What do I need from Costco?

[SundayNightBluesAreHere]

I’m going to look around Costco tomorrow with a friend, to see if it’s worth buying a membership.

What should I look for while I’m there? Any delicious treats to try?

It's not always cheaper for everything which is worth remembering.
Stuff we get which does work out - yogurts, baby salad potatoes, quinoa, dried mushrooms, tinned chopped tomatoes are really good. Lurpak, sausages, some fish and the chorizo. It's also good for cereals/huel granola.
Oh and Kylie Rose prosecco 😂

Chocolate muffins.
Big containers of herbs and spices
If you're like 80% of the shopper's at my local, enough water to survive the apocalypse is a must

A lot of it is same or more than elsewhere make sure you check prices on your phone , we used to get their loo roll , kitchen roll , butter and cheese but self banned as all the other impulse stuff meant we ended up spending £300 a trip

Try the chocolate coated Brazil nuts.. you’ll hate me for it.

The Costco rotisserie chicken is a draw for many. I buy some stuff in big packets/bulk - tinfoil, toilet rolls etc. I like the big jars of Bonne Maman,big tubs of Onken yoghurt, frozen section can be good.

We go once a month and stock up - DH is a brilliant bargain hunter he knows his deals!

We bulk buy meat, fish, dairy and we do cook from scratch 90% of the time, so the only thing we buy on a weekly basis is fruit and veg.

As a result, our shopping bill has dropped considerably and a costco run is now a permanent part of our shopping routine.

I just joined. It would appear toilet roll and water are the two staples, judging from the customers there on my first visit at the weekend. I quickly realised it’s good for some things but others are defo not any cheaper, so you still need to take cognisance of prices. I got some lovely Spanish cheese, and cheaper pet food. Petrol seems a good price too.

The gyoza and the Danishes

Pancake mix.
Catering packs of bacon.
Big packs of Fruit scones.
I like the Prepacked Broccoli salad with cranberries and usually buy 2 or 3.
There’s usually a deal on meat somewhere.
The clothes are brilliant.
Petrol is rock bottom (relatively). It’s worth joining for that alone if you’re local.

It’s not cheap at all and be prepared to spend at least several hundred pounds when you go.

Cookies! Their own-brand stuff (Kirkland Signature) is great, the moisture shampoo and conditioner feels salon-quality (you can see some reviews of it on Amazon; I bought it in the US). Pizzas and sushi from the fresh counters. Toilet roll. Definitely check your prices as you go round but I would say it’s all really high quality, so take that into consideration when doing your sums. Oh and get a £1.50 hot dog and soda on the way out!

A veg trug 👌 not too big, not too small.
https://www.costco.co.uk/Garden-Sheds-Patio/Garden-Decor/Planters-Garden-Beds/VegTrug-Planter-12m-Greenhouse-Frame-Cover/p/311962

Toilet roll. To be honest it's whether you can store bulk quantities of things. It is mainly things you can find elsewhere but in larger or multipacks. Larger packs tend to work out cheaper per kg than multipacks IME. It can be cheap for home electronics but you have to shop around. When we go we stock up on toilet roll, dishwasher tabs etc, buy some chilled foods and veg and some snack foods. The fresh food is generally good quality. I like going there but it can get very busy. If yours has a petrol station it will be extremely cheap.

Oh also, the middle of the store is like the middle of Lidl but 10x. Be careful not to come home with a hot tub, garden shed or whatever.

Kitchen roll, big spice jars, garlic and herb sauce (just like dominos), apples. A lot of stuff isn't cheaper but you do find things you can't get elsewhere and the quality of the food is usually worth the price.

The big packs of mini peppers if you have kids that love them

Massive double pack jars of brined artichoke hearts

Bakery stuff

Chewing gum is a good bulk buy if you use a lot of it

I got a 12 set of decent wine glasses for £12ish which I thought was a bargain as usually a set of 4 will set you back £10-£20

Prices on the labels exclude VAT so be careful of that (the true price is also displayed but smaller)

Sweet potato crackers in the white and orange box. They’re very moreish!

You're not wrong. DH went at the weekend everyone was buying water - DD said that some one had 12 crates ("12 crates mummy!").

Dog poo bags
Toilet roll
Coffee (some brands)
Coca-Cola (the boxes not the slabs)
Dog treat things
Slab of Kirkland Water
Cakes (be prepared to eat loads or share them though)
Batteries
Tassimo pods
Dishwasher tablets
Lint rollers
Fruit
Vegetables

As others have said, check prices as not everything is cheaper.

They’re worth the trip alone!
Also bulk buy & freeze bakery products (croissants, cookies). Some of the chilled ready meals are surprisingly good quality, esp Mexican & Italian (only ones I’ve tried). Legend has it that the meat & poultry are good value & quality but tbh I’ve not tried them. I was surprised at the range of exotic fruit & veg in our local but didn’t have the fridge capacity to buy aby!

Crisps, nuts & other snacks and be good value but it’s worth checking against your local supermarket before buying; ditto confectionery (Haribo looked good but I managed to steer myself away from that temptation, goodness knows why!)

The cooked chicken is great. We also buy the massive packs of baby bells and fizzy water. They do spicy chicken nuggets which are a firm fave, chunks of whole chicken breast in a spicy(ish) coating in the frozen aisles. We also like the chilli cheese bites & cauliflower hash browns. The salad bags and fresh stuff is usually good value.

and don’t forget the hot food on the way out

Depends if you have room to store everything. My one is a few miles away, I dont have the storage space so not worth it for me. Having said that I hear good things about the fresh meat.

Things that are deffo cheaper than even Aldi or Lidl:

Grated mozzarella - I freeze mine
kikomen soy sauce - cheaper than Aldi’s own soy
tivasco sauce
nandos peri peri
Siracha sauce
Minstrel mature cheddar
paneer
Halloumi
Cashew clusters
Kirkland own washing powder
easy washing up liquid
Dog treats
Marharita mix
Broccoli slaw salad
old bay seasoning
cajun seasoning
Cooked chickens
Muffins
Naan breads (but that could be region specific)
Massive pot of kimchi
Carbonated water 500ml bottles
Richmond meat free sausages
Gyoza
Frozen Mochi
Chia seeds
Chili flakes
Whole raw almonds
Walnuts
Energy drinks
Avocados are the best
Big slabs of smoked salmon
Stroopwaffles
Feta
Italian sausages
Dog biscuits

Baby bels
Mexican cheese slices
Cadbury’s hot chocolate
Big box instant noodles
Dried mushrooms
Red lentils
American Mustard
Fresh pesto
Frizen raw shrimp
Chicken breast nuggets (best I’ve ever had)

PS5, it was about £100 cheaper than elsewhere.
The casamegos tequila is good.

Bed head shampoo and conditioner deals - seriously goid prices.
Nappies (but I’ve not bought in years - could be different now)
Protein powders are often very well priced
Collagen powder