Costco

[Brewtacular]

To join or not to join.

 

Any current/previous members out there care to share some thoughts? Would you recommend it?

A friend reccomended it to me and we are thinking about joining. For you members out there, have you saved the $50 membership on purchases? Particularly relevant to my wife and I is savings on baby stuff since we will soon have one.

[hawing]

I'm intrigued by Costco, but so far have been reluctant to drop $50 when I don't really know what's there. They do not offer a guest membership like Sam's Club does. My sister's a member, likes it, and has offered to take me some day so I can see it for myself, but our work schedules are dramatically different and our common free time is rare.

[Beerambassador]

I got a membership there because baby formula is so cheap. That alone will cover the cost of the membership. They have kind of a limited diaper selection and no baby food. We've found we can get better deals on diapers with coupons and sales at Target. You can find some good deals on plenty of stuff you use at home and food, you just have to be careful or you end up spending $300 on a bunch of junk you normally wouldn't buy.

 

If you want to look around before joining, just say so at the front door. That's what we did.

[JoeHova]

It's pretty cool. I mostly use my membership to buy (relatively) cheap DVDs (I got a great deal on the James Bond box set once) but there are a few other things worth buying as well and their bakery is actually not bad (also, they sometimes have cheap gas, though not always). One thing to especially keep an eye out for: Until last year I always bought Duracell batteries because I felt like those were the best. Then I saw a chart in Consumer Reports that said that the costco brand (Kirkland) lasted just as long as Duracell and cost 20¢ each compared to Duracell's approx. 80¢ each. I use a pretty fair amount of batteries (even with a lot of rechargables in my rotation) so the batteries alone probably save me the $50 per year. They really do seem to last just as long as Duracells, so I've been happy with them.

[endaround]

Check out their website and you'll get a sense of what they have. They are cheaper especially when they send out their coupon books. It dpends if you are close enough that you can take advantage of their produce, meat, and dairy enough and how how much storage space you have.

[Brian the Automator]

Assuming it's just like Sam's Club, it's one of the best decisions Nicole and I have made. We're creatures of habit, so we pretty much buy the same items every month. Sometimes you can get in trouble by buying food that will spoil before you're able to make it all because of the quantity, but on things like paper towels, soda, gatorade, detergent, cat litter, etc (things that we KNOW we'll use), it pays for itself very quickly.

[craigharmann]

We have a Sams Club membership. We were encouraged to consider Costco, as we're having a baby anytime in the next 2 weeks, and the membership was twice as much (we have a business membership through my wife's Mary Kay business), and the diapers were pretty comparable in cost. The other nice part is we usually do some shopping at Wal-Mart and Sam's, and we buy gift cards to use to help keep us budgeted, and we can use the cards at both places.

[temke]

i have never bought formula from anywhere besides sam's club. and they also take the coupons that similac sends out (though they are only $5 now and we dont get them nearly as much as we did with the first kid)

 

from what i have heard, sams and costco are similar.

[tristarscoop]

We had a Sam's membership and switched to Costco. One of the deciding factors for us was that we felt it offered a better selection, sent out the coupons, has the large online site and is just cleaner and nicer than the Sam's in the Milwaukee area. I live on the East Side (and used to live in Glendale) so my closest options are 27th and College or 76th and Good Hope, neither of which are particularly well-stocked, clean stores. It's as quick for us to hop on the freeway and head up to Grafton.

 

They've also developed the area quite nicely in Grafton and there's a Target, Kohl's, Best Buy and Dick's there, as well as one of the large pet stores (don't remember which one.)

Living on the East Side, we have to travel to run our errands no matter what, since there's nothing nearby. I appreciate all these things being in one place so I can run all the errands in one trip.

 

Kirkland's brand has tested well against all kinds of brand name competitors, as mentioned above.

 

Our main reason for going every two weeks is for dog food. I have two permanent dogs and am a foster home for a rescue, so often have more than just those two. We were feeding Iams, which is about $38 for 40 pounds, give or take and depending on where we purchased it.

 

Kirkland's 40 pound bag matches comparatively (and sometimes better). It's well-received among breeders and rescues and it's about $26 for the bag. That right there paid for our membership.

 

For the electronics geeks out there, my brother is one of those must-have top of the line, biggest and bestest kind of guys. He has a 70 some inch TV. He has surround. He has Blu Ray. He has it all and he's bought it all from Costco considerably cheaper than he found anywhere else.

 

Most recently, they had a Garmin available in store and online for $100 cheaper than that model could be found anywhere else. I would think if you're contemplating any electronics purchases, this would also pay for itself. Plus, it's all available to look and compare online, which I'm a big fan of.

[JimH5]

Several years ago we considered joining, but then learned that they only took American Express--not VISA or Mastercard. I don't know if that is still true--but it was a dealbreaker for us at the time.

[MadScientist]

Several years ago we considered joining, but then learned that they only took American Express--not VISA or Mastercard. I don't know if that is still true--but it was a dealbreaker for us at the time.

Yes, that's still true, and why I didn't join it here. I used to be a member 10 years ago in CA, but back the that were Discover, not AmEx.

[hawing]

Wow, that is a disappointment. I won't take on additional plastic just for Costco.

[MJLiverock]

They take debit cards. My wife uses hers there since I have an Amex and we have never bothered to add her to the account. I think Sams only took Discover cards and added debit a few years agao. It is done because they get better deals on the exchange fees from the credit card company by going exclusive to one brand.

 

Costco should let you walk around the store without a membership. I know when the one in Middleton opened I took my wife around the store because she had never been in one. We ended up with the membership because I can make the $50 back on my addiction to Starbucks coffee alone. (I tried the Kirklands brand coffee but it isn't quite up to my taste but it isn't horrible and and I hate Dunkin Donuts coffee).

 

The meat section is pretty good they have things like lamb (and at good prices) which many local stores never seem to have in stock.

 

If you ever have a party you can probably make the money back just on buying a few frozen appetizers for quick fixes - - for the amount you can get it is cheaper than regular stores.

 

I have found the liquor and wine to be hit or miss - - some of the liquor is cheaper especially if you buy things like Captain Morgan or Vodka by the gallon. Wine isn't that great a deal, but I found Sam's really wasn't that great on wine either. Usually if you know your wine brands you can find just as good of deals at Steve's, Liquor Town, or even occasionally in the grocery stores.

 

We don't have kids so when we buy the metric ton of pasta it last a long time but it is a good deal. If you can buy things in bulk and store them it works out.

 

I tend not to by electronics from the clubs because they are usually stripped down versions of the comparable products at Best Buy or other regular retailers.

 

To sum it up Hawing, you should be able to wander around the store without a membership, they might make you put a sticker on or sign your name in when you walk in but I have done it in Middleton and at other locations outside WI.

[LouisEly]

I've walked in Costco dozens of times and never have been asked if I have a membership or not. They want you to come in and look around at the selection to entice you to join. You can't buy anything, but you are free to walk around. You don't even have to be a member to use the pharmacy. If you have any meds that are not covered by insurance and pay cash for they often will have a better cash price than many pharmacies.

 

Some other things they have cheap (but in bulk/large sizes) are HABA (health and beauty aids) things like vitamins/supplements, pain relievers (aspirin/ibuprofin/etc.), anything OTC, both name brands and the store brand. They occasionally have name-brand clothes for good prices. People that I know who have memberships have had good things to say about food. If you have freezer space to freeze meat/fish that can be a good bargain.

 

Personally I don't have a membership because as a single person who travels a lot I just don't use that much stuff. But for a family, or if you have friends/family members that want to go in together and split things that come in bulk it can be a good deal. I would recommend looking at anything you buy on a regular basis (or things you occasionally use that have a long shelf life like ibuprofin, shaving cream, batteries, etc.), jot down the prices at the nearest grocery store or Target, and then walk into Costco and compare prices. But if you don't have a Costco nearby, also factor in how much it will cost you in gas, wear/tear on your car, the value of your time, etc., to see if it is really worth it.

[foamboy1]

I love Costco....it's much higher end then Sam's. The staff is very professional and well trained. Their merchandising strategies are second to none in the industry. I love walking up and down every aisle.

 

I highly recommend it. Not everything is a great deal, but you're not being taken advantage of at anytime. We use the place a lot...it's clean; the staff is quality and the products are great. You won't find every single thing you're looking for....but most things. I love the triangle of Costco; Dick's Sporting Goods and Best Buy. I could make a day of it.

[Sixtofan]

Foamboy hit it on the head. Costco is several notches above Sam's and BJ's when it comes to quality. The meat/produce/wine selections are fantastic.

[LouisEly]

I love Costco....it's much higher end then Sam's. The staff is very professional and well trained. Their merchandising strategies are second to none in the industry. I love walking up and down every aisle.

 

I highly recommend it. Not everything is a great deal, but you're not being taken advantage of at anytime. We use the place a lot...it's clean; the staff is quality and the products are great. You won't find every single thing you're looking for....but most things. I love the triangle of Costco; Dick's Sporting Goods and Best Buy. I could make a day of it.

Costco is to Sam's Club what Target is to Wal-Mart.

[Blindcheck]

Don't join in an effort to save money, because Costco often fools you with their prices...

 

I am a member and have actually charted their prices versus a full serivce Grocery store in Nebraska. Their prices on some items are very good, but on other items, you are not saving at all and often paying more than you would buy if you shopped the ciruculars at you full service grocery store.

 

I work in the Consumer packaged goods industry and the membership clubs are not a way to save money...Now, if you like the experience of shopping at Costco, it is worth it as it is like a treasure hunt as they will have unique items that they will only have for short periods of time.

 

Laundry Detergent is a good example of an item I see many people buy at Costco...They have a small variety and you end up paying more than if you would pay attention to the ciruculars at the grocery chains..

 

my Summary, Don't join to save money, because you probably won't...(you will iv you only buy the few items that Costco happens to be cheaper than anyone else, but often, you end up balancing it out by buying other things that you pay a little more, so unless you are very disciplined and only buy the things that are cheaper, you are not getting the good deals everyone tells you about.

 

everyone will tell you how they saved money on this or that, but they forget to tell you that they dropped 75 bucks on a piece of crap item that seemed like a good deal at the time....They suck you in with cheap formula, diapers, Water, but get you when you buy something else.

 

Having said all that, it is quite neat to walk through a costco and you can find deals....