re: Are Costco memberships worth it?

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Are Costco memberships worth it?

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It has been for us, if only for buying these...



We don't go a ton...maybe two or three times a month but the handful of things we do get are worth it I think.

Worth it for the Kirkland brand of products alone. Everything Kirkland brand is really good..from paper towels to chicken stock, to baby wipes.

I really like turkey burgers, but have never pulled the trigger on buying those. I will next trip.

And I absolutely love the bbq brisket sandwich with coleslaw that Costco sells in their food court.

The only negative about Costco is the store and their parking lots are absolute zoos. There's usually a 10-15 minute wait for gas.

As most supermarkets are 24 hours, you can usually go late at night or early in the morning to avoid crowds. This isn't the case with Costco, they open at 10 and close at 830 on weekdays and 6 on weekends. The crowds really make for an unpleasant shopping experience. It's up to you if the savings is worth the headache.

I do agree that buying electronics thru them is a safe bet.

Edit- my experience is with Los Angeles area Costcos, the experience may be different in smaller cities.

That sounds like BS

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The only negative about Costco is the store and their parking lots are absolute zoos. There's usually a 10-15 minute wait for gas.

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I haven't had to wait for gas in BR since it first dropped below $2, and everyone went nuts. It's worth noting the gas lines are one direction only, and you can pull up on either side - the hoses will reach. Very efficient setup.

Yes. Costco>>>>>>>>>>>>Sam's.

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Also...as a Costco member you can go on their website and get the best rates on rental cars.

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Is enough of a reason to join.

You can also get a 48 pack of their in house brand beer for like 20 bucks to give to free loaders that stop by your tailgate.

Kirkland brand shite is really good too, which is what makes it worth it for me.

Buy your tires at Costco and get free rotation and balance for life of the tires. They also have a great warranty, and they usually have a buy 3 get 1 free coupon going.

Coffee is insanely cheap there compared to regular grocery stores.

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is $13/liter. Non-organic is $11/liter. For high quality olive oil, you will never find a more competitive price.

Frozen fruit is actually affordable.

Avocados, good quality ones, are about $.75 per all the time. Publix has them on sale for a $1/avocado once a month.

I got a large delicious seedless watermelon the other day at Costco for $4. Same size was $8 at Publix.

If you're really hard up for cash, you can eat some free meals there. Saturday afternoons at 330 and Sunday afternoons around 1230 are great times for free samples. Especially Saturday. I know that on 330 on Saturday starts the "you can leave the floor if you run out of samples" time, so the people running the samples would just hand out huge portions. My wife and I did this years ago when we were trying to put away money. We figured we were saving about $15/week (four meals total) meaning we were saving around $60/month on food costs. It's a silly thing to do, but if you're there shopping anyway, might as well get a free meal.

Speaking of, if you're not health conscious, their pizza is cheap as are their hot dogs.

Overall though, we've kept our Costco membership because the quality items that would be exorbitant anywhere else are actually affordable. Especially cheese and wine. I got a huge triangle of pecorino romano for $13, and it's some of the best pecorino I've ever tasted. Parmesan reggiano is about $14/pound and it's about $21/pound at Whole Foods. We get a $6 bottle of wine every week, and it's always delicious. Never tastes cheap.

There's also some random things that pop up. Like my dog needed a new bed, and TJ Maxx had decent ones for $40. Pet Smart was wanting $50+ for a dog bed. I got a huge dog bed that was good quality for $25 at Costco.

Yeah, I'm a Costco fan.