chickens are sold at a loss, theyre HUGE for the 4-5, I get almost twice as much meat off em compared to the local markets.
 

Coiled03

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I have one Costco within 10 miles of me, and a Walmart that's not even a mile away. Plus, I live by myself half the time. Hard to justify a membership.

That said, several friends rave about Costco.
 

VenomVeins

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helloWorld

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I am single and I still use and enjoy my Costco membership.

The gas price difference alone is worth the annual membership fee. Costco has quality gas and where I am, the 91 octane is consistently 30 to 35 cents cheaper per gallon than anywhere else.
When it comes to non-perishables, buying is bulk is going to be cheaper at Costco.
I eat a lot of chicken and Costco has this giant bag of individually vacuum-sealed packs of chicken breasts for like only $17.
Plus, there are usually a lot of hot chicks out walking around on the weekends in Costco as well.
 

SID297

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overall yes but their flank steak is not very good compared to publix, tried it a few times.

I will say next time I go I intend to take a better look at the pricing on toilet paper, laundry detergent and such vs the normal stores just for peace of mind. Im guilty of just getting and going. I have bought most of my appliances there because it's the same price or cheaper than anywhere else with free delivery and free extended warranty. Hell I got an extra 3 year parts and labor on my fridge for $100 (price dropped to 1999 so it came down a tier).

get a trial membership or join and go a couple times during the cancellation period and compare prices. As mentioned I bought a food saver so I buy loads of pork chops and such then put em into 2 pack bags and freeze em. The rotisserie chickens are sold at a loss, theyre HUGE for the 4-5, I get almost twice as much meat off em compared to the local markets.

I haven't tried their flank stake, but their whole filet and prime cap off sirloin are great.
 

01yellercobra

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You'll have to try it out and see for yourself. We were a member for a long time. I don't remember how much cheaper the gas was, but the line was always long and it's far enough away to make it pointless. I have 6 gas stations within a mile of my house so I stick with them. Plus I drive a diesel. So, yeah.

I realized it was pointless when anytime we went I was having to pay the membership fee when I checked out. I'll stick with Target at this point.
 

Grabber

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Wife and I have been members for a few years. No kids, but, we average spending about $500 a month with Costco alone, and still shop at other stores too.

They carry a lot of niche products from time to time that you could only otherwise get online or at another store for a higher price and smaller package than what Costco would carry/sell it for.

Lines tend to be outrageous sometimes. The one thing I cannot stand is getting gas. Some how, with nearly 20 pumps at my local Costco, it sometimes takes me 15-20 minutes to fill up. Most times, I drive away and pay more at a Shell or BP.

However, Costco gas is top tier and REALLY good quality compared to some of the bigger names and is less expensive. Still, I dread filling up because it seems everyone at the gas station that goes there is especially stupid and I also find that a lot of non-members go there and slow down lanes. Most times, those non-members fail to read or see the giant sign at the entrance that state "Members only" but still go in anyway.
 

Need 04 Wine

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Where else you gonna get $1.50 hot dog and pop?


Sent from my POFS iPhone in a rage cause this is the third try.
 

ViciousJay

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Paper products like TP, paper towels and klenexx is fine otherwise it's a waste unless supporting a family that can support an NFL or MLB line up, at that time by the 3rd kid you might wanted to have considered a snip...
 

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