Costco Bargins (merged)

RedOnRed

darbooka wrote:

One of the bonus thrills was exiting the car park, to the right you could see the big Tesco Extra store and its huge sign and feel like Milton-Keynes has moved on and Tesco for many becoming a symbol of days gone by.

Don't understand "Milton Keynes has moved on"? Is that simply by having a Tesco? We've got 3 of things and have always had quite a few supermarkets, as well as...

...2 Sainsburys, 1 Morrisons, 1 Waitrose and the largest ASDA in the country is just about to open here. Oh, and don't forget the new IKEA just about to open next door to the new 25,000 seater footie stadium with adjoining conference centre. And then there's the largest indoor ski centre in Europe which is near the bustling theatre district. Don't forget the national hockey stadium and national badminton centre, etc, etc, etc...

:T

feival

RedOnRed wrote:

I might be wrong, but the look and feel of the place, along with the clientele lent more towards ALDI & LIDL etc, rather then M&S and Waitrose, but then I suppose that's the whole point.

You are absolutely wrong. One of the things their membership criteria do is to ensure that only the relatively affluent shop there. They are not interested in people spenindg £30 a trip - presumably more than the average Lidl spend. All I can say is that the carpark at the Watford Costco is full of far nicer cars than my P reg Ford Escort!!

RichyRich

fifo wrote:

the vast majority of business owe the VAT man VAT every quarter. any business that gets a refund from the VAT man is probably making a loss or is in serious trading trouble.

Or be in the publishing business. No VAT on books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

RedOnRed

feival wrote:

You are absolutely wrong.

Perhaps I might be then, but the place certainly had a look and feel of ALDI etc, but that's all part of the low cost style I suppose. The burger bar inside looked a bit tacky too.

I only had a brief look as I was in a hurry after not having much time due to the membership processing taking so long.

nordberg

I've used Costco for years and cannot fault them. I've spent thousands there and have got some truly fantastic deals there.

Recent purchases include a solid oak Kensington extending table that I paid £280 for - cheapest online is £600 for the EXACT same model. Last week bought a Vogels plasma stand for £180 - cheapest online is £400. Also day to day things like their own shampoo and conditioner are not only dirt cheap, but amazing quality. Check out their Columbian ground coffee for under £5 for a MASSIVE tin full!! It's almost worth the trip for that alone....

You just have to be careful. Not everything is going to be a bargain. Have your wits about you and don't expect everything to be dirt cheap simply because it's at Costco.

Perhaps the biggest bonus , apart from their prices, is their fantastic returns policy. The really do have a no quibble returns policy. Also, any TV purchased from them comes with a 3yr warranty which is pretty damn good IMHO.

nordberg

RedOnRed wrote:

Perhaps I might be then, but the place certainly had a look and feel of ALDI etc, but that's all part of the low cost style I suppose. The burger bar inside looked a bit tacky too.

.....and the relevance is? Did you go there to eat or to get some bargains? For the record, the food there is bloody good.....I love their chicken and bacon slices

As for the look and feel, well it's a warehouse. You want something to look and feel more upmarket, shop at M&S and pay their prices. You can't always have your (Costco) cake and eat it too you know!

Ems!

RichyRich wrote:

Or be in the publishing business. No VAT on books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

OR be a milkman, or sell other foods without VAT on (only "luxuries" have VAT charged at 17.5 % - others are zero - rated - though quite how they define a luxury I don't know!)

Em.

bunking_off

nordberg wrote:

.....and the relevance is? Did you go there to eat or to get some bargains? For the record, the food there is bloody good.....I love their chicken and bacon slices

Couldn't agree more - they're delicious. However, have you ever bought the frozen product to eat at home and looked at the nutritional info on the box? Frightening - no wonder it tastes so great, it's a heart attack on a plate. One for special treats for me nowadays, I'm afraid.

RedOnRed

bunking_off wrote:

Couldn't agree more - they're delicious. However, have you ever bought the frozen product to eat at home and looked at the nutritional info on the box? Frightening - no wonder it tastes so great, it's a heart attack on a plate. One for special treats for me nowadays, I'm afraid.

Exactly. The food might be great but you don't buy it for the nutritonal value and forget any free range sort of stuff there.

Tharweb

nordberg wrote:

.....You can't always have your (Costco) cake and eat it too you know!

Don't get me started on Costco cakes, :drool: :drool: :drool: I bought one of their birthday cakes for my son, it was far too large, so me and my OH ended up eating most of it!