Costco membership worth it for 2 adults and toddler?

[Anonymous]

Just wondering if it's worth the membership fee and hassle. We usually buy our household goods from Target and food mostly from Trader Joes. But Costco is actually slightly closer than Target. We have some storage space for bulk purchases. We are almost out of the diaper years (and we used amazon mom for that anyway).

[Anonymous]

It wasn't worth it for us, most of the time we just didn't know what to buy there. the bulk amounts were just huge for us, probably lasting 6 months to over a year. We don't have storage space, so that also made it difficult for us to buy that much bulk.

[Anonymous]

It's not just good for bulk purchases. You can buy milk, eggs, cheese, fruit, and many other quality products (edible and non-edible/household, etc) in reasonable (i.e., non-bulk) quantities.

[Anonymous]

<-sorry, I meant, not good for just bulk purchases...

[Anonymous]

<--me again; sorry to be unclear; So, it is good for all-around purchases, in addition to things you can get in bulk (e.g., paper towels).

[Anonymous]

Totally worth for us. Photos are cheaper, Rx, my contacts, small appliances and household stuff, toys, clothing EVERYTHING. If you like wine also good deals.

We buy fruit and veggies from them besides cleaning products. But I also like it for the shopping experience

[Anonymous]

It's not been worth it for us, two adults, two teens. We buy stuff we don't need, so it costs us more in the long run. That's what these kinds of places bank on. And their prices are really not all that great compared to non-member competitors, ie. walmart. And who needs a 64 oz. jar of mustard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not been worth it for us, two adults, two teens. We buy stuff we don't need, so it costs us more in the long run. That's what these kinds of places bank on. And their prices are really not all that great compared to non-member competitors, ie. walmart. And who needs a 64 oz. jar of mustard?

This is not true for many items. Typically items like milk, cheese, bread, eggs, produce are going to be consistently lower at Costco. Those purchases alone make the membership worth it to our family (2 adults, 2 kids - 3 & 6yo). Many of the appliances/household goods are also very competitively priced. As for electronics, the prices are competitive, but their warranty alone is worth buying all electronics through them. On top of the manufacturer warranty, you also get an extended warranty through Costco and if you use the Costco AMEX you get an additional extended warranty with them. I can't remember if Costco or AMEX follows the manufacture, but either way the for no extra cost the warranties are fantastic. We dropped a laptop and replaced it the next week. Someone mentioned looking into a warranty but since the laptop was a few yrs old and we had caused the damage I assumed it was not an option. We called and told them what happened and they said no problem. We got a new laptop! Also, returning an item is super easy and you don't need a receipt. Never been asked anything or given a hassle. We don't abuse their generous return policy, but it does ease the concern of purchasing an item if I have doubts.

Items that are overpriced are: any paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper), cleaning supplies, cereals, condiments.

[Anonymous]

I love Costco - I recommend the Executive Membership - its around $50 more, but they basically give it back to you every year. You get a 2%rebate on everything. We are also a family of 3 and shop there.

I buy - Organic chicken, organic eggs, coffee, laundry items (esp when on coupon I buy a ton), shampoo, bread, nuts, organic spinach, pumpkin pie,make-up sometimes, appliances.

[Anonymous]

Its nice for when you have people over - chicken salad, fruit, salads, birthday cakes, chips and salsa. Also nice for things you use a lot of, like yogurt, frozen pizza, water bottles, paper plates, trash bags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not been worth it for us, two adults, two teens. We buy stuff we don't need, so it costs us more in the long run. That's what these kinds of places bank on. And their prices are really not all that great compared to non-member competitors, ie. walmart. And who needs a 64 oz. jar of mustard?

This is not true for many items. Typically items like milk, cheese, bread, eggs, produce are going to be consistently lower at Costco. Those purchases alone make the membership worth it to our family (2 adults, 2 kids - 3 & 6yo). Many of the appliances/household goods are also very competitively priced. As for electronics, the prices are competitive, but their warranty alone is worth buying all electronics through them. On top of the manufacturer warranty, you also get an extended warranty through Costco and if you use the Costco AMEX you get an additional extended warranty with them. I can't remember if Costco or AMEX follows the manufacture, but either way the for no extra cost the warranties are fantastic. We dropped a laptop and replaced it the next week. Someone mentioned looking into a warranty but since the laptop was a few yrs old and we had caused the damage I assumed it was not an option. We called and told them what happened and they said no problem. We got a new laptop! Also, returning an item is super easy and you don't need a receipt. Never been asked anything or given a hassle. We don't abuse their generous return policy, but it does ease the concern of purchasing an item if I have doubts.

Items that are overpriced are: any paper goods (paper towels, toilet paper), cleaning supplies, cereals, condiments.

I completely agree. Definitely worth it for our family of four (2 adults, young teen & tween kids). DH and I calculated recently that the savings on coffee alone (Mayorga 2-lb bag of beans) pays for our annual membership.

I think the paper towels & toilet paper are reasonably priced.

[Anonymous]

Very much worth it for us--2 adults, 1 child. This is especially true in years when you are going to buy major electronics (TV, camera, household appliances) because of the warranty and no-hassle return policy. In the years when we don't buy a major electronic, our membership pays off through purchases of staples: coffee, yogurt, cheeses, breads, cereals, snacks, detergent, soap, dental floss, toothbrushes, etc. They also sell great kids clothes, including brands like Hanna Andersson, underwear and socks. I've purchased sheets, towels, and linens. During X-Mas, they have fantastic deals on good toys--Legos and such.

If you care about labor issues, Costco treats its employees very well.

Also, there's a Costco coming to Wheaton--yay! No more trekking to NoVa from NW.

(And no, I'm not paid by Costco--I just really like the company.)

[Anonymous]

It's only once a month for me.

The Executive membership is definitely worth it if a kid is in diapers, or you have more than 2-3 kids, or don't want/care about Whole Foods/locally sourced meat. I'll probably want to downgrade to a basic membership.

Plus, the pizza, yogurt, and hot dogs are very good.

[Anonymous]

agree about the hotdog and pizza lunch! It's a treat for us.

We go every 2 to 3 months and spend about $300 when we go. We have an extra freezer downstairs, so we buy most of our meat there. We also think we save on paper products, cleaning products, coffee, and some condiments and snacks (have to be careful here not to overbuy or buy crap.) We used to buy diapers there too and they were definitely cheaper or at least comparable to Amazon. Also good for bulk canned goods like tomatos, spaghetti and chicken broth. Also, kid's pajamas and adult basics (socks, etc) are pretty cheap there.

We only go that often because it's about 15 miles from us, which is a PITA.

If it's closer to you than Target and you have the space for purchases and SHOP WISELY (go with a list, don't impulse buy), it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

and use coupons!!!!