Is Costco membership worth it?

[OtherJen]

Also I personally love to cook, and so going to my freezer and seeing all of the ingredients I need without having to make any trips to the store makes me super happy. If you have the money and space to buy items you will absolutely use, I don't understand why it wouldn't make sense to stock up?

This, exactly! I love having all of my regular supplies in stock and only needing to worry about groceries (other than produce) every few weeks. It's so satisfying to be able to look at my freezer and pantry and make a list of only a few things that I need to grab at Aldi or the produce market for a week's worth of meals at a time.

[OurFirstFire]

Shoes make it worth it for me.  Elsewhere I can't find decent everyday cross trainer shoes for less than $60.  At Costco they're $20, and last longer than the last pair of $80 Salomons I bought.

[jeninco]

We went back and forth on this: I went 3-4 times/year with a friend for a couple of years (she bought stuff, I paid her back, we carpooled, since it's about 10 miles away).

Then two things happened: A Trader Joe's opened in town (with near-comparable prices on nuts and on cheese, and more reasonable-sized cheese pieces), and our local grocery store chain started selling their own branded virgin olive oil, which tastes pretty good.   Suddenly, the biggest reasons for going to Costco disappeared. (We buy 1/2 steer each year, so we're not looking for much more meat.) Also, the few things I'd really want to buy in bulk (white whole wheat flour, crushed tomatoes, and black beans) my nearest Costco doesn't sell, or doesn't consistently sell.

I just realized I'm down to my last pair of Costco merino-wool-blend socks, however, and I love these things. Anyone want to take me with them for a visit? (Maybe I can go with my mom when she's out visiting this month?)

[HBFIRE]

gas savings alone make it worth it here in CA (use the Citi Costco CC for 4% additional savings).  I haven't found a better value for wine and a few other items.  We probably shop there once every 3 months to stock up on wine/beer and a few items that are a good deal.  If you have a dog, Kirkland Signature is known as one of the best values in quality dog food.  Most high quality dog foods are a lot of money.

[startbyservingothers]

1.  Anyway to split a membership with someone?  Doesn't Costco give you 2 cards like Sam's club does?

2.  Costco doesn't let you shop at a 10% premium without membership like Sam's,  which is a good move I guess.  However, make certain your items aren't available on the website, because non-members can shop there at a 5% premium (You'd have to spend $1200 per year to make membership more attractive than a 5% surcharge. - However I'm guessing not everything you want will be there.)

3.  Are you certain no other stores come close to the quality products you are looking for?

4.  Costco has a full money back guarantee.  Put off your decision for close to another year and ask for a refund if you don't feel your getting your money's worth.


---  Personally I don't find Sam's / Costco worth their money because the majority of their items are packaged in a manner to make them "Seem Cheaper"  when in reality they cost more per ounce / serving etc.  than you can find on sale at another store.

[Awesomeness]

It’s just me and I shop at Costco, it’s worth the savings. The quality is high and it’s affordable.  Excellent return policy.

When I need or want something, Costco is my go to.  Things I get; all my toiletries, cosmetics, most of my clothes, shoes and jackets. I like the quality of their meats, canned goods, pastas, dog food and treats. Some dairy like eggs, milk, creamer and butter during the holidays.

I had to stop buying some things when I became single and my son went to college. Sandwich meats are delicious and not filled w the bad stuff but the amount is just too much and I don’t like how it tastes after it’s frozen. Same w fresh fruits and vegetables, I can’t eat that much. 

Most recently I bought some shelving for my garage. About to order a mattress topper.  I shopped around and while I could go to target and Lowe’s, Costco beat them on quality. If the topper turns to crap in a few months I can get a refund, that won’t happen at target.


My store is 40 minutes away so I will buy some things online, mostly clothes as they have free returns and very low or free shipping.  You also don’t need a membership but some items are for members only and I believe there is a 5% surcharge. 

[TomTX]

We are a two-person household. Before I met my husband, I would never have even considered buying a membership to Costco.

I'd say that for the vast majority of 2-person households, it's not even close to worth it. Especially if you are short on storage (and we are).

Buying one rotisserie chicken a week would pay for the membership. Local grocery store chickens here are smaller and cost $2-3 more each.

[HBFIRE]

Buying one rotisserie chicken a week would pay for the membership. Local grocery store chickens here are smaller and cost $2-3 more each.

Yes, it's a loss leader just like the gasoline and their cooked food they sell.  Very smart strategy to get people in the store.  If you're smart, the costco membership can easily be made up by just purchasing their negative and low margin items.  They also sell their wines and beer at incredibly low margins.  The thing I like about costco is that nothing they sell exceeds 15% profit margin, it makes all of its money on membership fees.

[seattlecyclone]

For the items I buy there, they are far more than 10% cheaper.  I don't buy everything cheapest possible.  Things like olive oil, I want quality.  For items like beans and rice and vegetables, I am trying to avoid plastic.  So I am willing to pay more to buy my beans and rice in the bulk bins and pay more.

How exactly do you think the food gets to the bulk bins? I always assumed it came in paper/plastic bags of a size similar to what you might buy rice or flour in at Costco, but I could be wrong!

[TNT]

I keep a membership solely for the Costco gas station. I actually go into the store maybe twice a year, but I drive about 5,000 miles per month and their gas is priced consistently lower than anywhere else, so the membership pays for itself (and I use their Visa card, so points for that too, but I'd use a rewards card no matter where I fuel up, so it's not really additional savings).

[Michael in ABQ]

We spend several thousand dollars there every year between groceries and paper products. Plus some other household items like LED bulbs or a mattress. We have the executive membership which costs another $60. We get a 2% rebate on that and the rebate is always more than $60 so it pays for itself (they refund you the difference if you don't spend enough to get the full price back). Also the gas is always $0.10-$0.20 cheaper and we've got a large van that gets about 10-12 mpg so that adds up. Plus the 4% cash back from the Citi Costco Visa Card for gas and 2% for Costco. That's another hundred or two right there. So the membership cost itself is more than covered.

However, I don't really care about buying organic or fair-trade products so there are times where we probably spend more on a product that we might otherwise - which may or may not be offset by the discount from buying in a bulk package.

[nereo]

You’ve got a van which gets **10** mpg?  Surely that can’t be right....
My work’s full-ton, big-ass, largest-size-allowed-without-a-c-class-license truck gets better fuel economy than that

[Michael in ABQ]

You’ve got a van which gets **10** mpg?  Surely that can’t be right....
My work’s full-ton, big-ass, largest-size-allowed-without-a-c-class-license truck gets better fuel economy than that

It might be more like 12-13 mpg because it's mostly highway. 15-passenger van that's about 20 years old.

[nereo]

You’ve got a van which gets **10** mpg?  Surely that can’t be right....
My work’s full-ton, big-ass, largest-size-allowed-without-a-c-class-license truck gets better fuel economy than that

It might be more like 12-13 mpg because it's mostly highway. 15-passenger van that's about 20 years old.

Now i’m Just curious ... 15 passengers?  We had those vans in college and used them for away meets (Swim & Dive).  How many people are you routinely carrying? 

[FIPurpose]

Yeah the Mercedes Metris gets 20/24 mph, depending on how much you drive it, you could cut your gas bill in half. You could probably find one for 16k. If you save conservatively 1000 per year that's a 6.25% return just on gas savings.

[afox]

i have a costco membership, is it worth it?

Id say no because my alternatives to costco are really good, mainly a discount grocery store that has amazing prices and a big clean walmart super center with very low prices on produce and pretty much everything. My prices at these other stores are so damn good its ridiculous, coffee for $1 pound, hard italian cheeses for $2 pound, good granola for $1.75 pound. real food at really good prices.

if you're only alternative to costco is kroger, the second largest retailer in the US behind walmart then costco probably is pretty good. kroger has terrible prices and i wish they would become a publicly traded company so i could profit from them ripping off US consumers.

But we split the membership with some other family members.

If you're into shopping for overpriced processed food like gluten free frozen pizzas you're going to get ripped off no matter where you shop. your health and your pocketbook will suffer, the retailer isnt the problem in that case.

[HPstache]

Family of 5 (kids 4, 2 & newborn) and it is absolutely worth it for us.  We spend about $300/mo at Costco.  I have a spreadsheet that compares Costco's price to supermarket prices and it's really hard to beat Costco brand for brand.  You may be able to save a bit if you buy generics, but it's hard to beat Costco... it's almost like name brand for generics prices.  I also track which items go on sale at Costco in which month and have began to predict which months things like Kirkland TP, Paper Towels, Dish/Clothes Detergent, etc. go on sale so that we we buy those products when they go on sale.  We have the Costco CC and the Executive membership (I think it takes spending $3K a year to make this make sense).  Here are the things we buy many of which on a monthly basis:

Mixed Peppers
Organic Romaine Lettuce
Spinich
Carrots
Rotisserie Chicken
Ground Turkey
Pork Chops
Kirkland TP
Kirkland Paper Towels
Laundry/Dish Detergent
Sour Cream
Butter
Half & half
Ranch Dressing
Cheddar Cheese
Kettle & Tortilla Chips
Tortillas
Brocholli
Bacon
Frozen Chicken Breast
Coffee
English Muffins
Bread
Almost all our Condiments
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Annies Mac & cheese
Applesause
Canned Corn, Diced Tomato, Tomato sauce & Black Beans
Trail Mix
Gold Fish
Vitamins

[Michael in ABQ]

You’ve got a van which gets **10** mpg?  Surely that can’t be right....
My work’s full-ton, big-ass, largest-size-allowed-without-a-c-class-license truck gets better fuel economy than that

It might be more like 12-13 mpg because it's mostly highway. 15-passenger van that's about 20 years old.

Now i’m Just curious ... 15 passengers?  We had those vans in college and used them for away meets (Swim & Dive).  How many people are you routinely carrying?

Generally 8 (6 kids) With the rear seat out for storage that's two kids per bench seat. The 15-passenger version is actually only 20 inches longer than the 12-passenger version. In the morning my wife takes all the kids to school plus another kid most days of the week. Her mom gives us about $20 a week for gas. I wish we could have kept the minivan but with car seats there's no way to fit 8. A few minivans and SUVs seat up to 8, but realistically there's not many vehicles besides a full size van that can seat more than 7.

We paid $10k for a van with about 45,000 miles. It's almost 20 years old but was in excellent condition with extremely low mileage for the age.

[401Killer]

Yes, for me it is. As a single male the $60/Yr. just for getting the rewards card is worth it. The membership is just a bonus for supplies and occasional groceries and purchases. I use that card for EVERYTHING that I can and expect to get close to $600 back in rewards! It's more then double I would get back from my BoA(Evil Corp) CC.

[mm1970]

For the items I buy there, they are far more than 10% cheaper.  I don't buy everything cheapest possible.  Things like olive oil, I want quality.  For items like beans and rice and vegetables, I am trying to avoid plastic.  So I am willing to pay more to buy my beans and rice in the bulk bins and pay more.

How exactly do you think the food gets to the bulk bins? I always assumed it came in paper/plastic bags of a size similar to what you might buy rice or flour in at Costco, but I could be wrong!

Most of the items that I have seen get poured into bulk bins come in paper.  Some in plastic. Still some, in the actual plastic bins that get reused.  Depends on the item and location.

The thing is, I have a preference of paper to plastic - flour that comes in paper bags is preferable because the paper bag is compostable. 

When it comes to plastic bags, bulk is better.  Less plastic to more product.  So, if your only option is plastic, then it's better to buy 25 lb bag of beans than 25 1-lb bags of beans.  In that respect, buying in bulk is better because they are filling those bins from large bags.  (I used to buy beans in 10 lb bags, but rarely do now.  In fact, except for lentils I mostly buy canned beans these days - just easier and simpler, and at least the cans are recyclable.)

[OtherJen]

I completely forgot that I bought husband's casual winter coat at Costco last year. I think I paid $25 and it's been a decently warm everyday coat. It held up well and still looks good now.

[partgypsy]

I don't think it is worth it for the groceries alone, unless u are someone who has to have certain brand name/expensive products. I recently got a membership because I need to replace my printer, as well as a laptop in the next year. I like the peace of mind of no hassle return in 30 days, and extended warranty with credit card. So, if u have alot of electronics you are due to buy, worth it. Otherwise for me at least it prompts overbuying, which cancels out any potential savings.

[kite]

I didn't find a membership worth it for our household because went through the exercise of creating a price book.  The proof is on paper that quality & prices comparable to Costco can be found in our other local markets.  Your mileage may vary, but if you don't undertake the effort to craft a pricebook for the things your household consumes, you cannot really know if it makes the best financial sense.
In addition, I'm philosophically opposed to buying in bulk.  Why? 
Natural disasters.  Guess what happens to all the stuff we bought in bulk when the power goes out?  Everything perishable perishes. We don't buy beyond what we could reasonably eat before spoilage in the event we lose power as we did in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.   Floods & tornadoes ruin everything.  And those are the moments when you realize the pointlessness of everything taking up physical space in your home.  You'd really rather have access to cash.   
Pre-buying non-perishable things takes your money out of the [index] market where the money might grow and exposes it to unnecessary risk.  You are betting that the goods won't get lost or destroyed and that the price will go up.  We mustachians don't encourage each other to do that with individual stocks.  No.  We say "index funds" like it's a mantra.  Why do it with any grocery or dry good stockpile of boxes or cans?  You likely wouldn't take your savings out to buy a car today that you won't use until 10 months from now.  Why do that with toothpaste, toilet paper, canned tomatoes, printer paper or socks?  We humans get lured in with the promise of once-in-a-lifetime deals on some item, but the pricebook exercise proved how prices are cyclical and the never-gonna-happen-again sale on everything will most certainly happen again. 
Plenty of people love the samples.  They enjoy buying from Costco and their household is such that a monthly run to Costco makes some sense for their lifestyles.  God Bless 'em.  I'm not judging and they've got no reason to justify anything to me. 

[mm1970]

I didn't find a membership worth it for our household because went through the exercise of creating a price book.  The proof is on paper that quality & prices comparable to Costco can be found in our other local markets.  Your mileage may vary, but if you don't undertake the effort to craft a pricebook for the things your household consumes, you cannot really know if it makes the best financial sense.
In addition, I'm philosophically opposed to buying in bulk.  Why? 
Natural disasters.  Guess what happens to all the stuff we bought in bulk when the power goes out?  Everything perishable perishes. We don't buy beyond what we could reasonably eat before spoilage in the event we lose power as we did in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.   Floods & tornadoes ruin everything.  And those are the moments when you realize the pointlessness of everything taking up physical space in your home.  You'd really rather have access to cash.   
Pre-buying non-perishable things takes your money out of the [index] market where the money might grow and exposes it to unnecessary risk.  You are betting that the goods won't get lost or destroyed and that the price will go up.  We mustachians don't encourage each other to do that with individual stocks.  No.  We say "index funds" like it's a mantra.  Why do it with any grocery or dry good stockpile of boxes or cans?  You likely wouldn't take your savings out to buy a car today that you won't use until 10 months from now.  Why do that with toothpaste, toilet paper, canned tomatoes, printer paper or socks?  We humans get lured in with the promise of once-in-a-lifetime deals on some item, but the pricebook exercise proved how prices are cyclical and the never-gonna-happen-again sale on everything will most certainly happen again. 
Plenty of people love the samples.  They enjoy buying from Costco and their household is such that a monthly run to Costco makes some sense for their lifestyles.  God Bless 'em.  I'm not judging and they've got no reason to justify anything to me.

My price book tells me that Costco is cheaper for a lot of things (not surprisingly, the things I buy from Costco!)  Canned refried beans, canned tomatoes, canned chicken and salmon, etc. are great.  They don't go bad, I'm happy to stockpile (which for me, means a single 8-can box, not exactly stockpiling).  I did also stockpile emergency dried food also, at one time. 

[Cali4en]

Whether it is worth it for any given household depends on too many factors to be able to give a definitive answer.  The only way to know if it is worth it for you is to give it a try for a year and see how it works for you.  Costco will refund your membership without any hassle, so there is no risk to giving them a try.

Personally, we love Costco and probably do more than half of all of our shopping there.  We have an easier time of it because we are a family of six and we live within just a few minutes of a very nice Costco.  Without even factoring in the $500+ in cash back we get from the Costco Citi rebate and the executive membership rebate, I'd say we probably save about $100 to $150 a month on the items we buy at Costco.  It varies based on what we are actually using each month, but I've priced all of our normal purchases against the other local retailers (WalMart, Target, Randall's, Whole Foods, HEB).  All in, Costco probably knocks about $2K off of our budget each year, which we are deeply appreciative of.

The only normal exception is produce.  We almost never buy produce at Costco because the local stores, particularly HEB and Whole Foods, have far higher quality goods at lower prices.  Sometimes Costco will get some produce that is super premium and rare at a good price, but it's a once or twice a year thing at best.  Most other things are only occasionally cheaper elsewhere when there is an unusual sale and some items, like nice cheeses and nuts and wine, are always far cheaper at any given quality point at Costco.

[FIPurpose]

I didn't find a membership worth it for our household because went through the exercise of creating a price book.  The proof is on paper that quality & prices comparable to Costco can be found in our other local markets.  Your mileage may vary, but if you don't undertake the effort to craft a pricebook for the things your household consumes, you cannot really know if it makes the best financial sense.
In addition, I'm philosophically opposed to buying in bulk.  Why? 
Natural disasters.  Guess what happens to all the stuff we bought in bulk when the power goes out?  Everything perishable perishes. We don't buy beyond what we could reasonably eat before spoilage in the event we lose power as we did in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.   Floods & tornadoes ruin everything.  And those are the moments when you realize the pointlessness of everything taking up physical space in your home.  You'd really rather have access to cash.   
Pre-buying non-perishable things takes your money out of the [index] market where the money might grow and exposes it to unnecessary risk.  You are betting that the goods won't get lost or destroyed and that the price will go up.  We mustachians don't encourage each other to do that with individual stocks.  No.  We say "index funds" like it's a mantra.  Why do it with any grocery or dry good stockpile of boxes or cans?  You likely wouldn't take your savings out to buy a car today that you won't use until 10 months from now.  Why do that with toothpaste, toilet paper, canned tomatoes, printer paper or socks?  We humans get lured in with the promise of once-in-a-lifetime deals on some item, but the pricebook exercise proved how prices are cyclical and the never-gonna-happen-again sale on everything will most certainly happen again. 
Plenty of people love the samples.  They enjoy buying from Costco and their household is such that a monthly run to Costco makes some sense for their lifestyles.  God Bless 'em.  I'm not judging and they've got no reason to justify anything to me.

No stockpiling because your electricity might go out long enough to spoil food? How often does that happen in the US to the average person? Once every 10 years? My whole life I can only recall one time where the electricity was out for 2 weeks because of an ice storm and our house was basically the last on the list to be restored. Hurricanes, tornados, even during disasters my power is usually only out a day or two. Not nearly enough time to spoil even 20% of the food. I remember living in Africa where power outages were an every other day occurrence. Food spoilage is a silly thing to worry about to keep you from saving money.

Assuming you save 10% at costco, and even granting that 2 weeks worth of food spoil each year (or 4% of your annual food), you'll still come out waaaay ahead. VTSAX is one thing, but saving 10% on your bills beats the S&P, and you should make that choice every time.

[LaineyAZ]

Chiming in to add that if you are looking at some big ticket household items, it pays to take a look at Costco.

My friend's daughter just saved thousands on a heat pump to replace their 17 year-old heat pump that died.  Daughter said the installers were great, and they are now expecting to start saving on their electric bill immediately with this new higher-efficiency unit.  The other bidders weren't even close dollar-wise.

[Cali4en]

My friend's daughter just saved thousands on a heat pump to replace their 17 year-old heat pump that died.  Daughter said the installers were great, and they are now expecting to start saving on their electric bill immediately with this new higher-efficiency unit.  The other bidders weren't even close dollar-wise.

There are a few other oddities about Costco that can make them useful in unexpected ways.  Returns and warranty repairs/replacements are a big one.

If you're going to drop $3K on an obnoxiously large television or computer and you are inclined to get an extended warranty, then Costco is great for that alone.  They double the normal one year warranty on most electronics, using the Costco Citi card tacks on another two years for free, and you can buy a three year Squaretrade warranty through Costco for a fairly low price.  I'm not aware of anywhere else that will normally give you a seven year warranty on electronics at any price, much less a low one.

Non-electronics and such covered by their normal return policy are even easier to deal with when there are problems.  We bought a really nice teak patio set several years ago for several thousand bucks.  When it warped all out of shape in under three years of light outdoor exposure, the manufacturer wanted nothing to do with us, but Costco took it back without any drama at all.  The manager on duty took one look at the ridiculous condition it was in, verified that we had only had it for a few years, and immediately processed a full-price return to our credit card.

I've also heard glowing things about their travel service from friends, but we've never used them ourselves.

[Michael in ABQ]

My friend's daughter just saved thousands on a heat pump to replace their 17 year-old heat pump that died.  Daughter said the installers were great, and they are now expecting to start saving on their electric bill immediately with this new higher-efficiency unit.  The other bidders weren't even close dollar-wise.

There are a few other oddities about Costco that can make them useful in unexpected ways.  Returns and warranty repairs/replacements are a big one.

If you're going to drop $3K on an obnoxiously large television or computer and you are inclined to get an extended warranty, then Costco is great for that alone.  They double the normal 1 year warranty on most electronics, using the Costco Citi card tacks on another two years for free, and you can buy a three year Squaretrade warranty through Costco for a fairly low price.  I'm not aware of anywhere else that will normally give you a seven year warranty on electronics at any price, much less a low one.

Non-electronics and such covered by their normal return policy are even easier to deal with when their are problems.  We bought a really nice teak patio set several years ago for several thousand bucks.  When it warped all out of shape in under three years of light outdoor exposure, the manufacturer wanted nothing to do with us, but Costco took it back without any drama at all.  The manager on duty took one look at the ridiculous condition it was in, verified that we had only had it for a few years, and immediately processed a full-price return to our credit card.

I've also heard glowing things about their travel service from friends, but we've never used them ourselves.

I've always found the best deal on rental cars going through the Costco travel service.

[HBFIRE]

Chiming in to add that if you are looking at some big ticket household items, it pays to take a look at Costco.

I rarely find that Costco is the price leader on big ticket items.  However, where Costco is great is their return policy.  That alone makes it worth paying a bit more for peace of mind.  It's second to none.  Legendary.  My Vitamix gave out after 6 years of use.  Yes, 6 years. I expected more.  They gave me a full refund for it no questions and no receipt or box or anything, cash. 

[nereo]

Chiming in to add that if you are looking at some big ticket household items, it pays to take a look at Costco.

I rarely find that Costco is the price leader on big ticket items.  However, where Costco is great is their return policy.  That alone makes it worth paying a bit more for peace of mind.  It's second to none.  Legendary.  My Vitamix gave out after 6 years of use.  Yes, 6 years. I expected more.  They gave me a full refund for it no questions and no receipt or box or anything, cash.

I have two friends that manage a CostCo. They sarcastically refer to the two months after Christmas as their "Flatscreen Superbowl TV Loaner period" - as numerous people will "buy" an enormous flatscreen TV to watch the superbowl only to return in the week after.  CostCo used to have an unlimted return policy on everything, but had to modify it for TVs, computers and other mostly digital items because people were returning them years later after they had lost most of their value.

[HBFIRE]

I have two friends that manage a CostCo. They sarcastically refer to the two months after Christmas as their "Flatscreen Superbowl TV Loaner period" - as numerous people will "buy" an enormous flatscreen TV to watch the superbowl only to return in the week after.  CostCo used to have an unlimted return policy on everything, but had to modify it for TVs, computers and other mostly digital items because people were returning them years later after they had lost most of their value.

Yes totally understandable for digital goods.  Sad that people abuse such a great return policy.  I think it's still 3 months for those items, which is fantastic.  Usually that's enough time to figure out if the purchase is going to work for you or not.  I have heard that Costco will take memberships from members permanently if they find they abuse their return policies.  I've seen people return clothing that has been completely worn out.

[Gerard]

When I lived in Newfoundland, a costco membership was clearly worth it, because groceries are expensive in NL, while costco seems to charge roughly the same prices everywhere. I suspect the same would be true for anyone living in a slightly isolated area.

Here in Toronto, I debate the value of the membership. It's sixty bucks, the stores are a pain to get to and have limited hours, the shopping experience is fairly unpleasant.

But, but, I save about $120 a year on parmesan and another $30 on bacon, so even if I buy very little else, I guess it's worth it...

[LaineyAZ]

I have two friends that manage a CostCo. They sarcastically refer to the two months after Christmas as their "Flatscreen Superbowl TV Loaner period" - as numerous people will "buy" an enormous flatscreen TV to watch the superbowl only to return in the week after.  CostCo used to have an unlimted return policy on everything, but had to modify it for TVs, computers and other mostly digital items because people were returning them years later after they had lost most of their value.

Yes totally understandable for digital goods.  Sad that people abuse such a great return policy.  I think it's still 3 months for those items, which is fantastic.  Usually that's enough time to figure out if the purchase is going to work for you or not.  I have heard that Costco will take memberships from members permanently if they find they abuse their return policies.  I've seen people return clothing that has been completely worn out.

I'm glad to hear about this change.  There was a news article last year with a photo showing a woman after the holidays returning a now-dead Xmas tree that she had originally bought live, of course, at Costco.  She was standing in line holding this dead tree so she could get her money back.  That's beyond ridiculous, and I hope Costco just stops all of that.

A rant:  This mania for returning things irks me.  I watched a guy return a pair of golf shoes to Goodwill.  The green grass was still on the bottom of the shoes, and the clerk mildly said "hmm, we don't usually sell shoes with fresh grass on the bottom."  But of course he let them return them. 
I've seen similar situations with party dresses and shoes that are returned immediately after the event, mostly after the holidays.  Then the stores have to deal with the back-office accounting and logistics of getting that item in re-sale condition or donating it somewhere themselves.  And again, adding to the cost that the rest of us have to pay because so many shoppers use these stores to "rent" these items vs. buying them.

[slappy]

I am actually glad to see this thread. I feel like the Costco love is almost religious in the FI world. In my experience, as another poster said, prices are generally cheaper at Market Basket. There are a few things cheaper at Costco, and I get those every few months, but definitely not worth the drive, crowd, etc. I'm suprised to see people saying that fresh stuff is cheaper at Costco. In my experience, produce is always cheaper at Market Basket.

[Daley]

Slappy, not everyone has access to a Market Basket, or an HEB, or [insert your cheap regional chain here]... and sometimes, even when they do have those chains, sometimes the quality and prices can vary wildly from region to region and one man's WinCo winds up being another man's Kroger.

The wacky thing about Costco is, with minor exception, the pricing is surprisingly homogeneous nationwide with the rest being at least somewhat competitive on the regional level. Product availability can often fluctuate from location to location, but what is there is usually consistently priced. Thus, Costco becomes a bit of shorthand and usually at least cheap enough with the staples to universally pay for the membership, which in itself is a pretty low bar to cross at $5/month, so it becomes a sort of no-brainer recommendation if it's available and their quantities work with your family's dietary and meal planning needs. It may not work for everyone, but it's not a wholly awful recommendation in a broad brushstroke sort of way.

There is no magic bullet, universal single solution for consumers. If we as a community can accept that and recognize that not everyone has access to the same resources we do no matter what the internet and our cognitive biases have conned us into thinking, maybe then the community could be just that much more useful and civilized for one other.

[frugalnacho]

I like costco because almost everything they sell is top quality.  Their meat isn't the absolute cheapest, but it's always fantastic.  Their ground beef is better than all other possible alternatives in my area, by a wide margin.  Their bakery is also top notch. 

We purchase olive oil, medicines, bulk nuts, cereal, and paper products on a regular basis. They also have great quality fruit, but it's not always the best price.  We also buy shoes and clothing there on occasion.  As others have mentioned we also get a rotisserie chicken almost every time we go because it's a great deal and tasty. 

The store is almost always busy.  I have a personal policy of not going on weekends, or at least I'm really against it and try to never go on a weekend if it can be avoided.  We do occasionally have to make a trip because we are picking up a birthday cake, or making a fruit tray and we have no choice but to get stuff fresh. 

Their gas is not much cheaper than kroger, and the line is always significantly longer.  I never purchase costco gas, and I don't understand why people line up to buy it.  It's usually 2-3 cents/gal cheaper than kroger, but for an 11 gallon fill up that means 22-33 cents savings, but I have to wait in line for 10-15 minutes.  It makes no sense that people can value their time like that.  It's always packed with people that take forever to fill up and move out of the way.  I don't understand what kind of person gets back in their car after filling up, and with a line of 50 people behind them all waiting to get gas they will take their sweet time pulling away from the pump.  They must be writing down and calculating their mileage, and adjusting their seat belt, and doing...actually I can't imagine what they are doing or what kind of inconsiderate prick would sit in their car for a full minute after filling up with that many people behind them.  Maybe at a gas station with no one waiting to use the pump you can just sit in your car and do whatever you want, but with 50 people all waiting behind you to use a pump get the fuck out of the way you asshole. 

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to.  People just mosey along at 0.5 mph and will just stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason.  They also think nothing of leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle.  Usually sideways to maximize blockage.  It's insane the amount of drooling idiots that will just wander around the store with seemingly no particular objective other than to stare at the lights and occupy space.  It's incredibly frustrating to me.  I give 2 polite "excuse me"s, followed by a louder impolite "excuse me", and after that I start gently ramming my way through to where I need to go.  A typical trip to costco involves me pushing approximately 10 carts out of my way. 

Here is an actual photo of me at costco on any weekend:

[mountain mustache]

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to.  People just mosey along at 0.5 mph and will just stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason.  They also think nothing of leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle.  Usually sideways to maximize blockage.  It's insane the amount of drooling idiots that will just wander around the store with seemingly no particular objective other than to stare at the lights and occupy space.  It's incredibly frustrating to me.  I give 2 polite "excuse me"s, followed by a louder impolite "excuse me", and after that I start gently ramming my way through to where I need to go.  A typical trip to costco involves me pushing approximately 10 carts out of my way. 

Here is an actual photo of me at costco on any weekend:

This is my biggest Costco complaint. The only way I get out of there with my sanity is to park my cart out of the way (if I can find a place) and then just walk down each aisle carrying the things I need. I move the cart every few aisles to a new out of the way place. I can move easier around oblivious people's carts and spend less time hoping someone will notice that I've said "excuse me" 8 times. The worst people are Costco are the ones who are on the phone having a very active conversation, with 4 (or whatever number) small children standing in whatever space is left in the aisle after their cart has blocked most of it. Kids can be kind of oblivious to someone needing to get through, so they usually just stand there even when you are super nice and ask them if they'd mind if you get through...the parent of course doesn't notice because they are actively engaged in a phone conversation. Costco seems to attract this specific situation often.

[FIPurpose]

I read in an article recently that Costco actually designed their stores so that customers would meander about the store haphazardly. I guess it gets them to look at more items. Sometimes I walk through the household appliances aisles just to have an empty aisle to walk down.

[mm1970]

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to.  People just mosey along at 0.5 mph and will just stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason.  They also think nothing of leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle.  Usually sideways to maximize blockage.  It's insane the amount of drooling idiots that will just wander around the store with seemingly no particular objective other than to stare at the lights and occupy space.  It's incredibly frustrating to me.  I give 2 polite "excuse me"s, followed by a louder impolite "excuse me", and after that I start gently ramming my way through to where I need to go.  A typical trip to costco involves me pushing approximately 10 carts out of my way.

ha ha yes. Worst is when they move things and you have to dodge people AND look for the bread

[OtherJen]

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to.  People just mosey along at 0.5 mph and will just stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason.  They also think nothing of leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle.  Usually sideways to maximize blockage.  It's insane the amount of drooling idiots that will just wander around the store with seemingly no particular objective other than to stare at the lights and occupy space.  It's incredibly frustrating to me.  I give 2 polite "excuse me"s, followed by a louder impolite "excuse me", and after that I start gently ramming my way through to where I need to go.  A typical trip to costco involves me pushing approximately 10 carts out of my way.

ha ha yes. Worst is when they move things and you have to dodge people AND look for the bread

Or the people who go for a free meal and park their carts sideways in front of the sample stands and chew slowly for 5 minutes while staring at the lights.

[minimustache1985]

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to.  People just mosey along at 0.5 mph and will just stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason.  They also think nothing of leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle.  Usually sideways to maximize blockage.  It's insane the amount of drooling idiots that will just wander around the store with seemingly no particular objective other than to stare at the lights and occupy space.  It's incredibly frustrating to me.  I give 2 polite "excuse me"s, followed by a louder impolite "excuse me", and after that I start gently ramming my way through to where I need to go.  A typical trip to costco involves me pushing approximately 10 carts out of my way.

ha ha yes. Worst is when they move things and you have to dodge people AND look for the bread

Or the people who go for a free meal and park their carts sideways in front of the sample stands and chew slowly for 5 minutes while staring at the lights.

Ugh, yes.  I avoid weekends as much as possible, though we recently had another store open in town and that one seems less crazy than the one I used to frequent.  I love free as much as the next person but the sample stations really make the congestion so much worse.

I find the gas to be substantially cheaper than Kroger unless you have lots of fuel points, but I won’t wait if the line is more than a few cars per row, though as a SAHM I fill up maybe once a month so the savings is paltry due to volume.  When in Cali I could arrange to pass one on the way to work before the warehouse was open and there was never a line at 6 am, and then I was driving for work enough that the fuel savings alone paid for my membership.

[slappy]

Slappy, not everyone has access to a Market Basket, or an HEB, or [insert your cheap regional chain here]... and sometimes, even when they do have those chains, sometimes the quality and prices can vary wildly from region to region and one man's WinCo winds up being another man's Kroger.

The wacky thing about Costco is, with minor exception, the pricing is surprisingly homogeneous nationwide with the rest being at least somewhat competitive on the regional level. Product availability can often fluctuate from location to location, but what is there is usually consistently priced. Thus, Costco becomes a bit of shorthand and usually at least cheap enough with the staples to universally pay for the membership, which in itself is a pretty low bar to cross at $5/month, so it becomes a sort of no-brainer recommendation if it's available and their quantities work with your family's dietary and meal planning needs. It may not work for everyone, but it's not a wholly awful recommendation in a broad brushstroke sort of way.

There is no magic bullet, universal single solution for consumers. If we as a community can accept that and recognize that not everyone has access to the same resources we do no matter what the internet and our cognitive biases have conned us into thinking, maybe then the community could be just that much more useful and civilized for one other.

I'm really bitter about the no magic bullet thing! I wish there was just one place I could go where stuff is consistently cheapest. I guess for a lot of people, that would be Aldi, but for me it's Market Basket. So that makes me feel a bit better! I felt like I was really missing something with the Costco/Aldi love all the time. (I have three kids, so probably's Costco's target audience.)

[OtherJen]

Slappy, not everyone has access to a Market Basket, or an HEB, or [insert your cheap regional chain here]... and sometimes, even when they do have those chains, sometimes the quality and prices can vary wildly from region to region and one man's WinCo winds up being another man's Kroger.

The wacky thing about Costco is, with minor exception, the pricing is surprisingly homogeneous nationwide with the rest being at least somewhat competitive on the regional level. Product availability can often fluctuate from location to location, but what is there is usually consistently priced. Thus, Costco becomes a bit of shorthand and usually at least cheap enough with the staples to universally pay for the membership, which in itself is a pretty low bar to cross at $5/month, so it becomes a sort of no-brainer recommendation if it's available and their quantities work with your family's dietary and meal planning needs. It may not work for everyone, but it's not a wholly awful recommendation in a broad brushstroke sort of way.

There is no magic bullet, universal single solution for consumers. If we as a community can accept that and recognize that not everyone has access to the same resources we do no matter what the internet and our cognitive biases have conned us into thinking, maybe then the community could be just that much more useful and civilized for one other.

I'm really bitter about the no magic bullet thing! I wish there was just one place I could go where stuff is consistently cheapest. I guess for a lot of people, that would be Aldi, but for me it's Market Basket. So that makes me feel a bit better! I felt like I was really missing something with the Costco/Aldi love all the time. (I have three kids, so probably's Costco's target audience.)

But you know what works for you. Just like most of us have figured out what works for us in our regions.

The nearest Market Basket to me is what, 1000 miles away? I had literally never heard of it before the Frugalwoods. In my area, I can buy 90–95% of my groceries at Costco, Aldi, and my local independent produce market and save a decent amount of money compared to Meijer, Walmart, Kroger, or especially Target (the worst of the bunch, price- and selection-wise, in my area). It means multiple stops, but it's worth it for us.

I've been grocery shopping in this area for literally 4 decades (with my mom and then on my own), so I can recognize good and terrible deals. Costco has some consistently good deals for us, so I buy those. They also have some terrible deals, and I don't buy those. Costco also has non-grocery items like allergy meds (365-day supply for what most pharmacies charge for 1–2 months). As most of us said earlier, if something doesn't work for your budget/lifestyle, don't do it. And don't assume that people who live in other areas of the country are shopping somewhere just to be trendy.

[Daley]

I'm really bitter about the no magic bullet thing! I wish there was just one place I could go where stuff is consistently cheapest. I guess for a lot of people, that would be Aldi, but for me it's Market Basket. So that makes me feel a bit better! I felt like I was really missing something with the Costco/Aldi love all the time. (I have three kids, so probably's Costco's target audience.)

What OtherJen said. I'm glad you've worked out what works for you.

I've honestly been thinking about this a bit more since this morning, and realized something... geographic proximity to a port city probably has a far greater impact overall on local food prices than the grocery chains in the region, whether regional or national. Speaking as someone who lives in a pretty land-locked region, food's darn expensive out here, especially for a kitchen that does kosher meat when trying to feed someone who has celiac disease and can't do high carbs, which basically eliminates bulk bins.

We finally got WinCo out here a couple years back, but we're on the arse-end of their supply chain (being the geographically farthest from HQ), and due to the lukewarm turnout in the state (both employees and shoppers), it wasn't the wonderland we'd been promised. In fact, we were supposed to get a WinCo built not far from where we are, but between the development hell that plot of land has had and the state being... well... Oklahoma... that store was supposed to have been opened two years ago and the cornerstone still hasn't even been laid. We went a few times to the next closest, but the prices weren't that great overall (excuse the produce, but their produce quality created its own set of problems as salad don't freeze), and they're just too far away in the wrong direction of everything else to make it worth it for us.

As an example: Personally, we have to do a mix of Trader Joes (kosher meat), Sprouts (vegetation), Walmart/Aldi (canned goods - prices are a toss-up), Costco (staples, dairy, salad). We'd love to do farmer's markets, but they're only open Saturdays, and the closest is in the same area and direction as the WinCo. Similar with supporting local business, but they're either too far away or our budget can't handle it due to what we actually eat. There was literally a point in time nearly a decade ago that getting a Whole Foods and buying some of our stuff there actually saved us money, so that's an indictment of how off-beat our own dietary profile is from Joe Sixpack, how far the region has come with grocery options in the past ten years, and the increased availability of GF foods at the same time - thank you fad dieters! We didn't even have a Costco within 150 miles of us until earlier this year, and the addition of the membership literally shaved a good $50/month off our grocery budget. We also have three small regional chains, but none of them work much for our needs, though we do try and support them when/where we can. Honestly, I'd love if Costco carried kosher meat like they do out east, but the community's not big enough out here to even do frozen, apparently. So our big meat deals are Empire turkey breasts at $4.99/lb when TJ's actually carries them, unless you want to butcher whole chickens and lose half the weight to carcass at $3.49/lb. Needless to say, we don't eat much meat in this house.

[SpaceCow]

I keep a membership solely for the Costco gas station. I actually go into the store maybe twice a year, but I drive about 5,000 miles per month and their gas is priced consistently lower than anywhere else, so the membership pays for itself (and I use their Visa card, so points for that too, but I'd use a rewards card no matter where I fuel up, so it's not really additional savings).

Holy moley, and I thought I drove a lot at 2000 miles a month. Out of curiosity, what do you do that compels you to average 166 miles per day?

[HBFIRE]

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to. 

Agreed, but I don't think it's lack of spatial awareness, I think its self centered apathy.

[Awesomeness]

The thing I dislike the most about costo is the customers.  It's always jam packed, and the clientele have the worst spatial awareness of any store place I've ever been to.  People just mosey along at 0.5 mph and will just stop in the middle of the aisle for no reason.  They also think nothing of leaving their cart in the middle of the aisle.  Usually sideways to maximize blockage.  It's insane the amount of drooling idiots that will just wander around the store with seemingly no particular objective other than to stare at the lights and occupy space.  It's incredibly frustrating to me.  I give 2 polite "excuse me"s, followed by a louder impolite "excuse me", and after that I start gently ramming my way through to where I need to go.  A typical trip to costco involves me pushing approximately 10 carts out of my way.

ha ha yes. Worst is when they move things and you have to dodge people AND look for the bread

Or the people who go for a free meal and park their carts sideways in front of the sample stands and chew slowly for 5 minutes while staring at the lights.

Ugh, yes.  I avoid weekends as much as possible, though we recently had another store open in town and that one seems less crazy than the one I used to frequent.  I love free as much as the next person but the sample stations really make the congestion so much worse.

I find the gas to be substantially cheaper than Kroger unless you have lots of fuel points, but I won’t wait if the line is more than a few cars per row, though as a SAHM I fill up maybe once a month so the savings is paltry due to volume.  When in Cali I could arrange to pass one on the way to work before the warehouse was open and there was never a line at 6 am, and then I was driving for work enough that the fuel savings alone paid for my membership.

Drooling idiot here. I will say I am respectful of others and try not to get in the way but if I have time I will absolutely walk every isle and look for clearance items.    Costco’s in San Antonio are crazy busy.   Saturday feels like Disneyworld at Christmas.  When I lived there I was able to shop mid week for my big trips which was nice but I remember it being so crowded you couldn’t move around.  Montgomery AL Costco can be a ghost town, never waited in line for gas and going when football was in TV was heavenly, this store always had lots of clearance due to the lower volume.  Loved it.

I’m in the Midwest now. I go between two stores but the one in the posh neighborhood has the rudest customers.  Just me and one woman in an aisle yet she has her cart angled so I can pass, pretends she’s can’t see me waiting to get by.  She does nothing to get out of the way, idiot.  Always long gas lines no matter when I go but it’s worth the wait. It’s over state lines and IL gas is very high, good discount so I top off always.

[Michael in ABQ]

I naturally walk pretty fast and when I go shopping by myself I'm generally moving about twice as fast as everyone around me. If I go to Costco outside the weekends I can usually weave my way through and get in and out pretty quickly. On a weekend with the whole family - it's generally 1-1.5 hours. I'm very aware of everything around me so I'm always trying to stop my cart in an out of the way area or get out of jammed areas quickly.

I think Walmart is worse in general because they aisles barely fit two cars passing each other. Costco on the other hand has nice wide aisles that you can almost always pass that oblivious person, even if they're parked in the middle of the aisle and looking at something to the side.

[better late]

 For me Costco hits a sweet spot of being well priced and a pleasant experience. I understand that the employees are compensated at the high end of what retail typically pays and I like interacting with long-term employees who are knowledgeable.