Costco - First Visit - What are your must haves?

[PomPomSugar]

I am visiting Costco for the first time next week and wondered if any of you have experience of this. If so, what’s your must have items? Anything to avoid? Any tips? Thank you.

Smoked salmon
Braden rost - hot smoked salmon
Massive chunks of fresh parmesan
Frozen prawns
Huge bottles of HP sauce
Big bottles of own brand vanilla extract
Tyres
Books
Big tubs of marmite
Prob still in stock, thé hot cross Burns are great
Chocolate muffins - freeze well and are good microwaved
The dry cat good used to be good - our cat sitter, a vet nurse, said it was Iams
Trays of decaff diet Coke
Big jars of pistachios and cashew nuts
They used to do milk choc nut clusters in jars
Glasses and contacts

We just went yesterday! They do have some Halloween stuff in and lots of Christmas stuff.

We bought

toilet roll
dishwasher tablets
bottled water - I know it’s not great but it’s only for DS
j2O drinks
Oasis drinks
large jar of coffee
meat - tray of chicken breasts, some rib eye steaks, lamb chops
Berocca vitamin drinks - for DH - they were WAY cheaper than Sainsburys
beer

DH is a retired accountant and spent time yesterday comparing prices to Sainsburys which is where we do most shopping and reckoned we saved the membership fee just on yesterdays shop. It may be less of a saving if you are a Lidl or Aldi shopper.

Wow! Thank you so much for all of the suggestions.
We have just been given a large American style fridge for the garage and also had a clear out so we have two whole large shelves of racking in the garage clear. So I have prepped ready for the shop!
Whilst the aim is to try to save money I do think I can do this by not necessarily buying cheaper but in bulk. It will then stop me going to the shop for tinned tomatoes and spending £40 on other stuff!

We bought a case of 12 of these chopped tomatoes, it worked out pretty cheap at time. Can't remember how much, but handy to have them!

You'll save on your membership fee easily if you fill up with fuel every time you go, I think at one stage there was 10p a litre difference - my car takes about 70 litres, so that was a saving of £7 per full tank - the gap is smaller now due to Texaco reducing their prices. I still always top up when I'm there or passing though.

@Rina66 - sadly no petrol station at the one we use.

Yes ours unfortunately does not have a petrol station either. I so wish it did!

i’ve been a member for over twenty years, but find these threads interesting as others have favourite items which I wouldn’t think of.

30 Coke zero
Anchor butter
Swedish Meatballs.

Part baked rolls
Choc crepes
Bin bags.

Might try kitchen roll but struggle with storage.

I mainly get items such as Ariel, comfort, coffee beans, cornflakes, pink lady apples, tender stem broccoli and a cooked chicken.
The savings i make over the year offset the membership fee.
Not everything is cheaper so you have to watch out on prices.

I also get their large bags of chicken and veg Gyoza (dumplings)

Fuel....I filled up there today and it was 154.7 for standard unleaded, whereas the supermarket petrol station next door was 167.7!

I realize this is an older thread, but I thought I’d add my thoughts to the list.

we are in Canada so take as you will- we do a weekly Costco trip
my fav items

kirkland diced tomatoes/ tomato sauce/ tomato paste
ground beef (we portion to approx 500g and freeze)
milk
cheese
bag yogurt
cereal
salsa
frozen French fries
kirkland frozen meatballs
rice
toilet paper

if I had a pet I’d get pet supplies

we get all our reg veg there as well

Petrol station was rammed at my local one last week.

There's a lovely Cheddar called Coastal...they are good for cheese.

They do a fab jalfrezi in the chilled section.