Author Topic: Do you find Costco to be badass?  (Read 11864 times)

Honest Abe

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Do you find Costco to be badass?
« on: October 21, 2012, 09:52:41 AM »
My wife is a coupon-cutter, and she does go to the regular supermarket from time to time, particularly for the fresh stuff (fruits/veg)

But I just came back from Costco, and although I spent a good amount of money, I got ALOT of food.

It took me about a year to "figure out" how to maximize the benefits of warehouse store shopping. Basically my strategy is this:

A) Buy only what you need/use

B) When something you need/use goes on sale BUY AS MUCH OF IT AS YOU CAN

The regular prices for staple items at Costco are very good.. when they're on sale they're absolutely ridiculously cheap.

I can see how alot of people get caught buying huge amounts of stuff they never use (I myself have a 24-pack of V8 downstairs that I thought I was going to be all healthy and drink... a year ago)

However if you're smart about it, holy moley can you save some cash.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2012, 04:27:54 PM by priuspilot »

ashem

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2012, 02:00:16 PM »
YES, Badass! I'm a recent Costco convert and I can't shut up about the place. It's not just the amazing savings either, the place doesn't seem to sell anything that isn't of high quality. The food is amazing. On top of that, shopping there saves me from making 4 or 5 trips to other stores. They should just hire me to do a commercial.

Dee

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2012, 07:19:20 PM »
My b-friend and I have been considering getting a membership. I have nearly enough Aeroplan miles to buy the membership and I think we will take the plunge when I do get enough miles. One thing I remember reading is a good deal at Costco is dog food. Does anyone here share that view? He's got a Rottweiler who's been getting fed a decent or better quality puppy food (Chicken Soup for the Soul for Large Breed Puppies)... when the time come to plmake the move to adult food in 5 months or so, I'd like to have done some research and be in a position to advise my b-friend of some of the best possibilities, pricewise. I'd love to know if some have found that Costco is a great place to buy dog food...

Nephi

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2012, 11:58:28 PM »
Definitely. We have a Costco maybe mile away from us and that is our primary place for shopping. My wife and I have been known to carry large boxes of staple food items home on foot.

N

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2012, 12:00:25 AM »
...

I can see how alot of people get caught buying huge amounts of stuff they never use (I myself have a 24-pack of V8 downstairs that I thought I was going to be all healthy and drink... a year ago)

However if you're smart about it, holy moley can you save some cash.

V8 can be a good addition/ base to soups, if you cook soup. :)

Nords

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2012, 12:38:49 AM »
However if you're smart about it, holy moley can you save some cash.
Our local Costco sells gas, frequently below the prices on military bases.  It's rumored to be the island's largest gas seller.

We easily make the membership fee back on buying gas during the year, and the 2% reward on our Amex just makes it better.

jimmygibbon

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2012, 03:00:28 AM »
I am a member of mypoints.com and I notice that you can get a free Cosco membership (55.00 value) using mypoints.  I think if the membership was free it might be worthwhile.

Jimmy

caligulala

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2012, 07:30:12 AM »
My b-friend and I have been considering getting a membership. I have nearly enough Aeroplan miles to buy the membership and I think we will take the plunge when I do get enough miles. One thing I remember reading is a good deal at Costco is dog food. Does anyone here share that view? He's got a Rottweiler who's been getting fed a decent or better quality puppy food (Chicken Soup for the Soul for Large Breed Puppies)... when the time come to plmake the move to adult food in 5 months or so, I'd like to have done some research and be in a position to advise my b-friend of some of the best possibilities, pricewise. I'd love to know if some have found that Costco is a great place to buy dog food...

The pet food is a solid value at Costco. Like half price of the pet stores. Some Costcos stock more options than others. We're hoping they start carrying a grain free cat food soon. I share my membership with my mom just so she can get dog food for her doberman/rott mix there.

ivyhedge

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2012, 10:28:47 AM »
The Costco/Amex executive membership is a great option for families with many repetitive, fairly costly purchases (inside and outside of the store).

After 6 years of membership, we noted that savings on milk, OJ, and gas alone pay for the executive membership over the standard offering. Adding anything else where the prices are substantially better at Costco than at other places in our area (most beef, pasta, clams, eggs, canine dental treats, tires, oil, batteries, etc) generates substantial dividends on that $100 investment beyond the fee.

AJ

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2012, 10:58:54 AM »
I'd love to know if some have found that Costco is a great place to buy dog food...

We buy our dog and cat food there. We like it. It is good quality for a great price. Its like anything at Costco: we could get it cheaper at Walmart if we were willing to sacrifice quality, but it is a good price for what you get. Its not top-of-the-line quality, but it is solid. YMMV on selection, though.

Debbie M

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2012, 01:04:42 PM »
I tried it for a year.  Not badass for me, even sharing with my boyfriend.  Partly it's the fairly long drive (outskirts of city I live in).  A lot of the prices weren't that great--most of my staples were the same price or cheaper at my regular grocery store, if they were available at all.  A lot of their famous good prices are for things I really don't use in bulk (for example, I only fill my gas tank once every month or two, and it's not that big of a tank), so the overall savings don't add up much.  And (as with most stores, I suppose), I really didn't want most of the stuff they had.

I did love the sliced almonds, sliced Tillamook cheese (though I wish they had one of the sharper flavors), and a few other things.  We got a nice sale on V8 (which I did drink), motor oil (which I did not), and a couple of tools during our membership period.

They also had a few things I loved but never bought because they are evil, expensive, or both.  One I remember is these lace cookies: kind of a dark-chocolate-covered toffee-flavored gorgeous delicious cookie I've eaten at parties.  Another was a crazy-fancy bread that looked like they rolled out dough to the square footage of my house and then added delicious things like ground nuts, seeds, and/or spices, and folded it up somehow into a bread loaf shape and cooked it.  It was about $10, totally worth it for all of that work, but I really don't need luxuries like that when cinnamon toast is almost as good and can be made with whole-grain bread.

I prefer:
* HEB (a regional grocery store) for ordinary groceries and bulk items,
* Wheatsville (a local food coop) for hard-to-find things like spelt pretzels (they have fiber!), non-homogenized milk, non-GMO corn tortillas, and bulk organic chocolate chips,
* Whole foods for some of their 360-brand stuff and organic blue corn taco shells,
* Target (NOT online) for vitamins and for stuff I don't feel like researching prices on (there's a Target in walking distance of my house)
* Amazon for other various things
* Reebok (online) for sneakers

ashem

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2012, 03:22:37 PM »
I agree that we probably wouldn't be so taken with the place if it were just the two of us. For a family of 4 or more, the place is golden.

My b-friend and I have been considering getting a membership. I have nearly enough Aeroplan miles to buy the membership and I think we will take the plunge when I do get enough miles. One thing I remember reading is a good deal at Costco is dog food. Does anyone here share that view? He's got a Rottweiler who's been getting fed a decent or better quality puppy food (Chicken Soup for the Soul for Large Breed Puppies)... when the time come to plmake the move to adult food in 5 months or so, I'd like to have done some research and be in a position to advise my b-friend of some of the best possibilities, pricewise. I'd love to know if some have found that Costco is a great place to buy dog food...

We buy the Kirkland brand of weight control dog food. $25 for 40 pounds! Iams costs $40 for 50 pounds at our Costco, but our dog seems to like the Kirkland brand just fine. These are the other items we buy there - oats, olive oil, honey, maple syrup, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, ECO laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, Adelle's chicken apple sausages, organic beef patties, yogurt tubes, frozen fruit, pistachios, circle multi-grain bread, colby cheese, vanilla, panko breaded tilapia, frozen salmon, frozen shrimp, cheese pizzas (4 for $10), toilet paper, beer, peanut and almond butter, batteries, Pirate's Booty, pimento & cheese, Halloween candy, and pulled pork. We buy our fruits and veggies at the Farmer's Market.

Tom Reingold

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2012, 03:54:31 PM »
Yes and no. Once I get there, I enjoy it. Some of their stuff is very good and very well priced. They have ready-made convenience foods, and not all of it is good. You can get crappy snacks in packages, and it's a bad value at any price.

I like to browse through their gadgets, tools, etc, but I found I was given to impulse purchases of things I didn't really need. So now when I go for specific items, I buy only items on the list. I look at other interesting things, but rather than buying any of them, I take notes or take pictures of them. Then after I get home, I think about them. I rarely end up buying them, but sometimes I do.

I've bought Italian-made wool dress trousers there for $50 a pair. It's an incredible value. And I find I can even use them as athletic clothing, such as cycling and skiing, since they're wool. I also gotten a merino wool sweater there for $20. I'm annoyed with myself that I only got one!

One problem is the convenience. It's only 4 miles from my home, but I never head in that direction for any other reason, so making the trip just to go to Costco is hard to justify.

I've done it by bike a couple of times, so that's pretty badass. I pull a kiddie trailer with my bike. It can hold lots of stuff. I've brought home the amount people usually haul with their cars! And I did it at night in the winter, so I tell people that if I can do that, they can do it in the day in the summer. How's that for badass?

Paul der Krake

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2012, 05:14:51 PM »
No Costco nearby but I have (by proxy) a Sam's club membership which costs me $0, but even if I had to pay the yearly $70 fee I'd do it in a heartbeat. I go through one gallon of milk a week and save 50-70 cents on each compared to the second cheapest in my area. On milk alone, I save $25-30 a year. Don't even get me started on ham and cheese. I love Sam's.

And I drive by everytime I drive to work. Gosh, I love my life.

Dee

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #14 on: October 22, 2012, 05:57:50 PM »
Thanks everyone who replied about dog food. I should accumulate the Aeroplan miles I need in plenty of time for the puppy's graduation to adult food, so I foresee a Costco membership in the near future...

Gerard

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #15 on: October 22, 2012, 07:40:44 PM »
Thanks everyone who replied about dog food. I should accumulate the Aeroplan miles I need in plenty of time for the puppy's graduation to adult food, so I foresee a Costco membership in the near future...
I would argue that that's not a great payback on your aeroplan points, but if you're not planning travel soon, why not?

Scuba Stache

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #16 on: October 23, 2012, 12:11:04 PM »
The Kirkland dog food seems to be highly rated from research I did a few yrs ago. I believe it is re-branded "diamond" dog food and was higher quality than the major brands like Iams.
Source - http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kirkland-signature-dog-food/

Nords

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #17 on: October 23, 2012, 09:09:24 PM »
We buy our dog and cat food there. We like it.
Wow, that really is badass.

I think most people just buy the dog & cat food to feed it to their pets, and the people don't ever bother tasting it.

Lady Mustache

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #18 on: October 24, 2012, 10:45:33 PM »
Do you need a membership to shop there? Or does the membership give you bigger discounts?

focusaurus

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2012, 08:22:39 AM »
Yes, you need an annual membership card, which you must purchase up front outright. The basic one is $50/year. As you'll note in the many threads on this topic in the community, in almost every case your savings exceed the membership cost by such a significant margin that it is overall a fantastic deal. Also note they don't take credit cards other than American Express.

caligulala

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #20 on: October 25, 2012, 08:33:23 AM »
But, if you aren't satisfied with your membership for any reason, they will refund the membership cost with zero hassle. Just go to the desk, say "I don't want my membership" and they give you $50 back. I love Costco.

grantmeaname

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #21 on: October 25, 2012, 01:12:42 PM »
Everybody should get the gold membership too, if the policy everywhere is the same as my store's. You pay another $55 to get 2% back. When you get your annual refund check for that 2%, if you haven't spent enough to make back your $55, they send you $55 instead. You can't lose!

I <3 costco.

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #22 on: October 25, 2012, 09:52:57 PM »
We buy our dog and cat food there. We like it.
Wow, that really is badass.

I think most people just buy the dog & cat food to feed it to their pets, and the people don't ever bother tasting it.

I see what you did there....and I approve! :)

I'm two big thumbs up on Costco. Love the value offered there, if you can stay away from impulse purchasing $350 ladders or $400 blenders on special.

Tami1982

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #23 on: October 26, 2012, 11:42:55 PM »
If you are someone who is not ready to commit to a membership or only shop there three to four times a year there is another option.  You don't have to have a membership if you have a gift card.  If you have a friend or family member who is a member, ask them to buy you a ten dollar gift card.  Then you can go whenever you like and pay for the difference between  your total and gift card with cash. 

PJ

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #24 on: October 27, 2012, 05:42:33 PM »
I love love love Halloween and giving out candy, but this year I'm trying to spend as little money as possible, period.  How to reconcile these two things?  I could have turned out the lights and hidden in a room at the back of the house, but I had a brain wave - ask my neighbour who has a Costco membership to take me on a shopping trip.  The candy was considerably cheaper than elsewhere, and while I was there, I also picked up a bag of dog food (for the dogs) and a couple of boxes of cat litter.  The cat litter was the best deal ever!  I usually pay 7.99 at Food Basics for an 18 kg box of the clumping litter, but this was 5.99 each for 22.7 kg. 
 
And I saw that gas was about 6 cents per litre cheaper than at the big chains.  Am now seriously considering asking her to buy me some gift cards ...

Will

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #25 on: October 27, 2012, 06:41:10 PM »
They had a story on the news a few weeks ago about how Canadians would "swoop down" to some of the US Costcos that are close to the border, where they would buy ALL the milk (and other dairy products) because it is about half the price at stores in Canada.

Let's see if this works: http://www.youtube.com/embed/utfPAE2I8DA
« Last Edit: October 27, 2012, 06:49:21 PM by Will »

Tami1982

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #26 on: October 27, 2012, 10:45:06 PM »
This is the third time I've read that dairy is so much more expensive in Canada.  Does anyone know why that is?

KulshanGirl

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #27 on: October 27, 2012, 10:58:59 PM »
Will, that was my local Costco in that story.  I am totally embarrassed by the people who started that fb page, but our Costco IS pretty much a madhouse.  I shop at the Seattle one when I go down to visit my folks.  :)

grantmeaname

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Re: Do you find Costco to be badass?
« Reply #28 on: October 28, 2012, 10:14:57 AM »
This is the third time I've read that dairy is so much more expensive in Canada.  Does anyone know why that is?
Maybe Canada is free from an insane dairy lobby and doesn't fight to keep colossal subsidies on the industry that help dairy farmers at the expense of taxpayers?