Why is Costco so expensive?!

I must be the only one here that likes the sheet cakes. If I see one at a party I always hope I get a slice from the edge of the cake for more icing. Yes it’s sweet but I like it and it’s once in a blue moon at a birthday so don’t think it’s going to kill me

We are a family of 2 adults, 1 pre teen and 2 dogs, so we don’t find a lot of the things cheap enough to justify buying in bulk.
My friend with 2 adults & 3 kids buys loads there, but they also have a huge house with loads of storage space to store the bulk items which we don’t. She detests shopping so buys everything in bulk.
The things we do buy there are toilet paper, bottles water, dishwasher tablets which we do find cheap per item. Also homeware items.
Oh and birthday cakes. But the fresh food stuff is not worth it for us unless we were hosting a party or something

It was compulsory when I was at work. If I let slip we'd been and there wasn't a Carrot cake for the team they'd have gone on strike 😉

I do love Costco but yes, those giant cakes are awful. I did get a couple for large parties when the kids were little, but they are unbearably sweet & tasteless. Also not compulsory 😂

Yes they are delicious! Shame they only come in packs of 9 as only 2 of us in the household eat mince pies, but I give a couple to my mum and a couple to my dad and step mum, then DD and I share the rest.
I’ve never bought one of the giant cakes, or ever been to an event where they’ve been served so can’t comment on that particular product, but I will say that it isn’t compulsory to buy them when you shop at Costco, which appears to be a misconception that some on thread have 🤔

Any person with even a tiny bit of intelligence knows that the comment The vibe of huge boxes of UPF sheet cakes, massive jugs of syrup and people pushing big overflowing trollies around a warehouse was all a bit too American was designed to be a negative (and snobby) portrayal of Americans, and the faux naive ‘I didn’t mean to be snobby, I was just sharing my thoughts’ doesn’t really wash.

I’ve been a member for about 20 yrs and never bought a giant cake , they just don’t appeal but the large sponge topped mince pies at Christmas are the best , they are the only mince pies my husband will eat .

Well, I didn’t mean it as snobbish so I’ll take your feedback onboard, I was just sharing my thoughts on Costco and that it wasn’t for me.

Someone else’s opinion might be that I don’t have enough friends for a giant cake and my house is too small and lacking in storage to keep extra items. Many people feel the stereotypical American way of shopping is superior and desire it.

Aargh, had a dash into Costco for muffins yesterday to take to friends. Wish I’d read this thread earlier. Would have grabbed some shirts.

The vibe of huge boxes of UPF sheet cakes, massive jugs of syrup and people pushing big overflowing trollies around a warehouse was all a bit too American

No, doesn't sound snobbish at all. 🙄

Exactly this - and all Large Crew T-shirts sold out at mine yesterday.

It read as snobbish/ anti American to me too.

The trope of American overconsumption is clear in your remarks.

Thank you to @Mumtobabyhavocfor setting people straight on American (and probably Canadian) shopping habits and ability to store larger size packaging in pantries and fridges/ freezers.

I am in the US and my DS, who I mentioned, lives in an area where the nearest supermarket that stocks fresh vegetables is 75 miles away on rural roads. It's a Walmart, and he pushes a nice full trolley load of food and supplies around it and out to his car about once a month.

DS buys all sorts of useful items in Costco when he's back in civilisation - most recently a Ninja blender at a ridiculously low price. We've bought laptops, winter outerwear, baking supplies, kitchen essentials like foil and parchment paper, and more. The Costco pharmacy is very efficiently run.

The big bags of raw frozen prawns are good value, we use it each year to cater DS' birthday party, (not the cakes but sandwich platters, cookies etc) , for us it's worth it for the petrol alone, tyres were also a good price. I bought a litre each of Fillipo Berio garlic olive oil and chilli olive oil for £11 , in Waitrose the 250ml bottles are £5.95
They're also the only place I can find a big bottle of vanish gold liquid and that stuff is brilliant.

I suspect many people fill their trollies with stuff they're buying for relatives who are not members. Whenever DS is in town he loads up his car with a lot of Costco stuff but also gets items for me - paper towels, huge packs of TP, big tubs of nuts, etc.

I rarely go myself as I can always find better prices elsewhere (mainly Aldi) and grocery items in small enough packaging to store.

It wasn’t intended as snobbish, more of a reflection of what I have seen in America - and, as you have clarified, it is also your experience of shopping in America/Canada. Just like it’s well known that French people buy fresh bread from the bakers every day, it’s just a different way.

However, I don’t have lots of storage, I don’t want to stockpile groceries, and I don’t live far away from shops. So it doesn’t suit me. It does suit others.

Vat registered businesses can reclaim vat charged by supermarkets too! They just need a VAT receipt.

No, everyone must pay the VAT included price. Some retailers will be able to claim the VAT back.

I hate it. Just find it too big and the warehouse type set up unpleasant to shop in.

Its for trade, and for trade accounts the VAT is taken off, therefore a lot cheaper than Tesco, Aldi etc

I got an amazing spec laptop for £850. The closest spec comparison at currys was ON SALE at £1,800.

I could say ‘Why are Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, Co-Op, etc., etc., so expensive ?’. Or, why is this or that supermarket so cheap and nasty ? It’s all about research, buying what you need/want and checking prices and quality.

If you are the sort of person who gets sucked in by ‘want’ as opposed to ‘need’ then that’s down to you (try not to buy the 6’ reindeer at Christmas !). We visit every 3-4 weeks and stock up on things we need/want which we know are good price and/or quality. As others have said, their meat is excellent quality and as we have a big freezer we are OK to buy in bulk.

If Costco really was ‘so expensive’ they would go out of business.

people pushing big overflowing trollies around a warehouse was all a bit too American

I'll ignore the snobbish comment and offensive disdain and, instead, offer an explanation based on my own assessment. Americans, and Canadians, typically live a greater distance from shopping centres making driving a necessity and frequent shopping difficult. Hence the big shops done weekly and stocking up a necessity. We tend to have larger storage spaces and bigger fridges/freezers in our homes as a result.

It took me a while to work out a shopping strategy.
Meat gets split into smaller portions and put into the freezer, for example. Milk and egg prices are comparable in price to grocery stores here, except organic works out cheaper. Yoghurt, maple syrup (real and pure), baking ingredients and bread are all considerably less expensive (approx 1/3 more for the price). Ready meals are very good deals. We occasionally buy a large chicken pie for about $12 CAD and always buy a rotisserie chicken $7.99CAD and most regular stores sell them for $12.99CAD on average.
Fitness equipment, clothing, cleaning products, everything, really, is a good deal. You just have to prioritize you main needs before branching out. Stock up on basics first. My cash back reward each year covers at least a full weekly shop, if not more. And customer service for returns is the best bar none.

I was going to mention the naans and forgot. They're also very cheap, about £3 for a 5 pack. They also do really good part bake ciabattas.

We regularly buy toilet rolls, kitchen towel rolls, kitchen foil, cling film, detergent, laundry cleanser, thick bleach and fuel from Costco.

Yes, their naan is lovely. The only shop bought naan that comes even close to tasting like it does in an Indian restaurant.