Costco photo processing? Worth joining just for it?

[PinballFamily]

Anyone (who used/uses them!) have opinions? We're BJs members and love getting some groceries there, but just received a Costco membership promo offer. I know some scrappers love their photo processing (do they do 12 x 12 and if so, how much per page?) and since a Costco is pretty close by, I thought I'd ask the DIS scrappy peeps... Thanks! Right now, we typically use Shutterfly mostly, and like their quality better than Winkflash, etc.

 

[disney-akj]

Their photo printing is good and affordable. I printed 12 by 12, and I believe they were 2.99 a sheet. (When you upload photos you have an option for higher resolution which takes longer- choose this option for photos that you plan to print 12 by 12 because you can tell a difference. The higher resolution doesn't matter for smaller 4 x 6 or 5 x7 prints, because you can not tell a difference in the prints)

 

[Lavaluma]

I know nothing about scrapbooking, but I have had a Costco membership for years and I've been uploading photos on their site since 2006. They are affordable and quick for printing photos. I've used them for calendars, coffee mugs and Christmas Cards. Everything has turned out great. Plus, every picture that I've uploaded is still on the website. It's nice knowing that in addition to my computer and my backup, that I have my pictures accessible elsewhere.
As to whether it's worth getting their membership in addition to BJ's? I'm trying to decide the opposite. They just opened at BJ's 10 minutes from me. I have to drive 30+ minutes to get to Costco. We decided to try BJ's out and make a decision in a year. I like the convenience of BJ's, but I can not imagine not having my photos through Costco.

 

[disney-akj]

Just so you know, if you decide to try Costco's groceries.... If there is a particular item they do not carry, you can sometimes request it and they order it. Just FYI in case you decide to give their food a try. We do not have BJ's so I can not compare, but Costco's food is awesome.

 

[PinballFamily]

Thanks for the speedy responses! I'm *sure* I'd find food and other goodies at Costco that BJs doesn't stock...probably too much of it! I've tagged along with friends and they do have useful things there (25lb. bags of King Arthur flour for my bread baking - while BJs only has 10 lb. bags, etc.) that I've been lucky to grab. I recalled that Costco did 12 x 12 prints and that is something I've been thinking about exploring, since I don't think anyone else around me offers that. I typically use 4x6 prints when scrapping, but am trying to begin using larger photos and also want to experiment with more mini prints, too (4 up on a 4x6, etc.). Ah, change...it isn't easy!

 

[pjlla]

FWIW..... I don't know anything about the photo processing, but just wanted to share my experiences with both stores.

Had BJ's memberships for about 15+ years (DBIL worked for them), but gave it up when he left them about 3 years ago. For the longest time our nearest BJ's was about an hour south.... then they opened another one about 35-40 minutes away. The place is always DEAD (not sure how it stays open). Great for shopping with no lines though. I LOVE that BJ's takes coupons and we always liked their tire prices.

That said, we got a Costco membership a few years ago and really love the place. Again, the nearest store to us is about an hour away, so we only go once or twice a month. But I like the foods and selections better than BJ's.... more fresh produce too. DH's get one of his long-term prescriptions there. And LOVE the samples they offer sometimes! But they don't take coupons OR credit cards (so no air miles for those big purchases...). And I'm not even sure if they sell tires! But the lowfat soft-serve at the snack counter is worth the membership price alone!

If I had to choose, it would be Costco over BJ's.

If I visited my local Costco more often I would definitely look into their photo processing................P

 

[mybestieismickey]

I have been using Costco for photos since 2003. I love them. Their quality is great and the price is right. 13 cents a print. I know its higher than you can get deals for at places like snapfish, bur I ordered some from snapfish once on a free promo and was so disappointed with the quality that I reordered the same pics from costco. About once a year they run a promo in their coupon book for 9 cent prints. Also, if you buy a set of their wall frames it comes with a coupn for 100 free 4x6 prints.

You can also order the pics sent to your house from the Costco website. It used to be free, you just had to pay for the prints online instead of in store. Not sure if it's still free. Its been a couple of years since I have done it.

And fwiw, I love their food court too!

One more thing. Costco will take AMEX if you want to use a card to pay. We don't have one, so we just use our debit or cash.

 

[SA mom]

We've used Costco photo processing for about 10 years. Awesome. When I started digital scrapbooking about 8 years ago, they were the cheapest. I also like the option of a matte finish instead of glossy. Sometimes the prints are as low as $.09.

One hint for scrappers, run a test print with the auto correct on and off. Since computer screens have slightly different coloring, you may or may not need auto correct to get the colors you are designing on your screen. I used it on my old laptop, but not on my new one.

We've also used Costco for collage prints and photo mugs. Wonderful quality.

 

[JandJ]

We've been Costco members for years (love their Kirkland products) and I always get my photos processed there. They do a fantastic job! I used to use Shutterfly, but I think Costco's quality is better. You can upload them and pick them up at the store or bring your media to the store (stick drive, memory card, etc.) and they'll be ready in about an hour. You can also have them sent to you in the mail, but I've never used that option. I Photoshop all of my pictures before printing so I never use their "auto correct," so I don't know how that would turn out. They also have coupons a few times a year for unlimited 9 cent 4x6 prints.

I don't know that I would join just for the photo printing, but Costco is awesome and if you know your prices you can get great deals! I have the Costco Amex and get 2% "Costco cash" on all of our purchases, including gas. Their gas prices tend to be a lot cheaper than other stations, but you have to be a member to buy gas there. If you become an Executive Member and you don't get at least $50 in "Costco cash" per year they will give you the difference from the cost of regular membership to Executive Membership (not sure I explained that correctly, but they can tell you about it!). Oh, we also got new tires for DH's car at Costco and they came with a lifetime warranty and lifetime rotation. And we got our kitchen countertops from Costco (that was a sweet 2%!). The food samples are yummy, too! Yup, love Costco