This.
As has been talked about in other threads, the security cameras are usually pointed at the cashiers, not the customers. Also, Costco definitely has undercover security. I knew one guy and he said there were others in the store, but he wouldn’t say how many or point them out.
In the beginning, you required a business license to join Costco and Sam’s Club.
BTW, the membership to shop model isn’t new. In the 60’s we used to have G.E.M. (Government Employees Mart, founded 1956) stores which were initially restricted to Federal Government employees and according to my parents, the membership wasn’t free. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._E._M._Membership_Department_Stores
When you put it that way it sounds like a “their problem”, not a “my problem”. Which is another reason it’s an obnoxious practice.
I don’t shop at Costco - I only know about the receipt line because I had to go for a sick family member once. I just hope more places don’t start in with it. Indeed, I have only seen it in a handful of big box stores that I also don’t patronize (any more).
And I don’t mean to direct this observation at you in particular Ascenray, but speaking in general I’m surprised at how people are often willing to give a pass to stores and companies on policies like that. In the thread about “retail stupidity” there are lots of examples of obnoxious business practices and I’m amazed they stay in business. I personally will boycott any company or individual location rather than put up with petty nonsense or time-wasting. Standing in line to confirm a purchase I just made is more work than I’m willing to do to give them my money. I’d rather expend the effort going to their competition.
Yes it is generally the cheapest, with a big caveat: if you use gas rewards cards, Gasbuddy, etc. then at least my local Costco is not coded as a gas station, so you don’t get any extra percentage there, or can’t use the latter. Also lines can be long, though mostly only at commute hours.
Some items are larger, others have multiple regular size items at a larger quantity than at the grocery store.
I get that, though they also will let you know if an item got rung up twice. But you aren’t giving a “pass,” it’s part of the member agreement, not something you grin and bear.
The competition is Sam’s Club and BJ’s, who have the same policies. Not the grocery store.
FYI, you don’t need to be a member to get a prescription filled at Costco in some States:
"I’m not a Costco member and I have purchased prescriptions at Costco’s Pharmacy before, why do I have to join Costco now?
Costco’s pharmacies are open to non-members where required by state law. The Costco Member Prescription Program is a value added benefit of a Costco membership. However, you do not have to become a Costco member or join CMPP to continue buying prescriptions at the pharmacy."
https://www.costco.com/member-prescription-program-frequently-asked-questions.html
The twist is that it’s not always the cheaper. One time when I was getting a prescription filled, the pharmacist told me outright that was cheaper at Longs Drugs (our local CVS affiliate). I had the prescription filled there since I was shopping anyway.
Edit: How do you get in without a membership card? Just tell them you’re going to pharmacy. They generally will let anyone into the store since you can’t buy anything without a member card, temp card or gift card anyway.
I dislike the Costco experience, but I’d be more willing to tolerate it if I could be confident that everything in there is actually cheaper than average. But there is lots of stuff at Costco that seems more expensive than average (although my wife tries to spin it as “better quality”).
Costco has great “loss leaders” like the rotisserie chickens ($4.99 for a 3 lb chicken) and the hot dogs.
Their decorated sheet cakes are another great value.
I understand that they’re not for everyone. But the business model works for them and they have lots of satisfied customers, including me; I’ve been shopping there 15+ years. There’s a Costco and a BJs both 10 minutes from my house, 3 minutes away from each other, and in terms of volume Costco is winning hands down; they’re always much busier.
Sure, that’s fine, but you’ll end up paying more by shopping at stores that are less aggressive with security, because they have greater losses due to theft.
And other stores ask to see your receipt without having prior consent from you. At least Costco customers consented to it when they signed the membership agreement.
Sizes tend to be larger than “normal” and often in multiples or cases but the comical 55gal drums of mayonnaise belong in 90s stand-up routines.
For example, I buy lemonade from Costco. At the grocery store, it comes in a one quart jug. At Costco, it comes in a two-pack of two-quart jugs. So I have to buy four quarts of lemonade at a time but it’s split between two resealable bottles and we have no problem using it up. And the two-pack costs the same as two of the one quart jugs so I save 50% on it.
As for receipt checking, the line moves fast at my store (and there’s only really “a line” if you go on the weekends) but if it makes anyone else stay away, that’s fine – I get out that much faster.
I’m a single person–with pets. Costco saves me a mint on pet supplies. Dogs go through a 35 lb bag of dry food a month, that cost me upwards of $50/bag at Petsmart, $33 at Costco. That’s $200 a year savings right there. Cat litter, $13 regular price at Costco–and it goes on sale regularly as low as $9, $17 at Petsmart. One 42 lb bag a month–another 48 savings. Cat food, 2.5 cans per day-- .45/can at Costco, $.55 at Petsmart–90 savings per year. Wet dog food, runs about .28 per meal at Costco vs $.37/meal for grocery store brands–$65 per year savings. So for the heinous membership fee of $60/year I derive $400 in savings JUST in pet supplies–and that doesn’t include treats, toys and beds which are all a great deal at Costco.
And then after all that, I shop for myself and get all the great stuff they curate for me. Clothes, prescriptions, OTC meds, cheap meat and dairy at excellent quality, a bakery to die for, not that I eat that much in carbs any more but I remember, oh boy do I. The average salary of a Costco associate runs about $45K/year with full and expansive benefits and the number of people at my local who have badges boasting up to 20 years employment are a silent testimony to a business model that works for basically everyone involved.
So yeah, that’s why do hyoomons Costco.
This is interesting and news to me. I’d always found this practice rather inexplicable. The cashier just went through everything in my cart; why does someone have to do it again? But if the purpose is to detect crooked cashiers, it makes more sense, but is not any more acceptable. What if the cashier and the door checker are in cahoots? Is the next step a second door checker who will double check what the first one did? I think that if the store distrusts their own employees to the extent that they need to inconvenience the customer in order to control employee theft, I can shop at a store that’s better managed.
Llama Llogophile:
Heh. My kids love that part of Costco, they always ask the exit-checker to draw them a smiley face on the back of the receipt.
Because the people who do not pay the fee do not get through the door. If you have ever been in a Walmart and wished you were Thanos, you will see the value in Costco right there. If not then not.
Just where are you guys getting all of these awesome gasoline savings? In my parts, it’s about 10 cents per gallon, unless you’re comparing with those overpriced freeway exit places. Just checked gasbuddy, and both of “my” Costcos are 10 cents per gallon. If I check Carson City (where I filled up a couple of weeks ago at Costco), I’m seeing only 6 cents per gallon.
Back when I used to pass a Sam’s Club on the way home from work, these 10 cents were easy to capture, but now I don’t have a Sam’s or Costco on my route, and it hardly seems worth it to go out of my way to save $2.00 per fillup.
In Salt Lake City, Costco’s gas was always about 25 or 30 cents per gallon cheaper than the next cheapest place in town, but maybe part of that was because I used the Costco branded American Express card, which gave an additional 10 cents per gallon rebate when you used it to pay for the gas and I mentally factored that in, but even without, it was at the very least 15 cents cheaper that anywhere else in the state of Utah.
(a huge $2.00 slice of extremely mediocre cheese pizza was always a bonus)
If you are going to Costco with a guest card, can you purchase a guest card on your visit?
When my son was little, we were going through about one gallon of milk a week. Milk at Costco was about one dollar less than the milk at Pathmark. Therefore, we saved enough money just buying milk to pay for the membership.
My view is that the prices are basically like the sale prices at other stores, but I don’t have to go looking for them. The stores are clean, well run, and if you avoid the weekend/holiday rush, the lines are not bad at all.
While they do have giant tubs of mayonnaise, they don’t ONLY have giant tubs of stuff.
I shop at BJ’s not Costco - but it’s the same model. And I have never seen anything there that cost more than average for the same thing. I’ve seen things that I could get a better price somewhere else than than BJ’s was charging- but BJ’s was still below average. I’ve seen items where I could get something similar for less - but it wasn’t the same style/brand/quality ( They have Jones New York blouses for $10 or $15 dollars sometimes. Even at Marshalls /TJMaxx, I can’t get a better price. Maybe used on ebay is cheaper- but that’s not the same item)
My wife and I joined when we had our first baby and became executive members shortly thereafter and we get a little over our member cost back as well - the amount depending on how much we spend, of course. We ended up saving a lot on diapers and baby wipes.
Costco has some good food that’s cheap. I like their pizza – it’s not the best but it’s good enough. I do miss the brisket sandwich though.
It favors small businesses and large families because, even with the membership fee, there is definitely a savings on most things when you buy in bulk.
I think their electronics are way overpriced. I bought a Roku 65" UHD TV for $1250 that would have cost me at least twice as much at Costco’s.
As for me, I’ve been asking that question myself. I don’t think I’m saving anything shopping just for myself. I used to like the 100 K-cups for forty something dollars because it was a really good deal, but I found that I can get the same price with a much wider selection on Amazon.