A reader, Frances, sent in this question:
I was just wondering if you thought it was worth it to get a Costco membership? Do they take coupons there? Are the deals worth the membership price?
Do you have a Costco membership? Can you answer these questions for Frances? Please share in the comments!
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Yes and NO!
Somethings are very cheap, like salad greens and some sauces and dressings. Garbage bags etc. . . .
Like I said Somethings are cheaper (oh Eco laundry detergent), and somethings are the same price, like toilet paper and paper towels. And some things are way more expensive like red peppers in a bag.
I think if you really know your prices you can at least break even on your membership fee if not come out ahead.
Although for some reason I can’t come out of that store with less then $200 in my cart! It’s a black hole of spending haha!
We get a membership because we at least come out even and there’s other cool stuff there!!
Oh, Books are a good price! Not as good as the library 😉 but good!
That’s all just in my opinion! I could be wrong but that’s what I’ve found!
Lots of Love
Ashli
I run a dayhome and I shop at costco. There meats are better than anyother store I shop in. They do not take coupons and of course I coupon as I am a single mom of three. There are things I do not buy there because I can get a better deal with coupons. Also I get winsheld wipers, fruit, veggies, chicken breasts, kids clothes. Hopefully this helps. Oh and pic development lol.
I love Costco! As long as you know what you would typically spend on items at a grocery store, you can save lots of money. They have amazing deals on clothes for the family, much cheaper than you pay in stores for really good quality items.
Costco can be worth it IF you know your prices. Alot of food and paper products are not worth the value. However, I have found that fresh veg, breads and meats can be well worth the value. We also shop there around Christmas and find many great gifts (5 seasonal candle holders for $15 = 5 gifts for $5), books are much cheaper and sometimes DVDs.
We don’t live handy Costco so we don’t shop there often maybe twic a year but for that reason, we make sure we get our money’s worth out of the trip.
We have the executive membership and find it well worth the price. Although they do not take coupons they have in store coupons with great deals every week. I have found that certain products are great deals while others are cheaper elsewhere – for example we seldom buy produce or dairy there because it’s more expensive than say Walmart or SS but we buy all of our spices there because huge jars are way cheaper than small jars everywhere else. Frozen foods are also cheaper as well as things like salad dressing, ketchup, mustard, syrup and my best deal – pure Vanilla extract – big bottle for under $6!! Costco has lots of good deals, you just have to be disciplined, set a budget and learn how to pass it up if you can get it cheaper elsewhere 🙂
My family had a Costco membership up until September and I didn’t renew because I was wondering the same thing as Frances. I really got into couponing last summer and started wondering if the $55 annual fee was worth it anymore. I miss buying meat at Costco, because that’s where I found the biggest savings (for good cuts of meat). Like Ashli, though, I never left the store without spending $200, so I really have to plan out my budget carefully. Thanks for asking the question, Frances!
Costco is definitely worth it! If you get the executive membership you’ll receive a cheque for 2% cashback on everything you spend. If you get the Costco Amex, you get another 2% back. Basically your money refunded if you shop infrequently, a money maker if you shop there a lot. If you purchase a set of tires, the money you save will be at least equal to your membership price. They also have the best no hassel return policy of most retailers. Their products are top quality and generally sell for at least 20 % lower than competitors. If you purchase jewelry, you’ll save around 50% to buy a superior quality piece. The clothes are great and the meat and produce top notch. I’ve long since stopped purchasing meat anywhere else. Stick to a budget and plan before you go!
If you have a Costco gas station nearby you can save 4 cents or more. I also find that some of their organic and healthier items are often cheaper since these rarely go on sale in grocery stores.
It all depends on what you buy and the quanities you need. Overall I at least break even over the year so its worthwhile.
In some cases yes, I love my Costco card. My 2 main reasons – Gas and the 2% I receive every year that more than pays for my membership. My 2% mainly is accumulated from gas. I have actually cut down on what I buy from Costco. Yes, I buy some produce (much of it is way overpriced, but usually carrots, broccoli, and spinach are not). No, I do not buy any milk products except the large block of cheese that goes on sale every 3 months – so I buy enough for 3 months. Usually with coupons and sales one can get a 16 pack of yogurt from $1.97 to $5.97. Depending on the week. Frozen chicken breasts are a good deal as are fresh ribs – but I can get better quality ground beef else where for cheaper. And so rarely buy any meat there anymore. Cereals and breads, nope. Toiletries, nope. My big draw to Costco is the I don’t need it everyday items. Books, Pjs for kids, school supplies etc. Some of their seasonal items. I used to shop at Costco nearly everyday – milk, bread, eggs (I have a large family). Now, I only go for gas 1-2 times a week and might go in the store once every 2 weeks. Depends on what you use and need. Since I started saving money by baking alot of things and couponing – I don’t need the expensive pre-packaged bars etc. anymore. If I do buy them – they are almost free with a coupon. Take your pick. Costco is neither bad or good but for me – not worth it.
I find Costco is a great option for buying certain items such as detergent, peanut butter, jam and many other staples but like the others say, you have to be disciplined if you are on a budget. For a family, you will easily save more than the yearly fee, but calling themselves a wholesaler (and not accepting coupons) is a bit of a stretch in my opinion.
We do have a membership and get 2% of what I spend in Costco back in $$ credit at the end of the year. We don’t buy everything in there but there are things that we use a lot and are cheaper buying in Costco, then other places. Things do go on sale in Costco too and making it easier to stock up on items that we use. And the guarantee is pretty good. I am about to bring back a (broken) toaster over that I bought over a year ago and they said they would give me back $$ or I can get a replacement w/o questions asked. In general, we do find that it is worth it for many things and by the end of the year, we the $$ credit back would pretty much cover our membership fee.
I have been a Costco member for about 10 years and couldn’t imagine not having it. You really do need to know your prices though. I don’t buy a lot of food products unless they are on sale for a good price or items that are way cheaper then the grocery store. I am a baker and the baking goods, sugar, flour, vanilla etc is way cheaper then anywhere else.
When my kids were young I also bought all my diapers there. Even with coupons in other stores it always worked out cheaper as the boxes are bigger and they go on sale a lot.
They have a lot of other items that are much cheaper to buy there. Ex The new style of folding camping chairs are $24 at Costco…I just seen the same ones at Wal-Mart yesterday for $45. Also the printer ink is much cheaper. I saved over $100 buying it on costco.ca and having it shipped to me for FREE then it would have cost me to buy it at Wal-Mart or Staples.
I absolutely LOVE Costco! We have the membership that give you money back for every dollar you spend. This means that periodically throughout the year I get a gift certificate to spend in store. (although I usually spend more than double, lol)
Like others have said you have to know your prices to save. There are specific things that I buy. You can get 36 dinner rolls for $5, a huge ham for under $20 or lunch snax for a comparable price (sometimes cheaper). Not to mention their weekly deals. If you know your prices, you can definately make it worth the membership fee. Or do what my Mom and I do…I buy the membership, get a family card and we split the yearly fee but you do have to fib about your home address. My Mom just changed her HBC bill to my address so that we have proof.
Don’t get me wrong, you can end up blowing your entire monthly food budget (and then some) in a matter of an hour so you have to be careful.
I love & hate Costco! 🙂 It is definitely worth it for us because the cream that my husband uses everyday for his Exzema is half the price there than elsewhere (ie: walmart, SDM, etc). So for every jar we buy at costco we save $15 and he uses a jar a month (roughly). So those savings alone make up for our membership fees. Also their little cafeteria makes for a cheap “lunch date” if you have a busy schedule for the day. Also their frozen chicken breasts are decently priced and very useful!
I hate costco because it’s almost impossible to get in and out with only getting the few items from your list. 🙂 So many things catch your eye and you figure since you are there you might as well just “pick up a few extra things”. 😀
i did a big price comparison about a year ago and discovered that about 70% of what i’d normally buy was cheapest at costco (compared to superstore, walmart, etc.), so i stocked up on lots of things (like soap, toothpaste, syrup, cereal, vitamins, etc.) THEN i discovered that if i watch the flyers and wait for the sales, it’s cheaper to buy elsewhere than it is at costco for almost everything. there are a few exceptions, like maple syrup, dried prunes, and spices, but overall, it’s not worth getting a membership for me. i also find that the sizes are soooo huge that it takes us almost a year to get through costco packages! and the potential for impulse buying is huge. i do hear that gas for the car is a great price there, so if it’s near your house or on a regular route, that might make a membership worth it. i am going to re-evaluate in a few years when my kids are older and eating me out of house and home! 🙂
I was wondering the same thing recently! We had one years ago, before I had my son, and I didn’t find that it was worth it, but maybe now that we buy more things in bulk, we’ll give it another try. I didn’t even realize they had gas until I read some of the other comments – good to know 🙂
We have the executive membership too so we get 2% back and after all our purchases including tax it is usually enough to pay for the membership again the following year.
You have to be very careful what you buy. We love their meat and usually only buy from Costco then split it up into meals and freeze it. Their Berries are the best price around when in season and sometimes when they are not too. Bananas are great price too. It just all depends on what you need I guess. I buy a lot of my baking supplies there because I can get them in bulk and pay WAY LESS.
I used to have a membership but I live in a small apartment and it wasn’t worth it for me to buy much because I have no where to keep bulk anything. All of the typical toiletries, deodorants, mouthwash, etc. comes in double and triple packs and are still much cheaper to get by couponing. Diapers aren’t any cheaper either. I found I used my membership more for the services there like photos and glasses…and for the fries at the restaurant, love them lol. Batteries are a great item to buy there though, along with the bread and meats mentioned by others.
Costco is great, but you have to watch and know your prices. My kids only like the Minute Maid box juice, and Costco usually has it cheapest, especially when they go on sale. There are many things that are a great deal cheaper than regular stores. For example, we tend to get our bread, sidewalk salt, meat, etc from Costco as the prices are better. Recently, my husband bought a bike rack that holds 4 bikes. It was only $75 and the cheapest we saw it elsewhere was $150. They have many deals. but like I have said, you need to know your prices….and learn to control your spending.
You may end up spending more in 1 shopping trip, but I would normally spend $100 in meats, but it lasts my family about 3 months (and we ar extensive meat eaters).
Food aside, we save lots of money on their gas, and we also have the card where we get rebates.
My family loves Costco! Many things are cheaper there. Kids clothes is a big one for us. I have 3 kids who grow like weeds and we buy most of their clothes from Costco. They carry a lot of Carters stuff for $1-2 less then other stores and a lot of Calvin Klien. I get my sons jeans for around $10. I just picked up a set of shorts and 2 t-shirts for $7. Thats cheaper then Value Village!! They also have nice dresses for $10-25 which my daughter loves.
Meat is another biggie. Its really good quality and much cheaper then the grocery store. They also have Kosher. Produce and paper products are NOT cheaper and we rarely by that. Their brand of diapers is much cheaper ( and on top of that they go on sale ) and I prefer them to Huggies or Pampers so thats a bonus. Electronics are MUCH cheaper too. Like hundreds of dollars difference.
They also have great seasonal products. I love shopping there at Christmas time. Another big thing is their return policy. You can return or exchange anything any time with no hastle.
Could be that the responses are skewed. Anyone with a Costco membership is going to say that they love it and it’s the best. Not going to hear much from people who don’t. All they could say is that they don’t or can’t shop in bulk….
I couldn’t live without costco, we save 5$ each time we buy soymilk. and we buy a 3 pack every 10-14 days so the membership pays for itself in a few months. Yesterday we picked up 2 kg container of Kraft Peanut Butter for 3.50, on sale. Bread is really cheap, 3 loaves of whole wheat for 5.99 which is cheaper than our Superstore. One of the best deals I enjoy is the pre-roasted chickens that normally sell for 8-9$, at Costco they are large chickens for 6.99. they actually have great deals on yoga pants, socks, underwear, swimsuits and i even buy my eyeglasses there.
Costco is not a good place for “cheap” produce, BUT all their produce is the highest quality you have ever seen if you’re one to avoid bruised, mishapen or picked over fruits/veggies.
I’m not one to look for the rock bottom price on everything as there are other means of value for me, distance, ease of parking, clean store, fast lines
Love and hate relationship as well. We use it for gift ideas such as the great prices on their books, toys, clothes. We also buy hearing aid batteries in the pharmacy – price cannot be beat. The Kirkland toilet paper and paper towel are worth every penny as well. Seems to last a lot longer!
Don’t generally do product or meat there. Find it’s rather expensive. Our location just opened a gas bar so that’s been great as well but unfortunatey time is money and the line up sometimes! My family loves the tasters that go on…that’s how we end up with so much in our cart sometimes. Great way to find new products. Let’s not forget the ice cream sundaes they have at their food vendor at the front of the store. If you haven’t tried, maybe you shouldn’t. It may end up being the sole reason you go to Costco!
I don’t have a membership because I know like one person said “its the black hole of spending!” (LOL) I go occasionally as a “guest” with my mother in law. Like all the others mentioned, some items are a good deal and some are not. You have to know your prices. They have unique products you can’t get other places. I love their bakery section and their meat always seems nice. I buy quite a bit of clothes there as well. Good names and good prices. Especially kids and baby clothes. They have great gifts especially around Christmas. I will consider a membership when all 3 of my kids are teenagers and eating me out of house and home. Then I can buy in bulk.
The nearest Costco is almost an hour drive from me so a $20 trip just in gas each trip. The one in the States may be a bit closer but add in bridge tolls and it’s about the same. I save .04/litre on gas at Superstore using my PC Mastercard.
I have always been a sale shopper and I can’t imagine how I could save on food prices since we eat what is on sale. Frankly, most things I buy when on sale and stock up! Produce under a buck a pound. I don’t buy beef in the store as we order from a farmer. I only buy fresh b/s chicken when it is $3 or $3.50 a pound or bone in for $1.99/lb and freeze a ton of it. I don’t like the frozen chicken breasts as they have additional ingredients. We don’t buy a lot of other “stuff”.
My brother and father have memberships so I do have the option of tagging along with them if I wanted. The one time I did we didn’t have much time to look around but I passed nothing that was a good deal according to the prices I would pay except for maple syrup. Mind you, when I asked bro to pick up some more another time the price was then more than I have found it here so he didn’t get it.
I am quite certain though that I would come out with many things I did not need were I to go with any regularity!!!
OH and I LOVE the restaurant – really cheap! And on a good day, you could get full on the store samples alone!
I love costco (for certain things). Over the counter meds are super cheap. My DH has a medical condition and yeah — it’s $8 for 8 pills at shoppers, or he can buy 72 pills for $12. That alone is worth the membership cost.
We don’t always spent $200 per visit. I often leave spending $27-30 (bread, milk, bananas, lunch meat).
Like everywhere, it’s good and bad. We have four kids and really appreciate the giant Kirkland unscented laundry detergent. Just bought a huge pack of 30 Gillette razors for $25. The kind we use with three blades and swivel head. I could go on. 300 kitchen garbage bags for $10.You will not find a better deal on batteries… anywhere. However, we live one hour from it, so we just let our membership expire March 31st, after a big stock-up. I find the bakery and meat expensive. But the dry goods, if you need them in bulk, are amazing – like granola bars, juice boxes, etc.. Short answer is that with just a few products, you make your money back. It’s the “other stuff” that gets you. I saw a playhouse, pool toys, trampoline, and they have very tempting books, cds, toys and tons of household furniture things. You won’t find them anywhere else and they are unique. There is the problem. If you need a neat gift for your niece, great, but half the time you end up buying something that you do not, did not and will never need. Cheaper than retail or not, it sucks up your hard-earned money. We can’t get out of there without AT LEAST spending $400 and that is not usual for us. It would make me blush elsewhere and put stuff back, but in that bulk atmosphere, you just hand over your debit card and smile. I can’t afford a membership anymore because I do not WANT to be exposed to all the fancy, schmancy gadget things that make me worry about bouncing the mortgage payment / power / heating bill.
Costco does not accept coupons and you can only pay by cash, debit or Amex (and costco gift card i suppose). Is it worth it? Lots of good advice already posted here, and as you can probably surmise, it really depends on your specific needs. Some things are definitely worth it and other things, not so much. The one thing that drives me nuts about Costco is often you will find an item you just love and buy constantly and then one day, poof!, it’s gone.
I would say you need to know your prices (Whate ver you consider your ideal price for a product) and how much you need (There is no point in buying something in bulk if it is just going to go bad).. If you have little kids and go through lots of juice, snack foods, cereal, etc… It an be a great place for you, also for condiments (sugar, mustard, ketchup, lemon juice) is often great to buy in bulk…. They also usually have GREAT deals on books, and seasonal products so its good for holiday shopping… but again, know what your ideal price is for the products you buy and what yoyur family needs.
My brother has a membership and he invites me to go occasionally. I usually spend $0 as everyday necessities are priced higher than other grocery stores. Specialty items may be worth it though if you need them (flooring, seasonal items, sometimes big tv’s for the 2 yr warranty).
Go with a list. If you are planning on buying a membership for the first time, watch what you spend/go through at the grocery store for your family in say, 2 months worth time. Do you go throuh bread like a mad women? Do you often run back to the store inbetween big grocery hauls for bread? Then Ciostco would be great cuz you cna stock up on really great prices… The restaurant there is also AMAZING!!!!
I love costco,for their turkey mince,and chicken breasts.the pure olive oil is much cheaper.
They have only just put in a gas station where I live, so go there now to fill up and get cash back.
The book selection is great,I get my magazine from there too which is cheaper than anywhere else.
They also match the price difference if the item goes on sale for bigger items in their store.
the sampling is good too.we get our school snacks from there and my husbands suplements,so much cheaper,although we do not buy all our stuff from there.
plus the cash back pays for my next membership,
Love it…..Love it.
I share a house with my parents and they have a membership. I don’t see myself getting one once they move out. There seems to be a few things that are priced better there, especially if you have a lot of mouths to feed, but overall I think I can beat Costco prices with sales and coupons.
I dont pay for my annual membership… so I cant complain about membership fees. I would not shop there if I had to pay annually only because there is a wholesale place down the street from my place that is open to the public.
There are pros and cons to Costco.
Some Pros are: you get get non-parishables (and items that can be frozen) at a low cost the majority of the time, the selection of products, the amount of space (its not a crowded shopping trip)
Cons: some things are cheaper to buy in smaller quantities with coupons elsewhere, they do not take coupons other than their own, you are only allowed one guest and the cashier will not let them purchase anything (you have to buy it and then they pay you back.)
Hope this helps!
We shop at Costco once a month. We have a boxer and we have found the only food that doesnt upset her stomach is the Kirkland brand. We have regular things we buy, recycling bags and garbage bags, veggie burgers, salsa, razors. Like always you need to know your prices. We also buy a sirloin tip roast, and we use our meat slicer to cut steaks…..way cheaper then you will ever buy in the grocery store, and very nice tender meat. We do the same with pork loins, cut them into pork chops, awesome. I bought a pork loin in the grocery store but it was no where near as nice as the ones costco carries. We save a ton of money on meat alone just buy buying it at costco and cutting it and vacuum packing it ourselves. LOVE Costco.
I think it depends on your situation – if you are the type of person who has trouble with impulse spending and is trying to get out of debt, this is not the place for you! If you have a family, or are planning to make any big ticket purchases, electronics, jewellery etc. Costco prices are great and their return and replacement policy is second-to-none. You do need to know your prices as many people have said, but they have many products that can’t be beat price-wise, especially if you check their weekly sales promotions and shop accordingly. The 2% back membership is definitely worth it if you are buying big-ticket items or lots of your groceries there. We always bought Kirkland diapers and wipes when the kids were smaller. The clothes are great as well.
Organic EVOO, Pure Vanilla Extract, Maple Syrup, 2 pk of Agave Syrup, Mary’s Crackers, Gas – All cheaper than anywhere else esp. b/c we need pure due to allergies for the food. Men’s slippers at xmas.
I’ve had a membership for 15 years at least. My son pays half and they come shopping when I go.
Their meat is the best quality in this city, and on some items the cheapest in the city. Everything is big and can be divided for several meals. I usually buy a big peice of beef and cut it into roasts and steaks. That makes the price per serving lower than other stores.
Many items cost less there – big items costing less than a smaller one at other stores – all mentioned already.
I buy my grand daughter at least 2 outfits each time I go, and have never spent more than $20 for the 2.
I do buy my some of my produce there, the quality is good, and I give what I know I won’t be able to use to friends who are struggling so nothing goes to waste.
The bakery has good prices and is our go to place for family get togethers and camping.
You do have to be aware of market pricing, as not everything is lower there, so plan your couponing before you go to Costco so you don’t buy something there that will be cheaper elsewhere. My perscriptions are $1000. a month at Costco and my share of that is 20% . I have used other pharmacies and the cost is always significantly higher, so that alone pays for my membership fee.
This year I’ve replaced a computer, bought a laptop and a 40 inch tv, all were better priced at Costco than other stores, and I get 2% back, so will have a nice rebate from them – and its only April. Next trip I am buying printer ink and other small items from that dep’t.
Their return policy has no limitations, and when an item is recalled (most recently Tassimo packets) they immediatly phone and leave me a message to not use the item to and return it for refund). No other store does that.
When you are gassing up a motor home you really notice the price difference!!!
I don’t pay for my membership, when I couldn’t get on through work I didn’t bother with it. Ours is about an hour and a half from here so I don’t go very often but I love going when they have all the Christmas stuff out and I can get my kid’s shoes there for $25-30 instead of $65 so one trip to buy inside and outside sneakers for my oldest two (baby get’s hand me downs) makes it worth the trip. Clothes, books and toys and meat are usually a good buy, I never buy granola bars or cereal or anything like that there because I can get them a lot cheaper at walmart or London drugs with coupons.
As far as I know, they don’t accept normal coupons but they accept costco coupons.
I will say, if you do couponing well(good sale + coupon), you better stick with your grocery store such as laundry detergent, toothpaste etc…
However, produces are often a lot cheaper than your grocery store but you might have to buy whole bunch(bulk).
So, if you balance it out well, it will worth it.
My parents call Costco the “$100 store” haha… Well I have a Costco membership but I think this will be the last year we keep it. I’ve had it for about 3 years now, but it’s just the 2 of us in my family and since I’ve started couponing I think I can get better deals and save on membership costs. Costco does have many products that are unique to them, they do have excellent quality, and I love their zero hassle return policy.
I’ll probably re-join in the future once I have some hungry teenage mouths to feed, but for now I’ll just keep couponing instead. FYI, you can use the pharmacy and the food cafe near the exit without a membership!
I Guess I’ll weigh in…here are my two cents:
1) They do not take “regular” manufacturer coupons, but do have weekly “coupons” (which really are just advertised sales as they tend to come off at the register regardless, though this isn’t always the case). As a general rule, the more packaged the item, the better deal it is at Costco.
2) Pros: When items are on sale at Costco they are almost always a better deal than I can find when items are on sale with a coupon at grocery stores. If it is not better, it is at least comparable. I, too, shop there for gifts. They often have books and children’s items for much less than they would cost to buy at another store, especially at particular times of the year. If you really like brand names, you can often (but not always!) get them for less at Costco. Tires are also a great deal.
3) Cons: They don’t really to have “clearance” items so you don’t see the same after season discounts by any means. The produce and meat cost far more than they do at a grocery store sale. That said, the quality of both is much better, so it depends on your priorities. It’s sort of like comparing apples to oranges. You have to have a lot of self-discipline. There are times when I really only need two items from Costco, but because the place is huge and have lots of “nice” things, you really have to be focused in your shopping and stick to a list/budget or you’ll be spending more, not less.
3) In the end, we (my husband and I) make our membership back in deals and may save a little bit more, but nothing substantial. I am considering switching the Executive membership when ours expires, but that will require even more self-control to stick to my list/budget!
I hope that helped someone. I really appreciate your website, Cassie, as well as all of those who provide input. Thanks! 🙂
FYI – I’m a former costco employee and retired as a marketer and have retained my membership that I pruchased – Why?
– gas is the cheapest in town.
– we do not weekly shop there but buy in bulk ( only 2 in the house now)
– we’ve used the website several times to purchase larger ticket items for the quality and the home delivery. ** HInt – phone the warehouse first to see if they have the item in stock to save the blended in delivery fee!
re no sales ** if the price is down to .97 or .77 then the item has been reduced in price. If thereis an asterik in the corner of the sign then price may be coming down. Keep your recent reciepts in the car in an envelope and if you see a price drop, the membership staff will give you the difference. ** You have to have your bill folks even though the return staff can verify the bill.
Bottom line – I do have a membership but do not shop there to warrant an executive level card.
I got rid of my Costco membership a couple years ago, when shoppers’ optimum became better for me. Instead of paying 100 a year for membership, I redeem my full points during bonus times, especially the Xmas one where you get 250 free. I usually redeem 3-4 times per year, netting me 650-850 of free product per year. I really watch the sales and use coupons.
There are certain things I miss from Costco, and if I really want something, I’ll have a friend pick it up for me.
LOVE Costco! You can get 3 loaves of bread for the price of 1, books are cheap, coffee beans are WAY cheaper there, you can buy a rib roast $60 and cut it into 8 rib steaks which would coast you $120 DOUBLE in the store, awsome prices of clothes for everyone, fruit is cheaper and way bigger portions, vitamins are a steal of a deal and I could go on and on……..WELL worth the membership fee!
I LOVE COSTCO! I love that I can buy baking supplies(I bake a lot) there and pay half the price that I would at a grocery store EVEN with sales and coupons.
I love that sometimes they have good sale and sometimes clearances prices too. Especially during the summer when they have free salsa with the purchase of 2 super sized nacho chips(which is 7.16$ for the both of them). Super deal!
I never used to believe in Costco cuz I was too far away from one. But once we sold our house in the country & moved into the city (right behind a costco as a matter of fact), I changed my mind once our adult children moved back in. I used to think that if I watch for the sales that I could do better than paying $55. to Costco once a year (I thought they should be paying me to shop there). When my milk drinkers came back to live with us, I decided to try it out. I saved more than $55. in the first week!!! Milk for example was on sale last week (not advertised) for a price I haven’t seen probably in 25 yrs. (even cheaper than Shoppers). Natrel 4 liter bags of 1% milk was $3.58 & Sealtest 4 liter bags were $3.99; they all had great dates so I bought enough for 1 month supply. They also have a lot of sales that are not even advertised (eg. 4 lbs Becel usual price is $10.99 @ Costco & $12.99 @ other stores; sometimes on @ Costco for $7.59 so I usually buy about 4 for that price & put them in the freezer. Meats are reasonably priced & nicely cut for barbecues or whatever you want & they taste awesome!!! What with the high gas prices coming in the near future, I don’t have to use a vehicle to get groceries anymore. I just take a small shopping cart with me with some reusable bags & walk over since it’s so close. Even if I had to go over there everyday or every other day so I don’t overload my buggy, I’d still be saving money & getting some exercise to boot. I will definitely be renewing my membership @ the end of the month whether kids are still living @ home or not (love the free samples @ lunch too; good way to find out if I like something or not before I buy it)
Hi i only join cosco 4 month now and i went dare 3 times. i find everything to pricey i feel i get a better deal shoping in the regular grocery stores with my coupons and points. i do agree with some one stating that it depend on your situation. but this will be my first and last with cosco also they dont accept visa and mastercard only american express well too bad
Here is a little hint of advice about Costco. The memberships are somewhat worth it on how much shopping that you do there. But if you are not in often enough and do not spend no more than $175 a month. Stay with the Gold Star membership. The only coupons they allow are procter & gamble that the head office would mail out to you. It is not from the website. It has to be sent from Costco alone in order to use coupons.
When it comes to products to buy, especially meat. Here is a better piece of advice. Do not look at the price of the meat. You look at the numbers of meals you get out of it. I do not do much shopping there but I do go for the chicken, clothing, books department and some food and pharmacy.
We have had the Costco membership for years now. We have the Executive and unlike some people say to just get Gold, why NOT get Executive. You pay more up front, but if you don’t spend enough by the end of the year to make it worth it, they’ll GIVE you the difference! So nothing to loose. I buy 20$ super warm and nice winter boots, 20$ brand-name running shoes, kid’s clothing for 4$ a piece, bread, meat when on special (recently paid 20$ for a porc loin that served 8 meals X 6 portions!) Some things you can’t get at “regular” store and if so, you pay more. ALL my baking goods are from there. I pay 6$ and some for 10KG of flour (white and whole wheat). Can’t beat that anywhere – even when on special! And I don’t really find coupons for flour, vanilla, spices in general.
When everything is said and done, it’s worth it for us.
I think that Costco can be worth it if, and only if, you are disciplined. You really have to go in with a plan and stick to it. The pharmacy, the eye optical centre, the bakery, and the photo centre, are four places that I “earn” back my membership price right away. Another thing I like is Costco’s return policy. You don’t need to keep your receipt as they have all of your purchases on file. For example, my son’s Nintendo D.S. stopped working after 6 months. They replaced it…no questions asked. We’ve also ordered cedar shrubs from them at less than $12 each, including delivery. Another thing I like is Costco’s food court. They make nice cappuccinos that are inexpensive, and their fast food (for the kids) is quite convenient. I also like all the free food samples when you walk around and shop. It keeps everyone entertained.
I have a membership and I find that a lot of the staples things like toilet paper and paper towel is not a good deal.
I only buy milk, meat, diaper genie refills, magazines, baby clothes and furniture.
I asked about using manufacturers coupons and they don’t allow any.
I remember watching a TV show where families or neighbours good together and they bought in bulk and split the food between them – like a co-op. They found they saved more money that way by splitting it all and only having the one membership.
I agree with Sara…make a list and stick to it.
Cereal is usually half the price of most grocery stores
Meat is of excellent quality and about 15% cheaper.
Something that is really cheap is Expresso Coffee….Lilly Expresso is about 40% cheaper than anywhere I have seen…..I could go on and on but as a whole things are cheaper, but stick to your list!!!
I used to have a Costco Membership, and I found some things were worth it. Things that were cheaper were bread, Pomegranate juice, mozzarella cheese, milk, chicken strips, frozen vegetables and spices. The Kirkland vegetable mix is far superior to that I find in my local grocery store. Also, there were certain items that we could ONLY find at Costco, like the Thai Chili sauce my fiancee likes, and Praeventia chocolate cookies. As soon as we have the cash we’re going to join again.
I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all answer to this. I’ve had a Costco membership for over 20 years and love it, but I have friends who don’t find it a savings. Are you buying for 1 person? It would be hard to justify it unless you spend a lot of money on gifts for others. We’re soon to be 2 people in our household and I think it will still be justified (especially since we do buy gifts for adult children and young grandchildren), but it won’t pay off the same way it would for younger people who need small appliances, office supplies, tech gadgets, kids’ toys and clothing, etc. And do know your prices. As someone else said, most paper products aren’t a good deal. Neither is pop unless you love their cola and can’t find brand name cola on sale anywhere and need some. And you can usually do better by buying personal care items on sale with coupons than buying in bulk at Costco. And don’t buy things that will expire unless you know you’ll use them up in time (or will split them with a friend). In fact, that’s how I started shopping at Costco. A friend had a membership and wanted to split the cost of spices, etc. with me so we shopped together and figured out what we could share and I bought my own stuff. Back then, a non-member could pay by debit if accompanied by a member (now you can’t). It’s easy to pay back the member, though, afterwards.
KNOW YOUR PRICES!!! I say some products are worth it while others are not. I personally don’t have a membership but I go with my mom quite a bit, and I look to see what I get a good price on. I always take my price book with me, and my shopping list as well as Matchups, and spend a bit of time checking it out. I also, have to drive over an hour to get to a Costco, so a lot of the time, it’s cheaper for me to shop at Wal-mart
We have been member of Costco for years. We got the Executive membership. Just in cheese and milk it’s worth my membership. I also find the meat taste better than my local grocery stores. We buy even online. It’s convenient when we travel to the States. We always stop at Costco for quick lunch on the road.
We didn’t have one for 2 years –hate that most of my grocery budget is spent on just a few things–but when we go to the US cheese is 1/2 the price of it here–that makes it worth it. Plus we can feed our family of 7 very inexpensively on holidays.
I would also like to know if I get a Canadian Costco card will it work in the States or do I have to purchase a USA Costco card. Have been thinking about getting one.
You really have to know your prices! Some stuff is worth it and others are not. You definately should stick to a list. We recently bought the two pack of kids pajamas by Pekkle for $15.00 which was a great deal. The pekkle jammies are good quality and very cute designs! You can by unsalted almonds, walnuts etc.. in large bags and the pricing seems very reasonable. We buy the large bag of grated parmesan cheese and empty it into a container and it last a few months. Again know your prices and you can sometimes get some great deals!
I’d like to know how long people spend in the store? I always hated the check out process because the line-ups were always long. Wal-Mart is bad that way too. They make so much money, how much could it cost them to hire one or two more people as cashiers?
For a great review of the frugality of a Costco membership, google “squawkfox Costco.” Squawkfox is another Canadian frugal blog. I hope it’s ok to recommend an additional blog on here. 🙂
Funny that this question came up. My husband just told me last night he’s going to deactivate our memberships because we haven’t shopped there since December. I’m a little upset just because I like having the option to shop there, even if we haven’t made it recently. I agree with all of the above comments, especially if you do a lot of your own cooking and baking from scratch. I have also found their meat to be better quality than what I can get in the grocery store, but if you can find a local farmer to buy it from, you’d probably do even better (quality & price-wise), as I noticed the last time I bought a roast there it was from American beef. I have found having a membership especially useful when you’re making meals or asked to bring something for a large gathering – their ready-made salads, deli meats, cheeses and even baked goods are always good value, and taste great. Some good deals can be found in their produce section, but you do need to know your prices. Again, the quality is often top-notch here. Don’t forget, though, that there are companies such as Ontario Natural Food Co-op which allow you to create or join existing buying clubs and order directly from them, at a discount, when they also supply health food stores. There are amazing deals to be had in this sort of shopping experience, where you never have to leave home to buy what you’d like.
@ Cathy – I had mentioned once to cashier that when we went to Myrtle Beach there was a Costco and we didn’t bring our cards, she said we could have mentioned it and given our phone number and they could have looked up… So I guess they take it…
We like our membership and the fact ours has a gas station and always selling 6¢ less a litre is really great… We have the executive membership and I like the 2% it gives back (some of our family members don’t want a membership for a few items they like, so we buy it and it helps towards the 2% back)… We have started liking their brand (Kirkland) of stuff and pricing is great for it… Like others have said you have to know your pricing… I too like their meat and chicken better than other places, I don’t mind paying a bit more for better meat than eating cheap meat that’s not enjoyable…
I have let my costco card go as prices are just to high. Meat is very highly priced. There are a lot of products to choose from. They Don’t accept outside coupons. It is not worth the Gold card cost to get in the door $57 in wpg. I only shopped about 6 times a year. Most things are in bulk. For 3 people in my family the price is not justified.
I think I’m a bit late to the game here, but I just wanted to chime in and say that, in my opinion, a Costco membership is absolutely not worth it, but it depends on what you buy. I think that if you buy a lot of processed/packaged foods, you’ll save money, but most of their produce/staples are more expensive than Superstore at regular price (and that’s not even taking coupons into account).
The selection is also not that great. I was really disappointed when I first got my membership; I thought I’d be able to buy big bags of lentils and stuff, but they don’t even sell them. It seems like most of what they sell are big packages of cookies… So yeah, if you buy a lot of cookies/granola bars/miscellaneous snacks, then it’s probably worth it, but otherwise it’s not.
I’ve often wondered if my membership was worthwhile too. We live an hour and 20 minute drive away from the closest Costco. , If you know your prices and depending on what you chose to buy you can find good deals. They often have good deals on books which I discovered the hard way after buying a book at the bookstore then finding it at Costco for half the price. I always try to grab the Kirkland pure vanilla when we`re there because the price is amazing. I guess it all depends on what you purchase and in our case, how much money you have to spend at that time. We have found some great deals over the years and were glad we had the membership. But on the other hand we`ve seen things that were great deals but didn`t have the extra cash to get item, knowing that we could pretty well bet the next time we were in town, it would no longer be in stock. My personal pet peeves are there is no place to try any of the clothes on, they don`t take coupons and I always hate spending so much time at the checkouts because the lineups are so long.
I have 3 boys (2 teenagers) so buying bulk makes sense for us. I find that the quality of meat is second to none. I have bought from the farmer before and got stuck with a quarter of beef that I wouldn’t feed my dog!
I buy electronics, small appliances, furniture, toys at Christmas, clothes for all of us. They also have a return policy that is second to none!
The membership is well worth it for us.
I’ve been a member for over 15 years. It is worth it. My only complaint is that because it’s buying in “bulk” I usually don’t come out without spending at least $100.00. No Questions return policy is AMAZING..even half eaten, you get 100% refund. I didn’t like the quality of the no name laundry detergent and they gave me a full refund. My 2 of my 3 loaves of bread went moldy (left sitting in sun – oops) and I returned them. 2% cash back on the EXECUTIVE membership is worthwile only if you’re spending lots. In the past it’s covered the cost of membership. I’m hoping this year it will be more since our minivan costs almost 90.00 to fill up and they just added a gas bar to our local costco.