Executive Memberships are $120, those get you a 2% refund at the end of the year, which may or may not surpass the extra $60, and “Extra Benefits on Select Costco Services.” I think some of that includes getting in early, some of the buying services, etc.
Now whether you make $3000 of purchases per year to justify the extra $60 is really debatable and most people will not find that worth it.
I am a single person who has a Costco Executive membership. I share it with a friend and she is listed as my spouse member. I think it more than pays for itself.
Does Costco offer a one-time pass so that one check it out before signing up for a membership?
You can walk around, but you can’t buy anything from most of the store. Certain areas like the food court, pharmacy, etc are open to the general public but to buy grocery or household items I think you need a membership.
But you can walk around and browse prices, and if you have a friend who has a membership you can go shopping with them.
yeah some of them have a one time pass but theres restrictions… like you have to pay cash and a couple of other things
Mom had both and to me if you wanted everyday grocery items you went to sams if you wanted one of a kind or fancy things you went to costco
Before steam came along Costco was one of the best places to buy pc games because they had exclusive deals other places didn’t like you could get the old sierra game series in a pack for 19.99 or the entire civ collection up to civ 3 for 24.99
the same for dvd’s like when toy story 3 came out you could have bought a BluRay set with one and 2 in it as a bonus for what target and Walmart wanted for 3 by its self and it was a limited “only at Costco” thing
They get a lot of exclusive console sets too that gametop dosent
I estimate a savings of at least $70 a year on gas alone. There are plenty of things to buy in bulk that save money but you have to be careful. Bulk does not always mean a savings.
I remember when CostCo had a whole double-sided row in the middle with DVDs, not just recent movies but unusual collections like a couple seasons of some BBC sit-com. Now all they have is last Tuesday’s release, maybe.
I buy gas there occasionally. It’s too far away (15 minutes) to always make that a worthwhile detour.
I buy almost all of my meat there. Their ribeyes are as good as one can hope to find, 1 1/2" to 2" thick and perfectly marbled.
If you need ibuprofen, Tylenol, aspirin, etc. they sell 500 capsules for what your pharmacy will charge for a 25 count.
Eyeglasses and contacts are somewhat cheaper.
We’ve bought tires when they’re on sale.
One of the underrated services is the travel dept. Like Voyager, I got the cost of my Executive membership back with the discounts they offer. Rental cars come with a free additional driver as well, which can save a lot of money, too.
Costco took care of me for my truck battery. Better than I expected/deserved. I bought the battery in early 2017, and replaced it in early 2019, after two years. Its early death was partially my fault, because I’d discharged it completely, which is a lead acid no-no. Costco voided the purchased, gave me a new battery, and a new warranty start date. While this is awesome, I feel kind of bad.
I’m a single person with a Costco membership. Does it literally pay for itself down to the last penny spent there vs. what I would have paid to buy the same thing elsewhere? I’m not sure. But in terms of the utility I get, absolutely it’s worthwhile. Kirkland products tend to be excellent quality. Buying in bulk makes a lot of sense for me because the nearest grocery store, which isn’t all that great selection-wise is a 20-minute drive one-way without traffic, so it sucks to run out of stuff.
Also, I have a huge stand-alone freezer which I can fill with meat, cheese, butter, and frozen fruits and vegetables. Between that and the canned goods I stock up on (chickpeas, corn, chopped tomatoes - basic stuff like that), I can pretty much ensure that I’ll be able to make a tasty meal anytime, even if I get too busy to run to the store.
The only bad thing about Costco, for me, is that it’s a 90-minute drive one-way and their hours suck so I can’t go early/late when I have something else to do on that side of the island. But that’s a separate issue.
I’m not surprised they gave you service above and beyond what you expected! My tire pressure light came on about 700 miles from the hometown Costco where I bought those tires 3 years earlier & the Costco I stopped at didn’t hesitate to get it to the right pressure, check all the others and tell me to keep enjoying my vacation.
Isn’t that standard with car batteries? I had pretty much the exact same thing happened. I didn’t drive my truck for over a year, and the battery was destroyed. I took it back to the little NAPA Auto parts store that I bought it from, and they gave me a new one, I think because it was still under the manufacturer’s warranty.