AIBU to ask if Costco membership is worth it?

[gassylady]

In laws used to have membership years ago and used to buy enormous trays of scones which were lovely. Am now eligible myself and when we move house will have room to do a bit of bulk storage for pasta, rice etc. But is it worth my £50 do they sell decent stuff or is it all dodgy own brands?

I think it is really expensive, Aldi much cheaper. You can use the cafe even if you are not a member, good for a quick lunch.

No fuel station at ours either, but some car products like tyres, windscreen wipers, oil and deicer are cheap.

I suppose if you dropped lucky on a good price for a tyre, you could save your membership cost right there.

People often recommend the bakery products, but apart from the part bake ciabattas, I think they are horrible - one look at the ingredients in the cakes is enough to put anyone off.

I buy the cakes for events but I never eat them!

For all those saying Aldi is cheaper can you buy 40 rolls of Andrex toilet roll for 10.99 at Aldi ?

Its definitely worth it and it is only £30 not £50.
I am having a party in a few week and will be able to get the food from Costco for about £100 for 40 people. Would cost me about £300/400 from a caterer and the quality is excellent.
We also buy our fruit, petrol, bread, chocolate spread, tinned tomatoes, milk and cheese from there.
Some stuff isn't worth it. You have to be restrained!
That said I bought a chicken lattice yesterday that has fed the four of us today and tomorrow too. Cost £8 and is incredibly good! Some stuff I can't resist!

Food/drinks/household cleaning items (the perimeter of Costco) = worth it

Clothes (usually what's in the centre) = not worth it IMO

If you like diesel or Levi jeans they normally have good deals on those. I got some Vans for about £25, or at least cheaper than from Schuh.

It’s good here (Canada) for toilet roll, washing liquid / powder, garbage bags, butter, berries, bread, maple syrup, avocado, tinned tomato, giant bags of crisps, yoga clothing, bathing suits, school snacks, batteries and some specialty health foods. We get the next membership up
& always get most of our money if not all back in a rebate cheque. I think it’s worth it,

It's only worth it if you can bulk buy. And have somewhere to store it. And a deep freezer apparently.
I CBA with it. Supermarket deals are just as good íf you have the time to weigh it up so to speak.

I went there, fell into a daze, and emerged with a five pound jar of sprinkles, and enough butterscotch pudding to feed an army. Which is good, because I hate butterscotch pudding. And two or three other gigantic things. And I spent three hundred dollars.

It's worth it for us. A standard trip sees us buying washing powder, 80 toilet rolls, coffee, tea, baked beans (and ketchup and pancake mix if in stock). We'll ask look through the books and buy some for the birthday party pile. At Christmas we get the amazing wrapping paper (thick, with cutting lines and loads of it for about £8) and some of the gifts. We buy the clothes which are superior quality and very nice. We buy the hot dogs! Every time we go there's always something else that we need. We once bought a hoover there.

If they do browsing I reckon that's because they know that most people will get a membership. You can always get a year one and then not bother again if it doesn't work out.

The cakes are amazing though

It's like a more expensive version of the Aldi wtf aisle.
Don't come out with a 48" tv and 4 pairs of levis

I don't think that Costco is cheap by any means...cheaper than supermarkets for some things...I bought tissues yesterday..£3.50 for two boxes in Tesco, I paid under £6 for 6 boxes in Costco.

I think that you get better quality stuff for a similar price to a supermarket. Their food is excellent...their fresh, pre prepared meals are pretty good on ingredients, and their frozen food too. Not loads of additives etc.

Costco tapas for lunch is a thing .

Tyres are really competitively priced, sometimes much cheaper if they have an offer on.

Spectacles are great value...ray bans are almost as cheap there as they are to buy at cost price to an optician!

Branded clothes are sometimes bargainous....Levi's, super dry, Birkenstock, vans, crocs (!).

I love a Costco trip.

And if that doesn't convince you...try their gelato in a waffle cone on the way out!

It’s worth it for me just for the Danish pastries!

Thanks for all the replies. Going to give it a go a visit for a recce with my qualifying ID in my bag.
May well panic if overwhelmed with choice and come out with a Brexit worth of loo rolls, that massive TV and forget the scones 🙄🤣

I went with a friend, definitely not worth the journey - Aldi, Lidl or the special offers at regular supermarkets are about the same cost for normal household stuff, the only advantage was I could buy catering sized double cream containers for a function.

You can get 24 large free range eggs at Lidl or Aldi for less than £3? Really?

Be aware there might be added vat at checkout

There will be. But every shelf label shows the price with and without VAT.

I have a list of 'bulk' buys that we buy regularly. I have managed to organise myself to buy a few each month on a rota basis and then it's a case of what else we need /fancy. For example, 40 toilet rolls, gallon of carex and washing powder one month, fabric conditioner, toothpaste, shampoo the new t, kitchen towels, deodorant, washing up liquid the next and so on. Most of those items last at least two months and work out a lot cheaper. Meat is very good quality and cheaper than Tesco, some of their own fresh ready meals are amazing. And that's before you even look at household goods, clothes, Christmas gift etc. This month we got a 2kg tin of quality street for about £11, and I got a beauty advent calendar as a gift for someone (won't say which one in case recipient is on here). Books are also cheap.

I'm thinking of joining, does anyone know if the additional member has to have the same address? My DP doesn't live with me.

No. I’ve had my mum as an additional card holder before.

Their t&cs say that additional card holders have to live at the same address as you. Not sure what proof they ask for.

We buy boxes of A4 paper, cheap postage stamps, margarita mix, reduced price gift cards nando's etc. Luckily we have a petrol station usually 4p cheaper but knock on effect local petrol stations are cheaper because of the competition. NB can't pay cash for fuel there are seldom any staff unless petrol tanker unloading