Is costco worth it?

punamulta

when costco first opened it was great, the management was American and if they saw a queue at the checkouts they made sure more tills were opened. now the good old British culture reigns , it's still good if you don't mind the double queues, once at the till and again at the trolly check to leave the store.
Tyres are cheap but they won't fit them on the front after a legal case with ford 4wd blow outs in the states, so they irritatingly swap the back to the front and always put new on back.

tripleh_2

We are thinking about buying a new dishwasher from John Lewis, would it be worth us looking at Costco first? Its a shame there isnt a price list on the internet....or is there?

paullj_2

Definitely worth it (for me at any rate).

Regularly buy massive packs of Toilet rolls and Kitchen Towel. The toolsand DIY typ items are good value as too are the batteries. Some things not much cheaper (DVD's and CDs) but the books are very good and the Meat/meals are relaly good value.

Electricals are discounted too but one thing to bear in mind is they don't track current prices so whilst things are usually cheaper when they get them in stock if it is an 'old' item then you can usually find it cheaper elsewhere as they don't really tryto price match.

They deal with branded prodcuts so no dodgy 'Sonny' or 'Fillips' so bear that in mind when comparing.

The eating place is good value too and they do great hot dogs....

Tyres are good value but can be found cheaper online if you look.

Can't praise the place highly enough and their returns policy is brilliant. I have taken things back a year later and got a full refund with no quibbles.

Even their PC's can be returned for a fiull refund up to 6 months later (after that it's manufacturers warranty). Compare this to the rubbishy 2 weeks you get from Currys and the like.

Other bargains include 1kg bags of coffee beans for under a fiver, 24 packs of Coke for not much more then a fiver...

I agree with one of the previous posts though that they could improve the queues especially when you see half the tills closed.

Hope this helps.

Talltree_2

I,ve done my homework with Costco, it is possible to save money but it depends. I had to pay a £25 joining fee which made a dent in my savings

Firstly the Asda or Tesco basic range OR products which are on special offer usually beat Costco on price, however Costco price wins on milk and cheese

Costco is strong on products that you may wish to buy from higher ranges .. for example Kellogs Breakfast foods or brand name washing tablets
usually in big quanties or of course Toilet Rolls - 48 or 96 at a time.

For larger families the bigger sizes are really useful given that you can store the product, if you have to chuck it out because it's gone bad there is no saving at all and it's easy to spend a huge amount because of the pack sizes.

The quality of the meat and fish is really good .. paying for quality is not always bad, I can highly recommend the Pork joints and Salmon however they are not that cheap. The big Pizza's and Apple pies are pretty tasty as well. Booze is quite cheap but you must buy the whole tray or box which may or may not suit.


The downsides are the queues, it gets busy, no bags, finding things in store.

The Smoothies at the end of the process are yummy which helps, .. Recommend.

shopndrop

tripleh wrote: »

We are thinking about buying a new dishwasher from John Lewis, would it be worth us looking at Costco first? Its a shame there isnt a price list on the internet....or is there?

Why don't you go along and say you are thinking of joining and can you have a visitors pass. That way, although you cannot but anything using a visitor's pass, you will be able to look around and see what choices and prices of dishwashers they offer.

Christa1

Shopping at Costco is very subjective.
I have been a member for years- it's very local to me and I could count the number of times I have ever been on one hand.
The meat looks to be excellent quality but it is not even reasonable in my opinion when shopping for a family. I think their celebration cakes and service is excellent and their naan breads very good value, but wine- there are better delas by far posted on MSE when Tesco/ Somerfields have offers- we are still ploughing our way through the Emu £6.50 a bottle wine which we got at Somerfields with all the discounts for aout £1.20. Maybe if you are a regular you get a better idea of what to buy and what not but by the time VAT is added there are not many real bargains- at least for me.

Steadyeddie_2

Lara wrote: »

If you can't join via your wife's profession do you know anyone who has a card? I've joined three people on my card and all they need is a utility bill showing their home address. The primary holder is allowed 6 extra cards for family and friends.

Lara/Anybody
You say 6 extra cards for family and friends. Is this for one membership fee?
Thinking of joining but was under the impression it was for cardholder and spouse only. Also, do both cards have photos on them?
Thanks

eva16006159

ollyk wrote: »

All I know is they sell great value Maglite (torch) packs for about £18, and the birthday cakes mentioned above are not only good value for money, but also taste better than most supermarket rivals!!!

Oh, and yes they sell some pretty interesting stuff too!

However, when I last went I couldn't see any savings significant enough to warrant full membership, so maybe best to walk around and compare prices before spending on the membership fee!

Im my experience costco is rarely much cheaper than you can get elsewhere except if you dont have to pay VAT. I wouldnt bother personally.

sharnad

Steadyeddie wrote: »

Lara/Anybody
You say 6 extra cards for family and friends. Is this for one membership fee?
Thinking of joining but was under the impression it was for cardholder and spouse only. Also, do both cards have photos on them?
Thanks

You get a car and your spouse gets a card

you can each take two guests

you can get i think four add on cards for £14 each

Lara

Steadyeddie wrote: »

Lara/Anybody
You say 6 extra cards for family and friends. Is this for one membership fee?
Thinking of joining but was under the impression it was for cardholder and spouse only. Also, do both cards have photos on them?
Thanks

Sorry only just seen this. As sharnad said, you get a card and pay for it and your spouse gets one free. You can then add additional members on to your membership - but they have to pay a yearly membership and it runs from the same month as your one. Each additional member is around £14 not sure if this does included VAT or not.

What myself and four other people do is to split the renewal membership equally each year so we all pay the same amount. Otherwise the primary card holder pays the more expensive amount.

September & October are the best times to go for Christmas goods especially paper and the beautiful gift tags this year.