Costco - is it worth it for the average family?

mk-donald

Two ideas:

1) Try to go round with a friend/acquaintance who is a member so you can get a flavour before signing up (a member can take round up to 3 guests I think though ONLY the member can pay at the tills)

2) They offer a refund if you're not satisfied : "We will refund your annual membership fee at any time if you are not fully satisfied." so you haven't really got anything to lose by signing up as clearly you are interested.

I go round a few times a year with a paying friend (Watford & Milton Keynes branches) and have to say that 80% of the prices seem HIGH to me but there are perceived bargains and unusual items to be had...

Sput2001

Despite its size, Costco's range isn't all that big, and quite often you'll see stuff cheaper in Asda or Tesco's.

As has been mentioned above, if you buy things like toilet roll, washing powder or baked beans in bulk quantities and store it at home then it's possibly worth it.

And yes, if you need car tyres it's great for Michelins.

vickyj

I Find that costco are superb. Comparing it to tesco is like comparing John Lewis to Primark. Costco tend to deal in higher end goods like versache / Ralph lauren ect so yes to buy a pair of jeans there would cost you more than tesco but if you compare product for product then i always find them cheaper. And thier prepared meals cant be beaten. Thier meat is also never beaten on taste and quality but you do pay a little more for the quality.
hth
and also i probably eat my bodyweight in jacket potatoes and freebie muffins over the course of each month :-)

JasonLVC

I found Costco no cheaper than Makro, Asda or Tesco for the majority of stuff.

Sure, if you want to buy 12 muffins for £5.00 (or 4 @ Asda for £1.49) then it's worth joining. As for tyres, unless they've got an offer on, the tyres are dearer than black circles and other internet tyre traders who come to your house and fit the tyre - 'twas why I joined as was told they did cheap tyres - only if they're 145/13's or for a van.

The meat is good quality but very expensive compared to a local butchers, Makro or Farmers Market - I recall seeing a tray of Scottish Rump Steak, about 4 large and think steaks for £19.00 - unless you eat 3" think steaks everyday then that is way overpriced for an average family of four.

There DVD's, CD's and electrical items are dearer than online retailers but cheaper than your Dixons & Currys.

Basically, I'd say join and have a look around for a few weeks. You can cancel your membership and get a full refund of your membership fee with no arguments (it's in their rules that you can cancel at any time for a full refund) - so join, see if it suits and if not, get money back and you're no worse off.

makinprogress

HI! Birthday Cakes for Kids parties are worth the joining fee alone!!!
£9.99 for an enormous cake to feed the whole party! Also find kids Christmas presents quite alot cheaper than Makro etc... (toys).

hurdy

Tyres are always cheaper for Michelins - they have a price promise with Michelin and will match any price fitted in the UK.

Sparkly

I certainly make back the membership fee over a few months. It's on the way home from work for me, so no extra travel costs, tyres are well priced as mentioned. Most other small items things are a little bit cheaper than supermarkets, but they can't compete if Asda/Tesco do bogofs and don't compete at value ranges, so for things like 13p tinned tomatoes, go to Aldi/Asda. However, the best savings are on catering size packs of things you can't over-use (ie don't but bulk packs of sweeties - you'll eat them all over a weekend!) I use a lot of herbs and spices, and the 500g sizes are around the price of 2 of the tiny jars. Chicken breasts are similar in price to Asda smart-price, but vastly superior in quality. The steak looks expensive, but compare on a per kilo basis, and consider that it's often better quality. My cat loves the packs of 'proper' cooked sliced turkey and they're cheaper than the reformed stuff. Single items like electricals are priced similar to online retailers, but it's easier to return things, although they've had to clamp down a bit on returns policy a lot of people were taking back laptops after a year to get a new model.

mee_2

As with most stores, I find it impossible to compare costco to tesco or others and come out with a definitive statement regarding which is cheaper.

We go to costco about every 3-4 months, and I think that on the whole we save money, but it is the convenience of bulk buying that is more appealing. We tend to buy a mixture of cheaper items (bin bags, cold drinks, etc) plus some other things that are not readily available in other stores.

My guess is that the saving and the membership fee probably balances out overall, but it is the convenience of not running out of things like orange juice and tomato sauce that makes it worthwhile for me. (Of course storage space for all that bulk stuff remains an issue)

-- Mike

ukbandit

its swings and roundabouts. the first thing is the convienence, are you close enough to to be ok making maybe one triip a month, as thats what you might be looking at.

as people have mentioned, some things are cheaper, and some are not that good a deal.

the regualr stuff we buy is the bakery stuff, which is good and well priced. the cleaning products, VAT free books, stamps, bog roll, kitchen towels, jiuces etc, as much as possible on the passport special offer.

the main saving for us comes from artichokes and sundried tomatoes, which i'm sure ahve between them saved us 3/4 times the joining fee each year, honestly!

you are ok for having a walk round. make a not of prices, see what really interests you and go away and have a look in asda/tesco and compare.

in reality you will find that there are maybe 10/20 products your interested in getting regualrly, you just need to decide if you use them enough to warrant the joining fee (although remember the passport special offers people have commented on.

Sumostar

I've been a member for nearly 10 years now. They are not always the cheapest, especially when the supermarkets do a bogof, but very often you get top quality stuff for the same as you would pay for an own brand product. Life's too short for putting up with poor food etc. and it tastes even better when you get it at a reasonable price.

I also tend to get the same things over and over again - 2 trays of Heinz beans, 2 trays of chopped tomatoes, bottled water, pepsi etc etc because I know what we will use. I find it convenient to go once every couple of months to fill the car and stock up rather than let my wife struggle with an extra 3 or 4 bags of shopping every week.

Another reason I use them is that their fresh produce is really good (bakery and butchery) although I find the fruit and veg a bit pricey.

And finally their electrical goods all come with a 3 year guarantee, which everyone else would charge you extra for.

I think it's well worth it, and it's much nicer than Makro.