True Costco bargains.......??????

[lukenick1]

Are there any real bargains at Costco?? Who's done their research? I'm a big Walmart shopper and wonder if buying in bulk at Costco really does save.

 

[kittychatalot]

The only thing we but at BJ's is beer and dog bones. I get much better deals at my local grocery store with coupons. Even without coupons my local grocery stores sales prices are better than BJ's. I made a price sheet and compared Publix, Kroger, Walmart and BJ's! Publix and Walmart were always cheaper. beer though is a great deal. 24 bottle of Sam Adams Lager for 20.99. I also get a big bag of dog bones- the big kind as I have big dogs!

 

[minnie1928]

Does Costco allow people to check it out before joining? If so, why not make a list of your walmart purchases (including prices) and go to Costco to compare? If you do that, make sure to price compare based on unit pricing since the warehouses often have items in larger amounts/containers.

FWIW I would also factor in the cost/value of convenience. Is Costco closer than WalMart?

 

[Skatermom23]

Honestly Costco doesn't save me money because I buy things I normally wouldn't buy. (but I am also at a point in life where I can do that) However, if you have self control there are items that are good value. Off the top of my head, I would say meat, milk, bakery items, cooked chicken, tires, clothing items and snack foods. If you are a big coupon person, then I doubt you will find Costco of value for you.

Just this week, I bought a little table stand just because it was a great value. Did I really need it...no, but it looks cute in my room!

 

[Fire14]

I find their photo printing cheaper/more convient, their brand laundry soap, beef, flowers, snack crackers, bottled water. For us it's a staples stock up kinda place but we continue to use walmart/meijer also.

Also a lot of times their software is cheaper there.

 

[Fire14]

Does Costco allow people to check it out before joining? If so, why not make a list of your walmart purchases (including prices) and go to Costco to compare? If you do that, make sure to price compare based on unit pricing since the warehouses often have items in larger amounts/containers.

FWIW I would also factor in the cost/value of convenience. Is Costco closer than WalMart?

I know ours did let us walk around and look before buying membership but we couldn't buy anything till we joined. also costco has 100% membership refund if your unhappy with it.

 

[JandJ]

We are real Costco fans I think Costco saves, but you have to know your prices. You also have to get only what you went for and not get the big screen TV or set of luggage you don't need, just because the price is good. The Kirkland/Costco brand is excellent and cheaper. We buy the Kirkland paper towels and toilet paper - DH is infamous for calculating the per-square price of the toilet paper and it is a lot cheaper. I'm picky with toilet paper and won't get scratchy or single ply. The Kirkland is comparable to Angel Soft IMO.

You also can get good deals on things you do want - we wanted the Cuisinart Griddler and it was $20 less than anywhere else. They have great prices on books, hard cover and soft cover. The prices on contacts is excellent. Printing photos is 13 cents a print, no limit. They have good prices on meat and produce, but again, you have to know your prices to compare to your local supermarket, Wal-Mart, or in our case, the weekend produce market.

 

[Marshay]

Gas -- Costco gas is about 10 cents per gallon cheaper than our closest gas station (but not always)

Meats, Fish, seafood -- generally I find them cheaper but you have to buy a lot -- we just use as leftovers or freeze.

Milk -- I save anywhere from 10-30 cents compared to my grocery stores

Baked goods -- pies and cakes are cheaper simply b/c they are bigger. They have speciality breads, rolls, pastries, cookies, etc in bulk that are good.

Other items like fruits, bread, snacks, cheese, frozen meals, etc can be cheaper unless a store puts them on their "front page specials".

Oh, and diapers, wipes and infant formula.

As someone else said, if it's close by, check it out, join and you can always cancel. We have two different ones close by so it's always convenient for us.

That said, we still have to go to the grocery store every 2 weeks to get the things that Costco doesn't have or if I don't want 6 gallons of bleach!

Good luck!

 

[jodifla]

Love, love Costco. You do need to know your prices. We use it for:

Coffee beans
Juice
Detergent
TP
Frozen fish
Bacon
Paper towels
some cheeses
Bagel Bites
Skinny Cow treats
Popcorn
treats for school

and we have a brunch every Christmas for about 50 people, so we really get our use out of it then with platters and the like.

Also, got a GREAT Christmas decoration this year there. A beautiful Christmas clock, that's HUGE and fits just right in our entryway. It was $15, marked down.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

There are a number of things that are good deals at my local Costco:

hummus
large containers of salad
Dentabones or Dentastix for my dogs, sometimes dog treats
printer ink refills
produce: last week I got great prices on Ambrosia apples, clementines, cherry tomatos and seedless grapes (as well as the salad)
Kirkland vitamins
books!

Toys and electronics can be good deals. I got my granddaughter a Playmobil "pony farm" set for $40 and the same set was $69 in the toy store.

There are often special deals on photo printing.
I always buy my eyeglasses there. Great prices and the quality is good.

Teresa

 

[tommya60]

Oh, I got the Christmas Clock, DH bought it for me before Christmas and we LOVE it!
The Costco pumpkin pie is my dad's absoulte favorite, and it's less than $6 for a 2lb+ pie. It's a great value. DH really likes their pork chops. Books are a great deal, cheaper than Barnes and Noble even with the BN member card. The tire sale is also excellent. Photos are easier to order, quick pick up, and inexpensive.

 

[Chicago526]

Costco mails out store coupons about 6x a year, I try to only shop there when I have coupons (they don't take regular manufacturor coupons, only their own).

I've gotten great deals on linens and towels, batteries, pantry items and baking items(spices are especially cheap). Their meats are excellent quality, I went out of my way to get their filet mignon for this past Christmast Eve, in fact. Non-precription drugs seem to be much cheaper too, though I have done about the same with sale/coupons at Walgreens at times.

The big ticket items also seem to have very good prices (tv's, luggage, matresses, furnature, etc.). You should still do your research, but their return policy is so good that even if the are a few dollars higher than the other guy, it could still be worth it just for the satisfaction guarantee.

In short, it's worth the trip IF you stick to your needs and don't wander too far off your shoping list. It's an even better deal if you can wait and buy things when coupons come out.

 

[LSchrow]

we have their executive membership. not sure what the threshholds are, but the check they send every year more than pays for the cost of our membership (you get a % back).
we save a few hundred alone on tires every year (four cars, and no one will even consider matching their prices).
our biggest savings are norm on milk, ice cream, vitamins, batteries, as well as a few big ticket items like tvs. a lot of the clothing is a great value; i bought a full length michael kors down coat for about $50 2 years ago
like others said tho, the way to save there is to be able to resist buying items that you don't need, but are a great price

 

[DCLbrideSept2009]

LOVE Costco! We get a lot of the Kirkland brand stuff. Also, I recently bought a Shark steam mop... $119 at Target and Wal-Mart and $94 at Costco.

 

[Swimalie]

We are real Costco fans I think Costco saves, but you have to know your prices. You also have to get only what you went for and not get the big screen TV or set of luggage you don't need, just because the price is good. The Kirkland/Costco brand is excellent and cheaper. We buy the Kirkland paper towels and toilet paper - DH is infamous for calculating the per-square price of the toilet paper and it is a lot cheaper. I'm picky with toilet paper and won't get scratchy or single ply. The Kirkland is comparable to Angel Soft IMO.

You also can get good deals on things you do want - we wanted the Cuisinart Griddler and it was $20 less than anywhere else. They have great prices on books, hard cover and soft cover. The prices on contacts is excellent. Printing photos is 13 cents a print, no limit. They have good prices on meat and produce, but again, you have to know your prices to compare to your local supermarket, Wal-Mart, or in our case, the weekend produce market.

Exactly!! If you are one who can buy what you need, then Costco is a great bargain. But if are one who will buy something just because it's there, then you might not have a good experience with Costco. We have saved on bigger items such as tvs, mattresses, tires, suitcases. But also on smaller things like toilet paper, paper towels, bulk cheese. You can't beat their prices on books or movies and some clothing, too. Also, I've compared taste, pricing and size of the rotisserie chicken and Costco's is the best. Their sheet cake is awesome, too. No one else sells a large cake like that for $15 - and the taste is great, too.

The Gold Star (regular) membership is $50. The executive is $100 and you'll get a 2% rebate for all purchases at Costco (not pharmacy or gas, though) 2 months prior to your membership expiring. so if you spend enough to cover the $50 difference, it's worth it.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We're big Costco people. Their prices are downright fantastic on many items. The key is to stick with your list just like you do at the grocery store.

Costco pays for itself in our OTC medications, toiletries, contacts, and dog supplies. 400 Benadryl (their brand) is less than $4. Walmart can't come close to that price because I've bought it there Immodium (their brand) is 75% cheaper than Target and Walmart's brand. Feminine products are always the cheapest when they have a coupon to go with it.

They also carry great pet supplies, if you have one. Mine has been carrying Frontline Plus for $35 a box. They also have 2 great in house brands of dog food that are a fraction of the cost of comparable foods. We also buy treats there, again, a fraction of the cost of treats at big box stores.

We buy some of their food but only occasionally. Most of our stuff is non-food items.

We did buy leather furniture there, 1/2 the cost of the same brand set at Macys, and have booked travel there. Plus the gas, of course.

The biggest thing about Costco, for me, is the customer service. I'm a non Walmart shopper if at all possible but even Target has poor CS these days. Costco stands behind everything they sell. Buy something, use it, hate it in a year - return it. Their system looks yours purchases up so no need to hold onto every reciept from there.

 

[Nette]

I'm always amazed that people buy TP and paper towels at COSTCO. We checked them AGAIN yesterday because I keep seeing people say they are getting them there.

Bounty paper towels
COSTCO - 24 rolls $18.99 -- $.79/roll
HEB - 16 rolls $10 -- $.62/roll
Randall's - 24 rolls $10 (AND you can use a coupon that might be doubled or tripled depending on amt)

Charmin
COSTCO - 36 (double) rolls $18.99 -- $.53/roll
HEB - 24 (double) rolls $10 -- $.42/roll
Randall's - 36 (double) rolls $10 (AND you can use a coupon that might be doubled or tripled depending on amt)

Granted, you have to wait for HEB and Randalls to put their stuff on sale, but since we're stocking up anyway that is not usually a problem.

I also find their organic milk prices to be higher than HEB's Central Market Organic milk. But we do buy their (Kirkland) individual milks for DD's lunches.

COSTCO does have good prices on cheese and most meats (NOT hamburger).

 

[Pakey]

We buy quite a few things at Costco:

Toilet paper, bottled water, alcohol, whole chicken, batteries, laundry detergent.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I'm always amazed that people buy TP and paper towels at COSTCO. We checked them AGAIN yesterday because I keep seeing people say they are getting them there.

Bounty paper towels
COSTCO - 24 rolls $18.99 -- $.79/roll
HEB - 16 rolls $10 -- $.62/roll
Randall's - 24 rolls $10 (AND you can use a coupon that might be doubled or tripled depending on amt)

Charmin
COSTCO - 36 (double) rolls $18.99 -- $.53/roll
HEB - 24 (double) rolls $10 -- $.42/roll
Randall's - 36 (double) rolls $10 (AND you can use a coupon that might be doubled or tripled depending on amt)

Granted, you have to wait for HEB and Randalls to put their stuff on sale, but since we're stocking up anyway that is not usually a problem.

I also find their organic milk prices to be higher than HEB's Central Market Organic milk. But we do buy their (Kirkland) individual milks for DD's lunches.

COSTCO does have good prices on cheese and most meats (NOT hamburger).

But did you price out their brand TP and paper towels? I like their brand better than name brand and it's much cheaper. When they release the coupon on them, they are even cheaper.

 

[finz2left]

We buy HUGE items there b/c of their return/refund policy if anything ever goes wrong. It started with a seal-a-meal that broke and they happily refunded 6 months later -- 16 years ago. Since then, we've purchased a 1,200 swingset, several televisions, a washer and dryer, laminate flooring. No problems with any of it and it was cheaper than most other places, but with amazing peace of mind.

I also find their optical center, RXs, and holiday cards to pay for my whole membership -- as if their bread, milk, and salad didn't already! Their spring mix salad is amazing and 1/4 the price of Publix.