Is costco worth it?

[antelopevalley]

I am considering buying a membership for Costco. I normally shop in Lidl or Aldi. With the membership fee, will I really save enough money to make this worthwhile?

Depends. We found Costco good for branded stuff but if you always buy own brand then probably not, do you have enough storage to bulk buy as that's where you can save money? We used to have a big 2nd freezer and use the spare room for bulk buying things- now we have a baby in that room so can't! Also consider the journey with the current cost of petrol.

We buy in Lidl and Costco almost exclusively . Couldn’t do without either.

I have enough space for storage, but virtually never buy branded stuff.
I was just looking at ways we could save money.

See if you have a friend or relative who has a membership and could take you as a guest to see if it would work for you?

Depends. We've been Costco members for over 20 years and I find their quality of stuff: meat, clothes, cookies etc non second to none.
Plus we have loads of storage at home so buy in bulk easily.

Petrol is usually the cheapest around so if you drive lots you will save.

I wish ours had a petrol station as it might offset the cost of the drive there

For fuel alone yes. Ours here was 10p a litre cheaper today than tesco
Meat bulk pack and divide much better quality too.
Fizzy cans cheap
Loo roll, kitchen roll etc.

Costco is amazing. Their stuff is much better quality on the whole than you get in other supermarkets. Their own brand is really good.

However the point in it is that if you spread out the cost it is cheaper but as you are buying in bulk you end up spending a lot when you go and stock up. It's cheaper in the long run but you'll fork out more when you go if that makes sense?

Would definitely suggest going as a guest with someone you know if you can to see what you think.

It’s not cheaper than Lidl.
it gives you more band width.
I buy 70% of my shop in Lidl but top up the fancy parts and quality in Costco. I can only afford Costco because I am careful at Lidl. We buy their frozen fish and fresh fish. Chicken and Mince. Sirloin steaks we buy Lidl. Worth a look but try before you commit

Not for things like fruit/veg as the packs are so massive it goes off before you can eat it! At least in our house anyway

Loo roll/kitchen roll/fizzy pop is what we go for, and cat litter as that's cheapest

Used to get petrol as it's always a few pence cheaper but then I went electric

If you know someone with a membership then definitely ask them to take you and take a photo of everything you would probably buy, come back and check prices.

We have been Costco members for about 15 years but we are on their 2% cashback which pays for the membership. We have a set list of what to buy from there and last year we went round and I filled in all the prices and came back and worked out what was cheaper and what wasn't.

I cannot fault the quality of their meat, fish and chicken. I have never had a bin liner rip on me either. I have just looked at my price list, lots of things work out cheaper like Applewood sliced smoked cheese but it comes in a massive pack rather than the teeny pack from the supermarket. I do have 2 teenage sons though so food never lasts long in this house.

I think for us the benefit of having the membership paid every year is what makes it worth while for us.

Watching with interest….I think I’m going to take the plunge….we have one about 5 miles away with a petrol station so that is making it more tempting. Also heard the cafe is worth a visit? Anyone care to confirm? My brother can’t go without getting a hotdog apparently 😂

Been a member for many years. Do a similar shop most times we go. Loo roll and kitchen roll and a five litre box of wine!
Their food, both frozen and fresh is great but they are big packages. They also prepared meals including sashimi, fajitas, butter chicken and an excellent chicken jalfrezi.
As PP's have said, it's worth getting someone who's a member to take you to see if it's worth it for you.
One warning! Beware of impulse purchases - it's really easy to spend lots andlots of money if you're not really disciplined. Make a list and stick to it.

Also bare in mind that offers are not the same all the time - so some weeks it might be that things you want are not cheaper, might even be more expensive compared to other places. My in-laws use it as an ‘additional’ shop and buy different items each time they go depending on the offers.
The cafe is super cheap, but I wouldn’t say fantastic quality!

If you live really locally to one with a petrol station it’s worth it for that alone . We’ve been members for years and I generally go every 4-6 weeks ( it’s 45 minutes away to our closest ) and bulk buy salmon fillets / haddock fillets / dishwasher tablets / laundry products / muesli/ maple syrup / coffee among other things . I don’t necessarily think everything is cheaper ( I generally shop in Tesco and M&S ) but it’s generally very good quality . You can sometimes pick up some real bargains like cheap Lego / toys / clothing . The double sided Christmas wrapping paper is excellent . I’ve recently bought a garden arbour which was an absolute bargain for how good it is . If you expect to go in and find lots of actual cheap stuff I think you’ll be disappointed.

In terms of petrol I'm about to break even on the cost of membership after about 8 weeks. (Extra card went to son and he does a lot of mileage) after that it'll be saving money on petrol alone. But we do both drive near one on way to work.

We rejoined specifically for the cheap petrol - its 20p a litre cheaper than anywhere else we’ve seen round here! Then we pop in the shop. We have always found their stuff to be good quality; and electrical goods come with a free warranty (3 years iirc)! My son in law calculated filling up 4 x in a year, pays for the membership.

We love the cafe, especially the quarter pounder hotdog with 22 oz soda, with unlimited refills for £1.50. The bbq chicken pizza is also lovely. The quality is reasonable for these kind of fast foods! I am not sure what more people expect!

Rotisserie chicken seems to be another popular loss leader! We buy the big packs of meat and separate them!

I visited recently with a friend, I enjoyed the bargains and would consider joining but have a few questions - Are they strict on the membership qualifications? If you do qualify how much is an individual membership?

Nope. Not remotely.

If, like me, you have no self control. Yes their meat is good, the loo roll good value etc. But that all pales in comparison to the life size santa, humongous swimming pool and slip and slide I've bought on my last 3 trips there 😆

I wouldn't say it's cheaper but their ready meals are excellent quality and a lifesaver during busy times. I'd never buy a ready made lasagne or shepherds pie from Tesco!
It's great for catering parties and snacks for the kids, baked goods and meat. You need to know the cost of things and be able to work out if the bigger pack sizes work out less.
We always buy

Lasagne/shepherds pie
Sushi platter
Pizza
Massive packet of ham
Brioche and pancakes for breakfast
Box of muffins or cookies
Dishwasher tablets

God yes. Been members for 20 years. Spend loads. Have lots of storage at home.

The food is excellent, and I find anything of the Costco own brand Kirkland is great, especially the baby wipes! However when we go we end up spending loads of money and/or accidentally buy something impractical like a boat or something!!

been a member for years as well - some of the stuff is cheaper and some is as cheap but way better quality

the fruit is amazing quality but big boxes - we have big family so works for us

my regular buys are coffee beans, shampoo, toothpaste, vitamins, toilet roll, dishwasher tablets, washing powder, frozen fish, fresh fish, meat, potatoes, bacon sausages, greek yoghurt, fruit, diesel, olive oil, tea bags, spices and herbs, stock cubes peanut butter

Petrol currently 15p a litre cheaper than anywhere else