Costco - worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saves boatloads on alcohol alone. We get meat, spices, frozen things, household cleaners, and some non-perishables. I find their produce to be terrible but am apparently alone in that. I agree that you have to plan your trips -- we try to get there at opening time on Saturday or Sunday and we can get in and out without too much traffic. I avoid the middle of the store entirely -- I don't want to get sucked into the Target mentality of "we could use this, it's such a good price" at a place that sells in such bulk. Yes, that's a good deal on 75 socks. No, I don't need 75 socks. We go once a month and like a PP keep a separate "Costco" grocery list.

Huh? Costco socks packages are 3-5. Sometimes 6 for kids. Where did you 75 socks?

No need to defend Costco's virtue, it was an example of the kind of crap they sell in the middle of the store where I don't shop.

That makes no sense. They don’t sell clothing in bulk packs. You buy one sweater or jacket or whatever else.

[Anonymous]

We have 4 kids and are there once a week. Good prices on a lot of things that we eat regularly: fruit, greens, frozen vegetables, chicken, ground beef, milk (all of these items organic). Worth it if you use the products in a reasonable time frame.

[Anonymous]

It depends on whether the things you regularly buy are available and cheaper at Costco. It's worth it for my family of 2, but I have to be very disciplined to stick to my shopping list each time. It's easy to buy a dozen things you don't really need otherwise. And Costco is right on my commute route so I can stop in on weekdays. I wouldn't drive out of my way to shop there.

[Anonymous]

French couple over here - no kids.
We go the the only French Costco (right outside of Paris).

We go once a month and even if we don't have kids we like to buy in bulk.
It's totally worth it financially.

[Anonymous]

I have a deep freezer, so it makes sense for us. For instance, I buy the big package of ground turkey and make a huge thing of chili. Package it to serve 4 and freeze. Makes very easy dinners. I buy the drumsticks, marinade them, repackage into servings of 4, freeze and pull out marinated chicken for the grill when needed. I also love the Costco salmon burgers. At them last night with my Costco family pack of fresh bell peppers that I sauteed and a side of roasted potatoes. Super easy.

[Anonymous]

One example of savings I wanted to buy quinoa. Same size bag was $26 at grocery and $9 at Costco. There was a $26 option at Costco but it was for a massive bag (probably 10 times quantity).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering this too. We live about 25minutes away from two. Three kids. Amazon Prime membership.

My mom and I split both a Costco and a Prime membership (or more accurately - I added her to my Prime, and she added me to her Costco). I think it's worth it for the ability to buy in bulk *as needed* - I have a hard time staying on top of my Amazon Subscribe & Save and still hitting the 5-item minimum for the discount.

Costco regular shopping list:
- salmon
- pot roast
- flank steak
- organic ground beef
- frozen fruit
- pesto sauce
- blueberries
- grapefruit
- bell peppers
- paper towels
- cereal when it's on sale, otherwise it's not a great deal

Costco occasionals that are good deals:
- dishwasher detergent
- generic Zyrtec (for our dog who takes it daily)

[Anonymous]

Worth it. Has no one mentioned the eyeglasses and contact lens? Great for that and OTC meds and vitamins - plus clothing for kids, socks, etc.

I try not to buy much food there. It's too big and the prices aren't the greatest. But for non-food stuff (you don't have to buy in bulk), it's good.

Also excellent for electronics. Great return policies. Have bought humidifier, TV, cameras, there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saves boatloads on alcohol alone. We get meat, spices, frozen things, household cleaners, and some non-perishables. I find their produce to be terrible but am apparently alone in that. I agree that you have to plan your trips -- we try to get there at opening time on Saturday or Sunday and we can get in and out without too much traffic. I avoid the middle of the store entirely -- I don't want to get sucked into the Target mentality of "we could use this, it's such a good price" at a place that sells in such bulk. Yes, that's a good deal on 75 socks. No, I don't need 75 socks. We go once a month and like a PP keep a separate "Costco" grocery list.

Huh? Costco socks packages are 3-5. Sometimes 6 for kids. Where did you 75 socks?

No need to defend Costco's virtue, it was an example of the kind of crap they sell in the middle of the store where I don't shop.

I get all my socks from costco now. They hold up well and are good quality, unlike ones I've bought other places that are always falling down or falling apart after a few washes. Same with the Calvin Klein underwear - I've bought like 3 packs of the 3-pack black and white calvin klein underwear in the last few years - they're perfect for the gym and weekends. Or any day for that matter.

[Anonymous]

Another family of two and it's worth it for us. We even buy the food - eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables - but we do a lot of cooking at home. We have to pick and choose, but totally worth it. The NE DC is not too out of the way for us though and that one doesn't get too crowded, except for the gas lines on the weekends. I wouldn't bother with the Pentagon City one, though, unless you can go on the weekdays.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks! I'm going to join Costco! I was just thinking about food and supplies like toilet paper I didn't even consider the savings on diapers, glasses, gas and party supplies. We're planning a birthday party for LO in a couple of months so I'm definitely joining before then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks! I'm going to join Costco! I was just thinking about food and supplies like toilet paper I didn't even consider the savings on diapers, glasses, gas and party supplies. We're planning a birthday party for LO in a couple of months so I'm definitely joining before then.

It is totally worth it... but if you have any doubts, there is a free trial (1 month?) you can do.

[Anonymous]

Worth it for us. We are a family of 4.

We buy the following anywhere from twice a month to every two months:
Organic Milk
Dave's Crazy Bread (best bread ever)
Protein Bars
Protein Powder for our smoothies
Frozen organic fruit for our smoothies
Frozen Veggies
organic eggs
frozen fish
TP
Paper towels
Batteries
Tortilla Chips
cases of water
Organic chicken
Kirkland Coffee Beans (roasted by Starbucks)

[Anonymous]

Worth it! We go every 3 weeks or so and stock up.

I've had some of my best luck with rental cars through their site - I was able to cancel day of without any charge, whereas through the agency tried to charge me $250 cancellation fee.

[Anonymous]

A couple of things:
1) If you order from Costco via Instacart, you do not need to be a member.
2) if you have a Costco gift card, you can use it in the store without a membership.

So - have your Instacart shopper buy you a gift card!