Is Costco really all that cheap?

[LindsayWagner]

Right, I'm in the bloody lucky position of having moved into a house big enough to store bulk buys, which was impossible in the last hutch house we were in. As a consequence of this, but also Osborne's fuckwittery the general doom and gloom, we're doing some belt-tightening, and I'm pretty close to a Costco. Haven't joined yet but will be able to as am sole trader - but when I've been round with friends who are Big Fans before, I've always been a bit meh. Looks good for plasma TVs etc, but food/washing/other domestic stuff didn't seem that much cheaper than own-brand Sainsbos or even Waitrose Essentials. Was I looking at the wrong stuff and if so, where should I direct my beady next time?

I dont find Costco as cheap as people say. I get some bits from there (soap powder, tinned tomatoes, pepsi, tinned corned beef are the things I definitely notice are cheaper) but find that usually I can get special offers in the supermarket cheaper. If you have room to store stuff, get as much as you can afford when the stuff you buy anyway is on a good offer. Watch sell by dates though, obviously, because ther is no point in buying more than you can use before it goes out of date. by the time you pay for your costco card, a lot of savings are wiped out.

I'm a member, it's good for things like domestic electricals, own brand nappies, the furnitures very cheap and it's good makes the champagne is cheap.

But the best bit is the returns policy I've taken opened bottles of fabric cond, broken radiators, unopened bottles of wine back and no quibbles you don't even need a reciept because it's all logged on the system what you've bought.

Their monthly offers are usually quite good.
for example, this month you can get 40 rolls of Quilted Velvet toilet tissue for £10. Their milk is super cheap as are most of their bakery/dairy products (actimel,yogurts etc.). Meat/fish is not cheaper but definitely better quality than the main supermarkets. Books are VAT free, and some clothes/shoes are really good value. Birkenstocks for around £20, discounted designer clothes etc. They also have great deals on baby products and their technology goods.

Personally we love costco, but still use sainsburys/waitrose to top up.

We used to use Costco when we were nearby a store but have since moved away. Pet food was considerably cheaper and it was easier to buy in bulk and store 6 weeks worth, until the next visit. We did buy household goods and used a lot of the catering packs for parties. Booze was cheaper too 2nd the Champagne, also they sell Magnums. Batteries, stationery. I now have a Booker card but rarely use it as we are a much smaller household. (Empty nest) I also have more time to shop around. Depending on your lifestyle and how busy your household is, it can be better value. Or just tempt you to spend more on luxuries!

The two-bite Cinnamon Rolls are v moreish and we find the meat excellent quality.

Also good value is the salmon, which gets portioned up and frozen.

The ready cooked chicken is delicious and good value and we always stock up on tinned tomatoes, ciabatta, Kirkland coffee and some cleaning products.

I always think you need to go armed with a shopping list that includes the price you would pay if you bought in your usual supermarket, that way you can really tell if it is cheaper. It is surprising the things that are more expensive even though they are in huge containers. Every visit always cost us a few hundred pounds because we always bought stuff we didn't really need. Don't live anywhere near one (or a Tesco for that matter) anymore and I really miss being able to stock up on huge quantities of tinned tomatoes for example.