Is Costco worth it?
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Anonymous
I'll be sure to turn myself in. |
Anonymous
| We share a membership with another family that we're friends with. That makes it TOTALLY worth the membership price. |
Anonymous
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I'm an exec member and just looked at my spending for the first six months of the year, about $1000, so we are on track to get $40 in rebate back at year-end. We are a family of 3 with another on the way and buy mainly paper goods, seltzer and bottled water, beer, canned goods like crushed tomatoes and beans, dry goods like pasta and cereal and coffee, and some veggies/fruit. 12 apples at a time is a lot to get through, though! We also bought a combo printer/scanner/fax there and I've been eyeing a computer. Periodically we get meat but I think we could do better there if we were more organized about meal planning.
In sum, I _think_ the membership is worth it to us, but not sure the exec membership is. I'll probably give it another year and see how baby #2 changes our expenses (more diapers, formula, etc.). |
Anonymous
NP here. I really don't get why you need to eye roll this. For many, many Americans, working for a company that pays its workers fairly, offers health insurance, and contributes to retirement puts them that much closer to the American Dream. It is the decent thing to do, and it doesn't hurt Costco's profitability. |
Anonymous
| I probably save the cost of the membership by just buying cheese and laundry detergent alone. Although, I prefer BJs and would be a member there instead if there was one closer. They have better prices, a better selection, and an awesome produce department. |
Anonymous
I'll turn you in also...right after I turn myself in. 
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Anonymous
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I've always wanted to do a side-by-side comparison of prices at Costco vs. at the grocery, but I haven't. These are the items to me that make it worth the price of membership:
1. Organic chicken 2. Free-range and organic beef 3. Clothing-kid's stuff, especially pajamas, DH likes their white cotton t-shirts, I love their camisoles, socks for $1 a pair 4. Produce, but especially berries. 5. Real maple syrup 6. Batteries I've read that buying paper goods there doesn't save you all that much, but I actually like the Kirkland brand toilet paper, and buying giant packs of tissues means we rarely run out. There are also a few products that we can only buy there, like the little hummus cups that DD likes for her lunches. |
Anonymous
I won't turn you in! You don't have to be at the same address, I believe you just need to be in the same state. |
Anonymous
I have done a side-by-side comparison at Wegman's for some of the stuff I buy... Some things that are NOT cheaper at costco are: pork shoulder tilapia filets tuna fish (regular sized cans) some paper products (one can assume there's always a sale at target or the grocery store on one brand or another) I want to say that the price of Costco's frozen shrimp is no different than elsewhere. There might a few others, but I can't remember off the top of my head. |
Anonymous
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I was skepticle, I went with a friend and priced items I buy regularly and they were less.
I got the membership and saved my receipts all year. I calculated the difference between Costco and the stores I previously bought the items at, we saved over 300 dollars last year. We have a small home, no extra freezer, he items I buy most frequently are cucumbers, romain, milk, berries, apple sauce pouches, pirate booty, feta cheese, cranberries, other things less frequently, but it adds up. |
Anonymous
ass |
Anonymous
The question is whether the prices and memberships costs are worth it in a monetary sense. |
Anonymous
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Some things are worth it and some aren't, so it just depends on what you use a lot.
I do NOT like having vast inventory and am single, so I don't get paper goods at Costco. Things I do get, and think are a good value: laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, yogurt (Kirkland plain greek), eggs, milk, produce, cheese, bottled water, some household goods (towels, blankets) and clothes. Of course, distance matters: Costco is convenient for me. |
Anonymous
For many of us fortunate enough to choose where we want to spend our money, this might just be the tipping point. If Sam's Club vs Costco are your options, and they are approximately equal in terms of financial cost, then a factor like labor practices might just tip the scale in favor of Costco. |
Anonymous
| Yes, and we are a family of just two adults. |