We live in Silver Spring about 5 minutes from the Wheaton Costco. It gets crowded there but for us it is worth it. In particular, we get produce and other food as well as toilet paper and paper towels. The cereal is a much better price than elsewhere, and sometimes is on sale. We go frequently enough that we know what we will actually use and what we are better off getting in a smaller quantity somewhere else. We love the very generous return policy.

It is worth it for a family of 4 or more I think. We have a higher membership and the cash back we get at the end of the year covers the membership. We get so much stuff from there. I don't know if it is worth is for 4 times per year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends where you're located. I signed up, but I hate the pentagon city location and rarely went. Not renewing my membership because it isn't worth the hassle for me.

NP and that's my issue as well, the Pentagon City location seems to always be a sh*tshow. Anyone know if the other locations in NoVa are any better?

Any other costco is better than the pentagon city costco. That place is a zoo

The consensus on the other recent thread about Costco is that you should shop at Aldi and buy/Drive a Prius

YES

We bought the groupon deal a few weeks ago- $60 I think and included a gift card. I've always been skeptical on whether it was worth it but I figured this was a good chance to give it a try.

Anonymous wrote:It depends where you're located. I signed up, but I hate the pentagon city location and rarely went. Not renewing my membership because it isn't worth the hassle for me.

NP and that's my issue as well, the Pentagon City location seems to always be a sh*tshow. Anyone know if the other locations in NoVa are any better?

You may want to confirm this but I heard that if you have a Costco gift card they'll let you in and use it as a membership card.

Here's a link that mentions it too:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-levitte/10-ways-non-members-can-shop-at-costco_b_9399312.html

I'm not a big fan of costco myself. Some of the stuff you mentioned, like the meat, is expensive overall. The quality is better and combined with the portion, makes it more money than I'd normally spend on it.

But even with that I think that the savings still pays for itself based on what we do get from there.

Maybe you can try the gift card and see how you like it.

There was a thread about this a few weeks ago with a number of great points.

It depends where you're located. I signed up, but I hate the pentagon city location and rarely went. Not renewing my membership because it isn't worth the hassle for me.

I'd say you'll get your money's worth in buying beer and wine alone.

You can go do a "preview" and look at their selection. Some stores have better than others.

We don't buy meats there other than chicken. We eat a lot of chicken and the other packs of meat are just too large and end up getting freezer burn.

We do buy lots of veggies and fruits there. It's cheaper to get those out of season there than at the grocery store.

No little kids, so I don't buy those kinds of items, but we do buy household items like laundry soap, dish soap, etc.

Also, it's great around the holidays for gift baskets to take to parties and whatnot.

It was worth it I think when our children were small: diapers, wipes, etc. Now, I don't bother. I have always hated going there.

I've been a member of Sam's Club (no Costco's in my area growing up) since 1997 and never once regretted paying my $45/year.

We buy:

-gas savings (both at home and while traveling)
-paper goods
-beer/wine/holiday liquor gift sets
-gallon jugs of shampoo with the pump
-other bath items like razors, deodorant, lotion
-baby stuff like diapers, Gerber puffs, formula
-hosting a BBQ, baptism brunch, open house? Buy it all at Costco
-seasonal things: ginormous beach towels, holiday gift boxes, Christmas ornaments
-laundry detergent, dishwasher packs
-motor oil, auto cleaning supplies

You could probably do most of this on Amazon, but I'm old school and DH and I enjoy a lesirely stroll through the big box store now and then.

We have been considering joining Costco, but I'm not sure it is worth the money. We don't eat a ton of meat, so we wouldn't take advantage of the bargains there. Also, its unlike we would buy fruit and vegetables as I doubt we'd make it there more than 4 times a year. I was thinking of using it for household products and beer and wine. Any thoughts on whether a membership is worth it for only those reasons?

Thanks!