Costco worth it?

cherryblossomzel

Apparently we're getting a Costco Wholesale nearby. I was wondering if people find it worth joining? The membership is £30 for the year.

I live alone, in a small one bed flat, so don't have tons of space for bulk buying. My fridge-freezer is not huge either.

Do they sell stuff in smaller quantities, or is it only ginormous sizes?

Patches41048

They do sell some things in smaller quantities but mainly it is large packs.


Do you know anyone who will be getting a card? They can take two visitors in at a time on their card so you could have a good look round and see what you think before you pay for a membership?


There is a lot in there that is cheaper at the supermarkets but also things you just don't find anywhere else.


Their meat is usually pretty good and I tend to stock up the freezers when I go.

DigForVictory

+1 for team up!

It was a godsend as a parent governor - cheap stamps & your child's height in haribo sweeties with change from £50 - brilliant for fundraising!

A mate with a well organised freezer takes leave to batch cook from costco raw ingredients - he says the meat is excellent value & the family thrive on affordable easy to get at home cooking. (We're trying to get him to batch cook for us, too..)

If you've not much storage, Costco may not be your best friend but being able to take friends & family (who do have storage but don't have access/a card - membership can be a bit picky) is loads of fun.

whitesatin

I think you can ask for a temporary card just to look and see if you want to join.

I have been a member of the one in Watford for many years but don't go as often now that my children are grown up and there's only the two of us at home. I do enjoy a look around once or twice a year and probably end up spending money on things I didn't know I needed, to be honest.

I think, if I was on my own, I would let my membership lapse and just look out for deals in the supermarkets.

Great for a large family but maybe not for me any more.

cherryblossomzel

Thanks all. I do suspect it might not be worth it just for me, but maybe teaming up with people is worth it.

They're coming to work next month with a promotional stand and baked goods. I'll go round and ask about the temporary card, or at least an opportunity to go into the store and see what they have.

Busy_Mee

We are members but have 5 greedy adults living at our house. We always take my Mum And Dad for a trip round when they visit and they love it, particularly when they have their Christmas stuff in. My Dad loves the Costco "buffet". They cook samples all around the store and you can go round tasting stuff. I doubt it would be worth joining on your own but you could team up with someone else.

Busy_Mee

Forgot to say I buy my contact lenses there - tons cheaper than the high street opticians

Seakay

Definitely have a look around to see what you think but also check out the online sellers which don't need membership fees and which are more flexible with the amounts you can buy eg Approved Food, Half Cost, Clearance XL

pjaj

whitesatin wrote: »

I think you can ask for a temporary card just to look and see if you want to join.

Sadly, no. I went to the one in Southampton and asked if there was any way I could just look around without buying anything, and they said "no". Apparently they are afraid someone will spot a non-member in the store and report it to one of the other supermarkets, which will get them into trouble.

pjaj

In general Costco is well worth it provided you can afford to buy and store in bulk. There are many bargains in the stores and when I've been there everyone is leaving with at least one large package of 40 toilet rolls!
The other downside is the stores are rather few and far between. Living near Oxford, our nearest is Reading, followed by Milton Keynes, Watford, Southampton and Bristol.
Having said that, We joined a couple of months ago and have made two purchasing trips so far. On our first visit we spent just under £220 and saved an estimated £33 based on the best prices from the MySupermarket site, we didn't have to visit 5 different stores and Ocado to achieve this and roughly got our membership fee back.
On our second shop we spent £356 (including a £96 pair of headphones, so otherwise comparable with first shop) and saved an estimated £185. The improvement in saving was due to a number of factors.
1) We saved around £100 on non-supermarket items.
2) We went better prepared, I'd done more homework on MySupermarket so we didn't buy things that were no saving.
3) I omitted one or two supermarkets which are too far away to warrant using, even if they were marginally cheaper.
Two other tips for Costco
Have a look at their on-line coupon special in-store offers. The savings can be dramatic, for example buy 2 tyres and get £50 voucher for use in the rest of the store - sadly not current.
Their in-house brand, Kirkland, is usually high quality; not to be mistaken for supermarket own brand low quality ranges.

Molly41

Well worth it for us but we have 6 adults.
The meat is of the highest quality as it the bakery and fresh/ frozen foods.
You have to be affiliated to certain unions or companies and prove this.Im a NHS worker for example.