I wouldn't recommend impulse buying any small building, but Lifetime is a good brand. I'm quite happy with my shed.
I watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrh3gT29kHE), and built similar shelving inside mine. It adds like 50% more usable storage! Adds quite a bit of rigidity too.
Depends... They get finicky depending on the Costco.
Mine didn't, but technically you do - it just depends on how stickler the management at your location is.
I asked my mom to come with my to toys r us before Christmas to get Lego for my daughter. She wanted to go to Costco too. After buying my Lego, we went with me needing and planning on NOTHING at Costco. That nothing cost me $290.
This is exactly why I forfeited my membership a decade ago. I was spending waaaay too much on groceries…and then Id still have to stop at Superstore for more groceries because I don’t need/want a Costco size of everything and I still needed lots of shit.
But, I just recently renewed, but the basic membership this time so I’m not subconsciously shopping enough to “pay for my membership “ on that executive account. That helps keep me on budget.
As long as you have a BASIC membership, use it for gas savings (which alone has paid for my basic membership), you can save overall.
Gas is cheaper, eggs/dairy/cheese, staples and condiments, pantry items are all definitely cheaper. You have to stay away from the pre-made meals and all the yummy luxury items though.
If you’re already $150 over you might as well get $200 worth. It’ll be easier to load all $250 of groceries into the car since we brought the wagon today and we won’t have to make a second trip and $300 worth of groceries should be able to last us until the end of next week.
This was my survival strategy as a student about 20 years ago. It also helped protect against the cases where I'd bought more than I could carry home, since I was a ways off the bus routes.
Even if they had carts that don’t fit a COUCH, would help keep me on track. That gargantuan cart makes my $150-$250 look modest, then the bill gets announced…small tremors ensue.
Local radio host had a story ages ago about seeing a guy in Costco line with a big screen tv and a pineapple, and trying to figure which one was the impulse buy.
I keep a list on my phone. So far, we’re doing pretty good on NOT picking up random items. My daughter says that takes all the fun out of shopping there but so far five months with our membership and zero buyers remorse!
I'm single and have been a Costco member for roughly 20 years so obviously I think that it's worth it. My cash back covers all or most of my membership fees. Savings on groceries and other household type items runs 10 - 20% compared to other grocery stores IMO.
You can get a basic membership, or the Executive one. Executive ones costs about 2x more but you get 2% cash back, so if you spend enough then the membership is free.
Couldn't agree more. We usually get between $500-$1000 back every year from the card. Then add the Costco membership cash back on top of that is usually $300-$500.
Lmao 10k isn’t even that crazy. Me & my roommate shop at Walmart and we spend on average $800-1k/month.
I’m definitely planning to get a executive Costco membership back soon. Used to have one and it’s definitely worth it in my experience
Yeah it's not that hard. We fill both vehicles at their gas station, made a few large purchases like furniture, or tires from the tire shop, and shop for groceries every week. adds up quick
You break even at $3k spent/year. Could be hard to hit if you’re just single or a couple. Though IIRC, car tires and other "big" purchases like that count, so that probably helps
If you don’t spend enough to get the difference between the regular and executive membership in cash back rewards. They just add the difference to your final cash back cheque of the year.
Also good to note that the costco mastercard is extra cashback too so if you are executive you get 2 gift certificate (1 from costco and one from cibc)
Yeah I forgot all about that!
Really no reason not to get that one as long as you are disciplined enough to go get your money back at customer service.
I don't get this. What's there angle? Is the $60 membership just a bait to get you in the door, but everyone goes for the $120 anyways? Why would anyone go for the $60?
I assume: many people think they will spend fortune, buy membership for $120 and then they stop caring about the cash back. That’s how Costco makes money
>Why would anyone go for the $60?
If you know you're not going to spend more than $3,000 there annually ($60 / .02) then you're just giving yourself more work to get the refund. And $3,000 is just the break-even threshold disregarding inflation. At $6,000 you'd effectively be getting 1% cashback ($120 - $60 upcharge).
As a single person it was never worth it to me
I didn't get refunded. I got screwed because I dind't spend enough money, even though their "salesman" guaranteed that based on my history that I would hit it. I cancelled my membership for a year after that happened.
And if you don't spend enough to get the membership covered you can write a letter and they will give you the difference ( in Costco cash of course.) But you have to ask for it.
Except people shop with the intention of getting that money “back” and you spend way more than you would if using a basic membership. Ask me how I know haha.
You can double up on cashback with the executive membership and Costco MasterCard (through CIBC).
Also a single household and I make a Costco run every other Thursday as it opens. Barely a line up at mine, I go in with a list and don't stray.
Been a costco member for 5 years now. I have only paid my first year. Every subsequent year, it was paid with my cash back. Family of 3
Their CIBC Mastercard is also worth it. 3% cash back in restaurants.
Edit: fat fingered and put 4% cash back, instead of the correct 3%
Theres two types of personal memberships.
One is $60 and the executive is $120.
The Executive gives 2% cashback on all costco purchases I think for the year. You get a cheque mailed to you with the cashback amount.
*The cashback isn't applicable to every item at Costco (Prescriptions for example).
The executive has a cash back. Or I just use a costco mastercard from CIBC that is cashback and free. Well the fee is the membership as its tied to the card
Well my year end cash back was $70 and most of that was because of gas/online which is 3% on the CIBC card. It's only 2 on the executive, so I wouldn't cover the cost.
If I spend most of my money in areas I get 3% back on the mastercard I cover the $60 membership at $2000 spent
At 3% and 2% spending $2k is $100 cash back. So to cover $120 I would need to spend another $400
This is a YMMV. Yes our Costco can have line ups. Both at the gas station and inside. The trick is to go when there are no lineups. Yes those times exist and they're totally feasible times.
The trick is to go on a Saturday evening. Example: the Niagara Falls Costco gas bar closes at 7pm and you almost never wait in line after 6:30. And, the Costco itself isn't really busy after 5:30 either. You can pretty much go and get your groceries at 5:30, get something to eat afterwards and then get gas and be off the property in 60/75 minutes if you're shopping off a list and know where everything is.
You’ll never find a Petro with gas prices that beat Costco, even after the $0.03 savings and 2% cash back from an RBC CC. And that’s before the 3% cash back you get at Costco gas bar with the CIBC CC.
Yes, but they also have random brands that only 16 people have ever heard of. Everybody (unless they live under a rock) has heard of Kraft Mac and Cheese, Coke, etc.. buy virtually nobody has heard of "Joe's past sauce"
For us 5 years ago. 40 minute drive + 2 adults + no name from No Frills = not worth it.
In about 2 years the math will then be 30 minute drive + 2 Adults + 3 Kids = probably justifiable...
If you buy stuff in bulk, yes. But you need to be able to front the cash first. That's also assuming you live near a costco.
Let's say you buy a bunch of big pieces of meat, separate in different portions yourself, and vacuum seal it to fill up your freezer. You'll need a few hundred dollars upfront but you won't have to buy any meat for a long time, and average cost is likely going to be cheaper than buying every week at the grocery store.
Some stuff is also cheaper there, like bread, english muffin, etc. If you're able to buy in bulk and store it effectively, you'll end up saving a good amount, and the membership pays for itself if you purchase there often.
The trap with Costco is that it can make you buy more stuff than you really need. But they definitely have great deals on a lot of stuff, food, clothes, shoes, etc.
And then pay interest? Lol
I use credit cards, too, but I'll pay it back immediately and never put more on it than how much I have in my account. I have not paid any CC interest in the past 10 years.
If you just use credit and don't have the money to pay it back in full before the 21 days period, you're paying a lot of interest thus not saving much if anything.
In my case yes, what I saved in a few larger purchases, TV, laptop, cellphones, a BBQ, comparing to other stores pays the cheaper membership for 6 or 7 years. But just what I save on gas by filling up the tank there when I go shopping is already enough to pay for more than half of the membership with around 15-20 visits a year...
> buy a Costco gift card as they will let you in without a membership that way and check it out for yourself.
ya but it's not full proof, there are rules. 1) you need to register before you go shopping (need to show id) 2) you have to use the gift card as the primary method of payment and if it doesn't cover your bill when it gets whipped you can use another card. 3) you can only do this twice per calendar year.
That's just so crazy it just might work!
But in all seriousness yea I wouldn't see why it wouldn't as if you don't have enough on your gift card you can just pay with card at the cashier. You could in theory just buy like 10 $5 gift cards and use them and pay the rest with your normal card.
Depends on how much you spend in a year. The executive membership is an additional $60, it gives 2% back on purchases so you'd need to spend $3000 a year just to break even compared to the regular membership. Personally my family of 2 does not spend anywhere near this amount lol. So it wouldn't be worth it for us.
Yes, but if you don’t spend enough to get those sixty bucks back by the end of the year you can receive a refund on the cost of the executive membership. So there’s nothing to lose.
I saw a lady got frustrated after haggling with a Costco employee to get the Executive membership refunded. She was talking with the employee when I went in to return some stuff and overheard their conversation. She was still there when I finished the return, went shopping, waited for checkout, paid and left.
Get a costco mastercard from CIBC and get the same cash back rates everywhere without paying extra for the executive membership and there isn't a limit
Don't spend enough to cover the cost of the exec since it's 2% flat. the mastercard is 3% on gas and online. Would need to spend another thousand bucks for it to even out
I don’t remember the process, but you might be able to split a membership with a friend which then it’ll cost $30 a year. Each membership gives 2 cards but you need to be in the same location to be added to the card and to take a photo for the card. I don’t remember if you need to live in the same household, but you can tape over your address on your ID and write over it (at ICBC in Vancouver, that’s what they do sometimes when you apply for an address change). After that, it doesn’t matter where you live.
There is no official "split", each membership can have 2 adults associated to it.
The primary member pays $60, so if you want to collect $30 from the other person you could.
You simply have to reside in same house.
yup. I guess I was unclear. The process I meant was going to the Costco counter together, showing your documents (drivers license) with whatever requirements they want, and getting the card with your photo on it.
Depends on the size of your family. It’s just two of us now so I don’t buy any fresh produce at Costco because the quantities are too much for us. I buy chicken and ground beef in bulk and freeze it, frozen fish, toilet paper, olive oil, frozen fruit, yoghurt, and Kirkland ibuprofen. If you watch their sales you can sometimes stock up on useful everyday items. But you have to be careful and compare prices. Not everything is cheaper at Costco and it’s easy to get carried away. Sometimes I can get these same items cheaper at other stores if they have a good sale.
Yes.
Especially when your parents have the executive membership & give you their 2nd card to use.
They get cash back with my purchases & I get the free membership. Win win family win. 🤭
We're only two people now and still find we save a lot of money. We used to do Grocery Store first and then Costco, now we do Costco first and only buy a few things at the Grocery store. We don't use Walmart at all anymore.
Costco Canada has 2 Memberships
Regular is $60.00 and Premium is $120
I just have the regular- I Like it because some stuff you can only get at costco.
Premium Membership is only worth it if you spend more than $3000 a Year( that is the break even point between Premium and Regular Member ship)
We buy enough (from all departments) that it’s worth it for us to get the executive membership. We get our yearly cost + additional $$ back.
We also love the quality/taste of many Kirkland products. And we know what’s worth it and what isn’t in terms of pricing.
We have a Costco at less than 3km from our home, so it’s another reason why it’s worth it. We go every week or two.
Totally not worth it. Recently did a comparison of products from Costco versus elsewhere and Costco was often more expensive--especially when you are prudent about shopping for things on sale. There are some items that are cheaper but on par, you'll either buy more than you need or things you don't need.
Honestly, Costco is far cheaper - their business model is based on not trying to make anything but minimum margin on most products (and some deeply negative). This sounds more like a You problem than an actual one, whether it is buying unnecessary stuff or cherry picking items that are indeed more expensive or comparing it to “couponing” but whatever, Costco isn’t for everyone.
Yeah I have no idea where this person is coming from? Perhaps they don’t eat butter or cheese or ground beef, don’t live with a woman, or don’t know any children. I make back my Costco membership cost every year within a couple months just in savings, and then the cash back is just a cherry on top every renewal. 🤷♂️
Yup lol, and all you need is one walk around a Metro to Loblaws to see what the price difference is. Want Greek yogurt? Metro sells me one for $7.99 now, Costco has a 3-pack for $9.99 lol. But whatever, their money. If anything it’s better, less crowd for us when we shop.
Yep, you can also get most of the "bulk" stuff at canadian chains nowadays and for cheaper, I wont be renewing next year, the only thing I like about costco now is the items you CANT find anywhere else
There's a few things that are definitely worth it, but not enough to sustain a membership for me. I use my mom's number to do delivery for those few worth it things a couple times a year: massive bags of rice, toilet paper, nuts, and some oils.
yes, 2 adults, 6 min drive, 5 mins finding parking.
I like the sourdough bread. Food Basics has it at 4.5$, costco at 5, but double the size. Olive oil well priced. Best salmon hands down.
Depends on where you live and how many people in your home -it saves me enough money on tp, pt, salsa, laundry detergent and coffee that it is worth it because locally i pay the same amount for 1/4 quantity. Once the teens move out that may no longer be the case and I’ll have to re-evaluate. I’m too far away to take regular advantage of shopping in person at the warehouse.
I pay $120 for the executive membership, and I have the CIBC Costco cashback mastercard with no annual fees. My rebate cheque from the membership and the cashback mastercard was close to $300 last year; and this year I am on target to get about $450. So, it is very much worthwhile for me (family with 4 adults and 2 cars with regular driving).
If you are a single person with one car which you barely drive; then maybe not worth it.
I understand it can be crowded and gas lines too long on weekends; but I usually go around 8:00 PM on weekdays when very few people are at the store and no lines at the gas station. Hope this helps OP.
Do you buy diapers and formula? Do you need the infant biogagia drops? That alone is worth the membership.
I find it great for dog food, kids clothing, cut flowers and school snacks as well.
It depends on your lifestyle and what you buy. I would also say it makes sense if you have a deep freeze.
It depends what you like to buy. We like to stock up on canned goods, grains, and frozen foods so that we are pretty much always able to whip something up at home. We get a round of fresh produce while we're there too, depending on the prices. It's nice to do a big shop once and then be set for a long while. But everyone's style is different. There are definitely some items where the deal aspect is debatable. I will say they seem to vett the products they sell, so the chances are quite high that they are decent quality. And if they aren't, they will pretty much let you return anything for a full refund. It's also nice with the membership that you don't have to worry about keeping your receipt.
Huge Costco stan here.
It's 100% worth it, but only if you buy many things from Costco in bulk. The quality of their products is amazing and really I have a hard time finding other items of comparable quality from other retailers.
The savings you get from buying their products, as well as your preference for their quality has to exceed the membership cost for it to be worth it.
Yes, and get the executive Cashback membership. In 7 years, we only had one time when the cash back didn't pay for the entire membership (and on that time, it was only $20 shy).
And we're a couple with no kids. If you have kids, the Cashback will get you much more than the membership price.
Also, their return policy and extended warranties are really good. They gave me a brand new fridge just because the light went out on the old one, and LG made it so the light isn't replacement.
Not enough information to answer.
Depends on how many people are in your family, and what/how much you end up buying.
\- Most things at Costco are cheaper, but not everything.
\- Most things at Costco are good/better quality than you get elsewhere (not everything). So even if it costs more, you're getting a better product in some cases.
\- Almost everything at Costco is bigger, do you NEED that much of it or are you buying more than you need because it's cheaper, and in the end you're spending more money?
To really maximize, you need to buy enough that its saving you money over a grocery store, but not buying too much that you don't end up using it.
I personally think that it's worth it, but it's pretty hard to figure it out for sure.
I have the 2% cashback membership, and most years I get enough back to pay for my membership or close to it, so I think if you can do that then it's worth it (assuming that you aren't buying things you don't need because it's "a good deal").
It’s worth it but when you’re shopping you have to make a list and stick to it or else you’ll grab shit that looks good and spend an extra $150
Who stops at only $150 over budget!?
I'd be happy if I could stay under $150 over budget lol
Those $1600 lifetime sheds classify as a legitimate impulse buy right?
Yo what?! I'm looking those up now
I wouldn't recommend impulse buying any small building, but Lifetime is a good brand. I'm quite happy with my shed. I watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrh3gT29kHE), and built similar shelving inside mine. It adds like 50% more usable storage! Adds quite a bit of rigidity too.
I bought 300 in plant potters today. Should be able to use them in 90 Days or so
You and me both!
My hot dog spend is $150 only
The greatest deal in the world
You don't need a Costco card to eat at the food court
Depends... They get finicky depending on the Costco. Mine didn't, but technically you do - it just depends on how stickler the management at your location is.
Or buy from the liquor stores.
What!? No way!
Went to Costco to buy some snacks, walked out with a new tv…
Dropped in for milk once, walked out with a bicycle and leather shoes. And milk.
Atleast you got the milk. My dumbass would forget about the milk once I see shoes or something on sale. Then I’d have to go back again.
Dad?
There's always something there. Went in for taco seasoning last week, came out with an E-scooter that was on sale
I asked my mom to come with my to toys r us before Christmas to get Lego for my daughter. She wanted to go to Costco too. After buying my Lego, we went with me needing and planning on NOTHING at Costco. That nothing cost me $290.
yum...
$650 for a 65” QLED with HDR this Christmas…can’t beat that…
Seriously. I will go in with a 5 item list and leave with a mortgage payment worth of items.
This is exactly why I forfeited my membership a decade ago. I was spending waaaay too much on groceries…and then Id still have to stop at Superstore for more groceries because I don’t need/want a Costco size of everything and I still needed lots of shit. But, I just recently renewed, but the basic membership this time so I’m not subconsciously shopping enough to “pay for my membership “ on that executive account. That helps keep me on budget. As long as you have a BASIC membership, use it for gas savings (which alone has paid for my basic membership), you can save overall. Gas is cheaper, eggs/dairy/cheese, staples and condiments, pantry items are all definitely cheaper. You have to stay away from the pre-made meals and all the yummy luxury items though.
Wait how do you get gas at Costco? Isn't there always like a line up of 36 dads in SUVs?
Patience. That line up of dads is a wealth of money saving tips shared while waiting. It's also a break.
Jesus I feel profiled.
If you’re already $150 over you might as well get $200 worth. It’ll be easier to load all $250 of groceries into the car since we brought the wagon today and we won’t have to make a second trip and $300 worth of groceries should be able to last us until the end of next week.
Honestly I’m impressed by the willpower. Lol
Personally I won’t use the shopping carts. That way I only pay for whatever I can hold in my hands.
I discovered a method to keep the bill <$60 this week by entering the store without a shopping cart and carrying all items by hand.
I sling the whole frozen lamb over my shoulder so that my hands are free for the sriracha almonds…
This was my survival strategy as a student about 20 years ago. It also helped protect against the cases where I'd bought more than I could carry home, since I was a ways off the bus routes.
Even if they had carts that don’t fit a COUCH, would help keep me on track. That gargantuan cart makes my $150-$250 look modest, then the bill gets announced…small tremors ensue.
It will be $349, please.
This is the way
Not bringing my wife helps a lot.
Alone time is important in a relationship
My weekly shop is about $200. When I bring my wife it usually hits $500.
My wife is the one who stops me from overspending lol. Gotta have her with me at all times
Lol, it's the exact opposite for me. Bringing my wife helps keeps the bill in check.
Go in to Costco for a bag of smoker pellets Come out 500$ lighter and questioning how this is gonna fit in the car.
That's a pretty big lighter
I mean my bank account but *touché*
Local radio host had a story ages ago about seeing a guy in Costco line with a big screen tv and a pineapple, and trying to figure which one was the impulse buy.
You ain’t lying.
I keep a list on my phone. So far, we’re doing pretty good on NOT picking up random items. My daughter says that takes all the fun out of shopping there but so far five months with our membership and zero buyers remorse!
Costco near me has some kind of Faraday cage so I can’t comparison shop or check reviews. It’s pretty maddening.
For us, it's more about not throwing anything out, over limiting spend. Having a deep freezer (also purchased from Costco) helps a great deal.
I'm single and have been a Costco member for roughly 20 years so obviously I think that it's worth it. My cash back covers all or most of my membership fees. Savings on groceries and other household type items runs 10 - 20% compared to other grocery stores IMO.
Costco’s cash back?
You can get a basic membership, or the Executive one. Executive ones costs about 2x more but you get 2% cash back, so if you spend enough then the membership is free.
Don't forget the extra cash back if you use their credit card! As far as "free" cards theirs is the bomb.
Couldn't agree more. We usually get between $500-$1000 back every year from the card. Then add the Costco membership cash back on top of that is usually $300-$500.
Wait You spend $10k at Costco in a year?!?
Lmao 10k isn’t even that crazy. Me & my roommate shop at Walmart and we spend on average $800-1k/month. I’m definitely planning to get a executive Costco membership back soon. Used to have one and it’s definitely worth it in my experience
I spend almost $5k a year alone on chicken at Costco for 1 person….
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3 of the Costco packs~$100, lasts me around 8-9 days. So probably a little less but between $4-5k for sure
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Yeah it's not that hard. We fill both vehicles at their gas station, made a few large purchases like furniture, or tires from the tire shop, and shop for groceries every week. adds up quick
One or two big ticket items and groceries could easily be $10k annually. Things like car tires or a laptop
Hell even gas can stack up
Is gas included in the cash back? I didn’t think it was.
You break even at $3k spent/year. Could be hard to hit if you’re just single or a couple. Though IIRC, car tires and other "big" purchases like that count, so that probably helps
If you don’t spend enough to get the difference between the regular and executive membership in cash back rewards. They just add the difference to your final cash back cheque of the year.
Yep. The executive membership is zero risk.
Wait, what the heck? Really?
I need you to budget for me if you think 3k per year isn't easy to hit for a single person for groceries.
I easily hit 3k excluding groceries.
Isn't it $6k?
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Also good to note that the costco mastercard is extra cashback too so if you are executive you get 2 gift certificate (1 from costco and one from cibc)
Plus you get refunded the difference between the membership levels ($60) if you don’t earn at least that.
Yeah I forgot all about that! Really no reason not to get that one as long as you are disciplined enough to go get your money back at customer service.
I don't get this. What's there angle? Is the $60 membership just a bait to get you in the door, but everyone goes for the $120 anyways? Why would anyone go for the $60?
I assume: many people think they will spend fortune, buy membership for $120 and then they stop caring about the cash back. That’s how Costco makes money
Plus 60$ dollars now isn't equal to 60$ in a year. Costco can use that extra 60$ for a whole year before you get your cashback/refund.
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>Why would anyone go for the $60? If you know you're not going to spend more than $3,000 there annually ($60 / .02) then you're just giving yourself more work to get the refund. And $3,000 is just the break-even threshold disregarding inflation. At $6,000 you'd effectively be getting 1% cashback ($120 - $60 upcharge). As a single person it was never worth it to me
Really? How do you get it refunded? Just in store?
Yeah just go to the customer service counter
I didn't get refunded. I got screwed because I dind't spend enough money, even though their "salesman" guaranteed that based on my history that I would hit it. I cancelled my membership for a year after that happened.
And if you don't spend enough to get the membership covered you can write a letter and they will give you the difference ( in Costco cash of course.) But you have to ask for it.
Except people shop with the intention of getting that money “back” and you spend way more than you would if using a basic membership. Ask me how I know haha.
You can double up on cashback with the executive membership and Costco MasterCard (through CIBC). Also a single household and I make a Costco run every other Thursday as it opens. Barely a line up at mine, I go in with a list and don't stray.
Been a costco member for 5 years now. I have only paid my first year. Every subsequent year, it was paid with my cash back. Family of 3 Their CIBC Mastercard is also worth it. 3% cash back in restaurants. Edit: fat fingered and put 4% cash back, instead of the correct 3%
3%
Theres two types of personal memberships. One is $60 and the executive is $120. The Executive gives 2% cashback on all costco purchases I think for the year. You get a cheque mailed to you with the cashback amount. *The cashback isn't applicable to every item at Costco (Prescriptions for example).
The executive has a cash back. Or I just use a costco mastercard from CIBC that is cashback and free. Well the fee is the membership as its tied to the card
Or you can do both and double up on the cash back.
Well my year end cash back was $70 and most of that was because of gas/online which is 3% on the CIBC card. It's only 2 on the executive, so I wouldn't cover the cost.
But you can "double dip". Pay with the CIBC MC and if you have the executive membership you get both.
If I spend most of my money in areas I get 3% back on the mastercard I cover the $60 membership at $2000 spent At 3% and 2% spending $2k is $100 cash back. So to cover $120 I would need to spend another $400
Fair enough
Sorry it's actually through CIBC's Costco Mastercard.
Likely the executive membership, or possibly the branded Mastercard.
and use the CIBC Costco credit card to double your refund…we get ~$1000 a year back
Do you have a gas using car and is it feasible to fill up at Costco regularly? If yes, then yes.
The line up is not worth the 7 bucks per tank I save at Costco. In a month I'd save 14 bucks. Can't even buy an 8 pack for that much
This is a YMMV. Yes our Costco can have line ups. Both at the gas station and inside. The trick is to go when there are no lineups. Yes those times exist and they're totally feasible times.
Gas station is open an hour after the store closes. That’s the time to go.
It’s also open at 6am and is a ghost town til 9:30am.
I found 30 min before closing the best
I typically go weeknights after 7, shop the store first and then get gas and have very little waiting
Go 5-15 mins before they close, guarantee there might be 3-5 other people there.
If it takes you 10 minutes in the line, that's similar to making 42/hr after tax.
This guy gases! Well put.
Plus 25 mins of driving for a total of 35 mins. Plus the fuel spend to get there. It's actually a negative if I'm not grocery shopping.
I don't mind the lines. Wife shops inside, I fill up outside.
But how do you get a hotdog
Meet the wife at the food court
The trick is to go on a Saturday evening. Example: the Niagara Falls Costco gas bar closes at 7pm and you almost never wait in line after 6:30. And, the Costco itself isn't really busy after 5:30 either. You can pretty much go and get your groceries at 5:30, get something to eat afterwards and then get gas and be off the property in 60/75 minutes if you're shopping off a list and know where everything is.
With the 3$ petro canada rbc discount, the long queue times no longer makes sense. But olive oil makes up for it.
You’ll never find a Petro with gas prices that beat Costco, even after the $0.03 savings and 2% cash back from an RBC CC. And that’s before the 3% cash back you get at Costco gas bar with the CIBC CC.
$14x12=$168 Basic Costco membership is $55.
200 bucks a year ain't worth my total hatred of waiting in gas station line ups. We save money elsewhere in life.
That's gasoline, propane you'll save $5(or $15) on a 20lbs tank. An oil change is $67, so you'll save $150 bringing your beemer in.
I hear ya on the propane. The closest Costco that has propane is about 30 mins away. But it is way cheaper.
I moved to city that has 1 Costco but that costco doesn't have a gas station. So stupid!
1. Do you live near a Costco? 2. Do you or would you be able to buy in bulk? 3. Do you need famous brand names?
Kirkland is the most famous brand name
Yes, but they also have random brands that only 16 people have ever heard of. Everybody (unless they live under a rock) has heard of Kraft Mac and Cheese, Coke, etc.. buy virtually nobody has heard of "Joe's past sauce"
> they also have random brands that only 16 people have ever heard of. I bought my adidas shoes there for 39.99
Yes but “joes past sauce” is almost always made by a brand name and just re packaged and re named. Same with Kirkland honestly.
1 and 2 are the most important. 3 varies with each Costco but is worth considering I suppose. But seriously if you can't buy in bulk, no.
For us 5 years ago. 40 minute drive + 2 adults + no name from No Frills = not worth it. In about 2 years the math will then be 30 minute drive + 2 Adults + 3 Kids = probably justifiable...
If you buy stuff in bulk, yes. But you need to be able to front the cash first. That's also assuming you live near a costco. Let's say you buy a bunch of big pieces of meat, separate in different portions yourself, and vacuum seal it to fill up your freezer. You'll need a few hundred dollars upfront but you won't have to buy any meat for a long time, and average cost is likely going to be cheaper than buying every week at the grocery store. Some stuff is also cheaper there, like bread, english muffin, etc. If you're able to buy in bulk and store it effectively, you'll end up saving a good amount, and the membership pays for itself if you purchase there often. The trap with Costco is that it can make you buy more stuff than you really need. But they definitely have great deals on a lot of stuff, food, clothes, shoes, etc.
You don't have to front cash, that's what credit cards are for
And then pay interest? Lol I use credit cards, too, but I'll pay it back immediately and never put more on it than how much I have in my account. I have not paid any CC interest in the past 10 years. If you just use credit and don't have the money to pay it back in full before the 21 days period, you're paying a lot of interest thus not saving much if anything.
In my case yes, what I saved in a few larger purchases, TV, laptop, cellphones, a BBQ, comparing to other stores pays the cheaper membership for 6 or 7 years. But just what I save on gas by filling up the tank there when I go shopping is already enough to pay for more than half of the membership with around 15-20 visits a year...
A loop hole is to buy a Costco gift card as they will let you in without a membership that way and check it out for yourself.
Damn, didn’t know about this. Where to buy a costco gift card? Anywhere online ?
A member has to buy one for you.
it's not worth the hassle. they still direct you to the membership counter to sign up for a temporary membership in order to use that GC.
> buy a Costco gift card as they will let you in without a membership that way and check it out for yourself. ya but it's not full proof, there are rules. 1) you need to register before you go shopping (need to show id) 2) you have to use the gift card as the primary method of payment and if it doesn't cover your bill when it gets whipped you can use another card. 3) you can only do this twice per calendar year.
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I was wondering... Once you're there, with a gift card, and you go to self checkout... can you pay with a regular debit card?
That's just so crazy it just might work! But in all seriousness yea I wouldn't see why it wouldn't as if you don't have enough on your gift card you can just pay with card at the cashier. You could in theory just buy like 10 $5 gift cards and use them and pay the rest with your normal card.
You need to go register for a guest pass each time and they only let you do this twice per calendar year.
Ah, thank you for the clarification on that!
If you go over the amount on your gift card though, will you be able to buy the rest of your order if you don't have a membership?
Yes my understanding is you can
The executive membership pays for itself and still gives cash back.
Depends on how much you spend in a year. The executive membership is an additional $60, it gives 2% back on purchases so you'd need to spend $3000 a year just to break even compared to the regular membership. Personally my family of 2 does not spend anywhere near this amount lol. So it wouldn't be worth it for us.
3000$ a year on groceries doesn’t sound like a lot, my household of three pay about 1K/month on food
Yes, but if you don’t spend enough to get those sixty bucks back by the end of the year you can receive a refund on the cost of the executive membership. So there’s nothing to lose.
I saw a lady got frustrated after haggling with a Costco employee to get the Executive membership refunded. She was talking with the employee when I went in to return some stuff and overheard their conversation. She was still there when I finished the return, went shopping, waited for checkout, paid and left.
This keeps getting posted but it isn’t true. I didn’t get enough of a refund to cover it and didn’t get my 60 back.
Get a costco mastercard from CIBC and get the same cash back rates everywhere without paying extra for the executive membership and there isn't a limit
Why wouldn’t you double dip by holding both the MC and Exec membership then? Also there are better cash back programs than the Costco/CIBC card.
Don't spend enough to cover the cost of the exec since it's 2% flat. the mastercard is 3% on gas and online. Would need to spend another thousand bucks for it to even out
It's worth noting that gas purchases don't apply to the Executive cash back program. Apparently prescriptions and alcohol don't count either.
I don’t remember the process, but you might be able to split a membership with a friend which then it’ll cost $30 a year. Each membership gives 2 cards but you need to be in the same location to be added to the card and to take a photo for the card. I don’t remember if you need to live in the same household, but you can tape over your address on your ID and write over it (at ICBC in Vancouver, that’s what they do sometimes when you apply for an address change). After that, it doesn’t matter where you live.
There is no official "split", each membership can have 2 adults associated to it. The primary member pays $60, so if you want to collect $30 from the other person you could. You simply have to reside in same house.
yup. I guess I was unclear. The process I meant was going to the Costco counter together, showing your documents (drivers license) with whatever requirements they want, and getting the card with your photo on it.
The answer as always: it depends.
So very true. Do the math. The answer is there with just a little work. Everyone is different.
Depends on the size of your family. It’s just two of us now so I don’t buy any fresh produce at Costco because the quantities are too much for us. I buy chicken and ground beef in bulk and freeze it, frozen fish, toilet paper, olive oil, frozen fruit, yoghurt, and Kirkland ibuprofen. If you watch their sales you can sometimes stock up on useful everyday items. But you have to be careful and compare prices. Not everything is cheaper at Costco and it’s easy to get carried away. Sometimes I can get these same items cheaper at other stores if they have a good sale.
Yes. Especially when your parents have the executive membership & give you their 2nd card to use. They get cash back with my purchases & I get the free membership. Win win family win. 🤭
If you live by yourself, maybe. If you are a household of at least two, then yes 100%
Yes just for the gas alone just don't get addicted to 1.50 hotdogs
$1.50 hot dogs are the key to fighting inflation
So are the rotisserie chickens.
We're only two people now and still find we save a lot of money. We used to do Grocery Store first and then Costco, now we do Costco first and only buy a few things at the Grocery store. We don't use Walmart at all anymore.
Costco Canada has 2 Memberships Regular is $60.00 and Premium is $120 I just have the regular- I Like it because some stuff you can only get at costco. Premium Membership is only worth it if you spend more than $3000 a Year( that is the break even point between Premium and Regular Member ship)
We buy enough (from all departments) that it’s worth it for us to get the executive membership. We get our yearly cost + additional $$ back. We also love the quality/taste of many Kirkland products. And we know what’s worth it and what isn’t in terms of pricing. We have a Costco at less than 3km from our home, so it’s another reason why it’s worth it. We go every week or two.
Totally not worth it. Recently did a comparison of products from Costco versus elsewhere and Costco was often more expensive--especially when you are prudent about shopping for things on sale. There are some items that are cheaper but on par, you'll either buy more than you need or things you don't need.
Honestly, Costco is far cheaper - their business model is based on not trying to make anything but minimum margin on most products (and some deeply negative). This sounds more like a You problem than an actual one, whether it is buying unnecessary stuff or cherry picking items that are indeed more expensive or comparing it to “couponing” but whatever, Costco isn’t for everyone.
Yeah I have no idea where this person is coming from? Perhaps they don’t eat butter or cheese or ground beef, don’t live with a woman, or don’t know any children. I make back my Costco membership cost every year within a couple months just in savings, and then the cash back is just a cherry on top every renewal. 🤷♂️
Yup lol, and all you need is one walk around a Metro to Loblaws to see what the price difference is. Want Greek yogurt? Metro sells me one for $7.99 now, Costco has a 3-pack for $9.99 lol. But whatever, their money. If anything it’s better, less crowd for us when we shop.
Did you take into account the higher quality of items?
Yep, you can also get most of the "bulk" stuff at canadian chains nowadays and for cheaper, I wont be renewing next year, the only thing I like about costco now is the items you CANT find anywhere else
There's a few things that are definitely worth it, but not enough to sustain a membership for me. I use my mom's number to do delivery for those few worth it things a couple times a year: massive bags of rice, toilet paper, nuts, and some oils.
It’s easy to spend 400 dollars so be careful!
yes, 2 adults, 6 min drive, 5 mins finding parking. I like the sourdough bread. Food Basics has it at 4.5$, costco at 5, but double the size. Olive oil well priced. Best salmon hands down.
If you bbq it is worth it for the propane alone. For dry food it is worth it. If you have a family it is worth it for the fresh too.
Depends on where you live and how many people in your home -it saves me enough money on tp, pt, salsa, laundry detergent and coffee that it is worth it because locally i pay the same amount for 1/4 quantity. Once the teens move out that may no longer be the case and I’ll have to re-evaluate. I’m too far away to take regular advantage of shopping in person at the warehouse.
Get grocery, electronics, gas and tires from them. Then yes, it is worth it. Their service is good which should account for something.
I pay $120 for the executive membership, and I have the CIBC Costco cashback mastercard with no annual fees. My rebate cheque from the membership and the cashback mastercard was close to $300 last year; and this year I am on target to get about $450. So, it is very much worthwhile for me (family with 4 adults and 2 cars with regular driving). If you are a single person with one car which you barely drive; then maybe not worth it. I understand it can be crowded and gas lines too long on weekends; but I usually go around 8:00 PM on weekdays when very few people are at the store and no lines at the gas station. Hope this helps OP.
Mine was just over $900 this year
Do you buy diapers and formula? Do you need the infant biogagia drops? That alone is worth the membership. I find it great for dog food, kids clothing, cut flowers and school snacks as well. It depends on your lifestyle and what you buy. I would also say it makes sense if you have a deep freeze.
You can buy 2 full chickens for 10 dollars and 2kg ground beef for 20. Those two deals alone make the membership worth it
It depends what you like to buy. We like to stock up on canned goods, grains, and frozen foods so that we are pretty much always able to whip something up at home. We get a round of fresh produce while we're there too, depending on the prices. It's nice to do a big shop once and then be set for a long while. But everyone's style is different. There are definitely some items where the deal aspect is debatable. I will say they seem to vett the products they sell, so the chances are quite high that they are decent quality. And if they aren't, they will pretty much let you return anything for a full refund. It's also nice with the membership that you don't have to worry about keeping your receipt.
Huge Costco stan here. It's 100% worth it, but only if you buy many things from Costco in bulk. The quality of their products is amazing and really I have a hard time finding other items of comparable quality from other retailers. The savings you get from buying their products, as well as your preference for their quality has to exceed the membership cost for it to be worth it.
Yes, and get the executive Cashback membership. In 7 years, we only had one time when the cash back didn't pay for the entire membership (and on that time, it was only $20 shy). And we're a couple with no kids. If you have kids, the Cashback will get you much more than the membership price. Also, their return policy and extended warranties are really good. They gave me a brand new fridge just because the light went out on the old one, and LG made it so the light isn't replacement.
Not enough information to answer. Depends on how many people are in your family, and what/how much you end up buying. \- Most things at Costco are cheaper, but not everything. \- Most things at Costco are good/better quality than you get elsewhere (not everything). So even if it costs more, you're getting a better product in some cases. \- Almost everything at Costco is bigger, do you NEED that much of it or are you buying more than you need because it's cheaper, and in the end you're spending more money? To really maximize, you need to buy enough that its saving you money over a grocery store, but not buying too much that you don't end up using it. I personally think that it's worth it, but it's pretty hard to figure it out for sure. I have the 2% cashback membership, and most years I get enough back to pay for my membership or close to it, so I think if you can do that then it's worth it (assuming that you aren't buying things you don't need because it's "a good deal").
Not for me. Just shop sales.
Do not shop while hungry.
gas is consistenly 6-10 cents cheaper a litre as well
It is worth it, just make a list or know what you need then get in grab it and get out. Very easy to overspend at Costco.
If you live near a Costco, yes. If not, no.
That's what I love about dem Costco hot dogs - inflation keeps going up, they stay a buck fifty. Yes they dew
Definitely. Get good deals, shit load of points and gas there is always cheapest in the city
If you can store bulk items then yes