People, tell me about Costco!

[bicentennial_baby]

We're thinking of getting a membership, maybe...Should we? And why? :D

:hi:

[Guava Jelly]

1. Here is one reason

http://www.buyblue.org/node/721/view/summary
Political Donations
$220,303 to Democrats
$2,000 to Republicans
$0 to Others
$222,303 in Total Contributions

[Gormy Cuss]

2. Maybe.

For groceries alone, it may not be worth it for two people however if you are looking for household stuff like furniture, maybe small appliances and the like it should pay off for the first year.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Hmmm, we do need such things...

Thanks! :)

[Initech]

3. I honestly do not know what I would do if Costco didn't exist.

[AlCzervik]

5. i go about once a month, mostly for laundry det. and cleaning stuff

also printer paper and ink cartridges are usually a better deal there. Also every now and then they have really good deals on small appliances, i got a braun immersion blender with a bunch of spiffy attachments for $21.99, that same blender everywhere else was at least $35. and i know because i had been looking for one for awhile.

[philosophie_en_rose]

6. Costco pays its workers the beginnings of a living wage.

Workers at Costco start at $11 per hour and most non-supervisory workers are paid between $11 and $19 dollars per hour. The average wage for non-supervisors is $17. Costco's CEO, Jim Sinegal, makes only $350,000 per year. Part time workers are also eligible for Costco's generous retirement and health plans, after only six months. (Wal-Mart doesn't offer healthcare until two years after hire). Costco also dims lights, reuses shipping packages, and keeps prices low by keeping markup low (instead of screwing workers and customers). Gas is also cheaper and produce is fresh.

Costco has its share of problems, but it is a prime example of liberal business practices leading to success for everyone in the company.

On a completely different note, if you go to Costco around lunch time, you will likely get your membership fee back through free samples of good food over the year.

See also - How Costco Became the Anti-Walmart - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/business/yourmoney/17costco.html?ei=5090&en=8b3103305fea6d68&ex=1279252800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1121705296-Q4tqPzmKJ9sYl9Q2a0xDYA

You should be aware that Costco only supplies quality products, so the savings are compared to quality products sold elsewhere. You could probably find cheaper food and stuff, but not at Costco quality. Also, Costco only accepts checks, cash, Costco gift cards, and American Express. It doesn't accept other credit cards, because it doesn't believe in paying merchant fees to credit card companies.

[yewberry]

7. I have one.

I buy my OTC meds there, and it is vastly cheaper than drugstores. I think the cost of membership is ameliorated about every two months for me. I also get shampoo and stuff there.

Sometimes food is a good idea, but it's easy to buy too much of something just because it costs less. I stick to canned goods and frozen stuff, usually, but peanut butter and whole bean coffee are cheap there, too.

When I lived out your way, I actually had a membership to BJ's--I think it was a little cheaper. There are quite a few of those around New England. Also, I'd usually find myself in NH about once a month, and I'd often stop in Salem on my way home and pick up whatever I wanted to get in and save a few more dollars.

Good luck!

[fortyfeetunder]

8. Bulk shopping and good for parties

I've been a member for (gasp!) almost 20 years. It's my way I can save repeated trips to the grocery store for staple stuff. Like paper products, diapers, some medicines. I don't like to shop for groceries so this is the place for me, makes my forays outside infrequent!

Good for party stuff if you like to entertain.

[kwassa]

9. They have great prices on things?

Particularly if you want to buy in quantity.

The azaleas in the front of my house are from Costco. I also like the jars of marinated artichoke hearts, food of the gods, cheaper than anywhere. Computers, tvs, clothes, 20lb bags of basmati rice, great hughe $8.00 frozen pizzas, all kinds of handy things.

[GalleryGod]

10. b.b. A Good place to shop..satisfied customer for 10 years.

AND :patriot: Politcally they're VERY "BLUE" :woohoo:

[bridgit]

11. yeah go for it, hubby's had a card forever, since the late 70's i think...

not that many good deals on electronics anymore like flat screens for some reason, but the bulk food items & other deals are worth it & will pay for the membership many times over :thumbsup: just be prepared to spend at least a 100 bucks every time you go there :hi:

[TOhioLiberal]

12. We're getting one...

...finally! I can leave the dark side!

[lies and propaganda]

13. best.place.ever...

i went after reading so many threads gushing about how great it is.

i would definitely reccomend the Executive membership which allows you the 2% rebate at the end of your year. We get our gas there too and we are literally saving tons. Besides the awesome and conveniece factor alone, I just love it!

$20 handles of Stoli, what!

[Neshanic]

14. Great place! Depends on the location as to obnoxiousness.

The North Scottsdale one is particularly nasty, with the requiste "I own the world" mentality of the shoppers.

[SeattleGirl]

15. I love Costco.

I must say, I was overwhelmed the first time I ever went to one; felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store.

In the food section, I love their chicken parmesian and the chicken Caesar salad. I know you love to cook, baby, but for nights when you don't feel like, those are two good choices.

[Capn Sunshine]

16. Awesome wine selection

(So Cal) The wine is top flight stuff but a great deal. Like a $ 50 bottle for 29.99 , stuff like that. If my kids were still at home, it would be the only place I'd shop. Purina Kid Chow in the 100 lb sack. Plus, prescription drugs are cheaper. Good selection of STUFF, and they pride themselves on dress clothes for cheap. I saw a Ralph Lauren wool suit there for like $ 105. Not my size tough. Dress shirts, very high quality, 19.99.
damn, I'm a freaking ad.

[MazeRat7]

17. Bait and Switch....

Thats what they did here...

Great promotion, free, one-time, no-membership offer... come in and see/buy our stuff...

Things like organic juice, Indian-style lunches, and several other great products in the flyer...

So we did. It was GREAT and we thought WOW... we could save a bunch on these products and signed up for their 1 year membership.

A month later we went back...

It turns out all those items were "promotional" and no longer available. The Indian lunches are now available at Whole Foods at 4x the cost.
We were told that the manufacturer wanted to get their name out so they "picked" COSTCO for their entry point into the market.

No organic juice last time we were there either.

The only flavor of most canned/packaged soups were "chicken"... WTF ?

As a matter of fact... all the "GREAT" products they pitched to get us to buy the membership were no longer available.

Sure, we may still save money over the next year because there are plenty of items (like coffee, cereal, paper products) that we will buy each month.

The question becomes will we save enough each year to justify the $100 membership ? The jury is still out, but it doesn't look good.

I'm guessing this is a one-year deal for us given their track record in the past two shopping trips.

MZr7

[SoCalDem]

18. Love it.. But be careful.. you WILLspend more than you plan

:evilgrin:

[pokerfan]

19. $1.50 Polish sausage dogs with soft drink

Prices haven't changed in twenty years.

[Frank Cannon]

20. Been a member for 10 years and we love it

We usually recoup our membership fee in just a couple of months.

The only drawback I've found is that although they have great, high-quality merchandise, they rotate their stock a lot. So just when you've fallen in love with a particular product, you find they won't carry it anymore. But that's just a nit.

[datasuspect]

21. welcome to costco, i love you

"i went to law school here"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdlVUGKUppE