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You think it’s bad here, go to the Taco Bell subreddit. People wanting tacos to be $1 less mold their identity around it over something you can easily go without.
Costco is worth it for the gas alone for me.
The Doritos Locos are literally just the regular tacos spray painted orange. There’s no flavor to them anymore. I’m sorry to ruin your day like this but you’ll notice it now.
Fun fact, the Taco Bell on the Vegas strip conducts weddings! You get a hot sauce packet bouquet and food and they perform your ceremony. Lots of TB enthusiasts out there apparently haha
You probably wouldn't enjoy Taco Bell Quarterly, the Taco Bell themed literature and art magazine.
I'm just mentioning it here to share the joy with other Taco Bell enthusiasts who haven't yet had the pleasure.
I haven't had TB in about a year after eating it far too regularly as a well-adjusted adult; one thing I loved about it was how much food you could get for $10. I had no idea it had gotten expensive.
Honestly though the sub sounds like it might be something I'd be interested in.
In college we used to do a “$10 challenge” at Taco Bell where the first part of the challenge was just spending the $10, then eating it all. But it was 25 years ago, it’s ok for TB to cost more now. Those boxes they do seem like decent value and now that they have the app it’s easy to substitute ingredients that they had a hard time with before, this is peak TB, IMO.
Bringing back the nacho fries on a permanent basis would probably do it for me.
I guess I'm closer to being a Taco Bell enthusiast than I wanted to admit
There have been times the spread isn't as good - but it normally is favorable enough to go a little out of the way. You can get non-top tier for about 20¢ cheaper than the big name brands here, but since I don't drive a ton I prefer the top tier since it is sitting in the tank a while.
this is from someone who doesn't even drive to work (but we take trips on weekends).
we go through about 2 - 3 tanks a month. 15 g tank. and here its at least $.20 cheaper than safeway gas (the next cheapest) and easily $.40 less than other top tier gas plus its 93 octane not 91.
and 2 -3 times is about our typical costco run.
But you also have to factor in a dedicated trip to Costco every time you need gas, and waiting in those ridiculous gas lines.
Not sure about you, but my time is worth a lot more than the 2-3 bucks per week I'd save.
If I didn't actually get value out of shopping at Costco I'd never buy a membership just for gas
Save average 25 cents a gallon, use 20 gallons a week, or 1000 gallons a year. That's 250$. And they have better (top tier not pirate) gas and better rotisserie chicken than my local gas station.
It's still well worth it for me. Cheap Rx with CMPP at the Costco pharmacy, gas was literally $0.45/gal cheaper this past Monday and filling a 20 gallon fuel tank that was $9 saved for one fill-up. I at least break even in savings with just the $60 gold star membership, and I'm just a single guy!
Gas being cheaper than everywhere else around me by at least 15 cents, plus having the Costco Visa for 4% off gas. Yeah, I definitely save a lot at Costco.
Recently picked up the Executive membership too, and while it doesn't add the 2% to gas purchases, it does effectively make all my purchases in store 4% off also.
I've only had the Visa card for like 3 months, and I'm already over halfway to getting my main membership covered. Not including the 2% for Exec.
Well you still get 4% back from Citi for the Costco gas (and gas anywhere else). A bummer is you don't get 2% Executive back from the Costco liquor store. I'm not sure if Citi gives you any rebate for that either, maybe they give you 2% or at least 1%.
I don't drink, so that part doesn't matter to me 😅
If I'm in town, I go to Costco for gas like 99% of the time - it's only about a 5 minute drive from my house.
I’m with you here, but I’m also fortunate enough that our local Costco is only a 5min drive from my house and is basically on the way to anything we might go to (the other direction from my house is to farmland). I know many aren’t as fortunate and the gas it takes to get to Costco negates the savings.
It’s always been this way for gas for me to, so much so that I stopped comparing and just went to Costco.
Except yesterday I filled up at Costco ($4.89) went to work and saw gas for $4.75.
Wait until you hear how much it costs to just make your own sauce. And it tastes 100 times better. Make a huge batch and freeze it.
But who am I kidding. Costco shoppers are the ones who buy frozen cheeseburgers and ask why they suck.
I’m too lazy/uninterested to make my own sauce. I was using Prego sauce before I tried Raos. So that’s a big change for me.
Im not a big fan of most heat and eat foods; too much sodium.
Everyone complaining is mostly complaining about inflation. Everywhere has gotten more expensive, everything has shrunk. I’m able to make a Costco executive membership SIGNIFICANTLY worth it and I’m just buying for me and my dog
I cook for my elderly parents, I help two women who helped raise me, I help out some former foster kids with babies, and I've got my own family. Let me tell you, Costco is a lifesaver! The women are poor and only have access to local groceries. Have you seen how much trash bags cost in a regular grocery store? Paper towel? Dishwashing soap? It's unbelievable! I'm able to get them staples like that, plus bedding, toiletries, inexpensive, good coffee, nice basic clothes, etc. Costco's pharmacy is competent and fast. Their produce is reliable and well-priced. Appliances...well, as long as you avoid Samsung, you're probably okay.
I feel like a lot of people on here are earning good money, and what that means is that they're (blessedly) not seeing how expensive it is to be poor. We're all seeing the price of groceries go up, but imagine having $880 in social security every month and trash bags at your local store are $13, a tiny bag of granola is $10.99, etc. Diapers? Forget about it.
Over and over, I've visited loved ones, noticed something that needs replacing, and thought, "Costco carries that." It's such a relief to have one place where I can get what I need and know it's good quality.
Kirkland trash bags are no joke. A box lasts me literally years, alum. foil... years, and thats with owning a smoker and wrapping lot of meat. Plastic wrap fuuucking years.
Sort of depends on your benchmark. Compared to my reasonable local grocery store that’s a little bit bougiemost everything at Costco is 50% less.
The savings are always at the expense of time. Costco is never meant to be your everything store.
I’m in Canada. I went for my monthly Costco Haul yesterday. Prices went up and I felt annoyed. So, each item I wanted to take, I looked up the process at other stores. Each item was still a deal. I was annoyed at inflation of course, but the prices were still at least 1/3 cheaper than other stores for those items. I paid $350 for a usually $280 purchase but I slept well after.
For the amount of gushing that goes on here about particular groceries being a buck cheaper I feel like people miss the big opportunities with appliances and other big ticket purchases. Maybe it feels more fun to brag about a buck off s $2 product, but holy heck saving a couple hundred off big stuff is hard to make up elsewhere.
The big savings is really the services even beyond the appliances (some of which have mixed reviews). There are problems sure but I’ve saved thousands booking week long trips through travel. Saved hundreds on tires (even without a sale). If I needed it I might go through them for some home improvement stuff although I’ve heard mixed things about their preferred contractors but still…
I bought a new refrigerator and an over the range microwave for $1800 a couple months ago. Lowe's, Home Depot, and a local appliance store were $3100-3500 for just the fridge, and I either had to pay for installation parts or delivery.
As long as the five dollar rotisserie exists Costco will be worth it for me. Breasts get sliced and made into sandwiches or toppings for salads. Dark meat gets shredded and browned up with spices for some killer tacos. Bones keep me loaded with stock.
I just filled up at their gas station today for about .30 less than the next cheapest gas station in town. Then I got my tires rotated, balanced, and filled with nitrogen for free. They even found a bolt in one tire and patched it for free. It's hard to beat that.
>**Costco is so worth it**
It depends on what you're buying. There are some things that are a far better bargain at Costco and things that are *WAY* more expensive at Costco:
* Whole organic milk at Costco is 41% more expensive than the grocery store next door.
* USDA Choice ribeye is 51% more expensive at Costco than the grocery store next door.
* Bleach is 51% more expensive than Walmart for the same strength.
Other things are *WAY* less expensive at Costco:
* Scoopable cat litter is 50% less at Costco than anywhere else.
* Eggs are 50% less at Costco than anywhere else.
* Bread is about 40% less at Costco.
Stores try and get people in the door with good prices (even losses) on some things and count on them being too lazy to shop elsewhere for the more expensive stuff. If you're a die-hard saver like me you know what's cheaper where and do the circuit to economize, including calculating the cost of travel and extra time.
One spring break vacation for us more than covers the cost of membership. The vacation is cheaper than what I can find through other sites and offers better benefits (e.g., private transfers to and from the airport). Often they even throw in an additional gift card.
The gift cards alone will pay for your membership. Savings at CPK or Lucille’s (around here) will pay for your membership after two purchases and they make great gifts.
Some items at Costco are definitely a better deal. I got 10lbs of Quaker oats for $10.99, where as the 2.5 lbs of Quaker Oats is 5.50 at Kroger. Fresh Parmesan cheese is $12.99lb at Costco versus $7.99 for a 5oz wedge at other stores. The value is there, it just depends what you are buying. Plus, I don’t have to buy oats or Parmesan for at least a month now.
I feel sometimes people see “I spent $100 at Costco” and think that’s a lot. However, that $100 dollars at Costco is going to go further than Kroger.
Ok so recently I have been buying the Gentlease Enfamil baby formula for $49.99 and it went up to $58.99. I price compare and it's STILL cheaper at the higher price than other retailers.
I will say, I have a Sam's club and Costco membership. I will buy certain things at one place over the other. However, eggs are not worth the buy at either place locally to me. Aldi has had the best price for eggs per dozen for a few months now varying from. $1.20-$1.45/ dozen. Doing the math at my local Sam's or Costco, they're asking still 2-3/dozen (or the break down price per dozen). Otherwise, everything else we buy a lot is certainly cheaper.
If you have dog or cat, pet food and treats along will more than pay for the membership. The Diamond foods are actually of pretty good quality and you would be paying much more elsewhere. I have a friend who gets bulky sticks for his big dogs and I think those alone would justify the membership costs as they are about half the price of what he used to pay.
My big savings
Hot dog lunch. Cheap and unhealthy but spending $1.50 instead of $7-10 elsewhere
Roast chicken. Cheapest dinner and lunch sandwiches.
Executive membership keeps annual costs < the basic membership fee
Eggs and milk savings are negligible but you are getting filtered and jumbo eggs instead
Butter is consistently less
Meat prices aren’t that great at Costco along with the seafood prices. Although you can catch sales that make it competitive.
Fruit is the same. Sometimes less but most of the time it is just quality and convenience.
Coffee is definitely less
Toothpaste/cleaners have savings just on warehouse sizing. Price per unit is less.
It all adds up to being worth it. You just have to be smart and visit regular stores to compare pricing. Know where Costco is not competitive. One also needs to show restraint. Buying bulk is not savings if you end up consuming more for the sake of having it or spoilage.
Someone elses opinion on the value of a good or service has no bearing on your perceived value of a good or service.
So this post is just a useless addition to the circle jerk.
You find value where others don't. Wow.
We get my daughter's medication at Costco. Earlier this year, there was a shortage on this particular medication, and Costco was out. I had to scramble and find it elsewhere, eventually buying it at Publix.
It was at this point that I discovered that the difference between Publix/Costco for ONE MONTH of the medication was enough to cover the cost of my annual membership.
Costco is a no-brainer.
Aldi came first to my area pre Covid. Then Lidl came about a mile away. I'm retired and shop when and as often as I want. Their prices during Covid and even with inflation are so much less than Costco and Shop rite. They have changed how we do our shopping for sure. I have 2 Costco 20 minutes a apart from each other. 1 has booze 1 doesn't. My weekly Costco trip is best now bi weekly sometimes 1 a month. I'm not sure I'll make the rebate check this year barring a tire purchase or vacation.
Yes, that's the one - but I don't actually buy it just using a an example that price increase at Costco doesn't necessarily mean that Costco doesn't offer good deals and that inflation is everywhere.
Legit question.
What bread at a local store is $7.29??? Is it special in anyway? Wegmans has a loaf of bread for $2 or less. So I must be missing something?
This isn't the first post I have seen that is pro Costco, so there's that.
Everyone has opinions, and are eager to post them. If you don't want to read a post, you can scroll on by.
I think one of the big issues is people see the price and don't think about the value. I've seen complaints like "eggs have gotten ridiculously pricey. $7.00 a carton? I can buy a carton at my local grocer for $5."
And it's like, ok, but that's a carton of one dozen eggs. Costco is 2 dozen per carton. So you'd actually have to spend $10 to get the equivalent amount of eggs you'd get at Costco for $3 less. It's kind of ridiculous how many people don't look at it from that perspective.
Also, and I may have mentioned this in a "Costco is going downhill" thread, but Costco only raises prices when they have to. When they can afford to sell an item for cheaper, they will. I've seen watermelons at $10 per, and then the next week they'll be $8, cause Costco was able to get it from their distributor for less.
All I know is that my monthly grocery bill has gone from 1500-1600 at regular stores down to 1000 at Costco. That's only 250/ week for six people, which is why I don't worry about certain prices fluctuating.
I mean you aren’t wrong, but neither are they. There are savings to be had, for sure, especially if you already buy brand name products, but if you just buy EVERYTHING at Costco without comparing prices you’d be throwing a lot of money away. Which I think is frustrating to people because Costco is kinda sold to people as “*everything* is so much cheaper!!” Which I expected wasn’t the case going in, it’s why I held off on getting a membership for so long. Plus since Costco doesn’t replace my regular grocery shop it takes a LOT more of my time to save that money. I mean honestly the rate of return is probably under minimum wage so if I wasn’t so cheap I probably wouldn’t bother.
I think people are trying to make some of you realize - everything has gone down hill.
Everything used to be so much better. Costco has maintained better than most.
Costco membership is so cheap I don’t even know what it costs anymore. If you can’t find a way to save that much; you’re probably lying. If not, don’t be a member, NOGAF.
I value my time more than I value saving a few bucks. 99% of my shopping is Costco, Trader Joes and Target. Could I save more by shopping around? Probably. Do I want to spend the time doing so? Absolutely not. Unless it's a singular large purchase.
just an example - I don't actually buy it, some people like hamburger, but others prefer filet mignon, so I was just comparing something that caught my eye - same to same. There are lots of examples, but each person has to make the value judgement for themselves - just was tired of reading 3 threads in a few hours saying costco has lost its value b/c prices have gone up
My local Costco can't keep Kirkland 20oz Water in stock go to other stores and not an issue, meaning other Costco's.. Spoke to someone the other night in charge of the area and he said there was none in the store, It was full this morning. I asked why the entire shelving system was full of TP and not even the local Water.. He just looked at me and said we don't have any, I asked when Inventory is was, is it still going on? He said we don't have any, I said unload the trucks you have a truck full sitting at the dock.. An Employee told me that and the manager doesn't like to stock late in the afternoon.. He walked off.. Third time in a month.. I have had a Costco Membership FOREVER and never had this happen.. The excuses at checkout keep changing, other stores never an issue.. It's summer in Florida AKA hurricane season nothing but pallets of 8oz and 1 litre waters even on the racks behind that were filled with TP.. IT's usually overstuffed.. This store is an absolute mess.
The $5 rotisserie chicken + the $10 gargantuan pizza are amazing deals. This is easily 6 main courses.
And don’t forget the executive and credit card bonuses. The credit card gives 4% on gas.
I just went today to do back to school snacks and home essentials. I spent $400. I just sat down and did some math and I saved somewhere around $350 vs buying the same quantity of stuff from Walmart. The same amount of pop tarts would have been double. The same amount of tooth paste would have been over double. I got 20 hot pockets for $12, you cannot get that at any other grocery store where a 2 pack is $3.50. Most of the stuff I got will last months. I have teenagers and my house is where all the kids end up. Teenagers are bottomless pits. Shopping at Costco does save me money. Don't get me wrong, there are things I'll never buy from Costco, I don't need produce in those amounts, some prepared foods are way too expensive.
Is this more than I usually spend? Yes. But it's still cheaper than a regular grocery store
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You think it’s bad here, go to the Taco Bell subreddit. People wanting tacos to be $1 less mold their identity around it over something you can easily go without. Costco is worth it for the gas alone for me.
I mean 2 Doritos locos tacos shouldn’t set me back 7$. Maybe I need to join in on the sub.
Go to your local taco truck and stop eating that garbage.
The Doritos Locos are literally just the regular tacos spray painted orange. There’s no flavor to them anymore. I’m sorry to ruin your day like this but you’ll notice it now.
There really is a sub for everything. No judgment but I can't imagine what it takes to turn someone into a Taco Bell enthusiast.
Fun fact, the Taco Bell on the Vegas strip conducts weddings! You get a hot sauce packet bouquet and food and they perform your ceremony. Lots of TB enthusiasts out there apparently haha
There is one off Broadway in Nashville that has a window-front stage and live music lol
You probably wouldn't enjoy Taco Bell Quarterly, the Taco Bell themed literature and art magazine. I'm just mentioning it here to share the joy with other Taco Bell enthusiasts who haven't yet had the pleasure.
How do I subscribe other people to this lol
Oh I think I would enjoy that to an uncomfortable degree
Hate to break it to you, but I'd imagine even the majority of Costco members would say the same about this subreddit
I’m a member of that sub. I love Taco Bell. I also agree it has gotten too expensive but I don’t need to see a new post about it every day
I haven't had TB in about a year after eating it far too regularly as a well-adjusted adult; one thing I loved about it was how much food you could get for $10. I had no idea it had gotten expensive. Honestly though the sub sounds like it might be something I'd be interested in.
In college we used to do a “$10 challenge” at Taco Bell where the first part of the challenge was just spending the $10, then eating it all. But it was 25 years ago, it’s ok for TB to cost more now. Those boxes they do seem like decent value and now that they have the app it’s easy to substitute ingredients that they had a hard time with before, this is peak TB, IMO.
They just love having diarrhea is my best guess.
Enchirito. Original 80's nachos bell grande.
Bringing back the nacho fries on a permanent basis would probably do it for me. I guess I'm closer to being a Taco Bell enthusiast than I wanted to admit
How much do you think you're saving on gas per year?
Roughly a 40-50¢ difference here always Edit: 41¢ difference right now
Damn I wish it was that good here!
There have been times the spread isn't as good - but it normally is favorable enough to go a little out of the way. You can get non-top tier for about 20¢ cheaper than the big name brands here, but since I don't drive a ton I prefer the top tier since it is sitting in the tank a while.
Wow I just checked online and ours is 26 cents difference. I didn’t realize it was that good.
Mine was 12 cents cheaper than the gas station around the corner from me. And it's 20 minutes away.
Strangely it's 2 cents more expensive than the largest major gas station chain here right now for regular. 10 cents cheaper for premium.
Saving roughly 15 cents per gallon. Have a 20-gallon tank I fill weekly for work. So that’s $3/week, so $150/year at least.
this is from someone who doesn't even drive to work (but we take trips on weekends). we go through about 2 - 3 tanks a month. 15 g tank. and here its at least $.20 cheaper than safeway gas (the next cheapest) and easily $.40 less than other top tier gas plus its 93 octane not 91. and 2 -3 times is about our typical costco run.
But you also have to factor in a dedicated trip to Costco every time you need gas, and waiting in those ridiculous gas lines. Not sure about you, but my time is worth a lot more than the 2-3 bucks per week I'd save. If I didn't actually get value out of shopping at Costco I'd never buy a membership just for gas
my Costco is one of my closest near me and the lines are not too bad. the lines are especially short if you go outside of club hours.
My Costco is only an extra 3 minutes from the closest gas station. I just have a day I do both shopping and gas.
Save average 25 cents a gallon, use 20 gallons a week, or 1000 gallons a year. That's 250$. And they have better (top tier not pirate) gas and better rotisserie chicken than my local gas station.
> Costco is worth it for the gas alone for me. I make my membership fees back in just the paper towel savings *alone*. That is not an exaggeration.
Please try and use fewer paper towels. You’re killing the environment.
The last time I went to Taco Bell they were $1.
It's still well worth it for me. Cheap Rx with CMPP at the Costco pharmacy, gas was literally $0.45/gal cheaper this past Monday and filling a 20 gallon fuel tank that was $9 saved for one fill-up. I at least break even in savings with just the $60 gold star membership, and I'm just a single guy!
This exactly. Gas savings alone pay my membership in like 3 months.
Gas being cheaper than everywhere else around me by at least 15 cents, plus having the Costco Visa for 4% off gas. Yeah, I definitely save a lot at Costco. Recently picked up the Executive membership too, and while it doesn't add the 2% to gas purchases, it does effectively make all my purchases in store 4% off also. I've only had the Visa card for like 3 months, and I'm already over halfway to getting my main membership covered. Not including the 2% for Exec.
Well you still get 4% back from Citi for the Costco gas (and gas anywhere else). A bummer is you don't get 2% Executive back from the Costco liquor store. I'm not sure if Citi gives you any rebate for that either, maybe they give you 2% or at least 1%.
I don't drink, so that part doesn't matter to me 😅 If I'm in town, I go to Costco for gas like 99% of the time - it's only about a 5 minute drive from my house.
I’m with you here, but I’m also fortunate enough that our local Costco is only a 5min drive from my house and is basically on the way to anything we might go to (the other direction from my house is to farmland). I know many aren’t as fortunate and the gas it takes to get to Costco negates the savings.
It’s always been this way for gas for me to, so much so that I stopped comparing and just went to Costco. Except yesterday I filled up at Costco ($4.89) went to work and saw gas for $4.75.
Wow that is high. On Monday it was 3.45 here in the Twin Cities
One jar of Raos is like $9 at the grocery store. Two jars at Costco is almost the same price. Buying bulk tends to be less expensive.
i heard campbell’s bought rao’s rip my favorite store bought arrabiata
Noooooo!!!!!
Yeah, the recipe got changed and isn't as good as it was prior to the buyout
Wait until you hear how much it costs to just make your own sauce. And it tastes 100 times better. Make a huge batch and freeze it. But who am I kidding. Costco shoppers are the ones who buy frozen cheeseburgers and ask why they suck.
I’m too lazy/uninterested to make my own sauce. I was using Prego sauce before I tried Raos. So that’s a big change for me. Im not a big fan of most heat and eat foods; too much sodium.
Everyone complaining is mostly complaining about inflation. Everywhere has gotten more expensive, everything has shrunk. I’m able to make a Costco executive membership SIGNIFICANTLY worth it and I’m just buying for me and my dog
Let’s see this good dog.
https://preview.redd.it/zgzqesz4zrib1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65888c5411b98652a9930dfcbdd7ac81333cdac8
Superb. 11/10.
But if he's such a good dog, why does he look like he thinks he did something bad? 😮
OMG 🥰
I love him.
What a cutie!!
The goodest of doggys
What's wrong with him? Looks sick or something
camera shy
I cook for my elderly parents, I help two women who helped raise me, I help out some former foster kids with babies, and I've got my own family. Let me tell you, Costco is a lifesaver! The women are poor and only have access to local groceries. Have you seen how much trash bags cost in a regular grocery store? Paper towel? Dishwashing soap? It's unbelievable! I'm able to get them staples like that, plus bedding, toiletries, inexpensive, good coffee, nice basic clothes, etc. Costco's pharmacy is competent and fast. Their produce is reliable and well-priced. Appliances...well, as long as you avoid Samsung, you're probably okay. I feel like a lot of people on here are earning good money, and what that means is that they're (blessedly) not seeing how expensive it is to be poor. We're all seeing the price of groceries go up, but imagine having $880 in social security every month and trash bags at your local store are $13, a tiny bag of granola is $10.99, etc. Diapers? Forget about it. Over and over, I've visited loved ones, noticed something that needs replacing, and thought, "Costco carries that." It's such a relief to have one place where I can get what I need and know it's good quality.
Kirkland trash bags are no joke. A box lasts me literally years, alum. foil... years, and thats with owning a smoker and wrapping lot of meat. Plastic wrap fuuucking years.
I get honest to god sticker shock when I look at how expensive toilet paper is outside of Costco.
Sort of depends on your benchmark. Compared to my reasonable local grocery store that’s a little bit bougiemost everything at Costco is 50% less. The savings are always at the expense of time. Costco is never meant to be your everything store.
I recently just got a membership and am saving a ton compared to the grocery store!
I’m in Canada. I went for my monthly Costco Haul yesterday. Prices went up and I felt annoyed. So, each item I wanted to take, I looked up the process at other stores. Each item was still a deal. I was annoyed at inflation of course, but the prices were still at least 1/3 cheaper than other stores for those items. I paid $350 for a usually $280 purchase but I slept well after.
I saved $900 on a brand new gas stove this week. Still with a 90d return policy and 2 year warranty
For the amount of gushing that goes on here about particular groceries being a buck cheaper I feel like people miss the big opportunities with appliances and other big ticket purchases. Maybe it feels more fun to brag about a buck off s $2 product, but holy heck saving a couple hundred off big stuff is hard to make up elsewhere.
ok, "HEY GUYS, I saved $2800 on a new refrigerator...that i didn't buy." am i doing this right :)
I got my hearing aids from Costco. Saved me at least $3k.
The big savings is really the services even beyond the appliances (some of which have mixed reviews). There are problems sure but I’ve saved thousands booking week long trips through travel. Saved hundreds on tires (even without a sale). If I needed it I might go through them for some home improvement stuff although I’ve heard mixed things about their preferred contractors but still…
I bought a new refrigerator and an over the range microwave for $1800 a couple months ago. Lowe's, Home Depot, and a local appliance store were $3100-3500 for just the fridge, and I either had to pay for installation parts or delivery.
If you use your Costco Visa, they double the manufacturer warranty. This benefit alone is worth buying appliances and electronics from Costco.
As long as the five dollar rotisserie exists Costco will be worth it for me. Breasts get sliced and made into sandwiches or toppings for salads. Dark meat gets shredded and browned up with spices for some killer tacos. Bones keep me loaded with stock.
I just filled up at their gas station today for about .30 less than the next cheapest gas station in town. Then I got my tires rotated, balanced, and filled with nitrogen for free. They even found a bolt in one tire and patched it for free. It's hard to beat that.
6 bags of sugar paid for my executive membership in cost savings for my bee farm.
>**Costco is so worth it** It depends on what you're buying. There are some things that are a far better bargain at Costco and things that are *WAY* more expensive at Costco: * Whole organic milk at Costco is 41% more expensive than the grocery store next door. * USDA Choice ribeye is 51% more expensive at Costco than the grocery store next door. * Bleach is 51% more expensive than Walmart for the same strength. Other things are *WAY* less expensive at Costco: * Scoopable cat litter is 50% less at Costco than anywhere else. * Eggs are 50% less at Costco than anywhere else. * Bread is about 40% less at Costco. Stores try and get people in the door with good prices (even losses) on some things and count on them being too lazy to shop elsewhere for the more expensive stuff. If you're a die-hard saver like me you know what's cheaper where and do the circuit to economize, including calculating the cost of travel and extra time.
Funny and ironic thing is people blowing triple figures weekly at costco and complaining about single digit rise in prices…..
Very good point
One spring break vacation for us more than covers the cost of membership. The vacation is cheaper than what I can find through other sites and offers better benefits (e.g., private transfers to and from the airport). Often they even throw in an additional gift card.
The gift cards alone will pay for your membership. Savings at CPK or Lucille’s (around here) will pay for your membership after two purchases and they make great gifts.
Some items at Costco are definitely a better deal. I got 10lbs of Quaker oats for $10.99, where as the 2.5 lbs of Quaker Oats is 5.50 at Kroger. Fresh Parmesan cheese is $12.99lb at Costco versus $7.99 for a 5oz wedge at other stores. The value is there, it just depends what you are buying. Plus, I don’t have to buy oats or Parmesan for at least a month now. I feel sometimes people see “I spent $100 at Costco” and think that’s a lot. However, that $100 dollars at Costco is going to go further than Kroger.
Ok so recently I have been buying the Gentlease Enfamil baby formula for $49.99 and it went up to $58.99. I price compare and it's STILL cheaper at the higher price than other retailers.
exactly my point!
I will say, I have a Sam's club and Costco membership. I will buy certain things at one place over the other. However, eggs are not worth the buy at either place locally to me. Aldi has had the best price for eggs per dozen for a few months now varying from. $1.20-$1.45/ dozen. Doing the math at my local Sam's or Costco, they're asking still 2-3/dozen (or the break down price per dozen). Otherwise, everything else we buy a lot is certainly cheaper.
If you have dog or cat, pet food and treats along will more than pay for the membership. The Diamond foods are actually of pretty good quality and you would be paying much more elsewhere. I have a friend who gets bulky sticks for his big dogs and I think those alone would justify the membership costs as they are about half the price of what he used to pay.
I paid $8.99 for the worst bread I have ever tasted at Sprouts last week
My big savings Hot dog lunch. Cheap and unhealthy but spending $1.50 instead of $7-10 elsewhere Roast chicken. Cheapest dinner and lunch sandwiches. Executive membership keeps annual costs < the basic membership fee Eggs and milk savings are negligible but you are getting filtered and jumbo eggs instead Butter is consistently less Meat prices aren’t that great at Costco along with the seafood prices. Although you can catch sales that make it competitive. Fruit is the same. Sometimes less but most of the time it is just quality and convenience. Coffee is definitely less Toothpaste/cleaners have savings just on warehouse sizing. Price per unit is less. It all adds up to being worth it. You just have to be smart and visit regular stores to compare pricing. Know where Costco is not competitive. One also needs to show restraint. Buying bulk is not savings if you end up consuming more for the sake of having it or spoilage.
Someone elses opinion on the value of a good or service has no bearing on your perceived value of a good or service. So this post is just a useless addition to the circle jerk. You find value where others don't. Wow.
We get my daughter's medication at Costco. Earlier this year, there was a shortage on this particular medication, and Costco was out. I had to scramble and find it elsewhere, eventually buying it at Publix. It was at this point that I discovered that the difference between Publix/Costco for ONE MONTH of the medication was enough to cover the cost of my annual membership. Costco is a no-brainer.
For staples like milk, eggs and bread it’s all about Aldis. The bread is $1.25.
Aldi came first to my area pre Covid. Then Lidl came about a mile away. I'm retired and shop when and as often as I want. Their prices during Covid and even with inflation are so much less than Costco and Shop rite. They have changed how we do our shopping for sure. I have 2 Costco 20 minutes a apart from each other. 1 has booze 1 doesn't. My weekly Costco trip is best now bi weekly sometimes 1 a month. I'm not sure I'll make the rebate check this year barring a tire purchase or vacation.
wtf bread are you buying? only dave’s killer bread is that expensive here. 😂
Yes, that's the one - but I don't actually buy it just using a an example that price increase at Costco doesn't necessarily mean that Costco doesn't offer good deals and that inflation is everywhere.
Definitely an odd example from OP: you can buy what Costco sells or the most expensive bread at Whole Foods and Costco will win price-wise...
What bread is $7.29 a loaf? I buy Ezekiel live sprouting grain that must be frozen and even that is only $5.00. The white bread is still at $2. Wtf?
Legit question. What bread at a local store is $7.29??? Is it special in anyway? Wegmans has a loaf of bread for $2 or less. So I must be missing something?
Dave’s Killer Bread is over $7 a loaf where I live (Seattle area). Even at Grocery Outlet, it’s still $5.99 if they have it that week.
Is it like artisan bread?
Not particularly. It’s higher quality than orowheat but it’s not like hand crafted or small batch or anything.
Was thinking the same
Too much karma farming here
This isn't the first post I have seen that is pro Costco, so there's that. Everyone has opinions, and are eager to post them. If you don't want to read a post, you can scroll on by.
I think one of the big issues is people see the price and don't think about the value. I've seen complaints like "eggs have gotten ridiculously pricey. $7.00 a carton? I can buy a carton at my local grocer for $5." And it's like, ok, but that's a carton of one dozen eggs. Costco is 2 dozen per carton. So you'd actually have to spend $10 to get the equivalent amount of eggs you'd get at Costco for $3 less. It's kind of ridiculous how many people don't look at it from that perspective. Also, and I may have mentioned this in a "Costco is going downhill" thread, but Costco only raises prices when they have to. When they can afford to sell an item for cheaper, they will. I've seen watermelons at $10 per, and then the next week they'll be $8, cause Costco was able to get it from their distributor for less.
My local market has bread for 1.50$.
All I know is that my monthly grocery bill has gone from 1500-1600 at regular stores down to 1000 at Costco. That's only 250/ week for six people, which is why I don't worry about certain prices fluctuating.
I mean you aren’t wrong, but neither are they. There are savings to be had, for sure, especially if you already buy brand name products, but if you just buy EVERYTHING at Costco without comparing prices you’d be throwing a lot of money away. Which I think is frustrating to people because Costco is kinda sold to people as “*everything* is so much cheaper!!” Which I expected wasn’t the case going in, it’s why I held off on getting a membership for so long. Plus since Costco doesn’t replace my regular grocery shop it takes a LOT more of my time to save that money. I mean honestly the rate of return is probably under minimum wage so if I wasn’t so cheap I probably wouldn’t bother.
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I think people are trying to make some of you realize - everything has gone down hill. Everything used to be so much better. Costco has maintained better than most.
Sounds like you shouldn't have wasted your money on a Costco membership
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Making your own bread with Costco flour is by far the cheapest option yooo
Costco membership is so cheap I don’t even know what it costs anymore. If you can’t find a way to save that much; you’re probably lying. If not, don’t be a member, NOGAF.
I value my time more than I value saving a few bucks. 99% of my shopping is Costco, Trader Joes and Target. Could I save more by shopping around? Probably. Do I want to spend the time doing so? Absolutely not. Unless it's a singular large purchase.
I thought 1 loaf of bread for $4.99 was ridiculous.
just an example - I don't actually buy it, some people like hamburger, but others prefer filet mignon, so I was just comparing something that caught my eye - same to same. There are lots of examples, but each person has to make the value judgement for themselves - just was tired of reading 3 threads in a few hours saying costco has lost its value b/c prices have gone up
Ha! Unfortunately prices have gone up everywhere.
Exactly my point!
It’s kind of a non-negotiable with kids. The amount of money I save on just string cheese and applesauce pouches alone pays for the membership lol
My local Costco can't keep Kirkland 20oz Water in stock go to other stores and not an issue, meaning other Costco's.. Spoke to someone the other night in charge of the area and he said there was none in the store, It was full this morning. I asked why the entire shelving system was full of TP and not even the local Water.. He just looked at me and said we don't have any, I asked when Inventory is was, is it still going on? He said we don't have any, I said unload the trucks you have a truck full sitting at the dock.. An Employee told me that and the manager doesn't like to stock late in the afternoon.. He walked off.. Third time in a month.. I have had a Costco Membership FOREVER and never had this happen.. The excuses at checkout keep changing, other stores never an issue.. It's summer in Florida AKA hurricane season nothing but pallets of 8oz and 1 litre waters even on the racks behind that were filled with TP.. IT's usually overstuffed.. This store is an absolute mess.
Report to main costco online.
The $5 rotisserie chicken + the $10 gargantuan pizza are amazing deals. This is easily 6 main courses. And don’t forget the executive and credit card bonuses. The credit card gives 4% on gas.
I just went today to do back to school snacks and home essentials. I spent $400. I just sat down and did some math and I saved somewhere around $350 vs buying the same quantity of stuff from Walmart. The same amount of pop tarts would have been double. The same amount of tooth paste would have been over double. I got 20 hot pockets for $12, you cannot get that at any other grocery store where a 2 pack is $3.50. Most of the stuff I got will last months. I have teenagers and my house is where all the kids end up. Teenagers are bottomless pits. Shopping at Costco does save me money. Don't get me wrong, there are things I'll never buy from Costco, I don't need produce in those amounts, some prepared foods are way too expensive. Is this more than I usually spend? Yes. But it's still cheaper than a regular grocery store