The COSTCO Thread

[Jeff Lebowski]

Three-minute drive to Costco = winning.

[Donuthole]

is sam's house brand comparable to kirkland? kirkland products are pretty great.

No. Sam's brand seems to be a step up from Wal-Mart's generic brand, but it is definitely a step down from Kirkland. That said, we just don't buy enough Costco-specific stuff to make the membership worth it. For someone who regularly buys a ton of Kirkland brand stuff, Costco is definitely a good deal.

[smokymountainrain]

Three-minute drive to Costco = winning.

[Donuthole]

Then there is the well-documented phenomenon of walking out of a costco having spent fifty to a hundred dollars more than you planned to spend, and somehow failing altogether to put a dent in your spending at other stores.

We reviewed our last two year's worth of purchases at Costco and calculated that about 75% of our purchases are things we wouldn't otherwise purchase if we weren't milling around at Costco. None of the things we regularly purchase can't be purchased elsewhere. In short, Costco doesn't save us money.

Sam's is much closer to us and carries the stuff we regularly buy at Costco. Also, we'll be able to take advantage of the gas savings; we rarely get gas at Costco due to the location.

Yep.

[smokymountainrain]

Our costco membership is on the chopping block, too. It isn't terribly convenient to get to where we live right now, and there isn't one where we'll be living next year. Of the things we buy at Costco on a regular basis, most are about as cheap at walmart or other local grocery stores, especially if they're on sale. Then there is the well-documented phenomenon of walking out of a costco having spent fifty to a hundred dollars more than you planned to spend, and somehow failing altogether to put a dent in your spending at other stores.

Costco can definitely be a bad thing for the undisciplined grocery shopper.

[Pelado]

No. Sam's brand seems to be a step up from Wal-Mart's generic brand, but it is definitely a step down from Kirkland. That said, we just don't buy enough Costco-specific stuff to make the membership worth it. For someone who regularly buys a ton of Kirkland brand stuff, Costco is definitely a good deal.

I just loaded up on some Kirkland stuff the other day - laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper (still haven't ventured into flushable wipes - but that's for another thread), disinfectant wipes, milk, granola bars, etc. I'm glad we're past the diaper and baby wipe stage, which is what prompted us to finally get a membership in the first place.

[MarkGrace]

Is living within 3 minutes of a Costco a reverse humblebrag?

[smokymountainrain]

Is living within 3 minutes of a Costco a reverse humblebrag?

Someday, perhaps when you have little MarkGrace's running around, Mrs. Grace will let you move to Issaquah. Patience, my friend.

[MarkGrace]

Someday, perhaps when you have little MarkGrace's running around, Mrs. Grace will let you move to Issaquah. Patience, my friend.

lol.

Mrs. Grace would murder me if I moved her to Issaquah.

[thesaint258]

Yep.

This is what I tell my wife whenever she brings up getting a Costco membership. We're a young, newly-married couple. We don't need twenty pounds of cereal or four gallons of milk (did Costco ever stop selling two jugs bound together). Both of our parents have Costco cards, so if there's ever something we really want to buy there, we can just have someone get it for us.

[falafel]

I don't get it. Its $45 a year. Its not like you're buying a full size SUV when you have no kids to tote around. IMO, its worth it just for the higher quality meat.

[Donuthole]

This is what I tell my wife whenever she brings up getting a Costco membership. We're a young, newly-married couple. We don't need twenty pounds of cereal or four gallons of milk (did Costco ever stop selling two jugs bound together). Both of our parents have Costco cards, so if there's ever something we really want to buy there, we can just have someone get it for us.

I don't care how small your family is, every house in America should have a 64 oz. bottle of Heinz ketchup in the fridge! But yes, you are exactly right. What many Costco shoppers don't realize is that some bulk items at Costco are a great deal (paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes, etc.) but most of their bulk food is not a particularly good deal. Cereal is the perfect example. You will get cereal much cheaper on a price-per-ounce basis if you buy what is on sale at your local grocer. A lot of Costco shoppers realize this and don't care, and that's fine.

Bottom line, for 95% of people who shop there, Costco is not a money saver, it's a luxury. For the Duggars and similarly-sized Mormon families, it probably makes sense from a purely financial perspective.

[smokymountainrain]

I don't get it. Its $45 a year. Its not like you're buying a full size SUV when you have no kids to tote around. IMO, its worth it just for the higher quality meat.

I save well over $45 a year in milk alone by getting it at Costco.

[thesaint258]

I don't get it. Its $45 a year. Its not like you're buying a full size SUV when you have no kids to tote around. IMO, its worth it just for the higher quality meat.

The membership if $45 a year. The stuff that my wife would buy that we don't need is probably twice my salary. If I ever finish the patio in the backyard and get a smoker, I might reconsider my position.

[All-American]

The membership if $45 a year. The stuff that my wife would buy that we don't need is probably twice my salary. If I ever finish the patio in the backyard and get a smoker, I might reconsider my position.

That's the real issue for us. It's not the $45 per year (or $4/mo) which gets you in the door that is the problem. It's the amount you pay for stuff you don't really need when you walk out the door.

Ultimately, we found that membership did not add $4/mo of value for us.