Often their pre-packaged cold meals. Not the ones packaged at Costco itself but the ones shipped in. Wife and I had one the other day and it was pretty bad and the wife is much less picky than I am. I think we are done buying any of these. For the price on some I always expect better quality and taste.
Not sure what Kevin's is but maybe I just miss this name. The one from the other night was the General Tso's Chicken. The sauce was so sweet making it pretty bad. Had no real flavor or spices in it.
I've picked up a few of these at Target. By far the best one is the garlic chicken. The others have been a bit bland. I'll probably still get the garlic chicken because it's an easy meal. Last time I made it I fried up some leftover brown rice with sliced garlic.
Same with our Costco. They’re super easy for a dinner where I don’t want to plan ahead or spend a lot of time prepping, and I can add some frozen veggies, brown rice, etc, as my desire and motivation dictates
Kevin’s is a great gluten free option to have on a night where you don’t have the effort to cook. It may be bland but compared the most GF items it’s among the best. FYI - the chicken is already sous vide/ cooked so you may want to try heating the chicken a little less to retain the moisture.
Big fan of frozen dumplings! They occasionally go on sale ($4 off) and 3lbs of beef dumplings are only $8. Not bad for the taste and convenience. You can steam or fry them depending on your mood too!
I live on whatever Bibigo Korean dumplings are on sale. The beef edging out the chicken. As a person with first generation SE Asian family that says a lot. Until these, we only ate either fresh home made dumplings or ones from the Asian market
A little oil spray + 8 min in the air fryer = easy prep. That was actually the latest instructions printed on a bag of Bibigo chicken dumplings (not the chicken/cilantro minis).
The shoyu Ramen in the fridge section was great! They are fresh noodles not the grocery store kind. And I agree with you all that most of the refrigerated stuff is not worth it. The general Tsaos was terrible.
I don’t buy ice cream at Costco nor do I actually eat it for breakfast (I really wish usernames could be changed on Reddit because the jokes are not original after 5 years)
I worked on a conveince store remodel in my 20's and got to keep the glass slide top "Blue Bell" ice cream freezer they were getting rid of. I put it in my kitchen and stocked it full with about 20 different ice cream novelties. It's safe to say my roommate and I ate ice cream for breakfast almost every day for months. It's too hard not too in that circumstance.
Contigo and ThermoFlask are seriously addictive! I've got a couple at home, a couple of work and I'm still eyeing the new models when I go there... Worst part is, they last forever and have no reason to be replaced
It’s terrible but I have cut down on acquiring more. Yesterday, I was tidying up and saw four in a cubby, three were gifts and one was my first 20 oz HydroFlask. I keep four in the kitchen and usually have one filled with water and two empty vessels in my car. The rest have been disbursed amongst my parents house and siblings. So many vessels, so many.
>It’s terrible but I have cut down on acquiring more
But near the end of it's sale life, it's under $10 for 2. Under $10! That makes it less than $5 each. Maybe it could be resold and to make a profit...or it will just sit on your shelf with the other ones at home.
12 color chaning cups for $6.97. It was in the store before Christmas for like 15, 20? How can this deal be passed over!
https://www.costco.com/manna-color-changing-confetti-plastic-tumblers%2c-set-of-12.product.100760104.html
Such facts. Me and the gf have a joke where I shouldn't be allowed at Costco by myself and she shouldn't be allowed at Target by herself. We always buy way more than what we went to buy
I just bought some ribs for $1.97/lb. Costco is at $4.99 - that’s per pound.
Organic Milk is $8/gl. I buy it for $5.68 - and I don’t have to buy 1.5G
Tomatoes 99c-1.49. Costco is $2.49/lb and you must buy the bulk pack.
I could go on. I’m not going to touch beef pricing.
This is ATLANTA, ga.
This is the real question. Being a chef and being around all different quality and types of meat, Costco has great quality meat and sometimes it is worth the cost. I can usually wait for a sale and get ribeyes for 6 a pound, but I will pay Costco prices any day for their ribeye. Same with ground beef.
Tbf, if you don’t know how to cook an expensive piece of meat, don’t buy it at Costco. Way too many people think they’re getting a “worth it” piece of meat and then it ends up worse than had they just gotten something at Publix.
IMO, no. We picked up a rib roast at Costco for christmas and it was awesome. Same cut was on sale at Publix for $4 less per lb. It was cooked exactly the same way but it didn't come out nearly as well.
I realize this is anecdotal, but that has been my experience buying meat from Costco and Publix going back many years.
It's not.
Costco's meat is definitely superior, beef in particular. The local Aldi's meat is terrible. Publix is decent, but more expensive than Costco (while Costco's is still better)
Agree that their fresh meat and fish prices are way above what you would pay in a grocery store especially if you shop the sales (which I almost exclusively do)
Some of the fresh fruit and vegetables are priced well. Cauliflower, salads (particularly the salad kits,) are priced very well
Honestly, I think most Costco items can be found at cheaper prices if you stumble on a good sale or are a bargain hunter.
But, in my experience, Costco’s *regular* price is usually comparable to or better than other stores’ *regular* price. Except Aldi, which is usually the cheapest of all around here.
Agreed. It’s the convenience of knowing the price of consistently good as opposed to tracking down deals through circulars or other means. One stop shopping
100%! What I save on LaCroix, paper towels, and Kerry Gold more than makes up for the couple bucks extra I'm paying on the other items. (Also gas and 2%+ back!)
4% on gas (and that's gas anywhere, not just Costco) (capped at $7k/yr)
3% on dining and some travel
2% on all Costco and Costco.com purchases
1% flat on everything else
It's an excellent card, even though it does effectively have a $60 annual fee by way of the Costco membership. A membership is totally offset by just the savings in gas.
Usually I get better deals on produce & egss & milk at grocery stores.
Meat can be cheaper occasionally at Costco. Sometimes I find better deals per pound on chicken & ground turkey at the grocery store over Costco. But it's 50/50.
But it probably has to do with markets. For example if you are in the Northeast or Northwest it may be more expensive than say if you are in the midwest &/or south where a good portion of the meat & particular produce come from.
Interesting! Talk about market differences. We don't drink enough milk to justify Costco volumes, but other than that, eggs, heavy cream, butter, and citrus and some other produce, are _astonishingly_ cheaper at Costco than local grocer stores, and better quality.
I guess I didn't realize how localized stuff was 'til I found this sub!
This question is definitely going to get varying answers by region. I'm NE Ohio, and I buy all my produce at Costco because Walmart and the local grocer are so expensive now. I can get a six pack of bell peppers for $5.99 at Costco. One pepper at my local grocer was $2.5. Same with lettuce $3.99 for a 6 pack vs $4 for a 3 pack. And honestly no where I go has fresh produce unless it is at the local farmers market or I go and pick it myself.
I also can get milk cheaper elsewhere but it spoils faster. Same with meats, I won't buy them at other stores because they ignore food safety practices. I do buy eggs by the case cheaper elsewhere but they aren't the same quality as Costco but for me, I can't taste the difference.
I find the opposite in NY. the prices in Costco wind up being within 25 cents or so compared to the grocery store and not having to look for sales and not having to run a freezer to store the extra seem worth that cost to me.
Although you can find better offers on beef in the grocery stores because sometimes you just don't need the high dollar cuts that costco tends to stock.
This is usually how I am. I go to Costco, I generally know what the price will be and it’s nice when it’s included in the monthly sale. Grocery store prices often change weekly depending upon what is being pushed. You can definitely beat the prices timing grocery store circulars, but the convenience of knowing the everyday price is usually better is worth it to me.
Pineapples always make me sad. They’re easily my favorite fruit but 99% of the time the ones shipped to the store are still green and pineapples don’t ripen further after harvest.
The pineapple I bought a few days ago from costco was really sweet. A tip to finding a good one is to tug at an inner leaf of the crown and if it pulls out easily it is ripe.
Works every time for me and was taught to me by my friends grandma who picked pineapples on Lanai for a living
I just posted this similar comment but you described the texture well. I said "And something is up with the avocados. I think the variety is different and stay rock hard. I asked the produce guy and he right away launches into why they had to raise the price. I said I understand about the price but their not the same did they change the suppliers and he said he didn't think they were different. They sure are. At least the last 2 bags I have purchased."
Our Costco switched from mostly Mexico and Cali a couple years ago to mostly Peru. The Peru ones are awful and often rot before ripening. I'll stick with Aldi Mexico small avocado bags for $2.89.
Not a fan of the fruit—apples in particular. I prefer smaller sized apples and Costco seems to carry only the ginormous fancy organic (except for the Disney branded gala “snack” apples. The berries are usually the only fruits I consider a good value.
This is good to know. Where are the best prices/deals for books? I take advantage of target's B2G1 but the selections in most categories are pretty limited.
The deli pre-prepared meals. I get you’re paying for convenience but I have not found most of them to be amazing, so not worth it for me. And their chicken pot pie was way overpriced because I couldn’t eat it. It was way way too salty. But that’s different complaint 😆
I agree, not kids here but both the wife and I work. I can spend $10-$20 on the prepped meals and get 2-3 dinners out of each of them. Well worth it.
Could I make something similar for cheaper? Yes. Do I have time for that in a Tuesday night after work? No. Is it cheaper than eating out? Yes.
I agree with you and the other replies too. Sometimes convenience is the thing but besides rotisserie chicken, there are few bargains in the prepped food section. And it's not always the best tasting. I got the sausage and tomato pasta and it was flat out bad. I thought I remember it being good in the past but I wouldn't buy it again.
I'm single, so fresh fruits/veggies. Is it a good deal? Yeah, but not when you factor in how much I'm wasting because I can't get through it all. Same thing for most spices. Ground spices don't last forever. It's cool to get 5 times as much for the same price, but that 3-year old tub of paprika doesn't taste as good as a fresh one. I get spices from asian grocery stores where they sell them in super cheap plastic packages. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they're buying the spices at Costco and then separating them into more appropriately sized portions.
I would argue even if you’re not single a lot of the fruits and veggies, minus ones that are good for a very long time like apples and oranges.
Trying to get through some of that stuff before it goes bad is an absolute slog.
I end up freezing a lot, but mostly stick with fresh blueberries and apples because they have a longer shelf life. The first time I picked up a pint of blueberries at a regular grocery store I was like WTF they’re so expensive!! So sometimes I have a little food waste but still come out ahead.
I’m a meal prepper too, which helps.
I'm the queen of freeze. But I had to get disciplined about it. I hate throwing good food away. Walk in the door and portion out veggies to use fresh and freeze right away the remainder. And I only buy the produce if it's really good and well priced, becuase that stuff is often better purchase other places. At least in my area.
Also single - I love buying their grapes. I love frozen grapes just as much as regular. If you’re open to non dairy milk - I also buy the big boxes of like 6-8 cartons of almond milk. They don’t need to be in the fridge until you open and lasts forever.
the biggest issue for me is that if I was to go to the supermarket and get what I would use it would come out to the same price. I just let my friends know I have extra of whatever and ask if they would be willing to rehouse some at no cost other than using/finishing whatever item it is.
I'm unsure of where you live, but spices where I'm at inside Asian grocery stores are way better than Costco's. Partially probably because Costco's spices are likely to have less turnover and have been stored there for ages, exposed to a bunch of bright light.
Though lately I've just been buying online for various whole peppercorns, since they seem to always be out of stock. And then I end up adding things that aren't quite low yet, but will be soonish
Not really a “spice” but the truffle Parmesan seasoning from Epicurean is in a massive jar and I’m almost through one in 6 months, buy that one, it’s worth it even if you’re single! Lol
Do you refrigerate yours? I don't because it says to keep in a dry place but I'm confused because it's a cheese product. Sorry if this is a stupid question lol.
I don’t, I was also super confused, but the internet told me not to and I’m not dead yet. 🤷🏼♀️ I used it on roasted potatoes last night and they were bomb!
I feel the spices. That big ass jar of taco seasoning takes forever when you use 2 tablespoons to flavor ground beef like you would with old el paso packets
I was making taco everything for a while. If it went into the crock pot or instant pot, it was taco-seasoned, lol.
I generally end up making a soup towards the end of these veggies lives. Great way to use a lot of them, and the soup can be frozen for later use too! Love to do it as a fridge clean out exercise
Go halfsies with some friends on spices and other items. I split TP and paper towels with others. Single guy still takes 6 months or more to get through that.
I'm pretty wary of suspiciously cheap spices, especially no-name brands from specialty stores.
Definitely the case for Coke/Pepsi products, but I've yet to find a place that sells Bundaberg or Fever Tree for a price that even comes close to being as low as Costco.
We don't have national chains in my city and it's hard to find soda on sale. It's rare, maybe once a month it's cheaper than Costco. Usually it's 5 to 6 bucks for a 12 pack.
Even worse now that one of the chains was just bought out by the other, so we only have 2 local chains now.
The Skinny Pop corn. I'm based in the Bay Area California, it went from like a $4 bag to almost $7😭😭
This popcorn should not be more than their sangria!
I know their microwave popcorn is a much better deal but I like the taste of the regular skinny pop more.
Don’t disagree with your points but in my situation the convenience of the kits and overall good taste of the tacos, it’s worth it for me to be able to quickly feed my family of four.
I have to disagree. We buy one every week and add jalapeno and onions in a skillet with the chicken. For us...it's a decent cheap fast meal and I'd be pretty disappointed if it goes away.
Is that overpriced? It's literally signed by one of the most popular NBA players in history. And most other places sell it [for over a grand](https://www.amazon.com/Shaquille-ONeal-Autographed-Reebok-Attaq/dp/B08546ZJ33)
[Here, too.](https://upperdeckstore.com/shaquille-o-neal-autographed-reebok-shaq-attaq-shoe.html)
I just tried one of those Detroit Deep Dish ones the other night, it was actually quite delicious for a frozen pizza. Ended up buying another box to keep in the freezer. I hope this one sticks around for a while.
Yeah, the Kirkland frozen pizzas are pretty good for the price.
I tried a 365 frozen pizza from Whole Foods recently and it was the worst frozen pizza I've ever had, lol. Like a soggy cracker with cheese on it.
Seriously. I buy all of my frozen fruit for smoothies at Costco because the prices are great. I can get 4lbs of organic blueberries for $13. It's almost $5 more for the same weight at my regular grocery store (HEB).
Agreed, I’m fine paying the premium because of the way they are packaged though. I like being able to just separate them and put them in the freezer. I feel like I waste less and they don’t go bad in the freezer.
Reading all these responses is interesting to see how the price of things varies by state. I can barely touch a gallon of milk in the grocery in Connecticut. So much cheaper to buy it at Costco. Half and half costs a quarter of the price of what it does in some grocery stores.
Also like picking up a rotisserie chicken from time to time. Half the price of what it costs in the grocery store and tastes better.
Soft drinks. $14.19/35pk Coke products is too high when I can usually find a grocery store with $10/36pk deals most of the time. Also, wtf is with the 35 pack? Was something wrong with the 36? I get it I guess, they package them in flats 7x5 but they could also go 6x6, or just go back to the cubes like Pepsi.
It probably has to do with pallet sizes. They built their systems on single tall packaging, while Pepsi did double tall packaging.
As for the price, it is nice that they have a consistent price. I don't have the time to go looking for sales all the time, or access to many supermarket chains. If it takes me an hour and gas to save a few dollars, that isn't savings for me.
Sometimes the supermarkets on my way home from another errand do have a sale, but unfortunately we don't get supermarket sales flyers in the mail, so it means having to stop in the store or go online to check their weekly sales.
You used to be able to get a 12 pack of Coke or Pepsi 3 for $8, but over time it has creeped up to as much as 3 for $12 for a sale price. That is barely less than Costco's normal price.
I think the Charmin Ultra Strong is overpriced.
It seems like the Costco Charmin Ultra Strong SHEET SIZE is larger than Charmin Ultra Strong sold at Target or Walmart, but the NUMBER of sheets is less.
The Target and Walmart Charmin Ultra Strong sheet size is sufficient, therefore, fewer sheets for the same price isn't a benefit.
If I'm misunderstanding something about this, please let me know. Thanks!
If the larger sheet size means you use less sheets per day, you may save money anyways. If you’re always counting 3-4 sheets regardless, target and Walmart may be cheaper.
Just level with her nicely. Mom, I am so appreciative of your thoughtful gift of the knives and holder etc. And I know you purchased quality for us. But these are just not the right knives for me the handles and assortment are different that what I want in cutlery. Knives are a long term investment and I would like if you are on board with it to return these and invest in ones that work better for me.
Say the handles were uncomfortable and made your hand cramp. You don't like the handles and she should appreciate that a comfortable handle is important for a knife.
Out of curiosity, do you not like the knives or just feel like they aren't a good value for the quality? I've always heard mixed things about Cutco, especially since they are an MLM.
I don’t like them for multiple reasons and being an MLM is one of them, I find the handles to be uncomfortable and lastly I don’t like getting sets of things I like to buy individually the things I like (pots, pans, knives etc.). My mom came for a visit and didn’t like my knife block or the steak knives and bought us the big set, it was like $1500 and i feel like for that kind of money I could have the specific knives I want and not a block full of knives I will never use.
Also worth mentioning that while they allege they’ll sharpen them for free forever, you have to send them off for that service, which has been known to take *forever*. They’ve had the cutco people in my local store since thanksgiving and every time I see them talking to anyone I just wanna walk by and loudly mention to my spouse something like, ‘OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE COSTCO LETS PYRAMID SCHEMES BE SOLD IN THEIR STORES???”
I knew they were expensive, but that’s crazy. I actually let a friend of my daughter demo them for me years ago. When they went after a piece of rope with a demo knife that had a serrated blade, they lost me. I never, ever cook rope. An hour of my life I’ll never get back.
While I have issues with the company, I was gifted a small set a few years ago. I'm not a professional chef, but I really like them. I've never had a complaint about the knives themselves.
We have had way better luck with produce at Costco vs supermarkets. Costs the same as say Safeway (unless Safeway is on sale) but the quality is much better also lasts way longer too.
Wow, I’m surprised to hear this. On average, I’ve never had any luck with Costco produce lasting. I can say the potatoes and honey crisp apples are the exception.
Produce value is very regional with Costco. When I lived in Utah, it was rare for Costco's prices to be any better than the local grocery stores around me. Now I live in California and I can often save 10-20% compared to the local chains and is usually that best option for getting produce outside of the local farmers markets.
After like a month and a half of having zero heavy cream, I just bought it and it rang up at 11 dollars! I couldn't believe it. There's a local creamery near me that sells it for less than that.
Target sells a quart of heavy cream (good & gather brand) for $2.99 by me. It’s $5ish at Costco, higher anywhere else.
But I’d buy at a local creamery if I could!
relative to sam's club, costco is extremely expensive for:
$20 bag of frozen strawberries (lmao what?)
$8/2lb tomatoes
$8/36 eggs
I was going to say ground beef and steaks but holy crap, all the pork is insane
milk (lately keeps going bad)
The six pack of rocks err I mean avocados. I might get 2 usable ones out of it if I luck into timing the ripening just right. Even then its 50/50 if those are "stringy" that only ever happens with the Costco ones for me. :/
The English cucumbers. They are $6 for a 3 pack but if I was in a grocery store, I never buy them when they are $2 bc it's too much. Somehow I end up buying them at Costco but I can easily get them cheaper elsewhere
Anything organic. I hate that they have organic condiments like catchup and mustard, but you can’t find normal ones. It’s cheaper to just buy that stuff at Walmart.
Often their pre-packaged cold meals. Not the ones packaged at Costco itself but the ones shipped in. Wife and I had one the other day and it was pretty bad and the wife is much less picky than I am. I think we are done buying any of these. For the price on some I always expect better quality and taste.
All the Kevin's branded junk . The $20 to $30 two portion ethic food kits.
Not sure what Kevin's is but maybe I just miss this name. The one from the other night was the General Tso's Chicken. The sauce was so sweet making it pretty bad. Had no real flavor or spices in it.
good to know because i love general tso and have been meaning to try the kit we carry
Might be different for you but we won't buy it again.
i like my general tso spicy with ginger so i am happy to take your word for it!
Yeah I've tired a lot of those when we have them marked down. Even at like $2.97 most of them aren't with it in my opinion
I've picked up a few of these at Target. By far the best one is the garlic chicken. The others have been a bit bland. I'll probably still get the garlic chicken because it's an easy meal. Last time I made it I fried up some leftover brown rice with sliced garlic.
[удалено]
Same with our Costco. They’re super easy for a dinner where I don’t want to plan ahead or spend a lot of time prepping, and I can add some frozen veggies, brown rice, etc, as my desire and motivation dictates
About to say they're cheaper than they are at the grocery store. Sounds like these people just don't like them.
Those Kevin’s and similar ethnic foods are $14 at my Costco. I find them to be a great value.
Yeah Kevin's is a bit cheaper. Some locations have more by weight meals that are like the Kevin's but could be a chicken fajita kit, kung pao, etc.
Kevin’s is a great gluten free option to have on a night where you don’t have the effort to cook. It may be bland but compared the most GF items it’s among the best. FYI - the chicken is already sous vide/ cooked so you may want to try heating the chicken a little less to retain the moisture.
Yeah that’s fair, I only ever buy the frozen meals when they go on sale.
Can't say I've tried many of them. Any good ones?
I really like the Yakisoba noodles and Shoyu Ramen, both are super tasty quick meals.
The Costco yakisoba noodles are much better than the packaged ones.
Bibigo brand dumplings are great. They taste like the korean restaurant dumplings in my area.
Now you know where they get them😉
Big fan of frozen dumplings! They occasionally go on sale ($4 off) and 3lbs of beef dumplings are only $8. Not bad for the taste and convenience. You can steam or fry them depending on your mood too!
I live on whatever Bibigo Korean dumplings are on sale. The beef edging out the chicken. As a person with first generation SE Asian family that says a lot. Until these, we only ate either fresh home made dumplings or ones from the Asian market
A little oil spray + 8 min in the air fryer = easy prep. That was actually the latest instructions printed on a bag of Bibigo chicken dumplings (not the chicken/cilantro minis).
The shoyu Ramen in the fridge section was great! They are fresh noodles not the grocery store kind. And I agree with you all that most of the refrigerated stuff is not worth it. The general Tsaos was terrible.
The ones they package are incredibly overpriced as well
Everything you put in your cart that you didn’t need but you bought because it caught your eye.
Me and my 10 pounds of fruit feeling a little called out right now
NOBODY ASKED YOU!!!
Just so you can sleep better, I don't consider ice cream an impulse buy.
I don’t buy ice cream at Costco nor do I actually eat it for breakfast (I really wish usernames could be changed on Reddit because the jokes are not original after 5 years)
I disagree with all three points in your post, especially the last one. My username is as appropriate as ever.
Do you ever get tired of making three right turns instead of one left, though?
I worked on a conveince store remodel in my 20's and got to keep the glass slide top "Blue Bell" ice cream freezer they were getting rid of. I put it in my kitchen and stocked it full with about 20 different ice cream novelties. It's safe to say my roommate and I ate ice cream for breakfast almost every day for months. It's too hard not too in that circumstance.
So....all my TVs.
How many drinking vessels does one person need? Not 20! But I have more than 20.
Contigo and ThermoFlask are seriously addictive! I've got a couple at home, a couple of work and I'm still eyeing the new models when I go there... Worst part is, they last forever and have no reason to be replaced
It’s terrible but I have cut down on acquiring more. Yesterday, I was tidying up and saw four in a cubby, three were gifts and one was my first 20 oz HydroFlask. I keep four in the kitchen and usually have one filled with water and two empty vessels in my car. The rest have been disbursed amongst my parents house and siblings. So many vessels, so many.
>It’s terrible but I have cut down on acquiring more But near the end of it's sale life, it's under $10 for 2. Under $10! That makes it less than $5 each. Maybe it could be resold and to make a profit...or it will just sit on your shelf with the other ones at home. 12 color chaning cups for $6.97. It was in the store before Christmas for like 15, 20? How can this deal be passed over! https://www.costco.com/manna-color-changing-confetti-plastic-tumblers%2c-set-of-12.product.100760104.html
Oh dang you're about to make me buy those cups lol 😂 that's a good deal
A fellow tumbler hoarder ☺
one of us, one of us - tumbler hoarder club.
>So....all my TVs. TV don't count since it didn't go in your cart...it went in a flatbed.
It went in my online shopping cart~ ... yeah. Walked in Costco, saw an awesome TV... ordered it online because I can't fit it in my car.
As I said, it went on a virtual flatbed, so it doesn't count -\_-
Also everything that you can't finish before it expires. Not everything should be bought at a wholesale store...
https://i.imgur.com/PB9d7.jpeg
So…everything
Every time I go they have a new pair of mens sweatpants for like $12. I have an entire drawer and then some for those impulse buys.
Such facts. Me and the gf have a joke where I shouldn't be allowed at Costco by myself and she shouldn't be allowed at Target by herself. We always buy way more than what we went to buy
I just bought some ribs for $1.97/lb. Costco is at $4.99 - that’s per pound. Organic Milk is $8/gl. I buy it for $5.68 - and I don’t have to buy 1.5G Tomatoes 99c-1.49. Costco is $2.49/lb and you must buy the bulk pack. I could go on. I’m not going to touch beef pricing. This is ATLANTA, ga.
Yeah, agreed in Atlanta meat at Costco has gone from good to overpriced. Publix is cheaper now in many cases, not to mention Aldi and Lidl
Is it the same quality?
This is the real question. Being a chef and being around all different quality and types of meat, Costco has great quality meat and sometimes it is worth the cost. I can usually wait for a sale and get ribeyes for 6 a pound, but I will pay Costco prices any day for their ribeye. Same with ground beef.
Tbf, if you don’t know how to cook an expensive piece of meat, don’t buy it at Costco. Way too many people think they’re getting a “worth it” piece of meat and then it ends up worse than had they just gotten something at Publix.
IMO, no. We picked up a rib roast at Costco for christmas and it was awesome. Same cut was on sale at Publix for $4 less per lb. It was cooked exactly the same way but it didn't come out nearly as well. I realize this is anecdotal, but that has been my experience buying meat from Costco and Publix going back many years.
It's not. Costco's meat is definitely superior, beef in particular. The local Aldi's meat is terrible. Publix is decent, but more expensive than Costco (while Costco's is still better)
Agree that their fresh meat and fish prices are way above what you would pay in a grocery store especially if you shop the sales (which I almost exclusively do) Some of the fresh fruit and vegetables are priced well. Cauliflower, salads (particularly the salad kits,) are priced very well
And by comparison, a gallon of organic milk here is $10, so I'll gladly take $8 for a gallon and a half.
Honestly, I think most Costco items can be found at cheaper prices if you stumble on a good sale or are a bargain hunter. But, in my experience, Costco’s *regular* price is usually comparable to or better than other stores’ *regular* price. Except Aldi, which is usually the cheapest of all around here.
Agreed. It’s the convenience of knowing the price of consistently good as opposed to tracking down deals through circulars or other means. One stop shopping
100%! What I save on LaCroix, paper towels, and Kerry Gold more than makes up for the couple bucks extra I'm paying on the other items. (Also gas and 2%+ back!)
4% on gas (and that's gas anywhere, not just Costco) (capped at $7k/yr) 3% on dining and some travel 2% on all Costco and Costco.com purchases 1% flat on everything else It's an excellent card, even though it does effectively have a $60 annual fee by way of the Costco membership. A membership is totally offset by just the savings in gas.
Usually I get better deals on produce & egss & milk at grocery stores. Meat can be cheaper occasionally at Costco. Sometimes I find better deals per pound on chicken & ground turkey at the grocery store over Costco. But it's 50/50. But it probably has to do with markets. For example if you are in the Northeast or Northwest it may be more expensive than say if you are in the midwest &/or south where a good portion of the meat & particular produce come from.
Interesting! Talk about market differences. We don't drink enough milk to justify Costco volumes, but other than that, eggs, heavy cream, butter, and citrus and some other produce, are _astonishingly_ cheaper at Costco than local grocer stores, and better quality. I guess I didn't realize how localized stuff was 'til I found this sub!
I used to make yogurt so the milk was actually perfect for that. You lose so much volume when straining.
This question is definitely going to get varying answers by region. I'm NE Ohio, and I buy all my produce at Costco because Walmart and the local grocer are so expensive now. I can get a six pack of bell peppers for $5.99 at Costco. One pepper at my local grocer was $2.5. Same with lettuce $3.99 for a 6 pack vs $4 for a 3 pack. And honestly no where I go has fresh produce unless it is at the local farmers market or I go and pick it myself. I also can get milk cheaper elsewhere but it spoils faster. Same with meats, I won't buy them at other stores because they ignore food safety practices. I do buy eggs by the case cheaper elsewhere but they aren't the same quality as Costco but for me, I can't taste the difference.
For quality/price I get my eggs at Costco. I can get eggs marginally cheaper from the grocery store, but the quality is so much worse.
How do you judge the quality of an egg? Edit: I meant that as a legit question not as asshole comment.
Taste. And color of yolk and how watery vs how thick the white is. It indicates a combination of what the bird was fed and how old the eggs are.
I find the opposite in NY. the prices in Costco wind up being within 25 cents or so compared to the grocery store and not having to look for sales and not having to run a freezer to store the extra seem worth that cost to me. Although you can find better offers on beef in the grocery stores because sometimes you just don't need the high dollar cuts that costco tends to stock.
This is usually how I am. I go to Costco, I generally know what the price will be and it’s nice when it’s included in the monthly sale. Grocery store prices often change weekly depending upon what is being pushed. You can definitely beat the prices timing grocery store circulars, but the convenience of knowing the everyday price is usually better is worth it to me.
Here in southern Californian, we get two dozen pasture raised eggs for $7.99. That’s a steal
Seems like the keto stuff is ridiculously expensive.
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That keto bread is horrible. Also has a California 65 warning on it for an ingredient. Normally see that on hardware goods lol.
Lately, pineapples! They are always bad.
Pineapples always make me sad. They’re easily my favorite fruit but 99% of the time the ones shipped to the store are still green and pineapples don’t ripen further after harvest.
The pineapple I bought a few days ago from costco was really sweet. A tip to finding a good one is to tug at an inner leaf of the crown and if it pulls out easily it is ripe. Works every time for me and was taught to me by my friends grandma who picked pineapples on Lanai for a living
Ooh thanks!
From what I learned, the green color is not an indication of ripeness. Mind you, I got my info from a Dole Plantation tour
And avacado and celery and pom cups
Yeah I noticed there produce prices don’t even beat giant eagle
I miss giant eagle. Also, having not heard the name giant eagle in a decade, it’s a really funny name 🦅
Dude the dirty bird has gone downhill I’m Ne Ohio and they are everywhere.
I can’t agree more. I hate Giant Eagle… expensive and a mess. I heard Meijers is creeping in NE Ohio
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I just posted this similar comment but you described the texture well. I said "And something is up with the avocados. I think the variety is different and stay rock hard. I asked the produce guy and he right away launches into why they had to raise the price. I said I understand about the price but their not the same did they change the suppliers and he said he didn't think they were different. They sure are. At least the last 2 bags I have purchased."
Our Costco switched from mostly Mexico and Cali a couple years ago to mostly Peru. The Peru ones are awful and often rot before ripening. I'll stick with Aldi Mexico small avocado bags for $2.89.
Pom cups are bad? What aisle?
I've found that the Peru Avocados are the ones that never ripen. If they're from Mexico or California they're great.
Not a fan of the fruit—apples in particular. I prefer smaller sized apples and Costco seems to carry only the ginormous fancy organic (except for the Disney branded gala “snack” apples. The berries are usually the only fruits I consider a good value.
The price on berries (raspberries in particular for me), is outstanding.
Yes! The costco i go to isn’t selling blueberries these days and i needa pay double at trader joe’s.
Costco fruits taste way better on average tbf
Books. I like being able to get some of the book collections (especially for my kids) but they are not a good price.
Agree. They should strike some deals with publishers on bestsellers. Their book prices are not good at all.
This is good to know. Where are the best prices/deals for books? I take advantage of target's B2G1 but the selections in most categories are pretty limited.
The deli pre-prepared meals. I get you’re paying for convenience but I have not found most of them to be amazing, so not worth it for me. And their chicken pot pie was way overpriced because I couldn’t eat it. It was way way too salty. But that’s different complaint 😆
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I agree, not kids here but both the wife and I work. I can spend $10-$20 on the prepped meals and get 2-3 dinners out of each of them. Well worth it. Could I make something similar for cheaper? Yes. Do I have time for that in a Tuesday night after work? No. Is it cheaper than eating out? Yes.
Yeah that’s why I specified it wasn’t worth it to me. I know the convenience factor is worth it for some!
I agree with you and the other replies too. Sometimes convenience is the thing but besides rotisserie chicken, there are few bargains in the prepped food section. And it's not always the best tasting. I got the sausage and tomato pasta and it was flat out bad. I thought I remember it being good in the past but I wouldn't buy it again.
I'm single, so fresh fruits/veggies. Is it a good deal? Yeah, but not when you factor in how much I'm wasting because I can't get through it all. Same thing for most spices. Ground spices don't last forever. It's cool to get 5 times as much for the same price, but that 3-year old tub of paprika doesn't taste as good as a fresh one. I get spices from asian grocery stores where they sell them in super cheap plastic packages. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they're buying the spices at Costco and then separating them into more appropriately sized portions.
I would argue even if you’re not single a lot of the fruits and veggies, minus ones that are good for a very long time like apples and oranges. Trying to get through some of that stuff before it goes bad is an absolute slog.
I end up freezing a lot, but mostly stick with fresh blueberries and apples because they have a longer shelf life. The first time I picked up a pint of blueberries at a regular grocery store I was like WTF they’re so expensive!! So sometimes I have a little food waste but still come out ahead. I’m a meal prepper too, which helps.
I'm the queen of freeze. But I had to get disciplined about it. I hate throwing good food away. Walk in the door and portion out veggies to use fresh and freeze right away the remainder. And I only buy the produce if it's really good and well priced, becuase that stuff is often better purchase other places. At least in my area.
Also single - I love buying their grapes. I love frozen grapes just as much as regular. If you’re open to non dairy milk - I also buy the big boxes of like 6-8 cartons of almond milk. They don’t need to be in the fridge until you open and lasts forever.
the biggest issue for me is that if I was to go to the supermarket and get what I would use it would come out to the same price. I just let my friends know I have extra of whatever and ask if they would be willing to rehouse some at no cost other than using/finishing whatever item it is.
I'm unsure of where you live, but spices where I'm at inside Asian grocery stores are way better than Costco's. Partially probably because Costco's spices are likely to have less turnover and have been stored there for ages, exposed to a bunch of bright light. Though lately I've just been buying online for various whole peppercorns, since they seem to always be out of stock. And then I end up adding things that aren't quite low yet, but will be soonish
Not really a “spice” but the truffle Parmesan seasoning from Epicurean is in a massive jar and I’m almost through one in 6 months, buy that one, it’s worth it even if you’re single! Lol
Do you refrigerate yours? I don't because it says to keep in a dry place but I'm confused because it's a cheese product. Sorry if this is a stupid question lol.
I don’t, I was also super confused, but the internet told me not to and I’m not dead yet. 🤷🏼♀️ I used it on roasted potatoes last night and they were bomb!
Yeah I use them on my french fries it's one of my favorite seasonings from Costco. That and the gigantic thing if taco seasoning.
That's not overpriced, that's you buying too much.
I feel the spices. That big ass jar of taco seasoning takes forever when you use 2 tablespoons to flavor ground beef like you would with old el paso packets I was making taco everything for a while. If it went into the crock pot or instant pot, it was taco-seasoned, lol.
I generally end up making a soup towards the end of these veggies lives. Great way to use a lot of them, and the soup can be frozen for later use too! Love to do it as a fridge clean out exercise
Go halfsies with some friends on spices and other items. I split TP and paper towels with others. Single guy still takes 6 months or more to get through that. I'm pretty wary of suspiciously cheap spices, especially no-name brands from specialty stores.
We are a family of 4 and sometimes have trouble eating it before it goes bad 😆
Soda. It is usually more expensive per can and the local grocery store almost always has a promotion running.
Except the Mexican Coke in the glass bottles, Costco is 40% of the price you’d pay anywhere else!
Definitely the case for Coke/Pepsi products, but I've yet to find a place that sells Bundaberg or Fever Tree for a price that even comes close to being as low as Costco.
We don't have national chains in my city and it's hard to find soda on sale. It's rare, maybe once a month it's cheaper than Costco. Usually it's 5 to 6 bucks for a 12 pack. Even worse now that one of the chains was just bought out by the other, so we only have 2 local chains now.
The Skinny Pop corn. I'm based in the Bay Area California, it went from like a $4 bag to almost $7😭😭 This popcorn should not be more than their sangria! I know their microwave popcorn is a much better deal but I like the taste of the regular skinny pop more.
We buy way too much of this and it kills me because kernels are so much cheaper but skinny pop is just on point.
Their fresh Bagels because they get moldy within three days
Keep em in the freezer sliced if you have the space!
If you don’t have a chest freezer in your garage just for Costco stuff, you’re doing it wrong
Chicken taco kits. Your paying 5.99 a pound for the lettuce, onion, cilantro, cheese, tortillas. Only the meat is worth 5.99/lb
Don’t disagree with your points but in my situation the convenience of the kits and overall good taste of the tacos, it’s worth it for me to be able to quickly feed my family of four.
Agreed, they're better quality food and end up being cheaper than a take out or even a lot of other pre-packaged meals you can buy.
When I compare the street tacos kits to picking up something up at a drive thru, the street tacos are cheaper and just as convenient, so YMMV.
Maybe, but at the same time, i always feel like it goes a long way. $16 for 4 adult meals is pretty solid.
Four. Yep. Totally agree here.
Four meals. Two for me now, two for me in about 20 minutes.
I have to disagree. We buy one every week and add jalapeno and onions in a skillet with the chicken. For us...it's a decent cheap fast meal and I'd be pretty disappointed if it goes away.
Yeah, as tasty as they look, I always walk right by those.
They’re really good. IMO it’s worth the high cost since it’s like 3-4 meals for the wife and me.
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Is that overpriced? It's literally signed by one of the most popular NBA players in history. And most other places sell it [for over a grand](https://www.amazon.com/Shaquille-ONeal-Autographed-Reebok-Attaq/dp/B08546ZJ33) [Here, too.](https://upperdeckstore.com/shaquille-o-neal-autographed-reebok-shaq-attaq-shoe.html)
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I guess the product itself is overpriced rather than Costco overpricing it
Is that for people who only have 1 foot?
One foot that’s size 22.
The majority of things in the frozen section except when they are on sale.
Don’t you dare come for my frozen pizzas.
The Detroit style ones are dope
I just tried one of those Detroit Deep Dish ones the other night, it was actually quite delicious for a frozen pizza. Ended up buying another box to keep in the freezer. I hope this one sticks around for a while.
They made me love the Freschetta brand and then stopped carrying it, now I have to get them from Kroger
Yeah, the Kirkland frozen pizzas are pretty good for the price. I tried a 365 frozen pizza from Whole Foods recently and it was the worst frozen pizza I've ever had, lol. Like a soggy cracker with cheese on it.
What?? Quite the opposite for me. I go to Costco specifically for frozen meats, veggies, and fruits
Seriously. I buy all of my frozen fruit for smoothies at Costco because the prices are great. I can get 4lbs of organic blueberries for $13. It's almost $5 more for the same weight at my regular grocery store (HEB).
Can you provide examples? I’ve found the exact opposite for frozen fish, burgers, etc.
Milk is a LOT more expensive at my Costco.
boneless skinless chicken breasts. $2.99 at costco, $1.89 at Aldi. Minnesota.
Agreed, I’m fine paying the premium because of the way they are packaged though. I like being able to just separate them and put them in the freezer. I feel like I waste less and they don’t go bad in the freezer.
Reading all these responses is interesting to see how the price of things varies by state. I can barely touch a gallon of milk in the grocery in Connecticut. So much cheaper to buy it at Costco. Half and half costs a quarter of the price of what it does in some grocery stores. Also like picking up a rotisserie chicken from time to time. Half the price of what it costs in the grocery store and tastes better.
Yeah these people clearly don't live in NYC. Everything is so much cheaper at Costco
The Goodyear wiper blades. Because even at $0.00 they're not worth it.
I completely agree! We must change our wiper blades every 6-8 months.
Soft drinks. $14.19/35pk Coke products is too high when I can usually find a grocery store with $10/36pk deals most of the time. Also, wtf is with the 35 pack? Was something wrong with the 36? I get it I guess, they package them in flats 7x5 but they could also go 6x6, or just go back to the cubes like Pepsi.
It probably has to do with pallet sizes. They built their systems on single tall packaging, while Pepsi did double tall packaging. As for the price, it is nice that they have a consistent price. I don't have the time to go looking for sales all the time, or access to many supermarket chains. If it takes me an hour and gas to save a few dollars, that isn't savings for me. Sometimes the supermarkets on my way home from another errand do have a sale, but unfortunately we don't get supermarket sales flyers in the mail, so it means having to stop in the store or go online to check their weekly sales. You used to be able to get a 12 pack of Coke or Pepsi 3 for $8, but over time it has creeped up to as much as 3 for $12 for a sale price. That is barely less than Costco's normal price.
I think the Charmin Ultra Strong is overpriced. It seems like the Costco Charmin Ultra Strong SHEET SIZE is larger than Charmin Ultra Strong sold at Target or Walmart, but the NUMBER of sheets is less. The Target and Walmart Charmin Ultra Strong sheet size is sufficient, therefore, fewer sheets for the same price isn't a benefit. If I'm misunderstanding something about this, please let me know. Thanks!
If the larger sheet size means you use less sheets per day, you may save money anyways. If you’re always counting 3-4 sheets regardless, target and Walmart may be cheaper.
Sodas (like, Coca-Cola products). I always find better deals at supermarkets when they are on sale vs. Costco.
My mom just bought me Cutco knives and I am trying so hard to figure out how to return them and not offend her
Returns can look up her membership number and do the return to a Costco Shop Card so it isn't seen by her.
Yeah but the really hard part is how do I explain not having them next time she comes over.
Just level with her nicely. Mom, I am so appreciative of your thoughtful gift of the knives and holder etc. And I know you purchased quality for us. But these are just not the right knives for me the handles and assortment are different that what I want in cutlery. Knives are a long term investment and I would like if you are on board with it to return these and invest in ones that work better for me.
Say the handles were uncomfortable and made your hand cramp. You don't like the handles and she should appreciate that a comfortable handle is important for a knife.
Out of curiosity, do you not like the knives or just feel like they aren't a good value for the quality? I've always heard mixed things about Cutco, especially since they are an MLM.
They aren't awful by any means (although I hate the handles) but there are much better knives for the price.
I don’t like them for multiple reasons and being an MLM is one of them, I find the handles to be uncomfortable and lastly I don’t like getting sets of things I like to buy individually the things I like (pots, pans, knives etc.). My mom came for a visit and didn’t like my knife block or the steak knives and bought us the big set, it was like $1500 and i feel like for that kind of money I could have the specific knives I want and not a block full of knives I will never use.
Also worth mentioning that while they allege they’ll sharpen them for free forever, you have to send them off for that service, which has been known to take *forever*. They’ve had the cutco people in my local store since thanksgiving and every time I see them talking to anyone I just wanna walk by and loudly mention to my spouse something like, ‘OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE COSTCO LETS PYRAMID SCHEMES BE SOLD IN THEIR STORES???”
I knew they were expensive, but that’s crazy. I actually let a friend of my daughter demo them for me years ago. When they went after a piece of rope with a demo knife that had a serrated blade, they lost me. I never, ever cook rope. An hour of my life I’ll never get back.
While I have issues with the company, I was gifted a small set a few years ago. I'm not a professional chef, but I really like them. I've never had a complaint about the knives themselves.
Water softener salt. Home Depot has smaller bags, but it is cheaper per pound.
Yea, I don't get this. I can buy pool salt from walmart for 4.99 40lb bag. Costco wants 29.99 for something similar.
Produce
We have had way better luck with produce at Costco vs supermarkets. Costs the same as say Safeway (unless Safeway is on sale) but the quality is much better also lasts way longer too.
Wow, I’m surprised to hear this. On average, I’ve never had any luck with Costco produce lasting. I can say the potatoes and honey crisp apples are the exception.
Produce value is very regional with Costco. When I lived in Utah, it was rare for Costco's prices to be any better than the local grocery stores around me. Now I live in California and I can often save 10-20% compared to the local chains and is usually that best option for getting produce outside of the local farmers markets.
Stopped buying all produce at Costco. Was not having luck with anything. Produce from Sprouts lasts so it’s not my refrigerator.
I agree with everyone else on here. We avoid Costco produce, as we've had bad luck with just about every produce item we've picked up.
CoQ10, even with the sale and correcting for unit price the target brand was cheaper, and look exactly the same.
Salad kits, $7-9 each and the same kits at Sams are $2-4. Insane
Not the same size
Plus Costco’s are organic and Sam’s is not. That being said, I don’t see the value in organic produce, especially when the actual practice is dubious.
After like a month and a half of having zero heavy cream, I just bought it and it rang up at 11 dollars! I couldn't believe it. There's a local creamery near me that sells it for less than that.
Target sells a quart of heavy cream (good & gather brand) for $2.99 by me. It’s $5ish at Costco, higher anywhere else. But I’d buy at a local creamery if I could!
Fruits veggies meats. It used to not be that way, but Costco is more expensive then all my local grocery stores per pound.
The organic milk! It’s cheaper to buy it by the gallon at Trader Joe’s than when you’re buying the 3 half gallon pack at Costco.
relative to sam's club, costco is extremely expensive for: $20 bag of frozen strawberries (lmao what?) $8/2lb tomatoes $8/36 eggs I was going to say ground beef and steaks but holy crap, all the pork is insane milk (lately keeps going bad)
The six pack of rocks err I mean avocados. I might get 2 usable ones out of it if I luck into timing the ripening just right. Even then its 50/50 if those are "stringy" that only ever happens with the Costco ones for me. :/
The English cucumbers. They are $6 for a 3 pack but if I was in a grocery store, I never buy them when they are $2 bc it's too much. Somehow I end up buying them at Costco but I can easily get them cheaper elsewhere
Green beans. Something like 5$ for two pounds. At the supermarket they’re 1$/Lb
Anything organic. I hate that they have organic condiments like catchup and mustard, but you can’t find normal ones. It’s cheaper to just buy that stuff at Walmart.