Pro's and Con's of Costco Membership?

[thirdeye]

There are 8 or 9 Costco stores around Denver, CO and 1 in Billings MT both about equal distance from me. The only club warehouse store we have is Sam's Club. I can get a day pass to Restaurant Depot in Denver with my KCBS membership.... so I'm curious is a Costco membership is worth it for maybe 2 or 3 visits per year.

 

[Chester]

Costco’s are awesome. Wish there was one closer than 2 hrs away.

 

[Dweverett]

For us, Costco has been a great deal over the years. The food isn’t a bad deal but for the most part, I could have picked that up elsewhere.

Beyond that though, I’ve picked up a lot of furniture, including the outdoor set we’ve been using for almost 10 years, half the beds in the house, a substantial amount of alcohol, one of the pergolas, and the swing set we bought when we first moved here. (Actually, I bought three of them because a couple friends were moving to the area too with small kids).

They also have great prepared foods — one example being their cakes.

Everyone’s needs are different but we’re there pretty much every week.

 

[WilliamKY]

I'm probably going to end my membership next year. I've been a member since 2009 but now that my kids are almost grown I only shop there 2-3 times per year anymore just to grab some meat. My best friend and his wife shop there several times a month so I figure if I want anything I can have him pick it up for me.

 

[smoke ninja]

I hate Costco. I mean it's great to save money buying in bulk but then they hit you with all the impulse buys and there goes the neighborhood.

seriously I liked costco for deals on drinks and water. I used to get briskets there but have found restaurant depot superior Angus label to be pretty good and less fat.

they have good deals but of your already a member of another warehouse or just looking for meat I'd just stick with RD

 

[sudsandswine]

There are things I like at each that the other doesn’t carry part or all of the time. I generally prefer Kirkland brand things at Costco over Members Mark things at Sam’s. There’s been times that Costco had no brisket, as an example, whereas Sam’s still did - or vice versa. Around here at least, Costco has more organic products than Sam’s, if that’s your thing.

 

[jzadski]

My biggest complaint about Costco is the locations. We too have Sams that are much closer but, there is one that is next to a Costco so we will hit both. You can always buy a membership and cancel at any time. That way you can check it out and get stuff if you really want with no real commitment. To us Costco is a fancier Sams that is geared more to consumers than a business perhaps. If I were to pick only one it would be Sams

 

[ssv3]

Oh the $100 club. That's the minimum you're going to spend anytime you walk in there. A costco employee told me that years ago and he was spot on. Love costco and most definitely worth the membership fee especially if you have a Costco Business location nearby. You get exclusive products available to you otherwise not available anywhere. Quality is second to none and their return policy can't be beat. Service is impeccable.

Here's a detailed visit to a Costco Business Center I did some years back. Less crowded and 70% of their inventory is not available at a regular club. Same membership to shop a regular club or a business center

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=253488

 

[El Ropo]

I couldn't justify paying for a membership for less than say 12 visits a year (once a month). I've been driving uber for a living, and have the executive membership. Just the savings in gas is far more than the cost of the card. Plus there are some things in Costco that are hard to skip. They often have amazing deals on high quality coffee beans, I mean super cheap like a 40 oz bag of organic columbian beans for like $9.99. The pizza from my local costco's food court is super good and cheap.


Their prices tend to be higher than Sam's club prices for comparable items, but the quality of those items seems to be higher at Costco than Sam's. For just a couple visits a year, I would most likely pass on getting that membership.

 

[mcyork28]

The money I save on gas pays for the membership.

 

[Gore]

Just a note that the Executive Membership is $120 per year. With it you get 2% back on your purchases. If your 2% rebate check doesn't add up to $120, meaning your purchases totaled $6000, then they will give you the difference back. This is something that is not publicized, but at our Costco, when the checks come out for the yearly rebates, they will direct you to the front desk to collect the difference. I know other Costcos do this also because Costco employees have told me as much. Essentially this makes the Executive Membership free. Our rebate normally adds up to much more than this, but one year when we were living in Europe, we were directed to the front desk and got our membership fee reimbursed. YMMV, but it does seem to be an unwritten rule.

My mom used to call Price Club (previous to Costco) the $100 club in the 80s. When we are stocking up on hooch, we now call it the $1000 club. :roll:

 

[Lomey]

I like the meat and you can't beat the gas prices here in KC. We have the executive membership and always get money back every year. I got a set of truck tire for around $250 if I remember right a few months ago with cash back money and gift cards that we got with certain purchases. Would have been about $1250 somewhere else.

I also get a lot of my cloths there. They have good quality stuff for cheap. Especially exercise cloths.

 

[Shiz-Nit]

If one was close enough to me I would get a membership.

 

[Monkey Uncle]

Nearest Costco is 2.5 hours from us. We joined because the wife needed hearing aids. Costco price is 1/3 what an audiology practice charges. We go once a year for a hearing check and to stock up on anything we need. If not for the hearing aids, whatever we save probably wouldn't be worth the drive. But we also order stuff online, so we can save on some things without making the drive. We get 2% back on all purchases using the Costco Visa card.

We rarely buy meat there, except for the rotisserie chickens, which we shred and freeze for pot pies and such. They're cheaper than buying a raw whole chicken and cooking it yourself. But otherwise I've found their meat prices to be too high. I can get much better deals by following sales at my hometown grocery stores.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

ThirdEye,
To answer your question, no, getting a Costco membership for 2 or 3 shopping trips a year is definitely not worth it.


Unless of course you are buying TV's, coffins, and tires and each of those trips. No way you'd recover membership in 2-3 food trips.

 

[Boatman]

I have both memberships. Sam's is closer and next to Walmart, Costco is almost twice the distance (25 miles). Costvo Salmon and steelhead are 6.99 lb. Good price on pork belly. Ribs same as Sams. As others have said gas is a good value. I use their credit card for all my purchased and get back$275 minimum each year. If you need a rental car the last time I used Costco I saved about 1/3 the price. If you can go and load up its worth it. But picking up a few items 2 or 3 times a year.... save your money

 

[thirdeye]

ThirdEye,
To answer your question, no, getting a Costco membership for 2 or 3 shopping trips a year is definitely not worth it.


Unless of course you are buying TV's, coffins, and tires and each of those trips. No way you'd recover membership in 2-3 food trips.

Coffins? I heard they have good deals on coffee....

 

[frayedend]

My Costco is an hour away. When I visited (Nashua NH) and they had Prime brisket for $3.50/lb I joined. I saved my membership fee on the first trip with a few briskets. I pay about $5/lb around here for Choice.

 

[musicmanj]

Costco is fantastic.

I buy all my autos from them. Fixed discounted pricing, no hassle purchasing.

For example, I was in the market for a new truck. Stopped by Ford Dealer to test drive one. We negotiated pricing, but I wanted to do a bit more research before buying. When I went back the next morning, they said all these different items that were "included" the day before, were now going to cost and additional $5K!! I walked.

Contacted Costco Auto, they sent me to a different Ford Dealer. 2 hours later I was driving away in a new F-150. While finalizing the paper work, the sales guy says "let me see if I can find more discounts for you". He searched through the computer and asked if I had brought in the coupon. Of course I said yes, and he said "great, that's another $1000 off". It's night and day difference buying through costco's auto program.

That aside, even with groceries, it doesn't take too many trips to justify the cost of the membership.

 

[blackdogbbq21]

We use our Costco membership a alot but there are a handful of stores within 20 minutes of our house. Even with just two of us at home it's great for alot of non perishable goods. We just avoid the frozen section, I've learned my lesson on those items sounding great but then half the pack wasting away in the freezer.



We have one local restaurant depot but it's a headache, they give me alot of grief with the kcbs account.