How do y'all deal with Costco??? Is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

Costco is awful. We live far enough up county that the BJ’s in Columbia is close enough. It is amazing. Quite frankly I don’t know how they stay in business, because it never seems to be crowded. We cancelled our Costco membership and only use BJ’s now. Going to Costco was like going to Walmart in terms of the stress levels because of all the people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm such a Costco enthusiast. We always get paper goods, cream cheese (my kids eat a lot of bagels), milk, this semi prepared salmon with pesto butter that is insanely yummy, cheeses, dino chicken nuggets, spinach, pasta and Rao's sauce, coffee, vanilla ice cream, vitamins, coca cola, that really good French jam, peanut butter. Other stuff as well. They curate so you can find really tasty things. Their chocolate chip cookies are extremely good but they come in such a huge quantity I get them only for groups.

This. Costco is always better for the same quality and pricewise per quantity. They sell only popular, good quality products. Fresh produce - we only buy what lasts longer or can be consumed quickly like onions, salad boxes and fruits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally depends on which one you go to and when you go.

But the Pentagon City one is the inner circle of hell no matter when you go, FWIW.

This. We let our membership lapse when Pentagon City was our closest option, but now I go to Fairfax midweek all the time and it seems like a piece of cake by comparison.

Milk, for example, is $1.30/gallon less than at Giant. If you're careful and just buy basics, you can save a ton.

[Anonymous]

We don't really need it but it's nice to have OP. The lines move fast - CostCo is actually a really smart organization - there's a reason why everyone who has money goes. House brands are quality at low prices. We only have a fam of 4 but it's nice to not have to buy chicken nuggets every week for the kids' lunches! It's nice to stock on TP and seasonally, find interesting things/gifts/etc. They have really good platters for parties, event stuff, etc. It's not for everyone and I don't think you need it but if you can afford it and it's not too far from you, it's not like an option like this hurts you!

[Anonymous]

I hate it. But I'm always glad I went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm such a Costco enthusiast. We always get paper goods, cream cheese (my kids eat a lot of bagels), milk, this semi prepared salmon with pesto butter that is insanely yummy, cheeses, dino chicken nuggets, spinach, pasta and Rao's sauce, coffee, vanilla ice cream, vitamins, coca cola, that really good French jam, peanut butter. Other stuff as well. They curate so you can find really tasty things. Their chocolate chip cookies are extremely good but they come in such a huge quantity I get them only for groups.

This. Costco is always better for the same quality and pricewise per quantity. They sell only popular, good quality products. Fresh produce - we only buy what lasts longer or can be consumed quickly like onions, salad boxes and fruits.

+1

But all of you who hate it or think it’s not a good value, please go to another store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally depends on which one you go to and when you go.

But the Pentagon City one is the inner circle of hell no matter when you go, FWIW.

This is our closest Costco and the one we always go to. I love Costco. Even at Pentagon City, go right when they open or an hour before they close. It's still crowded, but they are so efficient and get you through the check out quickly.

I do have an extra freezer/fridge in the basement. I buy all our meat and fish at Costco, along with La Croix (so much cheaper than grocery store), protein drinks, vitamins, contacts and glasses. I also buy my bedding and towels there along with clothes. I recently bought a pair of leather Birkenstocks there for $75!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It entirely depends on what you buy, but you can definitely save a lot of money. Last night I paid $5.99 for quart of half and half at Safeway. I know 1000% the same brand at Costco is $2.99. Huge savings.

+1. Every single thing I buy at Costco is cheaper and better than the equivalent at the grocery store. If not, I buy it at the grocery store, which I have to go to anyway for things I don't want/can't get at Costco. But I usually spend less than $50/week at the grocery store and $100-$150/week at Costco. If Costco isn't saving you money, you are doing it wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco is for those who lack basic math skills.

I did the math. Unless the price of gas changes, the membership is worth it.

This. I max out my rewards every year on gas alone. And it does not have to be purchased from their pumps. Until we start driving less, I'm using a costco card til I die.

We make back at least 60% of our membership fee on the savings on good parmesan cheese alone.

[Anonymous]

Y'all. We belong to Costco AND Sams. And I go to each one about 2x a month. And our family only has 4 people in it! Every year we discuss dropping one (it would be Sams) but we decide that its still worth it to belong to both. AMA.

[Anonymous]

We only use it for online deliveries. Maybe we go in-person once per year, usually if headed to the beach house for the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y'all. We belong to Costco AND Sams. And I go to each one about 2x a month. And our family only has 4 people in it! Every year we discuss dropping one (it would be Sams) but we decide that its still worth it to belong to both. AMA.

What do you get at Sam's that you don't get at Costco, and vice versa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It entirely depends on what you buy, but you can definitely save a lot of money. Last night I paid $5.99 for quart of half and half at Safeway. I know 1000% the same brand at Costco is $2.99. Huge savings.

+1. Every single thing I buy at Costco is cheaper and better than the equivalent at the grocery store. If not, I buy it at the grocery store, which I have to go to anyway for things I don't want/can't get at Costco. But I usually spend less than $50/week at the grocery store and $100-$150/week at Costco. If Costco isn't saving you money, you are doing it wrong.

+2. My kids eat tons of sliced Pepperidge Farm bread. $5.79 for 2 loaves at Costco. Regular price $4.99 for 1 loaf at Giant. Sometimes Costco even has it on sale.

[Anonymous]

Definitely worth it for my family of 5. We buy our staples there- most produce, some meat, eggs, milk, butter, coffee, cream cheese, avocado oil, mayo, PB and J, TP. I like having access to it when buying food for parties— I like their dips and cheeses, and some of their desserts are really good. I find good deals on kid clothes and winter gear. When I had babies, I liked the Kirkland diapers and wipes.

Even if I didn’t shop the food anymore, I think the tire shop and gas savings are worth a membership in themselves! We’ve had our tires repaired/replaced for free several times under their warranty, which saved us a ton.

Maybe I’d feel differently if my closest store was one of the busiest, but I can get in and out of the Leesburg store much faster than a trip to Walmart or Wegman’s if I’m doing a normal-to-large grocery run.

[Anonymous]

Costco is just wild. It's basically wall to wall people any time of the day. You'd think they were giving stuff away for free the way carts are piled high.

I like that all the merchandise is high quality and relatively a good price. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of shopping. The $4.99 chicken doesn't hurt either.