It’s coming down to the final deadline. I’m running out of time and need to decide ….
Kids are at college so buying in bulk is less important but I love Costco. My membership expired in May, but I’m down to three rolls of toilet paper, LoL
Do I renew Costco and continue to buy in bulk at the potential of wasting money, or do I give up on Costco and buy all supplies from the grocery?
I only have a Costco membership in the years that I know I will use it for things I ALREADY intended to buy and can save money on the Costco version. Other than that, if you track your spending, Costco costs most people more money. They buy bigger quantities which leads to more waste. They buy expensive brands when there are other options in other stores. If you have a business or a big family, Costco can make sense, however you have to be a very disciplined shopper to actually see the benefit.
Correct. Almost everyone in the comments here saying that the costco membership is worth it on a financial basis is deluding themselves. Unless you are buying for some kind of organization or you have a Mormon-sized family, CostCo is costing you money - that’s how they make money.
The reality is, what CostCo actually sells is a Premium Experience. You walk in the door, and you don’t have the experience of feeling bad about buying store-brand junk food that is far cheaper than name brand, because costco only stocks name brand (Or Kirkland, which is comparable). The shopping carts are enourmous, and you get a thrill when you purchase 20lbs of organic, grass-fed steak like it is a normal thing. A nice old lady offers you a free sample of something. You get to treat yourself to a slice of pizza or a hot dog on the way out. And most importantly… everyone else also paid for a CostCo card for the right to be in the store. Ie, the biggest benefit to CostCo is that you don’t have to be in the presence of poor people.
Admittedly I’ve treated it more as a “convenience” for years. I can probably save more money if I travel to more stores and keep track of sales. However last time I checked, Costco was consistently better than regular price and I don’t have to goto as many stores.
I expect the opposite. Buying in bulk is an investment so I almost always know I’ll finish it. The larger quantities reduce packaging and reduce trips to more stores
Guilty, but they actually line up well with brands and models I tend to get anyway. Given those brands and models, the prices are generally pretty good. But yes you can get lower end brands, lower end models elsewhere
I especially see clothes this way. When they have something, it’s usually a good price for that brand. Of course since they never carry the tall sizes I need, I only care before Christmas