Why is Costco so expensive?!

[MooFroo]

I know I probably am BU but went to Costco after ages, and it’s insanely expensive 😳

I was walking around and comparing the prices to Aldi, Lidl and B+M bargains where I normally shop and didn’t find anything cheaper! And because everything is larger sizes or multipacks, it costs even more!

The tills all had queues and lots of people with full trollies - what am I missing??

Is there a hack to Costco shopping for normal households and families or are people happy to pay more for convenience of bulk buying/larger packaging? I know their electrics etc have longer warranties and they have some cool random stuff, but I am talking about every day food, drink and household stuff like cleaning items and pet food.

thanks!

You need to do the math, I’ve never spotted cheaper for same volume elsewhere.

Oh no! 80p a week!!

A lot of what they sell is branded so they’re never going to compete price wise with own brand Lidl/Aldi.

I get branded compost, laundry liquid, salt, trainers, alcohol, etc there - all items where the difference in quality between the cheapest and branded makes it worth spending more.

I do t get it either, Lidl is cheaper across most things including random crap you don’t need. Costco only is cheaper if you buy branded items (I don’t). Even pastries are cheaper from Lidl and warm!

The beef fillet is also really really good!

It is not always about cost it’s about quality even on the own brand products .

Def a yes to leggings! I probably have a dozen pairs.

It isn’t for me, DH and I joined a few years ago to see what it was all about.

It wasn’t for us. The vibe of huge boxes of UPF sheet cakes, massive jugs of syrup and people pushing big overflowing trollies around a warehouse was all a bit too American. The fruit and veg did look decent, but not any better than our local supermarket, just huge portions. I’m not into any snack or condiment enough to have a huge everlasting vat of it in my cupboard.

Seeing as everyone keeps mentioning the bin bags, we did buy some very good food bin bags, but then they didn’t have them ever again when we went back. Got some similar ones on Amazon though, so we recovered. We also got a great deal on a Sage coffee maker once.

It's probably worth it for the toilet roll and petrol alone.

We also get the Crosta & Mollica frozen pizzas which are £7 for 2 instead of £6 each in supermarkets.

Last time we got 3 massive bottles of scracha sauce for £6, so worked less than half the price per ml compared with the supermarket.

Some things aren't cheap, but it you shop carefully there are good savings to be had.

Shame we've not got one close enough to where we live. Closest is around a 90 minute drive away so even if we made savings, it probably wouldn't cover the petrol used, not to mention taking the best part of a day.

Agreed, they're absolutely disgusting and full of all sorts of unrecognisable ingredients.

You're not alone in feeling that Costco seems pricey compared to Aldi or Lidl. While Costco offers bulk deals, they don't always translate to savings for smaller households. However, there are ways to make the most of your Costco membership:

• Look for price tags ending in .97: These indicate clearance items and can offer significant savings.
• Check for asterisks on price signs: An asterisk means the product won't be restocked, so it might be a good time to buy if it's something you use regularly.
• Stick to a shopping list: Costco's layout encourages impulse buys. Planning ahead can help you avoid unnecessary purchases.
• Compare unit prices: Sometimes, supermarket own-brand items are still cheaper per unit than Costco's bulk offerings.

Costco can be great for certain items like fuel, rotisserie chicken, and household staples if you have the storage space and will use them before they expire. But for everyday shopping, especially for smaller households, sticking with Aldi or Lidl might be more economical.

It's like a cult I think, people feel like they have to love it because they have paid to be in this exclusive club.

Calm down, it's £33 a year.

I know, it’s not like being a member of the Groucho Club 😂.

Why has AI answered this thread? Bizarre.

Anyway, Costco is brilliant if you have a large family. We also have staples we buy every time: croissants (freeze them in smaller batches), cookies (same), lurpak butter - which is cheaper than store brand in Costco, crisps, welch's fruit snacks, Happy Monkey smoothies are super cheap in there and the only reliable way to get fruit into my food restrictive DD. Their box of macarons is ridiculously good value. Petrol, of course. Tins of tuna are the size they used to be everywhere else, and still the price they used to be. We also buy laundry pods there for less than they are in Home Bargains etc.

We often get things like a crate of Pepsi/pop, more bakery items. They do some lovely naan bread. Last time we bought 1kg of strawberries for less than Aldi prices and they didn't go mouldy within 24hrs like Aldi/Lidl fresh produce.

I can't understand the obsession with Aldi and Lidl for fresh food tbh, the quality is dire. I assume the people who think otherwise have never experienced actually decent food, for which I do feel sorry.

Our Costco membership more than pays for itself in the savings we make over the year.

Yes, their naan is lovely. The only shop bought naan that comes even close to tasting like it does in an Indian restaurant.

We regularly buy toilet rolls, kitchen towel rolls, kitchen foil, cling film, detergent, laundry cleanser, thick bleach and fuel from Costco.

I was going to mention the naans and forgot. They're also very cheap, about £3 for a 5 pack. They also do really good part bake ciabattas.

people pushing big overflowing trollies around a warehouse was all a bit too American

I'll ignore the snobbish comment and offensive disdain and, instead, offer an explanation based on my own assessment. Americans, and Canadians, typically live a greater distance from shopping centres making driving a necessity and frequent shopping difficult. Hence the big shops done weekly and stocking up a necessity. We tend to have larger storage spaces and bigger fridges/freezers in our homes as a result.

It took me a while to work out a shopping strategy.
Meat gets split into smaller portions and put into the freezer, for example. Milk and egg prices are comparable in price to grocery stores here, except organic works out cheaper. Yoghurt, maple syrup (real and pure), baking ingredients and bread are all considerably less expensive (approx 1/3 more for the price). Ready meals are very good deals. We occasionally buy a large chicken pie for about $12 CAD and always buy a rotisserie chicken $7.99CAD and most regular stores sell them for $12.99CAD on average.
Fitness equipment, clothing, cleaning products, everything, really, is a good deal. You just have to prioritize you main needs before branching out. Stock up on basics first. My cash back reward each year covers at least a full weekly shop, if not more. And customer service for returns is the best bar none.

I could say ‘Why are Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, Co-Op, etc., etc., so expensive ?’. Or, why is this or that supermarket so cheap and nasty ? It’s all about research, buying what you need/want and checking prices and quality.

If you are the sort of person who gets sucked in by ‘want’ as opposed to ‘need’ then that’s down to you (try not to buy the 6’ reindeer at Christmas !). We visit every 3-4 weeks and stock up on things we need/want which we know are good price and/or quality. As others have said, their meat is excellent quality and as we have a big freezer we are OK to buy in bulk.

If Costco really was ‘so expensive’ they would go out of business.

I got an amazing spec laptop for £850. The closest spec comparison at currys was ON SALE at £1,800.

Its for trade, and for trade accounts the VAT is taken off, therefore a lot cheaper than Tesco, Aldi etc

I hate it. Just find it too big and the warehouse type set up unpleasant to shop in.

No, everyone must pay the VAT included price. Some retailers will be able to claim the VAT back.

Vat registered businesses can reclaim vat charged by supermarkets too! They just need a VAT receipt.