Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

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VictoriaF
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by VictoriaF »

dm200 wrote:
VictoriaF wrote:
dm200 wrote:1. There is a very convenient COSTCO within about 2 miles of our house. It is almost as convenient as the nearby grocery stores.
Are you going to the one in Pentagon City? If yes, how are the selection and parking there? I am now using a suburban Costco but will be moving to Arlington soon.

Victoria
Yes - Pentagon City. Parking is free for 2 hours - and you need to get the ticket validated when you leave Costco and you must show your receipt that you bought something. The parking area is a bit hectic, but there is usually a space when I go. If there is no space on the surface lot near the Costco (there are other establishments in the same area), then you have to go in the parking ramp - which can be a real pain to get your stuff back. BUT - that hasn't happened to me in a long time.
Thank you, dm200. This is helpful,

Victoria
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Saving$
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by Saving$ »

One Costco is about 12 miles away, the other is about 10 miles. I go about once per month.

I buy mostly food, and find Costco offers organic options the local grocery does not offer, or which are MUCH more expensive at the local grocery. Example: Organic Chicken = $5.99/lb at Costco, and 7.99 at local grocery. I buy a 3-4 lb pack each month. The pack comes in three sections, which I split and freeze. So i am saving $6-$8 each month on chicken, which alone pays for the membership.

The main advantage to me is quality organic foods all in one place at an affordable price.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by madbrain »

sunnyd wrote: The per-unit price is generally about the same as Target and Walmart, and for groceries more than other private label chains like Trader Joe's and Aldi.
That definitely hasn't been my experience whatsoever. I have compared per-unit prices of dozens of items between Costco and Wal-Mart, Costco always comes in lower, often by huge amounts. My Costco membership would pay for itself even if the only single thing I bought there was cat litter.

But things like milk and yogurt are about 2/3 the prices of Walmart .

Costco also has better quality meat than I could ever hope to find in Wal-Mart.

There are many household items like LEDs where I have not found any lower price than Costco - and those items are not found in Wal-Mart either.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by madbrain »

lightheir wrote:
ClevrChico wrote:We're members and love the products. The store is located way out in the burbs, so we don't go often.

I think we'd get more benefit out of Amazon Prime honestly.
Amazon prime >>> Costco for me

The time savings from avoiding trips to stores for specific household items is unbelievable whereas Costco shopping saved me nothing and created so much more waste and excess.
Even with Amazon prime (which I have, thanks to friend), the prices include shipping.

Yes, Prime will definitely save you some time, but it certainly won't save you money over Costco, or even over most regular stores, in my experience, when buying just a few items.

But IMO, Amazon prime does not really compete with Costco you can't get perishable food items from Amazon prime, like you can from Costco.
Fewer purchases of smaller items and number in higher quality has been the way to go for us. Unfortunately for us Costco encouraged the reverse of this.
There are plenty of very high quality items at Costco. They don't carry much that I would call low quality. But if you get unlucky, you can always return it easily.
The Kirkland store brand in my experience is excellent on almost everything. The prices on things toilet paper, paper towels, tissue, beat any store handily.
And cat food and cat litter as well.

The quantities with Costco are an issue you have to be careful with perishable items in a small family. But for us it's definitely worth it still.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by madbrain »

Note that Google shopping express has started making home deliveries from Costco for non-perishable items. The delivery service has been free and very good. Give it a try if you are in their - currently limited - same-day service area .

I'm in their "next day" delivery area, which includes all of California. They don't ship some large heavy items that way, like cat litter.

I wish google would deliver a bigger portion of the Costco catalog, especially perishables.

I believe they will, eventually.

Amazon also has an "Amazon fresh" grocery delivery service, but I'm not in their delivery service area, unfortunately.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by OatmealAddict »

harrychan wrote:I found that I have stopped going to Costco simply because it takes us way too long to get in and out and my time is valuable. Instead, I send my shopping list to my in laws who are able to go during work hours :D
Agreed. My wife and I were pondering joining as well, so we went with some neighbors to do a test run. The time and aggravation spent trying to get in and out of the place REALLY turned me off, so the slight savings we might experience simply wasn't worth the hassle for us. We'll stick to Kroger since it's within walking distance of our house (The Costco is a 6 mile drive) and also has a gas station...and is much easier / quicker to get in and out of.

Couple their reward program with my 2% cash back card and it's good enough for me.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by Bacchus01 »

For a family of 5 that spends approximately 1500 a month at Walmart on groceries and other disposable items, how much could this family really save at Costco?
S&L1940
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by S&L1940 »

We use both Costco & BJ's and the value is there for just the two of us
BJ's also accepts manufacturers coupons and we spend on average $200 per month between them on things like:
yogurt, hummus, taboule, canned tuna & sardines, cheeses etc. Also add in the incidentals like snacks and stuff, the occasional small appliance or office equipment and we go home with a fair amount of goods.
You need an advanced math degree to calculate the possible savings in paper goods what with the difference in content packaging yet overall there is value as long as you have the space to store the mega bundles...
We hardly use the supermarkets anymore since we rely on the farmer's market for most of our fresh produce.

And, oh yeah, their gas prices are the best in the area.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by gronkman »

Surprised no one has mentioned it, but having an extra refrigerator/freezer may be helpful for a smaller family. We have 2 kids, but a lot of times we can't buy more stuff we want at Costco because of space issues in the fridge and freezer. We are looking to get another near our garage so we can stock up more.
rixer
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by rixer »

It doesn't always have to be one OR the other. Where we live, there is a Costco and a Walmart next door to each other. Our routine is to shop at Costco for the good stuff and then go next door to Walmart for the smaller sized items we need. As an example, things like a small container of cream cheese compared to a 32oz tub. We also find a far better quality on most all items in Costco.
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VictoriaF
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by VictoriaF »

gronkman wrote:Surprised no one has mentioned it, but having an extra refrigerator/freezer may be helpful for a smaller family. We have 2 kids, but a lot of times we can't buy more stuff we want at Costco because of space issues in the fridge and freezer. We are looking to get another near our garage so we can stock up more.
Another obvious solution is to have a large family in order to justify Costco.

Victoria
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ieee488
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by ieee488 »

jimday1982 wrote:
harrychan wrote:I found that I have stopped going to Costco simply because it takes us way too long to get in and out and my time is valuable. Instead, I send my shopping list to my in laws who are able to go during work hours :D
Agreed. My wife and I were pondering joining as well, so we went with some neighbors to do a test run. The time and aggravation spent trying to get in and out of the place REALLY turned me off, so the slight savings we might experience simply wasn't worth the hassle for us. We'll stick to Kroger since it's within walking distance of our house (The Costco is a 6 mile drive) and also has a gas station...and is much easier / quicker to get in and out of.

Couple their reward program with my 2% cash back card and it's good enough for me.
Whole Foods is 13.8 miles for me. Costco is 15.8 miles for me.
But the extra 2 miles is an extra 10 minutes on the road around here.

Not sure how much we'd really save given what we spend on groceries every week.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by madbrain »

ieee488 wrote:
jimday1982 wrote:
harrychan wrote:I found that I have stopped going to Costco simply because it takes us way too long to get in and out and my time is valuable. Instead, I send my shopping list to my in laws who are able to go during work hours :D
Agreed. My wife and I were pondering joining as well, so we went with some neighbors to do a test run. The time and aggravation spent trying to get in and out of the place REALLY turned me off, so the slight savings we might experience simply wasn't worth the hassle for us. We'll stick to Kroger since it's within walking distance of our house (The Costco is a 6 mile drive) and also has a gas station...and is much easier / quicker to get in and out of.

Couple their reward program with my 2% cash back card and it's good enough for me.
Whole Foods is 13.8 miles for me. Costco is 15.8 miles for me.
But the extra 2 miles is an extra 10 minutes on the road around here.

Not sure how much we'd really save given what we spend on groceries every week.
It might not save you money, but you would probably easily get twice the amount of groceries for the same price at Costco as you do at Whole foods.

The prices at Whole foods really are out of this world, especially when you compare on a per-unit basis.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by Stanchion »

I just had to jump in to say that I am a huge fan of Costco, I absolutely love shopping there. For me, price would be of no object as far as Costco membership is concerned. And if I end up starting my own medical practice, I want to offer employees free Costco membership as a perk. It's just a high-quality and fun place to shop.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by dm200 »

Stanchion wrote:I just had to jump in to say that I am a huge fan of Costco, I absolutely love shopping there. For me, price would be of no object as far as Costco membership is concerned. And if I end up starting my own medical practice, I want to offer employees free Costco membership as a perk. It's just a high-quality and fun place to shop.
... except for the folks who just leave their carts right in the middle of the aisle to get one of the free samples or to chat - all while completely blocking anyone from getting through. :twisted:
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by technovelist »

We are just two people and find it useful for us; we just have to be careful not to make too many impulse purchases.
We also have a single friend who has signed up and has found it useful so far.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by mw1739 »

Family of 2 adults + 1 toddler here. Huge Costco fans. While there are many great deals to be found, not everything is the "best" price, but it will always be a "fair" price. I don't like having to take the time to search around for coupons or testing out the quality of other stores. If I don't like something I buy at Costco, I can take it back no hassles.

Gas is often 10 cents per gallon cheaper. Costco is across the street from my office so pretty convenient.
The price and quality of fruit and meat blows my local grocery out of the water.
Excellent customer service and unbeatable return policy.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by englishgirl »

I'm single, but I do buy some stuff for my boyfriend's house there too. I find Costco worth it if I can be somewhat disciplined in what I buy there. For instance, if I only buy one type of rice, and keep working my way through the bag, I do OK. I do keep things like brown rice in the fridge so it'll stay fresher longer, and generally ignore the "best before" dates. I tend to only buy frozen vegetables at Costco, as I can't get through the fresh stuff fast enough usually. I buy fresh veggies from a locally owned grocery store instead.

But...cat food, coffee, toilet paper. All those boring things are enough to make my membership worthwhile. I also got my eyeglasses there, and their basic clothing is pretty good - just got some very comfy PJ pants for myself.

As for getting in and out, I find the free sample people stop work sometime between 5 and 6 pm. Once they have gone home, the seniors are generally not there either. So the evenings are quieter, although obviously there are fewer options for free samples!
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by lightheir »

madbrain wrote:
ieee488 wrote:
jimday1982 wrote:
harrychan wrote:I found that I have stopped going to Costco simply because it takes us way too long to get in and out and my time is valuable. Instead, I send my shopping list to my in laws who are able to go during work hours :D
Agreed. My wife and I were pondering joining as well, so we went with some neighbors to do a test run. The time and aggravation spent trying to get in and out of the place REALLY turned me off, so the slight savings we might experience simply wasn't worth the hassle for us. We'll stick to Kroger since it's within walking distance of our house (The Costco is a 6 mile drive) and also has a gas station...and is much easier / quicker to get in and out of.

Couple their reward program with my 2% cash back card and it's good enough for me.
Whole Foods is 13.8 miles for me. Costco is 15.8 miles for me.
But the extra 2 miles is an extra 10 minutes on the road around here.

Not sure how much we'd really save given what we spend on groceries every week.
It might not save you money, but you would probably easily get twice the amount of groceries for the same price at Costco as you do at Whole foods.

The prices at Whole foods really are out of this world, especially when you compare on a per-unit basis.
Whole Foods tends to be 2-3x the price of nearly ANY grocery store. It's well known as "whole paycheck." But I will add that their meats and produce are absolutely top-notch. You pay for it, but it's that good. It's by far the most expensive grocery store I've ever shopped at, including boutique-artisinal grocery stores, which can't hurt you as much since you can't buy all the sundries there.
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Whole Foods Plays Bargain Grocer in Manhattan

Post by Jeff Albertson »

Whole Foods Market Inc., working to shed its “Whole Paycheck” image, has become one of the cheaper chains for grocery shopping in Manhattan, according to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence.

A basket of 97 items, including orange juice and frozen pizza, was $391.39 at Whole Foods, compared with $398.44 from Fresh Direct and $458.84 at Gristedes, according to the study led by Jennifer Bartashus, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst in Skillman, New Jersey. Food Emporium and D’Agostino also were more expensive than Whole Foods in New York City.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-0 ... attan.html
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by S&L1940 »

englishgirl wrote: As for getting in and out, I find the free sample people stop work sometime between 5 and 6 pm. Once they have gone home, the seniors are generally not there either. So the evenings are quieter, although obviously there are fewer options for free samples!
take offense to the seniors comment. some of us are really well behaved and more thoughtful than those younger folks who do the whole Costco bit with their head locked on their shoulder holding their cell phone and oblivious of everyone else.
Yet, that is added value as it is part of the Costco experience like people watching on the NY subway... Rich
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by Clearly_Irrational »

madbrain wrote:The prices at Whole foods really are out of this world, especially when you compare on a per-unit basis.
Around the Portland area it's called "Whole Paycheck" and people joke about getting direct deposit.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by letsgobobby »

Late to this party, but Costco is worth it or not depending on your specific shopping habits. Get a membership, wander around a few times, look at what they have, see what you think. If not to your liking they will refund the membership.

Let's not forget the 'fun' factor. Part of Costco's allure is the treasure hunt aspect of a visit. The samples, the new products - all of that is fun and if you have a little discretionary income it's entertainment. Costco counts on this: their annual profits are often about equal to their membership fees, meaning net of expenses they sell everything just about at cost. Looked at from this angle, you pay the membership fee for the opportunity to buy Costco products at their costs - amazing, considering their purchasing power.

Costco is uniformly cheaper than other sources on some products, sometimes cheaper on other products (depending on whether there is a sale elsewhere), and often not cheaper on others.

What we buy and find uniformly cheaper:
- travel services (specifically rental cars)
- cartons of egg whites
- organic maple syrup
- seaweed
- organic salad mix
- nuts of all kinds (Trader Joe's is close though)
- Chobani and Dannon Activia yogurt
- wild Alaskan smoked salmon
- cheese sticks
- most cheeses
- organic tofu
- trash bags
- good wine from local producers (in other case local producers = Columbia Valley reds and Willamette Valley pinot noirs so local = awesome stuff)
- protein bars and drinks
- Dave's Killer Bread (a local product for us)
- frozen organic green beans
- frozen organic edamame
- frozen berries
- flank steak
- melons (Canary, honeydew)
- Kirkland peanut butter
- gas
- contact lenses

olive oil, some spices (ie, smoked paprika), balsamic vinegar, canned Swanson's 'natural goodness' chicken broth - these things are sometimes cheaper or close enough to a sale price that we often buy them here.

We also have the Costco Amex card and the Executive membership. Overall, we earn back in rewards about what the membership costs each year so the price we pay is really our net price. We think it's worthwhile, we live 15 minutes away and go 1-2 times per month.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by roymeo »

The local Costco is always so crammed full of people that I can't spark any interest in going there to check it out in my SO.
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Re: Whole Foods Plays Bargain Grocer in Manhattan

Post by madbrain »

Jeff Albertson wrote:
Whole Foods Market Inc., working to shed its “Whole Paycheck” image, has become one of the cheaper chains for grocery shopping in Manhattan, according to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence.

A basket of 97 items, including orange juice and frozen pizza, was $391.39 at Whole Foods, compared with $398.44 from Fresh Direct and $458.84 at Gristedes, according to the study led by Jennifer Bartashus, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst in Skillman, New Jersey. Food Emporium and D’Agostino also were more expensive than Whole Foods in New York City.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-0 ... attan.html
I guess that may be true for Manhattan, but it's certainly not true in Silicon Valley. I have never shopped any grocery place that was more expensive in my life.
And that includes very recent visits, I had family over from France last month and my cousin requires a gluten-free diet.
They went to Whole foods naturally for the selection of gluten free foods. I joined them on a couple of occasions.
I can safely say that the only way they can afford to have that kind of selection is to have much higher prices.

There was a bottle of organic hard cider from France for $18 !!! The same bottle costs 2 euros in France.
At Costco, you can get 2.5 bottles of Bordeaux Medoc red wine from France, with a Kirkland label, for that price.
But no hard cider at Costco, unfortunately.

There was a French Camembert for $11 . It's great that they have it, but at this price, who can really afford to eat it ?
Occasionally, I see Camembert at Trader joe for $7.99 . Which is still too high compared to the price in France, about 2 euros as well. But it goes to show how much Whole Food overcharges.
There is, alas, no Camembert at Costco. There is however French brie, on a Kirkland label, in a large quantity, that is decent. I don't remember the price .
http://costcoconnection.texterity.com/c ... 212/?pg=91
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VictoriaF
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by VictoriaF »

lightheir wrote:Whole Foods tends to be 2-3x the price of nearly ANY grocery store. It's well known as "whole paycheck." But I will add that their meats and produce are absolutely top-notch. You pay for it, but it's that good. It's by far the most expensive grocery store I've ever shopped at, including boutique-artisinal grocery stores, which can't hurt you as much since you can't buy all the sundries there.
Whole Foods is more expensive than other grocery stores, but the 2-3x factor is an exaggeration. Organic produce is probably 20-30% higher than in other stores carrying organic produce, but at Whole Foods the selection is broader which allows one-stop shopping. My produce shopping at Costco is cheaper, but the flip side is that I am not buying certain items that I can find at Whole Foods, specifically leafy greens and organic yogurts.

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dm200
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by dm200 »

VictoriaF wrote:
lightheir wrote:Whole Foods tends to be 2-3x the price of nearly ANY grocery store. It's well known as "whole paycheck." But I will add that their meats and produce are absolutely top-notch. You pay for it, but it's that good. It's by far the most expensive grocery store I've ever shopped at, including boutique-artisinal grocery stores, which can't hurt you as much since you can't buy all the sundries there.
Whole Foods is more expensive than other grocery stores, but the 2-3x factor is an exaggeration. Organic produce is probably 20-30% higher than in other stores carrying organic produce, but at Whole Foods the selection is broader which allows one-stop shopping. My produce shopping at Costco is cheaper, but the flip side is that I am not buying certain items that I can find at Whole Foods, specifically leafy greens and organic yogurts.

Victoria
For most things, it seems to me that Whole Foods is more expensive. Occasionally, though, there are bargains there, as well as some things that may be useful, such as some kinds of whole grains (I used to get flaxseed and grind it; now I get a box already ground). I also sometimes see lower process on a few items, like certain canned beans. For a while, I went there for their Friday specials.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by denovo »

Costco pro tip: Avoid going during the weekends or right after work like 5-7 P.M. on weekdays to avoid the chaos.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by hdcd »

We usually go only on off hours and buy gas when the lines are short (off hours).

Here in So Cal the optical is outstanding and prices are great. I would keep my membership
Just for the optical.

Other thing is if you eat a lot of berries and nuts the prices can't be beat
anywhere.

If you are in the meat dept and grab a worker bringing out steaks they
will pack anything you want. Don't need 6 rib eyes? Just ask and they will
pack 2 or 3. I've done it many times.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by sport »

denovo wrote:Costco pro tip: Avoid going during the weekends or right after work like 5-7 P.M. on weekdays to avoid the chaos.
Another Costco pro tip: Look for prices ending in 97 cents. These are unadvertised specials scattered throughout the store. The savings can be significant, but you have to wander the store to find them. That is the purpose. Costco knows that if you wander through the store, you will find more things to buy.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by sailfish2 »

I used to think so, but when I was a member, I lived conveniently close by to one.

Now, I am single, and Costco is a far, traffic-choked drive so I do not really have any interest. I now stock up at a great, cheap wholesale vegetable market here in Tampa. I miss Costco's deals on vitamins, some toiletries, etc., but I find many staples such as paper products (TP, paper towels, etc) at BigLots for a bargain. I shop frugally for vitamins and toiletries using a combination of sales at drug stores and Amazon.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by stoptothink »

hdcd wrote:We usually go only on off hours and buy gas when the lines are short (off hours).

Here in So Cal the optical is outstanding and prices are great. I would keep my membership
Just for the optical.

Other thing is if you eat a lot of berries and nuts the prices can't be beat
anywhere.


If you are in the meat dept and grab a worker bringing out steaks they
will pack anything you want. Don't need 6 rib eyes? Just ask and they will
pack 2 or 3. I've done it many times.
It is so location dependent. We eat A LOT of raw nuts and berries in our home, and they are significantly cheaper at our local grocer (and we have the freedom to purchase as much or as little as we need). The only food item I have ever found cheaper at Costco than our local grocer is natural PB. We do have an exceptionally cheap local grocer though http://lolosfoods.com/
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by boomergeneration »

Yes, it is worth it, for us. My favorite product at Costco is their 5 # bags of ORGANIC frozen vegetables. I used to hate frozen vegetables because they always tasted mushy to me. But Costco carries frozen green beans and broccoli that taste just like fresh after they are steamed. We stock the freezer with them and go through several bags every week. Supposedly frozen is often more nutritious than fresh because it is frozen the day it is picked. So nice not to have to bring home the vegetables and have to wash, trim and cut them.

I find that Costco is carrying more and more organic products at reasonable prices.

I also like shopping at Costco because they pay their workers a good wage.

bg
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by madbrain »

Another advantage of Costco that others have not mentioned yet : if you manage to consume the massive quantities of food you will buy there, you will also increase in size, and thus be able to buy your clothes at Costco for a bargain - they don't tend to carry small sizes for many clothes, and for items on which they do, those sizes tend to be out of stock.
sailfish2
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by sailfish2 »

LOL, Madbrain... True. I find myself eating more granola or chips when they come from a huge package. Even healthy stuff like pita crisps and hummus are too easy to snack on when you have a massive supply, especially when it's just me now.

As for patronizing a business which offers good wages for employees, Publix (in Florida and a few other southern states) meets that requirement for me. The employees there also seem especially happy and helpful.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by Carson »

For anyone waffling, LivingSocial is offering a promo for new members. $20 costco card and some free item coupons for $55 household membership price. It also includes credit monitoring, but believe you can decline that when you actually register your membership in the store (always reading the fine print on that stuff!)

I am content to try it for a year, effectively about $20 (cost less cash card and my household fmv of the freebies)

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Bustoff
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by Bustoff »

We were in Costco yesterday buying a bunch of things. As we passed by one of the ladies handing out samples she asked my wife, "Don't you want to try a sample of our gluten-free bagels?" My wife went back for the sample and in an attempt to be nice said, thank you for feeding me. The sample lady became irate and snapped back, "We are not here to feed you, we are giving out samples! People come in here all the time just to eat and don't buy anything!"
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BigFoot48
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by BigFoot48 »

Costco Tip: Unless you have a full cart or want your stuff put in boxes, arrange your items with the barcodes showing so the cashier can scan them in-cart, saving time and effort. The clerks and assistants are always very happy we do this!
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dm200
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by dm200 »

Bustoff wrote:We were in Costco yesterday buying a bunch of things. As we passed by one of the ladies handing out samples she asked my wife, "Don't you want to try a sample of our gluten-free bagels?" My wife went back for the sample and in an attempt to be nice said, thank you for feeding me. The sample lady became irate and snapped back, "We are not here to feed you, we are giving out samples! People come in here all the time just to eat and don't buy anything!"
The food sample folks are usually very nice and I try to be nice, polite, etc. to them. The are (almost) always nice to me. A "sense of humor" is, however, not one of their common virtues.
fareastwarriors
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by fareastwarriors »

I thought the food sample people are not employees of Costco but are contractors. Is that right?
Last edited by fareastwarriors on Thu Sep 18, 2014 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by denovo »

fareastwarriors wrote:I thought the food sample people are non employees of Costco but are contractors. Is that right?
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by technovelist »

boomergeneration wrote:Yes, it is worth it, for us. My favorite product at Costco is their 5 # bags of ORGANIC frozen vegetables. I used to hate frozen vegetables because they always tasted mushy to me. But Costco carries frozen green beans and broccoli that taste just like fresh after they are steamed. We stock the freezer with them and go through several bags every week. Supposedly frozen is often more nutritious than fresh because it is frozen the day it is picked. So nice not to have to bring home the vegetables and have to wash, trim and cut them.

I find that Costco is carrying more and more organic products at reasonable prices.

I also like shopping at Costco because they pay their workers a good wage.

bg
Yes, those organic frozen vegetables are excellent. I often use them as a side dish when I'm eating my organic vegan burger (also from Costco) on organic sprouted bread (not from Costco). Then my wife says "Stop eating all of those vegetables or I won't be able to make my soup!"
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by dm200 »

fareastwarriors wrote:I thought the food sample people are not employees of Costco but are contractors. Is that right?
I am not sure what you point or issue is - whether these folks are employees or contractors. I make a point of being very nice and polite to them. My other comment was based on a reaction from one of them that I intended to in jest, but she took it the completely wrong way. So, not I am just polite and nice all the time - nothing more.
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Re: Costco:is it worth it for just two people?

Post by black jack »

madbrain wrote:Another advantage of Costco that others have not mentioned yet : if you manage to consume the massive quantities of food you will buy there, you will also increase in size, and thus be able to buy your clothes at Costco for a bargain - they don't tend to carry small sizes for many clothes, and for items on which they do, those sizes tend to be out of stock.
I have discovered a virtuous variation of this. A Costco opened near us last year, and I shop there about once a week; I regularly buy fresh fruit (among other things), and contrary to some earlier comments, have never had problems with it going bad prematurely. Now fresh fruit will go bad in a short time, and we're a household of 2 adults + 1 child, so getting a watermelon, a box of a dozen nectarines, a container with a dozen apples, a 4 lb container of strawberries, a pineapple, and a bunch of bananas (a typical summer haul) on one trip means we have to eat a LOT of fruit to consume it all before it goes bad. I noticed that I was eating so much fruit every day that I was eating less of everything else (except for nuts: love those Kirkland Virginia peanuts!). Our sizes have not changed (except for the child growing), and presumably the fruit is better for us than most of the alternatives we might be filling up on.

That said, my wife regards a trip to the ever-crowded Costco as torture, which is why I'm the one doing the shopping there. I prefer to go the last hour before closing on weeknights (no samples then, but fewer people), and I pass the time waiting in the checkout line listening to a podcast or audiobook.
We cannot absolutely prove [that they are wrong who say] that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us, and with just as much apparent reason. | -T. B. Macaulay (1800-1859)
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