Costco needs to offer personal tours for new members!

[disneychrista]

Costco's profits are mainly made from membership fees.

However this does not mean that they are selling their products cheaper than you can find at other locations. It means that they negotiate prices that are much below what is "normal" from their suppliers.

 

[manning]

I take my wife there for a cheap date.

Can't beat the $1.50 hot dogs/soda and free samples.

You have to watch the prices but you can get good deals.

The Foodsaver vacuum sealer has become our friend. Just bought 3 lbs of hamburger for $3.19 a lb. At the super market it is over $4.00 a lb.

Not only do they make money on their membership they also depend on impulse buying. They always move products to different locations and don't label the aisles. They want you to wander around looking for things.

 

[tinkerone]

I don't find the beer/wine to be good deals though I've heard that in states that allow hard liquor sales you can get some good deals. .

recently dh and I were in myrtle beach. my sister was sitting our dog for us so I told her I would bring her a bottle of liquor back. we stopped at ABC and bought a bottle of tequila at $47.00. a few days later we stopped into Costco and just for a lark I walked into their liquor department and that same bottle was $27.00. big difference! being from Canada though $47.00 was a steal.

I take my wife there for a cheap date.

Can't beat the $1.50 hot dogs/soda and free samples.QUOTE]

dh and I do this as well, we call it the senior special (even though its for everyone). best deal ever!! lol

 

[MAJPLO]

Costco meats are usually a higher quality than I can find at my grocery store. So even if it is a little more expensive I buy 99% of my meats there.
ETA the rotisserie chickens at Costco are quite a bit larger than at my regular grocery store. And they are regularly $1 less at Costco than the best sale price my local grocery chain ever offers.

 

[wunkmom]

Paper products are NOT a good deal at Costco. It's just an illusion of bulk purchasing. I have consistently found that the TP has fewer sheets per roll. How is this saving money?
Lifehacker recently did a great post about Costco. http://lifehacker.com/what-to-buy-and-not-buy-at-costco-according-to-consu-1573463028

 

[havaneselover]

Paper products are NOT a good deal at Costco. It's just an illusion of bulk purchasing. I have consistently found that the TP has fewer sheets per roll. How is this saving money?
Lifehacker recently did a great post about Costco. http://lifehacker.com/what-to-buy-and-not-buy-at-costco-according-to-consu-1573463028

I've never bought their tp (I'm brand loyal to Cottonelle) but I do buy their select a size paper towels (I used to buy Bounty usually at Walmart) and I am almost certain they are much cheaper at Costco. So maybe some paper products aren't a good deal at Costco ???

 

[OhMari]

I wouldn't mind spending $300 of my normal $450-600 grocery budget at Costco if the total food/paper goods bill will last the whole month. Do you find that you are spending over what you would if you just shopped weekly at a grocery store, or do the products you purchase at Costco last the whole month?

Yes, my products last a month, the key is putting everything away in proper storage. It takes me an hour to clean the produce and I put them in zip lock bags. My dog will shred the paper towels, if I don't put them in the storage room, pantry. It is a little overwhelming buying larger sizes, but it is more manageable, to break it down, and then finding the room.

 

[SEA333]

However this does not mean that they are selling their products cheaper than you can find at other locations. It means that they negotiate prices that are much below what is "normal" from their suppliers.

Yep ^^

 

[mom2alix]

Haha...good thing mine was a "gift" from work!! The customer service rep did try to strongarm me into their executive membership, though, which I refused. On another note, however, the company that I work for is a Strategic vendor to Costco (I actually handle Costco's main competitor's account, who shall remain nameless...lol, but one of my favorite coworkers handles costco), which means costco is one of our top $$ accounts...that's a whole lot of our product that they sell yearly, and the pricepoint of our products is relatively very low compared to most costco items due to what our product is, so their profits are not *all* mainly from memberships! Did you have any tips about costco, other than "don't get suckered into a membership"?

I have the executive membership and it pays for itself with the rebate each year. It's actually a good deal. One item I haven't seen mentioned is around holidays especially they have gift cards available to various restaurants, etc. for 20% off - get $100 gc for $80. DH won't get blueberries anywhere else. He says Costco's are fresher and last longer. Their organic berries are also cheaper than our other stores. The produce I get there seems to last longer. I like their bags of baby romaine lettuce, too.

The rotisserie chicken is a really good deal. I've always been a Tide girl, but I like the Kirkland detergent. The Kirkland bottled water is a deal, too.

Not an everyday purchase, but their cakes are good and a really good deal. They are our go-to place for birthdays and special events.

 

[Gracie09]

I look at Costco as a mixture of convenience and better prices. Do I sometimes pay a little more for paper towels than if I ran around and did sale with coupons, sure, but I get a months worth of paper towels at once and don't worry about running out. Same with tp. I like knowing I have plenty of dish detergent or dish washer packs or other cleaning products. Nothing like miscalculating and running out in the middle of cleaning. Their produce is almost always very fresh and seems to last a long time. One time I bought a bunch of blueberries and the next day notice mold. I took them back a couple days later ( obviously didn't eat them) and they gave me my money back.

 

[SEA333]

I take my wife there for a cheap date.

Can't beat the $1.50 hot dogs/soda and free samples.

You have to watch the prices but you can get good deals.

The Foodsaver vacuum sealer has become our friend. Just bought 3 lbs of hamburger for $3.19 a lb. At the super market it is over $4.00 a lb.

Not only do they make money on their membership they also depend on impulse buying. They always move products to different locations and don't label the aisles. They want you to wander around looking for things.

Seriously!!! Lol After he was done with all of the free samples, DH rushed me to the checkout, then proceeded to go to the food court area to get the hot dog combo. I asked him why the heck he rushed me just so we could sit and have lunch! He could have sat there all day long while I shopped instead. But I was rather pleased that the total lunch bill for the five of us was like $7 bucks. Lol DD and I shared a combo. I told DH that we would come to costco for our saturday lunches for now on

 

[manning]

Can't beat their return policy.

I had a cuisinart k cup coffee maker for several years and it quit. I misplaced the receipt I thought I would need to send to cuisinart for repair. I called costco to see if they still a record of sale.

They said just bring it back for a refund. I said you got to be kidding. Nope just bring it back.

 

[mich311e]

Their prices for organic salad and spinach are great, better than anywhere else!

I love their frozen organic berries, organic bread, organic carrots, avocados, melons, bread, etc. We buy a ton of produce there each week!

 

[pigletto]

Maybe the next time you are in a grocery store make a list of the things you are thinking of getting at Costco and write down their unit price and size. I would keep an ongoing list on my phone. Then when you are in Costco you can compare the price per unit of whatever it is. It would be the only way for me to know if I was getting a better deal.

 

[wendow]

It took us awhile to adjust from weekly shopping to buying a month or two of something at a time. And at first I wasn't so sure if I was going to like it. Seven years later, I love it. I love Costco. Also an executive member and like someone else said, it's a great deal. You will get your money back if you do not make back enough to cover your membership upgrade

My favorite things to buy:
Meats (organic are so much cheaper!!!)
Fruits & veggies (same as above, organic for less!)
Dairy free chocolate chips
Nutiva Coconut oil
Jalapenos
Organic Ketchup, jelly, peanut butter
Spices (Large container for same price as small one at regular grocery)
Eggs
Power bars, protein powder
Orange juice concentrate
Chicken broth (Kirkland organic is a good deal)
canned Tomato sauce & diced tomatoes (both are organic and very good)
Frozen veggies (love their stir-fry mix)
Frozen fruit for smoothies
Greek Yogurt

I could go on and on. We buy a lot from them. My favorite time to shop is on Sunday evenings an hour before they close. The store is practically deserted.

Return policy is one of the best out there. Period.

Their cafe is a great deal. Super cheap way to grab a quick meal.

 

[manning]

How often do we sample

Let's just say those tending the stations and I are on first name basis.

Like it when they sample Home Run Pizza. Don't need to buy one, just do a good job sampling it.

 

[jojosam]

We are about an hour away from Costco, so I only go about once per month. Regular things / good values for me include:
Dryer sheets (500 sheets seem to last forever for about $8)
Bacon
Eggs
Dog food
Cat litter
Maple syrup
Clorox wipes
Monster
Men's deodorant
Chicken thighs
Gogurt
Lunch snacks
Moist wipes for the bathroom
Light bulbs when they give the instant rebate


And anything else from the coupons that catches my eye. We can spend $3-500 per month. I had a low total of $243 this month, and that included a $100 phone set. I was pretty proud!

 

[SEA333]

How often do we sample

Let's just say those tending the stations and I are on first name basis.

Like it when they sample Home Run Pizza. Don't need to buy one, just do a good job sampling it.

Home Run Pizza and I have a secret love affair LOL

I don't know where you are from, but before moving here 4 years ago, DH and I visited Chicago often - and Home Run Inn was our very favorite thin crust Chicago Pizza place. The original location is kind of scary now, but luckily there is another one a couple miles from our house! Mmmmm!!!

 

[manning]

Home Run Pizza and I have a secret love affair LOL

I don't know where you are from, but before moving here 4 years ago, DH and I visited Chicago often - and Home Run Inn was our very favorite thin crust Chicago Pizza place. The original location is kind of scary now, but luckily there is another one a couple miles from our house! Mmmmm!!!

I have to Travel a long half mile to the nearest one.

Last night had their frozen Italian sausage and onion ultra thin. Boy was the sausage spicy. Good.

 

[wendow]

Now I want to try this amazing pizza! Is it only sold in certain Costco's (certain regions)? I don't know that I have seen it in ours.