Costco?

[GJM]

As other posters have said I think Costco has a great return policy. And we buy most of our electronics there. They had the best price for our TV, Computer, Wii and Wii games.

I usually stick to what I need, I don't get things I won't use. I only buy my meat from Costco. I think it is worth it for a single person, I know plenty of single people that shop at Costco. I also love the frozen breaded chicken, and my DH or son don't eat that.

I just used a bunch of coupons I just got and there are plenty of coupons in the flyer they send that are not for big ticket items. Just this month I used a bunch of them.

 

[MaumeeMom]

I can't really comment on COSTCO but I have had a Sam's membership for a long time. I was single when I first signed up and did find it worth the cost.

The bath tissue and paper towels are nice to have in bulk if you have a place to store it. Vitamins, soap and other personal products are also usually cheaper than other places.

I have bought cameras there as well as my laptop. I order checks through Sams and have used the travel site (powered by Expedia) when I had a coupon. Tires, batteries and other car stuff are a good deal at these places too.

My youngest son and I have a thing we do when I need to print pictures. I buy him one of the big soft pretzels and he happily sits in the cart munching on it while I crop and edit my photos on one of the machines. I usually opt for the cheaper 2-day prints but I have found that their one hour processing is very good.

Today, I purchased some cut flowers, a book and paper products.

Give it a try for a year and keep track of what you spend, it may well be beneficial for you to get a membership.

Good luck.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Do I save money at Costco? Not really... I mean we pay FAR LESS for many items that we buy there. Cheese and meat prices can be SPECTACULAR savings... The problem is that we always buy more than we should at Costco. If we bought only what we needed, the savings would be quite substantial.

We have the executive membership. We pay $100 a year for it. You get 2% back at the end of the year, and our yearly check is usually $175 - $300 a year returned to us.

I was just there today... spent $138, which is on the low end for a Costco trip.

BTW, the place was PACKED today... and the nutty guy in front of me at checkout had a single bag of broccoli to buy. That is all he bought - broccoli.

 

[Papa Deuce]

As other posters have said I think Costco has a great return policy. And we buy most of our electronics there. They had the best price for our TV, Computer, Wii and Wii games.

I usually stick to what I need, I don't get things I won't use. I only buy my meat from Costco. I think it is worth it for a single person, I know plenty of single people that shop at Costco. I also love the frozen breaded chicken, and my DH or son don't eat that.

I just used a bunch of coupons I just got and there are plenty of coupons in the flyer they send that are not for big ticket items. Just this month I used a bunch of them.

Did you know that Costco doubles the warranty for you at no charge on these items? They don't really stress telling people about it, but they do offer it.

 

[jlima]

We just got a new Costco a couple of months ago. Love it! Curious about the gas? How does that work without a cashier? Do you put your Costco card in first and then your debit/credit card?

Yes, that's exactly how it works; plastic only.

 

[AnnaS]

I also split my membership w/my next door neighbor/friend.

Each person/member w/id can bring two guests along. They used to let you ring up the orders separate if you brought a non-member in but now they want it all under one receipt.

I take my mom or mil sometimes so I get a subtotal and then ring the rest up.

I like that they recently started selling their muffins in 1/2 dozen packages so you can mix or split the dozen with someone.

They do have some great products. I have heard they have a great return policy but have yet to return something.

 

[shortbun]

We joined Costco last year and I really like it. We buy lots of cosmetics/meds at a very reduced price and I love their fresh veggie room! We've purchase 2 small flat screens from them at the best price around and their rotisserie chicken is delicious!!! We also love their cooked pizzas at the snack bar and normally take one home when we shop. It will be interesting to see what our rebate check in as we joined as 'executive members' as well. Others have mentioned video games. My son is a gamer and he doesn't like their selections but he's very choosy about his games because he doesn't have that much time to play so he only plays what he calls 'the kulest' games.

 

[Jeafl]

We have both Sam's and Costco memberships and have had them for years. Sam's is less than a mile from my house, so it is convenient for milk, gas, bread, eggs, etc.

Costco is about a 10-15 minute drive depending on traffic. I like our Costco better because I like their selection of food better. I also order my contact lenses from them because they are the cheapest I have found.

Sam's has a good return policy, but they do require a receipt. Costco has an outstanding return policy! They take anything back at any time, no time limit. You don't even need the receipt because everything you buy is recorded on your card and they can look it up. It really is convenient when you are married to an obsessive receipt shredder like I am.

 

[Dan Murphy]

....Costco has an outstanding return policy! They take anything back at any time, no time limit....

Except so-called electronic items.....TV's, computers, cameras, mostly those items in the electronic section of the store. They changed the 'no time limit' on those items about two years ago when people were significantly abusing the spirit of the policy by returning items as technology evolved. Return policy, no questions asked on those items, is now 90 days. Costco does however, extend the typical one year warranty on those items to two years.

We also have both Sam's and Costco, though use Costco significantly more often. I find it a much nicer shopping experience at Costco, from walking in the front door to walking out after paying. I told Marie it is like comparing Disney to Six Flags.

 

[monkey68]

My sister has a Costco membership, and I sometimes borrow her card if I can't go when she's going. We look alike, so you would have to really examine the grainy picture really closely to realize we're not the same person. And the picture is so grainy, nobody really cares. It's great, although usually, we just buy the non-perishable items, or things that we use a lot. Mostly toilet paper, paper towels, pads, kitty litter, eggs, pasta, etc. Produce we can get for a lot cheaper at the farmers market type stores in my neighborhood.

 

[SUSIEQ]

We also have both Sam's and Costco, though use Costco significantly more often. I find it a much nicer shopping experience at Costco, from walking in the front door to walking out after paying. I told Marie it is like comparing Disney to Six Flags.

That is a GREAT comparison between Costco & Sam's!

 

[mariolatry]

I've found good bargains on Costco for:

diapers
baby wipes
cases of pop
some cleaning supplies
some meats and seafoods (if you're willing to separate them into appropriate portion sizes for later usage)
produce (only things that you're sure you are going to eat through fast enough)
rotisserie chickens- $4.99 and we could get three meals out of it!

Their pizza and churros are excellent. I saved money on the above items but also wasted it on impulse buys (books/movies/kids clothes). Maybe I broke even then....

 

[browneyes106]

I have a Sam's club card and I live with my boyfriend. He's gone a lot on work. I only go there about twice a month. I like buying movies, books, and stuff like shampoo, vitamins, and other similar stuff in bulk. I think it's worth it. My boyfriend buys a lot of video games from there and things for his family.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have Sams (through work) and Costco. I would also compare it to Six Flags and Disney... or Walmart and Target...

IMO, Sams caters to small business owners & restaurants - I use them for work a lot. Lots of vending supplies, canned goods, restaurant size products, etc. They have basics. DH and I can go there and buy nothing. Really! Nothing is tempting.

Then we go to Costco... which IMO is catered to middle to upper middle class suburban families. Lots of organic and unique brands of foods, unique frozen foods, fantastic dog food and treats, high quality-higher end appliances and furniture, name brand clothing, golf balls, etc etc. Man, we can spend a fortune there!

I get my contacts through Costco - paid $40 for a year's worth of disposables. I buy my Zyrtec there - their store brand, $4 for 90. We buy their brand Immodium - $8 for 2 bottles. Quality dog food for $21 for 40 pounds. Their cheese selection is fantastic and inexpensive.

Even better is their return policy. No receipt? No biggie - they will look it up and give money back. Sams? No receipt, get a giftcard. We will buy our next TV there due to their extended warranty. We bought Natuzzi brand leather furniture - $900 for love seat and couch!

Costco is the place we look forward to wandering on a hot Saturday afternoon. It's just two of us and we have made our money up on the membership many times over just on medication, dog food, and contacts.

Both stores should give you a day pass so you can check out and see if it fits your needs.

 

[aristocatz]

We are a family of 2 and we go to Costco once a month at least! Sometimes we just find excuses to go there to stop for lunch at the food court Best. pizza. ever. & so cheap too!!

We both hate the hassle of grocery shopping and like to get it all done at once.
One pack of toilet paper there usually lasts about 6 months, as do paper towels for us. Love their frozen chicken breasts, frozen potstickers, bread (we freeze one loaf), lowfat swiss cheese, milk is much cheaper than our supermarket, eggs, turkey bacon, etc...We used to buy frozen veggies there, but we belong to a farm share now. You can find lots of staple items at Costco.

It's also a great place for holiday gift shopping-lots of great deals on books, dvd's, electronics, small appliances, computers, etc...

My DF prefers Sam's Club, but we don't have one in our state. Costco seems to suite us just fine though!

 

[mill4023]

Costco is JUST worth the yearly fee for us. We're only two, but we buy most of our meat and frozen products there. Also some dry goods. I would never buy anything from their electronics section, however. I've head a fair number of horror stories regarding product quality and/or returns.

Is that a joke?

Costco is by far the best place to buy electronics.

 

[bicker]

Uh, well, yes and no. For what they sell, they tend to have good prices, and a generous return policy. OTOH, their sales people are as uninformed, on average, as almost all the other places you can buy similar electronics (generally except for the places that charge way too much), and they generally have a much smaller selection than you can get on many Internet electronics retailers (who, of course, have their own limitations and inadequacies).

 

[MaumeeMom]

For Costco members check this out:

http://*******.com/Costco-Renewal-Rip-off

Odd, I don't know why that didn't work. Try this link:
http://consumerist.com/5308481/be-careful-costco-backdates-renewals

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I stopped by today and was not very impressed. I suppose the prices on the big ticket items were good, but I felt like I could get those same prices elsewhere just by waiting for a sale. I also noticed that it tended to be more expensive stuff. I know I can find an exercise machine for a lot cheaper than they had. No, it won't have as many bells and whistles, but it will suit my needs fine. They did not carry a lot of the items I liked, and looking at how things are packaged, it just wouldn't work for me to buy that much at one time. Maybe when I have a family it will be a better fit, but I dobut I would really save money by shopping there.