Talk to me about Costco?

[Mykittensmittens]

I can get a membership based on DHs work.

I'm weighing up if it’s worth it - the nearest store is 30 miles away but I do pass by it with work once a month or so, so not necessarily making a journey specifically.

we have a decent sized garage and lots of empty plastic storage tubs. I was specifically thinking of stocking up on items I repeat buy in Lidl/aldi and wondering if it’s genuinely better economy to do this via Costco?

ie pasta, tinned tomatoes, tinned fish, long life juices, squash, I think mostly ‘pantry’ type foods.

the store in question is Derby if that makes a difference (it doesn’t look huge)

thanks

You need a strategy with Costo. As others have said, things aren't necessarily cheaper and you can easily go in and spend £200 wondering how it happened.

We have standard items we buy (toilet paper, trinned sweetcorn, maple syrup, flaxseed, washing powder, baked beans, cacao powder, hot chocolate, wraps, grated mozzarella) but will only buy them if cheaper than other shops. These particular items usually are but I check the prices before we go.

Then there are things we check when we're there, so depending on how much we've spent above we might also get fresh food eg camenbert, burgers, hot dogs and have a general peruse of the fresh food aisles to see what might be a good deal or what we fancy. We always check out the bakery section which is dangerous and usually buy the huge box of delicious cookies and definitely the mince pies at Christmas.

We also get seasonal items eg Christmas presents, wrapping paper (which is outstanding value and quality) and in general stock up on books or activity packs for the present draw for children's party gifts. Good quality and cheaper than the shops. We also look out for clothes and shoes at a good price.

We nearly always pick up a couple of rotisserie chickens to shred and put in the freezer or one of their huge pizzas.

Ours is about 40 min drive from us so we always integrate into a trip to do something else and have a museum membership with activities for children nearby, so it's always worth it for us. We love the cafe at the end too.

Idahoan mash is sold in both Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Probably not as cheap as Costco but no doubt cheaper than Amazon for those who want to try it or are missing it

Toilet roll is definitely cheaper than Tesco it's one of their loss leaders

Doesn't seem to be any more! We went at the weekend (derby) because we usually buy their loo roll, it always used to be about £12 for 40, its now £18. Much cheaper to buy elsewhere.

We only go for the free damp!as and petrol but we are only 15 mins drive away

Derby is my closest one. At the moment it's a bit of a nightmare getting in it due to the lower cost of petrol. Cars are queuing around the roundabout. A new Tim Hortons has just opened off the same roundabout which again is affecting the queuing to get in.
Costco at Derby now have number recognition system which limits how long you can stay in store [ due to when Derby play at home ].

Saying all that, I love shopping at Costco. You do do to check out prices, but it is great for bulk buying. I buy a lot of Kirkland stuff rather than branded. Loo rolls, dishwasher tablets, washing powder. I like their meats too, I buy them and divide them up to freeze.

If it does tyres definitely worth considering as you can get better quality tyre for same price as a cheaper one elsewhere. There also rotate the tyres so new ones go on the back, if you're having two done. Their opticians are good and the glasses / lenses better quality than specsavers, who I used before. With regards other items you need to know your prices and not be tempted by things you don't need.

A lot of it is branded products at cheaper than supermarket prices, but maybe not as cheap as own brands. Electrical goods are usually cheap but not guaranteed so check other company prices. Meat is good and competitively priced, fresh ready prepared food always looks great and good prices. Fruit and veg also good. I usually end up spending much more than intended! Have a look at their online store it doesn't have everything, but gives an idea, I used it during lockdown.

We love Costco!

The first time you go you will probably end up spending loads in excitement but after a couple of trips you learn what is/isn't good value for money.

I always walk around with the Tesco website open on my phone comparing prices per litre/per 100g etc as that's where you will see the savings. Kirkland their own brand is generally in line with supermarket branded things price wise but the quality is excellent, second a pp who says you need a pair of their sheepskin boots!

On our big every time list we have:
Loo roll (although this has gone up from £12 to £14 at ours)
Kitchen towel
Tinned tomatoes / pasata
Coffee
Tea bags
Tuna
Microwave rice
Granola
Frozen food
Cheese / yoghurt
Bakery goods
Something from the fresh section for tea that night (expensive but delicious!)
Shower gel
Deodorant
Rennies
Dog food

Also try and avoid going at the weekend, you can get free samples as you go round which is good but it's otherwise like hell on earth.

Their own brand stuff is generally very good quality and a lot cheaper - in the states (so I assume here), they have these items manufactured by ‘premium brand’ suppliers and rebadged (so you are getting the same quality but they are a fair bit cheaper).

I have just out my order in for a load of Christmas stuff (I order for a couple of relatives too so we get a load of stuff!). Good for cooking oil, herbs, nuts, seeds, UHT milk, biscuits and sweeties… the sizes are much larger - so the olive oil I buy in the shops is 500ml but there it’s 750ml .

My sister buys huge washing power bags and sacks of dog food.

some stuff is dearer. I just have an online membership so I don’t go into the stores and get it delivered (flat fee £5.99). I probably order once a quarter.

Not cheaper than supermarkets generally but quality is much better.
Petrol usually 5-6p per litre cheaper and diesel is premium brand.
Tyres - much cheaper for top quality Michelins etc.
Baked potato with chilli and cheese in the cafe for £2.50!
We buy their Kirkland brand laundry powder, kitchen roll, toilet rolls, foil, cling film, bin bags.
Fresh produce great quality - we had the nicest strawberries and peaches I've eaten for a while over the summer.
Bakery - the croissants, Danishes, scones and blueberry muffins are lovely. They did a gingerbread muffin at this time of year but haven't seen them for a couple of years, sadly.
Meat is good although check labelling as they do sell some US pork products. We were using the large Cumberland sausages on the BBQ over summer and they were delicious.
Ready meals - chicken jalfrezi is lovely but your fridge will smell of garlic!
The cottage pies/lasagnes are good to have in the freezer and I could possibly eat a whole tray of macaroni cheese all by myself.
Non food items - I have some of their sheepskin slippers which are lovely and DH has jeans and business shirts which seem to last years. And we buy multipacks of socks.
Good for bestseller type books and stationery sets for kids birthday presents and the giftwrap sets are lovely and last ages.

Oh my panatone that I bought for around £10 is usually sold for £16+ (one chichi grocery store near us had them for £20 last year!). Identical ones! Good for Christmas biscuits/sweets for presents.

My mother was a CostCo fan since 1980s (when it was Price Club).
Even when my mom lived alone & rarely entertained & didn't get value out of buying in bulk.
It's the hot dogs my dad gushes about.
When I visit my family in Florida they pop to CostCo to get things like ready roast chickens for 10 people & other prepack platter food (family don't cook). Most that chicken got thrown in bin, btw.
Now I have a local friend (who also lives alone) in UK who gushes about CostCo, she travels 100+ miles roundtrip a 1-2 times year to go there.
She buys a lot of big stuff, luxuries, basically.

Honestly, going has never appealed to me, since I lived in UK.
Too far, too much waste, not great value.
If it works for you, & you like shopping, then great, but don't believe the hype.
The stores are like giant warehouses, takes a while to see what all is for sale, could be a big day out.

We had a membership for a year a few years ago. We didn't bother renewing. There are only two of us at home, we don't have a garage or a massive freezer so storage was an issue. It didn't feel like we saved much, we just spent more up front. When we finally ran out of cleaning products our usual shopping bills didn't feel like they increased much at all.

went for the 1st time last week
was not cheaper than anywhere else
the cheap stuff was cheap s it was rubbish

A lot of things are not cheaper at Costco if you buy supermarket own brand. But if you like branded goods you can get good deals.

Their Kirkland brand stuff is all really good, we don't necessarily use it to our full advantage these days, but I find it worth our membership.

Do you still have to be in a certain profession to join?

I joined and went once. It's quite a long way and I have to pay a toll both ways.

I left empty handed. It was overwhelming, packed and not cheap.

For the £30 (or less for your circumstances) membership fee it is definitely worth the punt. We have been members for over a decade and do a price comparison every 2 years or so against Asda prices. We are on the trade membership so we get 2% cashback on all purchases plus our Costco is a 15 minute drive away. We get in an hour earlier than others on weekdays so watch the opening times.

We have set items that we buy, some because they are cheaper, milk is usually one of them, when supermarkets were charging £1 for 2 litres Costco was £1.60 for 2 x 2 litres. I know prices have changed but to be honest I only pay attention to some stuff. We buy some items because we like the quality of it. Black bin bags are really good quality but come in a pack of 90, same with their bin liners which we use for our Brabantia bin.

The one thing lots of people are not mentioning is their aftercare for appliances. We had out tv on/off button die, out of manufacturer's warranty but Costco cover tvs for 5 years. They arranged a repair in my home and then rang me afterwards to see how well the company did, were they polite etc as this is outsourced.

I would go, have a list of things you want but also check prices whilst you are in the store against wherever you shop normally. Prepare to spend a while in there. Also watch out for their pricing, an example is their own brand Kirkland cheese giant block is delicious. Don't just look at the giant sized price. It is much cheaper than Cathedral City but not if you just look at the giant price. You need to look at what the price is actually telling you, ie for this pack or price per weight. We love Costco, love their hot chicken, their pizza slice from the little cafe thing at the end. It is easy to get carried away especially at this time of year with all the Christmas stuff in ie books.

The one thing from Costco that is always worth it's weight in gold to me is the money back guarantee, particularly on electrical goods. The slightest problem with any item, you will receive a full refund without argument for 3 years following purchase.

Also I'm aware of the major issues with traffic currently at the Derby store, mainly due to the idiotic planners who approved the new M&S food. All the traffic is trying to access the stores via the same roundabout, and it's causing bedlam. (Son goes as I'm too unwell, but it's even been mentioned on local news.)

The good news is Costco have recognised this is causing major issues, so have now opened their entrance at the back of the car park leading onto Chequers Road. You can access this by turning off at the Pentagon island and driving down past Kwik Fit.

Also please note for anyone checking prices on their website, in store prices are usually always cheaper. Plus every month check out the warehouse offers booklet which is published on the site; gives good discount offers on items for that month only.

Our membership pays for itself each year so we continue to bulk buy loo rolls, pasta, cereal. Husband likes the kimchi pot noodle things. We have been known to pick up a bulk box of chocolate when it's stuff we like (haven't seen Galaxy there for ages).

Over the years we have also bought school supplies, a television, clothes, Christmas presents, storage boxes.

Not forgetting of course the cakes and muffins. Delicious and good value.

Yes but it's a very wide range. Details on their website.

The criteria to join if you don't run a business is online. It's strict. You can take two guests each visit.

www.costco.co.uk/membership-individual-questions
I don't know anyone who has had trouble finding a way to join. We have trade membership & have a free spouse card & can add up to 6 other people on it.

Try Idahoan Mashed Potato, from Tesco and I suppose other supermarkets. It's lovely, saw it recommended here on MN a while ago.