Costco [General]

2012 Apr 24
It seems there are a few posters with Costco memberships. I let mine lapse years ago because I found the shopping experience a bit hellish. Are the products available (especially in the meat department) currently at Costco worth the price of membership and the pushing of a huge shopping cart?

2012 Apr 24
Good questions. I've never been into a Costco. We're only two and I don't have any idea if it would be worth it or not.

2012 Apr 24
yes, the meat is priced quite reasonably compared to supermarkets.
providing you aren't looking for organic or sustainably raised pork, beef, or chicken,
i would say it is worth it. you can get a whole pork loin for under $25...you could feed
a family of 4 four times with one of those.
best to stay away from costco on weekends as the crowds are the worst at those times.
early weekday nights seem to be least crowded .

2012 Apr 24
Echo the comments above about avoiding Costco on weekends. It will make you want to kill someone with a free sample of frozen fishsticks.

Check out the produce in the walk in fridge for deals on morels, pomegranate arils, haricots verts etc. when in season. Best prices anywhere. Costco is also my go to for slab type birthday cakes for the office. Very good if that's what you're looking for, and less than $20. Their rotisserie chickens are quite good and always fresh, as they do hundreds each day. There are lineups for them at dinner time on some days. Costco also has travelling "road shows" from time to time and I've bought foie gras, king crab, lobster ravioli and other interesting things that proved to be good quality at a great price. In addition to food, hardcover books are much less than anywhere else. And don't forget about the basque charcoal. My father in law was quite pissed when he found out that he could have saved an additional $1000 on his new Ford if he had a costco membership.

And now the Costco fast food service is apparently presenting a challenge to drive thru windows:

www.cnbc.com/id/47030246

2012 Apr 24
We're a family of four and find it well worth it. We have the exec membership and the amex and it generally returns well over the membership cost. The amex is partiularly useful for gas (2%) and restaurants (3%), which is much higher than the more popular "no fee" credit cards.

We don't buy a lot of the fresh items as they are still too large for our growing family to consume before they spoil (we don't freeze anything) and we prefer the farmer's market. Things we tend to buy that we feel are particularly "good deals" are:

greek yogourt, grass seed and fetilizer, kid's clothes (crocs!), cheese, out of season berries, and cereal


2012 Apr 24
For those that are interested in the business side of Costco, take a gander through retailsails.com/. (I am a Costco shareholder).

The reason Costco offers most goods at lower average prices (on a standardized quantity basis) is not because of purchasing power, packaging volume, or distribution efficiency as purported by the media... Walmart, Loblaws, Target all have these as well. They simply operate on lower net margins.

In fact, the argument can be made that Costco exists to make money off of membership revenue, not retail markup. You'll notice that membership revenue is actually lower than earnings (products are sold at a net loss, consider it marketing costs). Costco stores earn on average less than $1M / year. Seems like a lot of work and capital risk for a $1M return.

It is an interesting business principle that linearizes scaling. It is isolated from metrics like same store revenue, etc which dog the Walmart's of the world during economic expansion and contraction cycles. Costco can accurately predict earnings growth by simply projecting square footage (against population density).

Anyway... all that was said to highlight it is difficult for any retailer, on average, to provide equivalent goods at a lower price.

Now if the cheap b*stard Sinegal would only boost his dividend .... :)

Did you know Costco is the world's largest retailer of fine wine? They also are 2nd in diamonds.

2012 Apr 24
I agree with the other posters. The quality and price of the meats, fish and cheese is great. I think its worth price checking, as often paper products for example are not a great price.

You need to be disciplined though. We found we were eating a lot more lamb, steaks and seafood which, although delicious, was not good for the budget. Even when our 3 boys were teens we could not manage their huge quantities of produce - huge bags of brocolli, 9 heads of romainne etc.

Thinking of renewing now as we are spending 1/2 the year is small town Nova Scotia where groceries are expensive.

Agree going in off peak hours is good. The staff there are great. Never had an error or a price check there which makes the process a bit faster.

2012 Apr 24
Yeah it is definitely worth ti for specific things and if you have more than 2 people in your family it will pay for itself. Not just for the food but consumer goods as well, and electronics.

2012 Apr 24
I'm probably the worst Costco user ever. My $55 + HST per year membership lets me waltz into the store and buy:

1) Six cans of Carnation evaporated milk for $9.

2) ...that's about it.

The membership pays for itself so long as I buy more than eleven six-packs per year! But at least my checkouts are fast. Don't even need a cart.

Sure, I could theoretically buy cheese, and I probably will some day. It just hasn't happened yet.


2012 Apr 24
I realize this is an odd request, but I don't have a costco membership. I went twice last year as a guest of someone else. They've decided not to renew their membership. If anyone would be open to taking me as a guest the next time they go shopping, I'd be keen to go. I could meet you there and would bring cash for my purchases.

2012 Apr 24
I can't speak for the cost of meat because I don't eat much of it. But there are certain products I like to buy there in large quantities because I go through alot of them and Costco's price is competitive. Campbells chicken broth and canned tomatoes always go in my cart first. I find the veggies expensive and I can buy them for much chaper at the grocery store. So when I buy veggies at Costco I tend to buy the more "exotic" stuff like chanterelles and pomegranate arils. I also like their selection of cheeses and bread. The only thing that frustrates me is that sometimes a product is available then I never see it again. I bought some walla walla onions at Costco a couple of years ago and have never seen them again and they don't seem to sell Premiere Moisson bread anymore. But for the stuff I do buy the membership always pays for itself.

2012 Apr 25
@hipfunkyfun - I have a membership and would be happy to guest you, or anyone else, in. What end of town are you in?

2012 Apr 25
Next question: can you even get inside to take a look without a membership? I'd love to take a look around sometime, but don't know any of the rules.

2012 Apr 25
@Rizak, I asked about that but no go. You need to show your card to get in or so I was told. I might suggest getting a membership and having a look. If it doesn't appeal to you then get a refund. I am not sure it's worth the hassle but there you go.

2012 Apr 25
Rizak, you "need" a membership. But, if you walk in the exit instead (this is where you go to get a membership), you skip the card guard and can enter the store through an unused checkout.

I am a member, and do this all the time to hit the cafeteria before shopping.

2012 Apr 25
I am pretty sure you can get in without a membership - or at least you used to be able to. Also you can ask at the service counter, I think they can give you a pass to look around. They are pretty flexible until you need to pay. Policies may have changed, as I've been a member for a number of years now.

2012 Apr 25
I second sourdough's comment.

I can vouch for Costco. Their steaks are awesome, cut thick, with good marbled fat. At $19/kg or so for strip loin, and $22 for rib, I think these are better prices than my local supermarkets. Anyway, the quality is superior. They also have mixed sausage pack (honey-garlic, Toulouse, and some other varieties). Their fresh to-cook pizza is good too, albeit not enough sauce for my liking. Good ingredients. I think they're about $8 for an extra large (16"), thinnish crust.

Recently I bought some faucets for my bathrooms and kitchen. $60 bathroom faucet, $120 for the monster-on-a-spring industrial-looking kitchen one. Way less than anything equivalent at the Home Depots. And nicer, too. Quality hardware, easy to install as well.

Frozen sea scallops, also a winner. I think the price was in the $10/lb ballpark. Tortellinis, ditto on the quality and value. On the Quebec side, local Ouaoutais milk and coffee creams, good prices. I like their salsa too, relishy consistency, not watery or tangy. Monster plastic bottle.

Croissants, bread, pastries, all quality and well-priced.

Oh yeah, dress shirts. 100% cotton, solid construction. Nice patterns, some solids, button-down or not, proper neck and collar measurements (not mere S-M-L-XL), pretty sure these were $19.99 or so. Very nice Egyptian cotton beach towels for like $17 or so.

I like their pizza and hot dog lunches too. Lots of condiments available. Their fries don't look too good.

2012 Apr 25
And one of the few places in town I've found frozen shrimp without trisodium phosphate.

2012 Apr 25
overall i think membership is worthwhile, but it does require a tiny bit of thinky if you're shopping for 2-3 as opposed to a larger family and want to avoid spoilage.

For massive cakes, steaks, batteries, toothpaste and veg /fruit their prices are great.

If you walk in and tell the cardguard you're going to customer service you can then just detour and take a look around.

But you do have to think a tiny bit... i have more almonds than i will ever, ever eat.

2012 Apr 25
OSoloMeal....Thats the problem with Costco. I ATE all the almonds!!!

2012 Apr 25
I find the money I save on 8 or 9 propane fillups a year pays the membership fee , everything else is a bonus. Being a hardcore carnivore who eats mainly from local farms and game hunted on my property I have to say that Costco meat exceeds all expectations. I think their buyers could teach something about product choice to most local supermarkets and butcher shops. At sixty bucks a year in fees I bet most families of four would find some substantial savings, but like all things buyer beware. Make sure you know your local prices walking into Costco its very easy to get caught up in the whole bulk buying experience and paying through the nose on certain products that seem like a great deal.
Cheers smoker guy

2012 Apr 25
Also note Costco will take anything back no questions asked. If you do this too much they will revoke your membership.

2012 Apr 25
Well, I've spent $60 on more wasteful things ...

2012 Apr 26
We find the membership is worth it for the savings on cleaning products alone, and we're only two. And I echo everyone else's views on the meat, the quality is superb - not just for the price, it's just plain good. Their sausages are made without grains, the steaks look like they've been hewn from a brontosaurus, and the pork is also decent. The one thing I don't like is their ground beef; I'm not sure why, but I find it becomes very grainy when cooked.

2012 Apr 26
Oh they also have a money back program depending on which membership you buy where you get a certain percentage of your purchases back in a cheque once a year. Most years on that membership we've been able to more than pay for the membership. They'll also give you your money back (just 1 year) on that extra cost of that higher level membership if it does not pay for itself.

2012 Apr 26
Their staff always seem happy and helpful, which speaks volumes to me.
Always good quality at reasonable prices.
We usually try to buy propane from Costco and I like how the price fluctuates to the cost of supply, or so it seems. They could easily keep the price at a higher level, which is still cheaper than elsewhere, but they don't.
My daughter returned a defective ipod and they replaced it in an instant, with apologises!

2012 Apr 26
Our membership is worth it for the savings on salmon alone. In addition to benefits noted by other posters, I also appreciate that they have a well-edited selection of toys at Christmas and packages of pineapple spears that we buy year-round to drop into smoothies.

2012 Apr 26
China and crystal, though limited in selection, are much less expensive than other retail, as are mont blanc pens, Fendi bags etc. And I haven't found a cheaper place to buy printer cartridges.

2012 Apr 26
We can justify the membership cost on the savings on a small selection of "staples", the rest is just "gravy". For those who want access without a membership you can always get someone with a membership to buy you a gift card. You can get in by showing the gift card at the door and shop at your leisure without having to tag along with the member.


2012 Apr 26
Dirtmove ... You mean to say that a membership card is also not required at check=out, just the gift card ?

Hmmm ... looks like my membership owning buddy is gonna git me one-a-does-dare Coss-Coe gifty cards.


2012 Apr 26
Anyone see the Basques charcoal at the Innis Rd Costco?

2012 Apr 26
Yeah I bought a bunch of it - great charcoal. Buy as much as you can at that price. I'm going back for more :-)

2012 Apr 26
And remember you get 2 cards per membership and they can go to people at different addresses, even in different cities, so it's effectively half price.

2012 Apr 27
@ blubarry..
Did they really let you get 2 cards for people at different addresses?

As per Costco's website...
"Membership allows you to purchase products for personal use at any Costco warehouse throughout the world and on costco.ca. Includes a free Spouse card*.
*A Spouse refers to either a spouse or a family member 18 years of age or older living at the same address"

In my experience, they wouldn't even give me a spouse card for my partner's membership because I hadn't changed the address on my license yet to match his after we had moved in together. Once I brought in my new license with the same address, they allowed me to get a spouse card.

Also..depending on the cashier you get, sometimes they are very strict with the rules. Before I got my spouse card, I went shopping with my boyfriend and when I went to pay for our purchases with my debit card, they said no..only the person with the membership card was allowed to pay. So I just handed him my debit card and let him punch in the info..they were satisfied enough with that.

2012 Apr 27
I got a card for my mother. They may think she's at the same address, but she lives 500 miles away. And when I recently upgraded to Exec. level, I had to get a new card and they told me she would have to go into the store where she lives to get her new card. I don't think they care. or maybe just lucky.

2012 Apr 30
According to the rules both members must live at the same address. I'm an exec member and my sister has the second card, we haven't lived in the same house for over 10 years...but we never told them. They haven't asked me for ID to renew for as long as I can remember. Between two families we get about $250 back every year, which covers the membership cost and a full rib-eye, which we hand cut into steaks, as well as a whole mess of seafood for our annual entire-family surf and turf BBQ in the summer.

2012 Apr 30
OK Stuart so that explains it. Mom and I have been lucky so far I guess.

2012 May 6
I like Costco... we mainly buy... Milk, fish (Salmon-haddock), yogurt, vegetables, cheese, tomato paste, BBQ refills... also as business owner, I get my cheques printed by them.. the online section is great for other services.

They are now selling GASOLINE....

2012 May 9
I bought all my meats from Costco. The meat there is of good quality. The minced pork/beef is lean and not fatty at all.

2012 May 10
At Costco, we generally buy pork chops (omg, their boneless chops are the thickest I've ever seen!), milk, onions, cream of mushroom soup, bbq refills, gas, batteries, and some frozen goods like broccoli, broccoli/cheese stuffed chicken, and boneless buffalo wings. I also appreciate some of the spiffy cheeses, although I don't eat as much of those as I used to.

However, I don't find ALL of their meats to be a great deal, and I'd really rather buy my produce from Parkdale Market when I can. We try to buy our fresh chicken in the US, and if I want a really good steak, I'd rather patronize the butcher near our place (Uplands and Hunt Club, just can't remember the name of the place right now)