Costco/BJ's or Sam's Club... Are you a fan?

[quince]

I like Costco. Tortilla chips are cheaper, dried fruit, eggs, the sourdough bread I love is about half the price as in Safeway.- Pretty sure I save the $50 on bread alone. Butter is cheaper.  

We probably spend more on other things- things that are too expensive for the level of quality elsewhere, but priced right at Costco. I like Kirkland beef franks.  Also, cheesecake. Good bagels. Husband likes their salsa. 

I buy diapers and such from Amazon now but I think with the current fetus I will price check Costco v. Amazon.

Also, pizzas. When we go to Costco we get a pizza, or risk our son rebelling. Inexpensive, good enough. We had a very nice deep dish that was $40 a couple of weeks a go when a friend was over, and it was not, in fact, $30 better than Costco pizza.

[justme]

I have a bjs. A Costco is going in literally next door to my bjs and odds are I'm going to get that membership too. Less for the discount of buying bulk, though I now have storage and can do that, and more for what they have that I can't get anywhere else or I can't get for less money.

Like cheesecake factory cheesecake or parmesan from Italy for like 8 a pound less than my regular grocery. The cheese and prosciutto alone basically pay for my membership.

[sarcasticgirl]

I heart Costco for so many reasons. It is just me and DH and we put our membership to use.

Sent from my SM-G920T using proboards

[quince]

I want cheesecake.

[milee]

We love Costco and the check we get back at the end of the year more than covers the cost of the membership. And since it's only 2 miles away, it's very convenient.  The stuff we get there that's a lot less expensive for the same or higher quality than other local stores:

Cases of paper and some types of office supplies like pens

Eyeglasses (for teen son who understandably wants to try them on.  I order from Zenni which is even less expensive than Costco.)

Wine and hard liquor

Meats - a little less expensive than Publix and the quality is a lot better

Rotisserie chicken - at $5 for 3lb+ a bargain

Cheese - approx. 1/2 the price of other stores

Bagged salad (love that superfood salad with the cranberries and pumpkin seeds), spinach and kale - usually about 2/3 the price of the local stores

Veggie trays for parties - precut broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and celery plus dip for $10; similar size would be almost $40 at Publix

Fresh dates

Ziploc baggies - once or twice a year when they're on super sale

Greek yogurt (Fage) - about 2/3 the price of other stores

Butter - about 1/2 the price of other stores

Frozen fruit - especially organic cherries and organic blueberries - about 1/2 the price of Publix if you could even find organic

Bulk nuts - walnuts, almonds - about 1/2 price of other stores except Trader Joe's, which has close pricing

Dried fruit - we eat a lot of mango and cranberries - about 1/2 the price of Publix.  Trader Joe's has about the closest prices

Trail Mix, Gum - occasional treat, but it's about 2/3 the cost

The general produce - other than the bagged salads and the veggie trays - is not any less expensive than what we have locally and the way it's packaged often means I'd have to buy too much or some could be spoiled without me knowing until I open it, so I don't buy much produce there.

[justme]

Feb 14, 2016 22:18:50 GMT -5 quince said:

I want cheesecake.

I think I may go take a slice out of the freezer - totally worth the membership price!

[Jaguar]

I love Costco, and go there a couple times a month. Worth it to me.

[bookkeeper]

DH and I had a rain day here in Arizona back in January and we decided to go visit both Costco and Sam's with a friend of ours who had both memberships.

I was going for a roll of aluminum foil.  The commercial rolls of heavy duty foil were $22.  DH does a lot of grilling and we go through foil like water.  The roll I bought for our midwestern house has lasted over 4 years.  I like not running out or feeling guilty because we use so much.

Other things we bought that day were olives, spices, coffee, shirts and some nuts.  Neither store are close to where we live in the midwest, so I don't get too excited about getting my own membership.

When our sons were still living at home, I had a Sam's Club membership.  Softener salt and garbage bags were enough of a savings to pay for the yearly membership.  

My brother and sister in law shop at the warehouse clubs several times a year, because my sister in law does not want to run to the grocery store for toilet paper or laundry soap.  She buys a year's worth at a time, but they are still raising their family so time is at a premium.

I personally think that laundry soap should come in 55 gallon barrels and get delivered to your house once a year.  I have other theories on how to streamline life for the housewife. 

[murphath]

I'll go to Costco with my daughter when she is visiting as she has a membership.  Since it's just DH and I, I find I can do better by playing the drugstore, grocery store coupon/rebate game.  It does take some effort to learn the system, and the game has changed significantly since Extreme Couponing aired, but I can still get paper products, soap, toothpaste and other health/beauty items for free or pretty close to it.  However, if I didn't have the time to do the above, I would definitely get a membership.  The prices for coffee, milk, bread, eggs etc is awesome.

With that said, when we are having a big event, such as graduation parties, wedding reception etc. in our backyard, I always go to Costco for the food, beer, and wine.  Soft drinks I can get for free via MyCokeRewards (I find the caps on the ground during my hiking adventures--stop littering, people!--even tho it gets me free Coke).

My husband had a Sam's membership when the restaurant was open.  He preferred Sam's because they opened earlier for merchants and they would special order stuff for him.  Since he retired/closed the restaurant, he did not renew the membership.

[skubikky]

I use the free 60-day guest memberships that BJ's Wholesale puts out.
I do this about 2-3x a year. 

It works out well.
I like that I can combine their in store coupons with MCs.
And, if a package has 24 and I have 4 coupons for 6 each, in the past, they've let me stack them.
When and if I can do this then I'll buy dishwasher tabs and anything that I can get a better deal than in Wegmans or Tops with coupons.

I cherry pick what I buy there as quite often I can do better with doubled coupons on smaller packages in the groceries.
But, the prices for butter, english muffins, Applewood meat products, and some of the produce, are very good.

I've never been comfortable with the model of paying for a "membership" to purchase products.

Even though their gas is lower I can do better with my CC points and other stations that are close in price.

I do enjoy walking around the store.
 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Costco's optical department is excellent.

I just ordered my hard gas permeable lenses, and paid $79/pair for them.  The ones I ordered through the university were $180.  As my lenses are not 'off the rack' link soft lenses are, I was really leery about ordering them online.  

[Ryan]

I used to belong to Sam's, but wasn't all that impressed.  Costco is awesome though....totally awesome.  We pretty much buy what we can there and then fill-in at the grocery store.  There are certain things I'll always buy at Costco (like carrots) because they are cheaper, but depending on the season certain things are more expensive there.  Still though, it's very easy to find a handful of a products that are big savings that will basically pay for the hassle of the trip.  I can think of a bunch of things off the top of my head that are worth the cost of the membership.

At the risk of sounding like an old man, you can really find some awesome deals on clothes there.  It's hit/miss, but I always keep my eyes open when I'm walking through there.  I'm at the point now where practically my entire winter wardrobe is stuff I bought at Costco.  BOOYA

[chiver78]

Feb 14, 2016 13:47:59 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

In the early days of our married life we had a Costco membership but realized being just the 2 of us it was not really benefiting us.

We currently routinely get those offers from BJ's free 60-90 days memberships etc. We got one around Christmas and my wife decided to use it because it was right around the time we were going to have a party. She was overall happy with it.

That membership ends at the end of Feb so we decided to use it again today before it expires and decide one and for all if we want to spend the money on a membership. $217.59 later... Still not sure!

The lady checking us out said: if you spend more than $200/month here you might need to upgrade your membership (we spend on average $600-800/month on groceries).

We like it because it would require that we make less trip to the store but then I will work in a grocery store ... Duh!
- having to buy less often (good)
- but the bigger portions/boxes takes up way more space (bad)
- Meat packaging : ground beef will probably last 4 meals... So do we cook it all once or separate it in individual zip lock bags? Same with chicken breasts, pork and beef steaks. Mmmm... Sound like a lot of work!


How about you? A fan or not?

is there a cap on what you can spend or something?

I have a BJ's membership from when my mom worked in the corporate offices, free to me. they haven't noticed that her membership accounts were never discontinued when she quit, so I'll ride this as long as it goes.       I don't go very often, the closest one is in Hyannis and that's a huge PITA. I tend to get cheese, bulk meats, paper products mostly.

I wish there was a Costco closer to me, the Kirkland brand is really good. no way I'm driving all the way up to Stoughton from the Cape just to go there, though!

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2016 12:27:10 GMT -5 murphath said:

Soft drinks I can get for free via MyCokeRewards (I find the caps on the ground during my hiking adventures--stop littering, people!--even tho it gets me free Coke).

I do that, too, except that I trade my points for Amazon credits!

Back to the OT- DH and I use a lot of vitamins and supplements; not only are the Costco prices great, but I trust their selection of brands.

[ArchietheDragon]

I am not a fan of the club buying model, be it Costco, BJs, Sams or other. 

[Deleted]

Costco fan here for all the reasons listed. I've never had a problem with the quality of anything I've bought. It's the closest grocery store to me, a fluke of exactly where I live, there's a traditional grocery store about 5 km away. BF has a lot of his clothes from there, especially pants and golf shirts. Good price for good quality for men's clothes. I'm not so impressed with the women's clothes but there are some finds there too occasionally. I also really like their prepared foods. A whole new world of fast dinner and it seems healthier than a lot of prepped foods.

[Gardening Grandma]

Costco fans here as well.  We don't generally buy produce since it's just us two.  
I like the consistency of their prices.  They may not beat every sale around, but I can go there and not worry about looking for sale/coupons.  The quality is good (their meats are the best in either of the towns I shop in). I freeze meats in smaller portions.  Yes, it's a bit of work, but worth it, imo.  I like their frozen fish (individually vacum sealed).
I like the customer service.  I like knowing they treat their employees well.  I like their return policy.
$55/year membership fee is a bargain for us.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Feb 15, 2016 13:45:37 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Feb 14, 2016 13:47:59 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

In the early days of our married life we had a Costco membership but realized being just the 2 of us it was not really benefiting us.

We currently routinely get those offers from BJ's free 60-90 days memberships etc. We got one around Christmas and my wife decided to use it because it was right around the time we were going to have a party. She was overall happy with it.

That membership ends at the end of Feb so we decided to use it again today before it expires and decide one and for all if we want to spend the money on a membership. $217.59 later... Still not sure!

The lady checking us out said: if you spend more than $200/month here you might need to upgrade your membership (we spend on average $600-800/month on groceries).

We like it because it would require that we make less trip to the store but then I will work in a grocery store ... Duh!
- having to buy less often (good)
- but the bigger portions/boxes takes up way more space (bad)
- Meat packaging : ground beef will probably last 4 meals... So do we cook it all once or separate it in individual zip lock bags? Same with chicken breasts, pork and beef steaks. Mmmm... Sound like a lot of work!


How about you? A fan or not?

is there a cap on what you can spend or something?

I have a BJ's membership from when my mom worked in the corporate offices, free to me. they haven't noticed that her membership accounts were never discontinued when she quit, so I'll ride this as long as it goes.       I don't go very often, the closest one is in Hyannis and that's a huge PITA. I tend to get cheese, bulk meats, paper products mostly.

I wish there was a Costco closer to me, the Kirkland brand is really good. no way I'm driving all the way up to Stoughton from the Cape just to go there, though!

There is not a cap on spending; they higher tier memberships allow for cash back rewards. 

Feb 15, 2016 14:47:12 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

I am not a fan of the club buying model, be it Costco, BJs, Sams or other. 

Neither is my husband; he's given in though. 






Our closest Costco is 65 miles from our house via a two-lane, curvy highway. We like it so much, we have a membership. We go at least once per month. When we are on other travels to other towns, we usually schedule a Costco stop. Because we often have guests--our last round was Super Bowl Sunday with  12 people joining us--we do buy much of what we serve from Costco. However, @bamafan1954, the Costco is 65 miles in the other direction from where the after party is. So, we would have done that, but alas, it just doesn't work this time. 

[daisy]

Major Costco fans here!  We are about 30ish miles away from ours so when we go, we stock up.  Lately though we don't buy what we used to - we get all of our meat from a friend who sells to us at their cost (beef, pork, chicken and eggs) and I make soap and laundry detergent so all of that is crossed off of our list.  

Butter, milk, toothpaste, tp, vitamins, granola bars are all staples.  We buy sugar and flour in the big bags and put them in containers because we do a lot of baking - confectioner's sugar too.  I buy olive oil there for the business because the price is fantastic; it only went up .99 with all of the OO issues going on right now so I'm happy about that!

I agree that their cakes are quite tasty and reasonably priced, we end up with them for all the birthdays in the family.  Gas prices are good, I love the fact that they pay their employees well and you can always find help when you need it.  DH loves all the interesting 'things' they have for sale - neon colored kitchen utensils, kayaks, tools...I usually have to drag him out of there.

[murphath]

22 hours ago murphath said:

Soft drinks I can get for free via MyCokeRewards (I find the caps on the ground during my hiking adventures--stop littering, people!--even tho it gets me free Coke).




Athena replied
I do that, too, except that I trade my points for Amazon credits!



Back to the OT- DH and I use a lot of vitamins and supplements; not only are the Costco prices great, but I trust their selection of brands.


I have gold status, too, for MyCokeRewards.  I'm doing the Camino de Santiago walk this May/June and used a ton of points to get the Amazon credits to buy gear:  bought 4 pairs of hiking socks and a SolCool Hoody.  I've almost got enough pts. for another $20 credit so will probably buy another pair of hiking socks (low rise this time).  Love getting me some free stuff.  I also do MyPoints and have $75 in REI gift cards.  Working on another $25 card and will then hit REI for some other gear: sleeping bag liner etc.  Thus, I've pretty much gotten all my stuff for free.  Bought my hiking shoes at Sports Authority (Moab Ventilators priced at $89.99) minus $10 off coupon.  Used gift cards purchased at a 15% discount at giftcardgranny so $68 plus tax.  This is how I roll, LOL!

[HoneyBBQ]

I <3 Costco but it is SO. DAMNED. BUSY. We are in the birthplace of Costco (Kirkland, anyone?) and there are just not enough for the rich Seattle gluttons that run there 3 times a week.

I usually go 1x a month and spend 6-800$ a pop with a towering cart. Mostly I buy food products and meat. Also TP, paper towels, beer, and toilet paper.

[whoami]

Yikes I feel sorry for some of you guys distance wise....

I have one Costco built in the last year that is about 2 miles from me and the other around 6 miles from me.  We also have 2 Sams within 6-7 miles.

I usually go during the week and its never crazy busy although Costco is definitely more efficient when it comes to checking out.

[kittensaver]

Another huge Costco fan here. I buy many of the same things that others list here, and for many of the same reasons. And yes, the annual rebate covers the cost of our annual membership.

There's one right next to the freeway (ridiculously easy on-and-off) on my direct route between work and home. Their gas is routinely 20 to 60 cents cheaper per gallon than anywhere else.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Feb 16, 2016 11:11:09 GMT -5 HoneyBBQ said:

I <3 Costco but it is SO. DAMNED. BUSY. We are in the birthplace of Costco (Kirkland, anyone?) and there are just not enough for the rich Seattle gluttons that run there 3 times a week.

I usually go 1x a month and spend 6-800$ a pop with a towering cart. Mostly I buy food products and meat. Also TP, paper towels, beer, and toilet paper.

You ought to try coming north if you want to see busy.  A couple years ago, probably 75% of the cars in the local Costco parking lot were Canadian.  Trying to get into the store at ANY time was a zoo.  In fact, it got to the point where when I needed to go to Costco, I'd drive down to Burlington and use that one as the place wasn't so much of a madhouse.  Driving 20 extra miles one way to save some sanity seemed worth it!

These days, with the US $ so strong against the Canadian $, I noted to TD yesterday that I doubt that 15% of the cars in the Costco lot were Canadian.  It has really hurt the local business.

I can't imagine going there 3x/week.  Normally, we'll go around twice/mo unless we're making a trip for something specific.  For instance, yesterday TD needed some glasses he bought there adjusted.  We stopped briefly in the clothes section as he was looking for jeans.  He bought a bunch of the Kirkland jeans that he was wearing all the time, but they're wearing out.  He went back to buy some more and they are no longer there.  A little research we did said that they changed their supplier and said supplier was providing a shoddy product, so they stopped carrying them.  

Our normal Costco run is about $200.

[siralynn]

Love Costco. We're fortunate to have one only about 4 miles away, and relative to other Costco stores, it's not completely crowded and insane. You can go on a Saturday afternoon and still navigate/get through the lines in a reasonable amount of time, and if you go on a weekday evening, you're golden.

We've got two small kids and buy many staples at Costco:
- milk
- diapers
- wipes
- Kleenex
- paper towels
- dishwasher detergent
- laundry detergent
- pre-cooked chickens
- meats (the ribeyes are excellent and a occasional splurge, and we've served their pre-seasoned pork spareribs to rave reviews at several get-togethers)
- fruits/veggies (especially bell peppers, pre-cut squash/sweet potato, apples, berries when they're in season, Superfood salad, cherry tomatoes)
- yogurt
- butter
- eggs
- shampoo/conditioner
- bourbon
- cereal
- pseudoephedrine
- etc.

We'd get gas there, but our local one doesn't have pumps. (I occasionally still buy Costco gas near work.) We've purchased Costco tires a couple of different times over the years.

For me Costco is a great intersection of customer service, quality, good price, and convenience. The prices aren't always the best you can do, but they're consistently pretty low and you don't have to spend time chasing sales/coupons all over the place. And we've definitely made use of their excellent return policy, including halfway through a 2-year 24 Fitness membership when the local gym closed, and 24 Fitness told us "tough crap - go to the one 15 miles away."

[sapphire12]

I like Costco and it is just me. Gas alone pays for my membership. I also get tires there every few years. I purchase toilet paper twice a year. On the regular, I purchase rotisserie chicken, bulk tuna, 6-layer dip salsa that I have made a staple. I buy frozen fruit once a month or every 6 weeks for smoothies. My yoga pants are from Costco. They have Talls in the store. Their athletic hoodies and tops fit me great as well. I have broad shoulders and long arms; never a problem with the Kirkland fit. Last year, I bought my packable down jacket from Costco. It came in it's own bag and it was perfect for lugging around on my trip as I had it attached to my back pack. I didn't need the jacket until I flew into Munich on my way home and it was cinch to take it out and put on while walking through the airport and it keeps me warm. I get many compliments on the jacket. I'll lug it around Australia and New Zealand as well, though I may not need it coming home from that trip. Woot.

[MN-Investor]

DH commented earlier today about the amount a co-worker said he spent at Costco, saying we certainly didn't spend that much.

With Quicken, it's easy to add up all our Costco charges. In the 41 months we have been members, we have charged $7,390.52 for gas, and $12,272.36 in the store. That averages to $480/month!

Wow.

That amount does include a Toshiba laptop, a Nikon D5200 camera, and an Apple iPad Air 2.

But still. Wow.

[NastyWoman]

Feb 16, 2016 19:32:28 GMT -5 MN-Investor said:

DH commented earlier today about the amount a co-worker said he spent at Costco, saying we certainly didn't spend that much.

With Quicken, it's easy to add up all our Costco charges. In the 41 months we have been members, we have charged $7,390.52 for gas, and $12,272.36 in the store. That averages to $480/month!

Wow.

That amount does include a Toshiba laptop, a Nikon D5200 camera, and an Apple iPad Air 2.

But still. Wow.

If they still have that service in a couple of years I will probably beat you in one day → I fully intend to buy my next car through their service!

[siralynn]

Feb 16, 2016 19:51:58 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Feb 16, 2016 19:32:28 GMT -5 MN-Investor said:

DH commented earlier today about the amount a co-worker said he spent at Costco, saying we certainly didn't spend that much.

With Quicken, it's easy to add up all our Costco charges. In the 41 months we have been members, we have charged $7,390.52 for gas, and $12,272.36 in the store. That averages to $480/month!

Wow.

That amount does include a Toshiba laptop, a Nikon D5200 camera, and an Apple iPad Air 2.

But still. Wow.

If they still have that service in a couple of years I will probably beat you in one day → I fully intend to buy my next car through their service!

For what it's worth, I was able to beat the "Costco price" on my last car by several thousand dollars just by emailing the Internet sales departments at early dealer I was willing to drive to.

[Deleted]

A couple more Costco benefits: we're having a new A/C system installed and their contractor came in $400 less than the other company we consulted, for the same equipment. That's before the 2% rebate, which we'll also get with the Executive membership. Last year their bid for the furnace replacement wasn't competitive, but it was good to get a second bid anyway. I really like the fact that they have a limited selection of brands. I can assume that they did the legwork and picked out the best of the best; they did quote a range of efficiency levels.

Also- DH got hearing aids there in 2014,m which is what led us to Costco in the first place. If you're over 50, you probably get junk mail from a ton of hearing aid dealers. Just yesterday I saw a TV commercial offering a free hearing test to the first 50 people who called RIGHT NOW and a $25 gift card. Hearing aids are big business; DH got a pair 10 years ago and they were something like $5,000 for both. He lost one and the other stopped working. Costco had one brand and it was $2,600 for the pair. There were no add-ons; the warranty and even insurance against loss were included. I was really impressed with the technology; they even have a remote control. When I need new glasses, I'll use their Optical department.