Is CostCo any good?

Savvy_Sue

There's a new one opening near-ish to us in May, and they're inviting us to join. Are their prices good enough to make it worthwhile? We're a small charity, and the main things we buy in on a regular basis are food and drink for a hot meal and an outreach service, polystyrene cups and paper towels, and stationery - but I have an excellent chap nearby who gives me a very good deal on most of that! Occasionally we need an electrical appliance: tumble drier, washing machine, small freezer, and the next ones are likely to be a dishwasher and a fridge.

My gut feeling is that in the quantities we want the trip out to Costco wouldn't usually be worthwhile ... Is it similar to Makro, ie some things are a very good deal and others just aren't?

basill

"Is it similar to Makro, ie some things are a very good deal and others just aren't?"

Yes that is the case.

All the items you list are available, usually in giant packs, but I cannot say whether they are a best buy for you. I suggest you go on opening day and ask for a look around pass and decide then.

I expect as a charity you will get a trade membership, it is possible to add a number of reduced cost extra membership cards to the main one all of which are renewed at the same time. ( I think its £26 first card £10-15 additional cards)
Maybe you could reduce the cost to the charity and share the benefit by offering these extra cards to the helpers thus reducing the average cost of all cards.

I get my membership fee back on a years washing powder and dishwasher tablets alone. So all the other goodies are a bonus.


Cheers,

Basill

Scooby_Saver_2

Hi,

Had my costco membership 4 years ( personal )

I agree with last comment there some bargains to be had.

Personally i like the fact that they have - big aisles - wide car parking spaces so that you can have all your doors open to fill you car / van to the max,and when its busy its still very easy to shop and you dont feel crushed

Car tyres are the cheapest , branded michellins normally ( you get your member fee back on the money you save on the tyres alone,plus they fit and balance them for a £1-00 a tyre )

There returns policy is just no-nonesense: I took back just last week a toy that i bought in july 2004 - asked at the desk and they said "its broke we give your money back" no fuss and bought my son another toy with the money they refunded me back

The meat they sell is in big packets and while its not the cheapest you get huge amounts and the quality is just brillant.

Go on give it a go..........hope this helps

koru

Costco is great. Really good service.

example 1: When you have paid, you have to show your receipt to the security guys at the door, before you can leave. They check your receipt against the contents of your cart. One time, the guy pointed out that we had missed a BOGOFF offer, so should go back and get it.

example 2: They often have free coffee, OJ, muffins, and loads of free food samples.

example 3: They send you books of special offers, which are sometimes amazing bargains.

I would be surprised if you don't get your money's worth really quickly.

jackal_3

I live in the US (Alaska). Costco is probably the epitome of the American stereotype of shopping and living (LARGE is the name of the game, from cars and houses to food and clothing). The Costcos here are gigantic. I don't have the actual square-footage figures, but I'm curious how UK Costcos compare with US costcos in terms of size, layout, prices, etc.

Has anyone been to Costcos in both countries who could point out the differences?

I did visit a Costco in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, and it looked identical to an American one, so a Canadian Costco could be used for comparison, if anyone knows both.

Cheers!
Chris

Titus_frogsbutt

Savvy_Sue wrote:

My gut feeling is that in the quantities we want the trip out to Costco wouldn't usually be worthwhile ... Is it similar to Makro, ie some things are a very good deal and others just aren't?

You are spot on there. I have been a few times & noticed that most of the people using Costco (and I suppose Makro) are not actually using them for business purposes ie they are shopping for themselves. That being the case it is quite possible that it would not be worth paying £20+ for membership when you can join Makro for free. The products offered in Costco are NOT that much better than Makro.
I also wonder why Costco are so restrictive as to who is entitled to be a member, such as council employees etc?

johnnys149

I had a membership via a friend and used the Glasgow store quite often. My card paid for itself the first time I used it. It's great for foodstuff, especially the meat, fruit and veg, frozen stuff, bread, and the make the most amazing birthday cakes. Have also bought engine oil (the good stuff at a fraction of the prices in the likes of Hal-frauds). The only stuff that didn't seem to be any cheaper was the beer, wine and spirits, which you could/can get cheaper in your local supermarket.

p.s.

And their pizza's are amaaaaazzzzing.....!!

loanranger_4

I would strongly recommend Costco too.

A couple of years my brother was buying a tv and spent hours ringing round the shops for the best price ( this was before kelkoo and pricerunner), eventually buying from a shop in central london. The next time we went to Costco we saw the same TV for a similar price !!!

Alison_B

I have got a Costco card and a Makro card. I tend to visit both about once a month. You get good deals in both stores but need to keep an eye out for things. I like Costco for their PG Tips - they are a lot cheaper than Makro, so it is swings and roundabouts.

telly-addict

jackal wrote:

I live in the US (Alaska). Costco is probably the epitome of the American stereotype of shopping and living (LARGE is the name of the game, from cars and houses to food and clothing). The Costcos here are gigantic. I don't have the actual square-footage figures, but I'm curious how UK Costcos compare with US costcos in terms of size, layout, prices, etc.

Has anyone been to Costcos in both countries who could point out the differences?

I did visit a Costco in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, and it looked identical to an American one, so a Canadian Costco could be used for comparison, if anyone knows both.

Cheers!
Chris

I have visited the Costco in Orlando Fl and it seemed larger than the one at Thurrock, Essex, although not massively so. It had a very similar layout although the cafe had no seating. Biggest difference was that they took Amex which you can't use here - no credit cards, just debit cards, cash or cheques. Prices in US were cheaper - no surprise there!

Ticklemouse

I've been a member of Costco since they opened over here. I recently joined Makro too. I have to say that I'm not that impressed with Makro - although the range of things they do is greater than Costco and it seemed in part like a supermarket, I didn't find Makro particularly cheap, in fact some items were more expensive than Tesco.

I rate Costco meat and buy in bulk when I go. Their muffins and cakes are fab especially for parties. You can pick up some really great items - I've had kids toys, electrical items, household items etc, that make it worth the membership fee, but often they are only there for a few weeks and WIGIG.

Have a look round before you join and take a notepad (and calculator) with prices/quantities of things you buy at other places. Then you can decide if it's for you. Also, I may be wrong here as it's a while since I joined, but if you're not happy with your membership, they refund if you cancel (at least, I think they used to)