What to Buy (or Not Buy) at Costco

[arebelspy]

Since so many here shop at Costco, I thought you all might find this interesting.

Consumer Reports via Lifehacker.

Apparently, according to Consumer Reports, their bacon is a good value, their toilet paper is not.

[Nords]

Apparently, according to Consumer Reports, their bacon is a good value, their toilet paper is not.

Each store seems to have some discretion over stock & pricing, so the hardcore bargain shoppers will want to keep a price book.  We compare prices to the military's commissary and Costco is frequently cheaper-- but both Costco and the commissary keep changing their prices.

Costco is also rumored to be Oahu's largest gasoline seller-- it's a loss leader but it draws a huge crowd of newbie shoppers.  Our store actually expanded the station a few years after they opened it, which chewed into their valuable parking real estate.

I also appreciate that Costco's registers will automatically deduct the coupon offer on whatever they scan.  They used to require paper coupons but now it's all electronic.

[Russ]

meh. costco bacon is more expensive than grocery store bacon here and also is not as good.

[Simple Abundant Living]

I don't have any problem with the toilet paper.  On a coupon, I tried the Charmin instead.  I swear it was narrower than the Kirkland brand.  It's softer, but also causes more "paper dust" in the bathroom.  And the comparison was a roll that was 3x's as expensive?  Crazy! 

I also like the Kirkland paper towels now that the come in "select-a-size" so you can use just as much (or little) as you need.  Of course, I try to use cloth, but some messes just need to be disposable.

I think the Kirkland bacon is just ok.  I can't remember the brand, but if I really want bacon I get the thick sliced premium bacon instead. 

[Erica/NWEdible]

A local coupon and deals blogger here in the Seattle area maintains a price list for many of the Costco items. I find it very useful when trying to determine if something at a grocery store is a good price or not. Obviously prices and stock vary by store and region, but for Pac NW folks, here's the link: http://queenbeecoupons.com/costco-price-list/

Edit to add...From the CR report:
"Toilet paper. Though it's quite soft, Kirkland Signature toilet paper offers only so-so strength and tearing ease, making it an also ran in our toilet paper Ratings. Though it costs twice as much, White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra, a Walmart exclusive, combines superb strength and softness, making it our top-rated toilet paper by a wide margin."

ROFL. Spend twice as much on TP and support Walmart for "extra strength and softness". I don't fucking think so. Nice try, Consumer Reports.

[FiveSigmas]

Thanks for the link, Erica. That's a terrific resource.

[grantmeaname]

"Ymmv." - Reb

[Nords]

Edit to add...From the CR report:
"Toilet paper. Though it's quite soft, Kirkland Signature toilet paper offers only so-so strength and tearing ease, making it an also ran in our toilet paper Ratings. Though it costs twice as much, White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra, a Walmart exclusive, combines superb strength and softness, making it our top-rated toilet paper by a wide margin."

Maybe CR hires college interns to conduct this research during their summer breaks.  But whatever they're paying, I'm pretty sure it isn't enough...

[clarkfan1979]

I just opened a Costco account a few days ago. I used to shop at Sams Club and Target. Below are some things that I thought were a bargain.

Kirkland Organic Eggs (7.20 for 2 dozen)
Kirkland Organic Salsa (2 containers of 38 oz)
Kirkland Super Premium Ice Cream (2 containers of 1/2 gallon each for 10.54)
Kirkland Organic Ground Beef (4.80/pound)
Pita Pal Organic Hummus (5.99 for 32 oz)
Alpine Valley Multi-grain Organic Break (2 loaves for 6.79)
Organic carrots (10 lbs. for 6.99)
Granny Smith Apples (10 lbs. for 6.49)

I think Costco has way more organic options than Sams Club and Target combined.

[MoneyCat]

You can't always believe what you read in Consumer Reports and a lot of their criteria are really stupid.  For example, they didn't include my car among their "best buys" because they felt the entertainment system in it was too confusing.  That was their primary reason for it.  Stupid.  I have been driving this car for 4 years now and I have done nothing but routine maintenance and the entertainment system is fine if you know how to read the glovebox manual.

[hybrid]

I saw that article and found it very disappointing. I can't say enough good things about Costco, but I'll acknowledge that not everything you buy there is cheapest. I can guarantee the folks working there make a much better living than the folks at Sam's Club or Walmart or Tarjhay however, so in the end I don't get hung up over a few cents here or there. I know the prices are damned good at Costco and the folks who work there make a solid living. Win - Win.

[frugledoc]

Car tyres (premium brands) are cheaper in Glasgow, Scotland Costco by a long way compared to any other garages.

[Cassie]

Where I live it is cheaper to shop at Winco then Costco. After doing much price comparison we dropped our Costco membership.

[MamaStache]

We purchase medication for our dog at Costco.    Zonisimide(sp?) for his siezures is way cheaper..  and (at least in the state of MN) stores are not allowed to charge a membership fee to make purchases from the pharmacy or liquor store.

Costco does upcharge the cost of medicine for non-members, however.

[grantmeaname]

You want a disappointing Costco vs. the rest article? Look at the Guardian (UK)'s take. They hardly even bought any food, and literally nothing that is an actual ingredient and not just a condiment or instant whatever. I buy none of the items for which they compared!

[dragoncar]

You want a disappointing Costco vs. the rest article? Look at the Guardian (UK)'s take. They hardly even bought any food, and literally nothing that is an actual ingredient and not just a condiment or instant whatever. I buy none of the items for which they compared!

You mean you don't buy 4 liters of mayo at a time???

[ShortInSeattle]

Edit to add...From the CR report:
"Toilet paper. Though it's quite soft, Kirkland Signature toilet paper offers only so-so strength and tearing ease, making it an also ran in our toilet paper Ratings. Though it costs twice as much, White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra, a Walmart exclusive, combines superb strength and softness, making it our top-rated toilet paper by a wide margin."

Maybe CR hires college interns to conduct this research during their summer breaks.  But whatever they're paying, I'm pretty sure it isn't enough...

I've always thought that evaluating and grading different types of TP is a very odd thing to do. It's buttwipe, not gourmet wine for crying out loud.

Humans are weird.

[ketchup]

Our Costco has some clear winners, some "pretty good" deals, and some lousy ones.

Offhand, I can think of:

Clear winners:
Kerrygold butter.  3 double-sticks for $7, cheapest I can find anywhere else is $2.99 on sale for one.
Coconut oil.  I don't remember the price, but it comes out to something like a third of what it is anywhere else.  Organic expeller-pressed etc too.
Rice.  I think it was 25 pounds for $9.
Spices.  They vary, but they're all super-cheap.  I think we got our gigantic container of chili powder for $4 and it lasted us something like nine months, and we are not stingy with our chili powder.
Oranges.  Around 40 of them for under $10.
Organic carrots.  $7 for 10 lbs, they last forever in the fridge.
Frozen fruit/vegetables.  Frozen strawberries and broccoli in particular are cheap there.
Grain-free dog food.  Around $30 for 35lbs of salmon, turkey, or beef.  Ranks decently as far as store-bought dog food goes, way more economical than comparable products at Petsmart/Petco.
Their supplements/creams/floss/etc tend to be very well-priced too, luckily we haven't needed much from that area lately.
Nuts are pretty cheap there compared to most other places.  Have to get a lot though, of course.
Organic blueberries when in season are super cheap compared to everywhere else.

"Pretty good deals":
Gluten-free bread that doesn't taste like butt, and has decent ingredients, $8 for two loaves.  Other stores have similarly priced, but taste like butt and generally have questionable ingredients.  Or taste good but cost twice as much.
Bacon.  They have three kinds of bacon.  We get the middle tier one, and it's quite tasty.
Organic eggs.  6.69 for two dozen.  We buy ours from a farm, but these are our backup.
We don't get it there, but milk tends to be around Aldi-priced.
Avocados are around six for $5 most of the time.
Fresh wild-caught seafood is usually fairly priced, but it's inconsistently available.  Frozen wild-caught salmon is around $11/lb, which is the best I've found around here.
Most of their fresh produce is decently-priced, as long as you actually eat all of it before it goes bad.
Their meat is well-priced for the most part, and a bit above your average grocery store in terms of quality.

Lousy deal:
For some reason garlic there is three times per unit what it costs at our local Meijer.

[El Limon]

I like to walk around Costco with one of their giant cans of Starkist Tuna; it's almost the size of a volleyball and it's really funny. 

[Dicey]

Yes, it is stupid to discuss toilet paper, so call me stupid.

I love Costco and shop there the way other people shop at regular grocery stores. I trust the Kirkland Brand and buy it without hesitation. I agree with CR about the Kirkland TP, but for different reasons. I like the width and the big rolls, but hate that it never tears cleanly. I was always fighting to tear off a small section, resulting in shredded paper mess and overuse. Next, I was always picking up small pieces of TP off the bathroom floor. Minor irritation to be sure, but a pain nonetheless. I finally sprung for the Charmin. $4 more - gads! The stuff tears easily every time and I find we are using less, so perhaps the win goes to Charmin. It will be a cold day in hell before I go to WallyWorld for TP (or much else for that matter), so I can't say if CR got that part right. I'd rather pay a little more (okay, not too much) to support Costco's employee model.

[Simple Abundant Living]

Yes, it is stupid to discuss toilet paper, so call me stupid.

I love Costco and shop there the way other people shop at regular grocery stores. I trust the Kirkland Brand and buy it without hesitation. I agree with CR about the Kirkland TP, but for different reasons. I like the width and the big rolls, but hate that it never tears cleanly. I was always fighting to tear off a small section, resulting in shredded paper mess and overuse. Next, I was always picking up small pieces of TP off the bathroom floor. Minor irritation to be sure, but a pain nonetheless. I finally sprung for the Charmin. $4 more - gads! The stuff tears easily every time and I find we are using less, so perhaps the win goes to Charmin. It will be a cold day in hell before I go to WallyWorld for TP (or much else for that matter), so I can't say if CR got that part right. I'd rather pay a little more (okay, not too much) to support Costco's employee model.

I didn't love it when they changed the Kirkland toilet paper either.  So last time they had a coupon, I tried the Charmin.  The Charmin was 1/2 inch shorter in width. To blow my nose safely, I had to turn it to the side. The package didn't last as long as the Kirkland, so I've gone back to Kirkland brand. The breaking point for me was the width. Really?! 

[AmericanEagle]

I love the pizza at Costco.  Costco is the cheapest "meal out" I've taken as a family.  Moreover, it is a good way to get fed AND go shopping at the same time.   I see a lot of families there.  One time, I even saw a couple on a date --  they had bought a bottle of wine, and were having a meal and wine at one of the tables!  Costco is genius to sell food at its locations.

[grantmeaname]

Costco pizza 4 lyfe!

Here in the UK costco sells my favorite flavor, barbecue chicken. But that's more than offset by the lack of onions, red pepper, and parmesan, and the much worse crust that pizza here has.

It was so surprising coming over here and seeing that costco pizza was still a thing.

[Mrs.FamilyFinances]

I expected more from a CR article. I live outside Seattle, and have two Costco's within about 45 minutes of each other, and while both offer similar/same basics, the store in the more affluent area does have a great variety of higher priced items, like Lucky jeans, while the one closer to me does not. They also seem to have more  convenience type things, like frozen smoothie cubes, premade foods, breakfast sandwiches. I don't know if that is due to a higher disposable income base, so less worry on value, or what, but I have noticed it on many occasions.

Costco bacon is good, provided you don't accidentally buy the low sodium kind (red package vs blue package) yuck! We eat mass quantities of produce, and Costco makes that easy and economical for us.

[Basenji]

+1 to ketchup (the avatar, not the condiment) on Kirkland Signature dog food, grain free, ingredient list passes the Whole Dog Journal dry food "test" and half the price of what we were buying (Verus) .

[5inatrailer]

Edit to add...From the CR report:
"Toilet paper. Though it's quite soft, Kirkland Signature toilet paper offers only so-so strength and tearing ease, making it an also ran in our toilet paper Ratings. Though it costs twice as much, White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra, a Walmart exclusive, combines superb strength and softness, making it our top-rated toilet paper by a wide margin."

Maybe CR hires college interns to conduct this research during their summer breaks.  But whatever they're paying, I'm pretty sure it isn't enough...

I've always thought that evaluating and grading different types of TP is a very odd thing to do. It's buttwipe, not gourmet wine for crying out loud.

Humans are weird.

Lol, you should read how they compare toilets! When I was researching which dual flush unit to buy (back in 2007 before they became mainstream- excuse the pun)
I read a report from some LA water conservatory institute that certifies toilets.  They literally made poop models out of O'henry's. haahahaha.
Humans are weird.

[mcrow]

Costco is sort of a scam, IMO.

The fees you pay to even shop there offset much of the savings you could get. Also, many items are no cheaper there than anywhere else. However, if you really watch what you are buying and pick the better priced items and buy a lot of it you can make the membership worth it.

Where people get sucked in is when they start assuming they're getting a better deal at Costco than elsewhere on most everything, which isn't the case.

In fact, our local grocery store routinely mops up on Costco on pricing and selection but Costco kills everyone in the area in non-food prices.

[ketchup]

Calling them a "scam" because of that seems a bit excessive.  Every store does that.  There are bad deals everywhere.

I've run the numbers, and our membership is more than paid for by our savings on Kerrygold butter and coconut oil alone.  Everything else is just gravy (note: we don't buy gravy there).  Also, gas.

Also, Costco has a rare quality in retail these days: Giving A Crap.  They care about their employees, and their customers.  I'm 100% OK with supporting that.

[Basenji]

Calling them a "scam" because of that seems a bit excessive.  Every store does that.  There are bad deals everywhere.

I've run the numbers, and our membership is more than paid for by our savings on Kerrygold butter and coconut oil alone.  Everything else is just gravy (note: we don't buy gravy there).  Also, gas.

Also, Costco has a rare quality in retail these days: Giving A Crap.  They care about their employees, and their customers.  I'm 100% OK with supporting that.

I am deeply impressed by the Costco ideal of actually CLOSING stores on holidays and paying workers decent wages. Nevertheless, sure, some morons don't look at prices and just buy everything there, waste food by buying giant amounts of stuff they don't need, but this particular forum isn't full of people like that. If one is scammed, it's because the person isn't paying attention. Conversely, if I only stock up on something at the Giant because of the loss leader sale, I'm just playing the game, I'm not scamming the Giant.

[hybrid]

Costco is sort of a scam, IMO.

The fees you pay to even shop there offset much of the savings you could get. Also, many items are no cheaper there than anywhere else. However, if you really watch what you are buying and pick the better priced items and buy a lot of it you can make the membership worth it.

Where people get sucked in is when they start assuming they're getting a better deal at Costco than elsewhere on most everything, which isn't the case.

In fact, our local grocery store routinely mops up on Costco on pricing and selection but Costco kills everyone in the area in non-food prices.

If one is getting scammed at Costco its only because they don't play the game properly. We get both the $100 membership and the Costco AMEX. So we get 2% back for all Costco purchases (because of the upgraded membership) and our Costco AMEX gives back 3% for gas, 2% for restaurants, 1% for all else.

Costco is where we get the bulk (pardon the pun) of our groceries and cleaning products, so we go there mostly for staples and much less for other items like clothes, furniture, gadgets, etc. But when we do need other items, that's where I think of first. The AMEX is our "debit card", we throw damn near everything we can on it and pay the balance off at the end of each month.

This past year my Costco rebate was about $85 (which almost completely covered the upgraded membership), my AMEX rebate close to $500. Just for doing what we normally do.

[MoneyCat]

Costco is sort of a scam, IMO.

The fees you pay to even shop there offset much of the savings you could get. Also, many items are no cheaper there than anywhere else. However, if you really watch what you are buying and pick the better priced items and buy a lot of it you can make the membership worth it.

Where people get sucked in is when they start assuming they're getting a better deal at Costco than elsewhere on most everything, which isn't the case.

In fact, our local grocery store routinely mops up on Costco on pricing and selection but Costco kills everyone in the area in non-food prices.

It's only a "scam" if you don't use it properly.  Like MMM wrote in his article on the topic, there are great deals to be had at Costco and not-so-great deals, which you can avoid if you do your homework.  He gave the example of buying bulk non-perishable foods there and not buying HDMI cables.  We mostly purchase food, household cleaning products, and gasoline at our warehouse club (BJ's Wholesale) and we saved around $700 last year, which more than made up to $100 total cost of our upgraded rewards membership (which was partially off-set by the $70 in rewards we earned through that membership, which made our overall membership cost only $30.)

I am always trying to convert low-income people I know into warehouse club members, but they just can't see past the membership fee to see how much membership really benefits them.

[welliamwallace]

$2.99 LED bulbs (replace 60W incandescents) at my store. They pay themselves off in like 5 months. I just replaced all incandescent bulbs in my house.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Edit to add...From the CR report:
"Toilet paper. Though it's quite soft, Kirkland Signature toilet paper offers only so-so strength and tearing ease, making it an also ran in our toilet paper Ratings. Though it costs twice as much, White Cloud 3-Ply Ultra, a Walmart exclusive, combines superb strength and softness, making it our top-rated toilet paper by a wide margin."

Maybe CR hires college interns to conduct this research during their summer breaks.  But whatever they're paying, I'm pretty sure it isn't enough...

I've always thought that evaluating and grading different types of TP is a very odd thing to do. It's buttwipe, not gourmet wine for crying out loud.

Humans are weird.

Lol, you should read how they compare toilets! When I was researching which dual flush unit to buy (back in 2007 before they became mainstream- excuse the pun)
I read a report from some LA water conservatory institute that certifies toilets.  They literally made poop models out of O'henry's. haahahaha.
Humans are weird.

Bahaha! Ok I have to weigh in on the TP issue (see what I did there?). We used to get Charmin from Costco because we enjoyed the velvety softness (oh the shame!). Butt, it actually created a back-up in our sewer main line, which caused water to sneak up our basement shower drain. So, we switched to the cheapest, thinnest Costco TP, which at our store is Scott's, not the Kirkland brand.

I actually take my grocery store receipts on our monthly Costco jaunt to comparison shop to the penny. I've found a few food items that are cheaper at Whole Foods! Definitely important to watch the price per unit--not everything is a bargain.

[Cassie]

Winco also has an great employee business model. Of course they are not in all parts of the country.

[Travis]

Apparently, according to Consumer Reports, their bacon is a good value, their toilet paper is not.

Each store seems to have some discretion over stock & pricing, so the hardcore bargain shoppers will want to keep a price book.  We compare prices to the military's commissary and Costco is frequently cheaper-- but both Costco and the commissary keep changing their prices.

Costco is also rumored to be Oahu's largest gasoline seller-- it's a loss leader but it draws a huge crowd of newbie shoppers.  Our store actually expanded the station a few years after they opened it, which chewed into their valuable parking real estate.

I also appreciate that Costco's registers will automatically deduct the coupon offer on whatever they scan.  They used to require paper coupons but now it's all electronic.

I struggle with the number crunching on this all the time.  My household is two adults and a four year old (and this year it's just the two of them.)  We live in an apartment so our storage capacity is limited and the commissary is 5 minutes away.  The nearest CostCo is 15-20 minutes away.  I grew up going to CostCo with my parents once a month so I know the value it holds, but I just don't think it's worth it for us to go out of our way to try it right now.

[Trudie]

Costco is sort of a scam, IMO.

The fees you pay to even shop there offset much of the savings you could get. Also, many items are no cheaper there than anywhere else. However, if you really watch what you are buying and pick the better priced items and buy a lot of it you can make the membership worth it.

Where people get sucked in is when they start assuming they're getting a better deal at Costco than elsewhere on most everything, which isn't the case.

In fact, our local grocery store routinely mops up on Costco on pricing and selection but Costco kills everyone in the area in non-food prices.

It's only a "scam" if you don't use it properly.  Like MMM wrote in his article on the topic, there are great deals to be had at Costco and not-so-great deals, which you can avoid if you do your homework.  He gave the example of buying bulk non-perishable foods there and not buying HDMI cables.  We mostly purchase food, household cleaning products, and gasoline at our warehouse club (BJ's Wholesale) and we saved around $700 last year, which more than made up to $100 total cost of our upgraded rewards membership (which was partially off-set by the $70 in rewards we earned through that membership, which made our overall membership cost only $30.)

I am always trying to convert low-income people I know into warehouse club members, but they just can't see past the membership fee to see how much membership really benefits them.

I think Costco is a really great deal if you get the AMEX and maximize cash back on stuff you would purchase anyway.

I don't limit myself to what's in the stores.  I also make other necessary purchases online (and shipping is free).  I used it to buy a new kitchen disposal and some clothes.  If they have something I like in clothes (and I don't buy many) I purchase multiples.  For me this is a cheap way to wardrobe myself for a professional job that requires me to be somewhat dressed up. 

I don't keep a price book, and I still like Aldi as a grocery, but if time is money and the deals are decent you can't beat being able to make a fair-priced grocery haul all at once, then coming home and dumping lots of stuff in the freezer.  Sure, some things will be a bit more, some less, but in the end you save time too.

[dragoncar]

Costco is sort of a scam, IMO.

The fees you pay to even shop there offset much of the savings you could get. Also, many items are no cheaper there than anywhere else. However, if you really watch what you are buying and pick the better priced items and buy a lot of it you can make the membership worth it.

Where people get sucked in is when they start assuming they're getting a better deal at Costco than elsewhere on most everything, which isn't the case.

In fact, our local grocery store routinely mops up on Costco on pricing and selection but Costco kills everyone in the area in non-food prices.

It's only a "scam" if you don't use it properly.  Like MMM wrote in his article on the topic, there are great deals to be had at Costco and not-so-great deals, which you can avoid if you do your homework.  He gave the example of buying bulk non-perishable foods there and not buying HDMI cables.  We mostly purchase food, household cleaning products, and gasoline at our warehouse club (BJ's Wholesale) and we saved around $700 last year, which more than made up to $100 total cost of our upgraded rewards membership (which was partially off-set by the $70 in rewards we earned through that membership, which made our overall membership cost only $30.)

I am always trying to convert low-income people I know into warehouse club members, but they just can't see past the membership fee to see how much membership really benefits them.

I think Costco is a really great deal if you get the AMEX and maximize cash back on stuff you would purchase anyway.

I don't limit myself to what's in the stores.  I also make other necessary purchases online (and shipping is free).  I used it to buy a new kitchen disposal and some clothes.  If they have something I like in clothes (and I don't buy many) I purchase multiples.  For me this is a cheap way to wardrobe myself for a professional job that requires me to be somewhat dressed up. 

I don't keep a price book, and I still like Aldi as a grocery, but if time is money and the deals are decent you can't beat being able to make a fair-priced grocery haul all at once, then coming home and dumping lots of stuff in the freezer.  Sure, some things will be a bit more, some less, but in the end you save time too.

Any idea how online prices compare to in-store?  For example, is it work going into the store to see if an item is less expensive (or vice versa)?

[Trudie]

Costco online has thousands of products not sold in stores.  For instance, awhile back my garbage disposal crapped out and I ordered one online and it was shipped to me.  (Excellent value, by the way...)

Very few of the in-store items are on the website, but when I have purchased items -- such as clothes -- that are sold both places the prices are the same.  Shipping is always free.

This is something to consider when you don't live near your Costco store.  Ours is an hour and fifteen minutes away, which is a distance, but it's a place we pass through every 4-6 weeks and we stock up when we do.

[dragoncar]

Costco online has thousands of products not sold in stores.  For instance, awhile back my garbage disposal crapped out and I ordered one online and it was shipped to me.  (Excellent value, by the way...)

Very few of the in-store items are on the website, but when I have purchased items -- such as clothes -- that are sold both places the prices are the same.  Shipping is always free.

This is something to consider when you don't live near your Costco store.  Ours is an hour and fifteen minutes away, which is a distance, but it's a place we pass through every 4-6 weeks and we stock up when we do.

Cool, my only experience was with some allergy pills that I had a friend buy "on sale" online, and wondered if the same deal was likely available in the store (I know they sell those pills in-store).

Has anyone run the numbers on the Kirkland frozen chicken breasts vs. buying at the supermarket?  For me it's always hard to be sure, because I'm not sure how to compare frozen chicken weight to unfrozen, and I know everyone adds a different amount of weight-increasing additives (water and sodium usually).

[Russ]

Has anyone run the numbers on the Kirkland frozen chicken breasts vs. buying at the supermarket?  For me it's always hard to be sure, because I'm not sure how to compare frozen chicken weight to unfrozen, and I know everyone adds a different amount of weight-increasing additives (water and sodium usually).

Cheaper than grocery store regular prices, not cheaper than grocery store sale prices which happen pretty reliably every 4 weeks here. Still buy Costco 'cause convenient and 'cause my grocery store has a dumb 2 item limit on sale prices.

[clarkfan1979]

I just bought the Kirkland silver tequila. It was 18.99 for the 1.75 liter and it was awesome! The women at the liquor store says that they "partner with" Patron for their tequila and Grey Goose for their vodka. Can anyone verify this? I normally drink Patron and I couldn't tell the difference. The Patron was 85.99 for the 1.75 liter.

[grantmeaname]

They don't sell liquor in Ohio :(

[dragoncar]

I just bought the Kirkland silver tequila. It was 18.99 for the 1.75 liter and it was awesome! The women at the liquor store says that they "partner with" Patron for their tequila and Grey Goose for their vodka. Can anyone verify this? I normally drink Patron and I couldn't tell the difference. The Patron was 85.99 for the 1.75 liter.

I have heads this as well.  But there's no guarantee it will continue.  I say, if you like it and think its a good value, who cares which partner manufactured it?  It's not like you need to worry about a cheap Chinese knockoff with lead.

[grantmeaname]

No that's the Chinese name brand that has the lead.

[dragoncar]

No that's the Chinese name brand that has the lead.

Damn, I'm sick of those cost-cutting bastards replacing real lead with cheap lead "flavoring".

[Dicey]

I didn't love it when they changed the Kirkland toilet paper either.  So last time they had a coupon, I tried the Charmin.  The Charmin was 1/2 inch shorter in width. To blow my nose safely, I had to turn it to the side. The package didn't last as long as the Kirkland, so I've gone back to Kirkland brand. The breaking point for me was the width. Really?!

Hey Mrs. G!
I just saw your comment and had to reply. A friend of mine is a Costco Buyer. We had a conversation a while back about TP changing widths in the marketplace . He told me that Costco had specifically disallowed its vendors from shrinking product as a way of cutting costs. Costco would rather charge a slightly higher price than shrink sizes. (Are you listening, Sun Chips?). Your comment intrigued me, so yesterday when I was at Costco, I did a little sleuthing. My Costco carries Kirkland, Charmin and Northern TP. As you know, there are pallets and pallets of TP stacked at the back of the warehouse. The height (i.e. width of each roll) was the same for all three brands. I am really curious as to why your experience was different. Okay, not that curious, just kind of wondering, lol.

[wtjbatman]

Your comment intrigued me, so yesterday when I was at Costco, I did a little sleuthing. My Costco carries Kirkland, Charmin and Northern TP. As you know, there are pallets and pallets of TP stacked at the back of the warehouse. The height (i.e. width of each roll) was the same for all three brands.

Toilet paper sleuth? That sounds like a shitty job.

[dragoncar]

I didn't love it when they changed the Kirkland toilet paper either.  So last time they had a coupon, I tried the Charmin.  The Charmin was 1/2 inch shorter in width. To blow my nose safely, I had to turn it to the side. The package didn't last as long as the Kirkland, so I've gone back to Kirkland brand. The breaking point for me was the width. Really?!

Hey Mrs. G!
I just saw your comment and had to reply. A friend of mine is a Costco Buyer. We had a conversation a while back about TP changing widths in the marketplace . He told me that Costco had specifically disallowed its vendors from shrinking product as a way of cutting costs. Costco would rather charge a slightly higher price than shrink sizes. (Are you listening, Sun Chips?). Your comment intrigued me, so yesterday when I was at Costco, I did a little sleuthing. My Costco carries Kirkland, Charmin and Northern TP. As you know, there are pallets and pallets of TP stacked at the back of the warehouse. The height (i.e. width of each roll) was the same for all three brands. I am really curious as to why your experience was different. Okay, not that curious, just kind of wondering, lol.

That's odd, because I've noticed that Kirkland maple syrup just changes size rather than in price..

[arebelspy]

Your comment intrigued me, so yesterday when I was at Costco, I did a little sleuthing. My Costco carries Kirkland, Charmin and Northern TP. As you know, there are pallets and pallets of TP stacked at the back of the warehouse. The height (i.e. width of each roll) was the same for all three brands.

Toilet paper sleuth? That sounds like a shitty job.

That was a crappy pun.

[Simple Abundant Living]

I didn't love it when they changed the Kirkland toilet paper either.  So last time they had a coupon, I tried the Charmin.  The Charmin was 1/2 inch shorter in width. To blow my nose safely, I had to turn it to the side. The package didn't last as long as the Kirkland, so I've gone back to Kirkland brand. The breaking point for me was the width. Really?!

Hey Mrs. G!
I just saw your comment and had to reply. A friend of mine is a Costco Buyer. We had a conversation a while back about TP changing widths in the marketplace . He told me that Costco had specifically disallowed its vendors from shrinking product as a way of cutting costs. Costco would rather charge a slightly higher price than shrink sizes. (Are you listening, Sun Chips?). Your comment intrigued me, so yesterday when I was at Costco, I did a little sleuthing. My Costco carries Kirkland, Charmin and Northern TP. As you know, there are pallets and pallets of TP stacked at the back of the warehouse. The height (i.e. width of each roll) was the same for all three brands. I am really curious as to why your experience was different. Okay, not that curious, just kind of wondering, lol.

I like that theory, but all I know is what I saw:



The roll on the right is the Charmin, the other is the Kirkland brand.