Costco, worth it?
Discussion
I joined in order to buy a trolley jack!
It's not really on my way anyway, but have been back for a look around with my wife and there are some bargains to be had, but be careful as some of the stuff is not particularly cheap.
The meat looks very high quality.
You can get a visitor's pass so you can have a good look around but not buy anything.
I would imagine it would be very easy to become a member and then never go!
It's not really on my way anyway, but have been back for a look around with my wife and there are some bargains to be had, but be careful as some of the stuff is not particularly cheap.
The meat looks very high quality.
You can get a visitor's pass so you can have a good look around but not buy anything.
I would imagine it would be very easy to become a member and then never go!
Yes the Pizza alone at the end of the checkout make costco worth it..... Pretty good for tyres too. There are some amazing seasonal bargains to be had too...
Never just pop in for one thing Go with a full list otherwise you go in for one thing and come out with £300 of stuff you dont really need and tons of other stuff too like 4kg of mozzarella sticks and a catering pack of mini desserts.
Never just pop in for one thing Go with a full list otherwise you go in for one thing and come out with £300 of stuff you dont really need and tons of other stuff too like 4kg of mozzarella sticks and a catering pack of mini desserts.
Yes, if you want you house to be full to the rafters and resemble a warehouse, so you can tell everyone your dishwasher tablets were 50% cheaper.
If you want to buy things that you will never use because they were a bargain.
If you want to drop £200 every time you drive past one.
If you want to shop with people you won't like.
If you enjoy paying to get in a shop.
If you want to buy tyres that even at the sale price, are more than you can bargain your local Indy to.
If you want to buy stuff, use it, and return it for a full refund 11 months later. (WTF?)
If you want to pretend you are a member of a special club, open only to traders.
Fill yer boots.
If you want to buy things that you will never use because they were a bargain.
If you want to drop £200 every time you drive past one.
If you want to shop with people you won't like.
If you enjoy paying to get in a shop.
If you want to buy tyres that even at the sale price, are more than you can bargain your local Indy to.
If you want to buy stuff, use it, and return it for a full refund 11 months later. (WTF?)
If you want to pretend you are a member of a special club, open only to traders.
Fill yer boots.
Edited by sday12 on Tuesday 7th August 13:09
Yes, I think it is! It has saved us a vast amount of money this year - things like 10kg of onions for £3 (might not be 10kg, but it is a bloody big bag) and cheap alcohol make all the difference. Lovely filter coffee is very cheap as well.
They do tyres too - 4 Michelin Primacys fitted and balanced on my car for £260.
Cafe is excellent - the pizza is incredible, coffee is good, and very cheap.
Our closest one is in Aberdeen which is fine for me, but my Dad worked out that the savings he makes on a few bottles of Macallan compared to Tesco prices pays for the fuel to and from Inverness.
Do it!
They do tyres too - 4 Michelin Primacys fitted and balanced on my car for £260.
Cafe is excellent - the pizza is incredible, coffee is good, and very cheap.
Our closest one is in Aberdeen which is fine for me, but my Dad worked out that the savings he makes on a few bottles of Macallan compared to Tesco prices pays for the fuel to and from Inverness.
Do it!
I used to have Costco as a customer so got signed up that way.
Definitely worth joining if you can.
When I was a member I had an S2000 and regularly came home with it full of stuff.
The range isn't as good as a Tesco for example, but what they do have is bulk packs cheaper than Tesco / Asda etc.
And whatever you think of the other customers - I never had an issue with them - buying in bulk means you don't have to deal with them as often.
Definitely worth joining if you can.
When I was a member I had an S2000 and regularly came home with it full of stuff.
The range isn't as good as a Tesco for example, but what they do have is bulk packs cheaper than Tesco / Asda etc.
And whatever you think of the other customers - I never had an issue with them - buying in bulk means you don't have to deal with them as often.
If you're not an impulse buyer it's worth it IMO. As you've spotted - some things are cheaper than supermarkets some are not. You have to be clued up on the supermarket offers when you're in there so that you can make a fair comparison.
If you do decide it's worth it for you, consider getting a British Airways Amex card, and paying for your Costco shopping on Amex and joining the Costco exec scheme. The BA companion voucher is one of the best deals out there, and with some regular large shopping in Costco together with other spend you will quickly accrue a lot of points/savings not to mention the companion voucher itself.
If, on the other hand, you are an impulse buyer, forget it. You will turn your house into a corner shop quicker than you can say "I only popped in for some dishwasher tabs and I seem to have spent 300 quid".
If you do decide it's worth it for you, consider getting a British Airways Amex card, and paying for your Costco shopping on Amex and joining the Costco exec scheme. The BA companion voucher is one of the best deals out there, and with some regular large shopping in Costco together with other spend you will quickly accrue a lot of points/savings not to mention the companion voucher itself.
If, on the other hand, you are an impulse buyer, forget it. You will turn your house into a corner shop quicker than you can say "I only popped in for some dishwasher tabs and I seem to have spent 300 quid".
I'm not a member at the moment (should probably get that sorted) but some of the stuff is really good. Totally agree with the need to be careful what you get - I'd sign up for the chance to shop for the imported foods, American crisps and what not, rather than the potential to save money by bulk buying Coca Cola. Where you make a saving one item, you spend a load more than you planned on 5KG drums of nuts and multipack exotic ales!
Sacks of baking potatoes for about 1/3 of supermarket prices, and they are excellent.
As has been said, the meat is excellent quality. We bulk buy chicken breasts and break the pack up into sets of four and then freeze them.
The big gammon hams and superb.
The AV stuff such as big TVs are very overpriced, but the returns policy is excellent.
Years ago I bought a NAVMAN sat nav from Costco, eleven months later the price of a Tom Tom had dropped through the floor. I returned my NAVMAN to Costco, who refunded without batting an eyelid. I bought a tomtom elsewhere and pocketed the difference
Oh and the chicken bakes are awesome....
As has been said, the meat is excellent quality. We bulk buy chicken breasts and break the pack up into sets of four and then freeze them.
The big gammon hams and superb.
The AV stuff such as big TVs are very overpriced, but the returns policy is excellent.
Years ago I bought a NAVMAN sat nav from Costco, eleven months later the price of a Tom Tom had dropped through the floor. I returned my NAVMAN to Costco, who refunded without batting an eyelid. I bought a tomtom elsewhere and pocketed the difference
Oh and the chicken bakes are awesome....
Yes.....
Got 4 Michelin tyres for the daily for the price of budgets at the local "S**t fit"
The fresh salmon is good value and as lots of people mention,the meat is excellent too.
Beware of impulse buys though! I'm sure a great deal of their business is achieved by the "ooh look at this...... I'v always fancied one if those" factor!
Enjoy
Got 4 Michelin tyres for the daily for the price of budgets at the local "S**t fit"
The fresh salmon is good value and as lots of people mention,the meat is excellent too.
Beware of impulse buys though! I'm sure a great deal of their business is achieved by the "ooh look at this...... I'v always fancied one if those" factor!
Enjoy
mattdaniels said:
If, on the other hand, you are an impulse buyer, forget it. You will turn your house into a corner shop quicker than you can say "I only popped in for some dishwasher tabs and I seem to have spent 300 quid".
Bang on, it's all about having a bit of restraint. If you stick to what you'd normally get in a supermarket and you're clued up about the prices you pay outside, you can save a fortune. But if you go wild buying cool stuff just because it's there and OMG look at the price, you waste what you save (and probably more
)Similarly if you don't know what things cost elsewhere you won't recognise bargains OR the things that are expensive as hell. You've got to be smart about it, then it is totally worth it.
Oh, and it helps to have some storage space for bulk buys....since I moved to a 1 bedroom flat I've had to use my mum's garage as a bog roll and tuna storage warehouse
Well worth it
The Kirkland range (their own brand stuff) is of better quality than most supermarkets own brands
For buying things that don't go off such as loo roll, dishwasher tablets etc it works out well
The massive Pizzas, the cakes etc are all great and the meat is great too
I love it
Just be warned its known as the £100 shop as when you go in you never come out having spent less than £100
The Kirkland range (their own brand stuff) is of better quality than most supermarkets own brands
For buying things that don't go off such as loo roll, dishwasher tablets etc it works out well
The massive Pizzas, the cakes etc are all great and the meat is great too
I love it
Just be warned its known as the £100 shop as when you go in you never come out having spent less than £100
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