That’s yet another reason I love living in a small town. Our Costco level of “packed” is your version of “empty”.
I have been to the Bellingham, WA Costco. This is where apparently all of British Columbia shops. And gets gas. The amount of money flowing from BC to Whatcom country and Kirkland must be amazing.
On topic: There are some things at Costco that are huge savings for us: Allergy medicine, laundry and dish soap, coffee, dried fruit, batteries, dog treats, rawhides, clothes. There are other things that I think are just an average good cost. We don’t go out of our way to shop sales at the other grocery stores so things like cereal, meats, fruits/veggies, beer & wine are consistently lower than the grocery store although I’m sure if you hit sales you can do better elsewhere.
I have both a Costco and a SAMs a couple of miles from my house.
Prices are similar from what I can tell. There are a few things we buy at one store than the other due to packaging or brand. Examples include:
Cut up chicken Costco comes in freezer ready packs from Foster Farms
Sliced cheese Colby jack at SAMs
Munster at Costco
Eggs SAMs as they sell a double 18 pack instead of a flat making storage a snap.
5 hour energy type drinks Costco. While SAMs has a good price on the name brand Costco kicks ass with the Kirkland brand.
We go weekdays after work, when there are fewer of the damn sample stations and fewer families with 10 kids rampaging down the aisles. Usually no more than 2 or 3 people ahead of us in line. We don’t even try to go on weekends.
The problem with the parking lot of ours is that the people drive their cars the way they drive their shopping carts - oblivious to anyone else.
Well, yeah, that too, but when I was in college and the dorm cafeteria didn’t serve an evening meal on Sundays, a bunch of us would go over to Cosco and those samples would be our dinner. So it’s hard for me to hate on those too much.
This is one of those regional things - eggs at my Costco come in the double 18 pack - and with my son currently going though some weird egg phase, we go through them.
Time isn’t cheap, and having to go to multiple stores takes time. I’ve never been able to avoid the weekly grocery trip with a trip to Costco. I’d have to be saving at least $50/trip to make it worth my while.
That’s not to say I might not get access again for other reasons, especially if my household situation changes. I do like their meat selection.
Aldi in Connecticut does not sell liquor. We also have some archaic liquor pricing laws, so name-brand booze at Costco is the same price as anywhere else.
However, the Kirkland label is generally pretty damn good and a bargain. My Wife has become quite fond of their chardonney at $7.99 for a 1 1/2 liter. I’m waiting for them to start offering Kirkland gin.
This. You have to price shop just like any other store.
We have a Sam’s next to a Wal mart where I live. They’re owned by the same people yet there’s no rhyme or reason to their pricing. I split my membership with a friend to make it worthwhile but lately I haven’t been impressed with Sam’s.
In California, gas at Costco is almost always significantly cheaper than at surrounding stations. The downside is that there is often a long line for the pumps.
Errata: I said earlier that the corner market sells Costco meat. I asked one of the owners, and she seemed reluctant to tell me where they got their meat, but she did mention ‘FSA’, which I believe is Food Services of America. I was told years ago that the meat came from Costco, and I have not noticed any difference in quality from that time to this. I don’t recall if there was a change of ownership of the store.
In any case, I love the rib eyes they have at the corner market, and Costco meat I’ve bought is of the same quality of meat. (Note: The corner market only sells rib eye steaks, ground beef, and chicken breast as fresh meat options.) I have to say that the USDA Prime rib roast I bought for this past Christmas was the best one ever. Not exactly cheap, but well worth the price.
Prescriptions are dramatically cheaper. I get a bottle of 30 generic Ambian at CostCo for $11. The non-member price is $12.50, and in most states you don’t have to be a member to have perscriptions filled at CostCo.
The thing about Costco is that it may not always have the cheapest option, but in my experience their standards for quality are pretty high so whatever you get there will probably be a good item at a reasonable price, even if it’s not the cheapest option.
I would agree that Costco seems to be a cheap option for many things though. It’s my go-to place for getting prescription drugs, cat and dog food/treats, paper towels, potato chips, hummus, and various things.
I’m not sure if Aussie Costco will have the same bakery and food court items that America Costco has, but we do make use of those too.
Here, the Costco food court sells an 18 inch pizza for only $10. It’s not THE best pizza I’ve ever had, but definitely the best pizza I’ve ever had that cost so little.
Anytime we want a birthday cake that will feed a lot of people (such as for parties), we get it from the CostCo bakery. CostCo offers a huge personalized birthday cake with a tasty cream cheese filling for LESS than what a generic pre-made birth cake that’s less than half the size costs at the grocery store.
Also, try to visit there early in the day so you can take advantage of trying all the samples they have. You can practically have a meal from just trying all the samples they have out!
We go there once a month or so. I am fond of Castle Rock Pinot Noir, and it is 7.99 there I bought a case of it last Saturday. We use Kirkland brand paper goods, and the Kirkland brand men’s jeans are a steal at 13.99.
Not everything is cheaper than other places, but there is quality and savings there if you watch what you are buying.
I like Costco a lot, but I have 3 kids. There is lots of stuff in bulk that is much cheaper than a supermarket - costco organic butter, coffee beans, cheese, etc. Sometimes the bulk perishables is too big, but for example on the cheese front often its the same price for double or triple the cheese. So, we waste some because ending up we didn’t like it that much or produce spoils (which we feed to the chickens), but still come out ahead of supermarket spending.
I’m sure Costco has some items that we overpay for. But generally it’s bulk and cheaper, and I check pricing on my phone when I’m there for bigger ticket items.
And second what others have said that Costco brand is pretty decent stuff. The 15 year old single malt was not worth it however.
BTW, I show at the Kirkland Costco, which I believe is store #3 and also where the “Impeach Obama” guy hangs out with his table, posters of Obama with a Hitler mustache."
We bought a lot of furniture there. It was a good price, a decent match, and out the door. Heck, our dining room table was marked down half price with 6 bar stools. We went back and bought a second exact same dining room set just to get the additional bar stools (and the table is now a bench in the garage).
Costco’s biggest cash cow is that suppliers have to wait IIRC 180 days to get paid (and have to eat the returns) versus costco turnover average of about 28 days. In other words, costco makes a substantial amount on the interest float.
Frozen veggies at Costco are very convenient. Giant bags at a good price.
The real deals are in the monthly coupon flyers they mail to their members. Olay Regenerist products are easily $10+ cheaper than even shopping online if you wait for the coupon that shows up every few months.
To add on to the praise of Costco’s meat department, it is excellent. Thick cuts of USDA prime steaks that are fresh due to Costco’s high turnover. Nothing is on the shelf for very long. I had to adjust how I charcoal grill my Costco steaks due to my being used to normal grocery store thin cuts.
Costco’s bakery is the best deal out there.
I am a huge fan of the Kirkland brand beers and liquors. The Kirkland case of 24 bottled beers are rumored to be brewed by Gordon Biersch, but regardless of actual brewer, they are really nice brews. Much better and cheaper than that Pyramid swill I also bought at Costco.
Their spiced rum is under $15 for a 1.75L bottle. Decent rum.
Kirkland vodka is, well, vodka. Nice, big fancy glass bottle. Cheap.
I recently picked up their new Kirkland 18 Year Highland Single Malt Scotch for about $37. It is very, very nice. It is a mildly hot, sherry finished whisky with a nice finish. It is better than the 18 Year Speyside Single Malt they carried last year. I have both. This is a must buy!!!
As others have mentioned:
Batteries
Yogurt
CFL and LED light bulbs
Printer ink
Pilot G-2 pens (the best pens)
Cleaning products (cheaper than janitorial supply shops)
Toothpaste with the coupon I mentioned
Shaving cream (wait for the coupon for 5 big cans cheap)
5 lb bucket of Red Vines licorice. Love that stuff. Way cheaper than anywhere else.
Men’s shirts and slacks can be a great deal if they happen to have a style you like that month.
Costco gets a solid thumbs up for price, quality, service, freshness of inventory.
Another aspect is that Costco has a reputation as an ethical employer - they pay far above average wages for the industry, offer benefits, etc. so while cost is the major reason people shop there, there’s a subset of it’s shoppers who would not shop at competitors (esp not sam’s club as wal-Mart’s reputation is the exact opposite), as long as Costco remains cheaper for some things and a good value overall.
You can practically have a meal from just trying all the samples they have out!