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

I don't like Idahoan mashed potato, but I do like Sainsburys own brand.

We have a Costco membership and buy Felix AGAIL, cat litter, Coke, posh tonic water, toilet roll (much better quality than supermarket) oil, screenwash and deicer, part baked bread plus the odd books and electrical items.

We got a very cheap (under £50) air fryer that is great for 1-2 people and in the past got a very good value Dualit kettle and toaster set, which only cost about £20 more than the toaster alone in John Lewis.

We’ve been Costco members for years.

Many of the groceries are premium brands, so if you usually do a shop in Lidl (like me) & buy non brand items, you’ll be paying more even in bulk for the equivalent in Costco.

Costco’s own brand Kirkland can work out cheaper than, say, Lidl’s own brands, but not every item has a Costco own brand version.

We always buy Harrington’s dry dog food (18kg for around £23, Sainsbury’s 15kg Harringtons - different flavour - has gone up to £26.50). And Gusto coffee pods, Heinz beans, cheese (can’t remember the brand now lol!) and Andrex loo roll. And Pepsi. I noticed today they have Quality Street tubs for £3.49 (I think they were £5 in Sainsbury’s on Saturday), and have a huge 2kg tin for £15.

From their own brand, the Butcher’s Hook sausages are huge & really good (DH loves them, I can’t stand sausages lol), UHT milk & their huge muffins (diabetes means I just look longingly at the packet now lol). And their huge Kirkland non bio wash powder is one of the few that my daughter isn’t allergic to! Expensive outlay at around £15, but lasts for around 5-6 months.

Sometimes we’ll buy the sushi packs & they’re OK compared to our local, expensive & a bit crap sushi place locally.

The only thing I hate is the size of the trolleys, they are huge & at 5ft 1 & find I’m pushing it with my hands at boob level 😂

Also, the fuel prices are lower. I think we’ve already saved the cost of membership with a full tank each month for 4 months.

Definitely don’t buy the ginger snap tins of biscuits, they are the ginger equivalent of crack! Bloody hell, they’re good (and utterly bad for me, because bloody diabetes 🤣).

Costco’s own ugg type boots are great they last longer than real uggs and are about 30 quid

also at the moment they have nice kids clothing sets - leggings or joggers, top and hoodie - for about £11, and lovely quality lined wellies for £20. Also kids outdoor coats for £22. Got dd new coat, wellies, undies and three clothing sets this weekend for under £100 and all really nice quality

The things we buy regularly:
coffee beans ( around £8-10 for 1kg)
lemon juice (we go through loads)
dried cranberries/ mango etc
fresh lemons (so good compared to supermarket)
honey/ maple syrup
kitchen roll
mixed nuts/ peanuts
spices/ herbs/ chopped garlic/ Knorr stock cubes
cheese (tastier and loads cheaper than supermarket)
margarine (the flora for cooking is about £2 per tub cheaper than Tesco)
Butter
meat isn’t cheaper but quality is good
bacon in huge catering packs that I split into 6-8 slices and freeze
batteries

if we’re having people over/ parties then ham (huge packs otherwise)/ deli stuff. There are some lovely freezer food that everyone likes, and the crispy duck (frozen) is good.

Fuel station is good- saves a lot. Agree that you need to avoid when Derby are playing as it’s so busy, but if you’re going past on the way home from work you’ll probably be fine!

I read somewhere that some of the Kirkland signature range is actually made/supplied by industry leaders and branded for Costco.

Oh here you go (fact-checking myself!), Starbucks and Duracell are among them moneywise.com/life/lifestyle/the-big-brands-behind-costcos-kirkland-signature-items So yes, the quality will be good!

The Kirkland toilet roll is really good value and huge rolls , we always used to be Andre’s users and swopped to it

I don't think it's that wide. The professions seem a bit out of date. My husband is in a well paid professional job, but doesn't qualify.

Asda as well.

It isn't cheap, but it's excellent quality. I like going to the store to be honest, it's a day out for me (I'm very sad like that) so happy to pay the membership and I agree it comes into its own at Christmas, we've bought excellent presents from there over the years. The things we buy often or recommend are:

Sourdough part bake baguettes

Organic all-natural ketchup

The famed pistachio spread (great in cakes or on a croissant.)

Wine

It's great for party catering....sandwich platters/sushi platters/cakes/cookies etc.

Pepsi max

Flatbreads/naan breads..... can't remember the name of them but they make amazing pizza bases.

Cling film and wrapping paper (but both last such a long time I genuinely only need to buy them about every 5 years!)

The beef stew and dumplings ready prepared meal is amazing.

Giant pizzas.

Fuel from the petrol station.

We've also had some great buys from there over the years that haven't been cheap but are excellent quality. Our instant pot, saucepans, kitchen knives, blankets for the sofas and beds etc etc.

And the café at the end is a loss leader but excellent. £1.50 for a hot dog and a refillable drink.

There was a documentary on channel 5 a few weeks ago about costco, comparing it to main brands and it came out on top the whole time pretty much.

Also dispelled some myths about what hidden brand products there are. Worth a watch if you're curious.

We love costco, but dont go often. My friend has worked there for about 15 years, he says the treat staff brilliantly..

My closest is about 50 minutes drive away so we don't really make the most of the fuel savings (more often go the one in DDs university city which doesn't have a fuel station). Still worth the annual membership for us, we probably go 3-4 times a year.

Regular buys for us:

• coffee beans
• toilet roll
• kitchen roll
• baking paper / foil
• toothpaste
• vitamins
• lactose free milk
• wine if on offer (can usually get a decent red for around 6 a bottle if you buy a case of 6)
• nuts (not particularly cheap but massive tubs and good mix of nuts)
• part-baked baguettes

-tortilla wraps -naan breads (though these have been out of stock the last few times we've been)

• granola

-pastries

• rotisserie chicken
• DW tablets
• rinse aid - this was on offer last time we went and have been struggling to find it for some reason so we stocked up.

Pepsi Max a good price & DD loves the sushi platters so we usually pick up these for her while we're in.

One-off buys which have all been cheaper than anywhere else - books, heated throws, waterpik, instant pot, air fryer, surge-protected extension lead, blender, workwear for DP, fleece lined sports leggings, cool box, towels...

"go to the one"... wish we had an edit button!

If your local has fuel it's worth it for that alone, it pays for itself just in fuel in a couple of months for us. In store, I mean some stuff you could buy store basics cheaper, but things like tinned tomatoes it's much better quality for far cheaper than the equivalent in the supermarket. Our regular buys are toilet roll, kitchen roll, fairy, washing tabs, tinned tomatoes, baked beans, cheese, fish (we usually use our local butcher or we'd get meat there too.) Stuff like tinfoil and clingfilm, our last boxes lasted 3 years. We've got tyres from there for a very good price. Agree about whoever mentioned the baclava variety box, has to be a Christmas treat now coz I was getting thru too many! And the pizza is pretty good too!