Costco gurus - we need you!

Shopping
1

Are you a Costco guru? Tell me all your secrets!*

We’re writing an article about whether Costco is worth it and we’d love your expert opinions.

secret orange is the new black GIF

  • What are your hot tips for acing a Costco shopping expedition?
  • Is it worth the membership price?
  • What’s the craziest thing you’ve bought there?
  • Do you buy everything there, or just specific products?
  • Have you had to build a shed just to store all your Costco bulk purchases?
  • What would you never buy at Costco?
  • Do you accidentally end up buying waaaaay too much stuff?
  • Is it honestly good value, or do you just tell yourself that to justify buying jars of Nutella that are bigger than your head?

Photographic evidence of your Costco addiction are welcome but not necessary. (We can pixelate your face if you’re not ready to go public yet.)

orange is the new black gossip GIF by NETFLIX

Disclaimer: I will not be keeping your secrets. I shall publish them and share them with the world. Mwahahahaha!*

episode 17 GIF

**Unless of course you’d like to remain anonymous. Then I’ll publish them but no-one will know you’ve spilled your guts.

7 Likes
4

We joined Costco for hearing aids. They are far lower priced than what any of the local audiologists charge. The model I bought was about half Our experience with Costco audiologists has been from very good to excellent over 6 years.

Buying items such as small (or large!) appliances can be hit or miss, but two years ago they had an Electrolux handheld we wanted and their price was more than the $60 annual membership than any other source that could be found on the internet at the time. Of course it is cash and carry, so buy a large LCD TV and you need a way to take it home.

Optical is similar to Specsavers although Costco sources senses from Eissilor and their selection of frames seems higher quality, but that is subjective.

Groceries - you can eat lunch from their sample carts; packages are XL and XXL sized, and if one pays attention, sale prices are often equal or less at Colesworths.

Clothes are hit and miss but mostly sharply priced for the products and quality.

Some products are very American or generally not common. We bought a wok for a wedding present a few months back. It was expensive but still more than $200 under any other source, in or out of Australia at the time. They sometimes have real commercial quality products you will not easily find for anywhere near the prices, especially if you want a $400 sandwich press that makes you feel warm and fuzzy just playing with it :wink:

Sweets and nuts - the nuts are Very High Quality and very competitively priced. Many of the other related products (jerky, chips, muesli bars, etc) are in large packages at slightly better prices than Coleworths, per unit.

Some Costcos have petrol and if one drives even moderate distances, that alone can cover the membership.

Meats - very high quality but again, XL and XXL packages - want a $100+ piece of meat? Likewise you can see higher end cheeses at sharp prices but you need to love cheese and eat a lot. If you routinely entertain you can recoup the membership very quickly.

Vitamins, wine, and personal care items can be great bargains or hit and miss.

Summary is you need to follow the market and prices to know what is a good deal or not, and the products represented come and go from time to time.

13 Likes
5

AA & AAA Eneloop Rechargeable batteries very good deal.

The Roast Chickens (ready to eat ones not the ready to roast ones :smile:) $6.99 for a size 14 (bargain).

Petrol & Diesel around $0.10 to $0.40 below current other retailers prices per litre with the Premium 98 probably the best saving per litre. If a regular filler upper as @PhilT notes you will pay your membership off in savings quite quickly.

Fruit and Veg variable in whether a saving or a extra cost money wise. Eg currently 1 kg Vine Ripened Tomatoes $7.99 a kg (prepackaged in 1 kg lot) & at local Greengrocer $3.99 a kg loose but 850 g Strawberries at $7.99 (special normally $9.99) compared to $2.50 per 250 g punnet (so a current saving of about $1.00). Some items you have to buy multiple so even if cheaper when comparing single item price you wouldn’t eat the amount in time to achieve the saving eg Cucumber, what we call Shallots but some call green onion or spring onion & large bags of green salad leaf.

Toilet paper not a saving on what can be bought elsewhere.

Washing powder variable but currently trying the Kirkland one which was a saving of at least $10 but we still can’t say we have fully evaluated both economy and cleaning power.

Vitamins and others as @PhilT notes are variable but mostly find them as savings eg the lens cleaner wipes are a super bargain, the protein powders not so much.

Meat we save more elsewhere than at Costco but if it was a choice per kg between Costco and normal retail stores the price would be best at Costco hands down, just have a large freezer to store the excess.

Bread normally dual or multipack retail brands, cheaper per loaf but again have a freezer to store the others. If buying the store brands from ALDI, Coles or Woolworths you can save a little sticking with them.

The Choc Mud cake with a diameter of about 40 cm at $25…yeah baby but off the diet atm but drool marks always follow me afterwards…same for the Blackforest cake, the Cheesecakes, the mini apple turnovers, the pastries, the croissants, the Birthday cakes, the Giant Iced Donuts (about 30 cm diameter). Lets just say temptation alley. Fresh Bagels, bread rolls and buscuits again very good deals but need freezer storage.

Next time I am in store will run the camera on the phone down a few aisles to get a running price and choice video for you and will repeat a few times over a couple of visits, just have to put a reminder in to myself to do it.

Tyres seem a better price than retail elsewhere.

Ready to Cook Pizzas are big like old style (20 years ago at least) family size. So if dinner for two is the idea maybe a little too big but pricing depends on the style (3 choices I think) but ranges from about $11 for the basic cheese to about $15 for the meat lovers one.

Coffins are a bargain…starting at around $399 for the Enviro one up to about $4000 or a little more for the ornate ones…I have the catalogue so will scan and send if you leave an email addy to send it to (feel free to pm me)

Artificial Grass, Sheds, Spa pool, Solar system cannot make a price comment on but happy to get the brochures for you.

Books to buy and read, seems great bargains to me but value may be variable to those well versed in the costs of the printed material.
Jewellery, TVs, iPads etc AV stuff eg headphones, and a whole slew of similar gear again I can’t really make comment on other than to say expensive to me but may be a great saving for the brand name you are buying. Currently the biggest screen TV they have in our store has a price tag of $18,000 so not my everyday just pop into purchase a very large screen TV price, I would need to save for about 20 years and sell the body parts I could do without.

Watch the moths enter the wallet as you leave the store…easy peasy to put a few items in and voila $100 plus bill in the blink of my not so very bright eye. I think that is why they have cheap eats after so you can rub that guilty feeling with the balm of a cheap feed…seems to work on a lot of people as they go smiling out the door $400 or more poorer as they do so every minute of every open hour.

I haven’t bought that crazy thing yet but there is still time and the wife willing it may still happen but as to what it is I have no idea yet as there are some crazy things to tempt the stocked up wallet. Now where was that battery powered 4 WD car again???

10 Likes
6

Thanks for a review that is a delight to read. Two Costco experiences we have valued (besides the $1.95 all pork hotdog with refillable soft drink):

  1. Hearing Aides - If you or a loved one is in the market for a hearing, and Costco is not far away, give them a look in. My wife has saved well over $1000 each time she has had to replace her hearing aides. And the service included free 6 monthly visits with their qualified audiologists.
  2. Tyres - Again, on sale last year we replaced our then 7 yr old Cruze’s tyres with Michelins for about $190 a tyre. These were Choice reviewed and recommended tyres. And, like with the hearing aides, there is free after sale service that is available. And while many dealers offer such, its very convenient at Costco because it can be done while you’re shopping.
  3. Kirkland’s Irish Cream - If you like your Baileys, check out the reviews for Costco’s house brand Irish Cream liquor. Haven’t tried it personally but when the last of our duty-free bought Baileys is exhausted, we will.
4 Likes
7

I never shop at Costco on weekends too many people.
The best time is to go at school pickup when there less people there.
I think a lot of Chinese restaurant owners buy their products there as their trolleys are always bursting with far too much stuff for a normal family.
I do like the cooked chickens, a bargain and gluten free.
For baking I have found the nuts, choc chips and frozen berries are good value. However you do have to have freezer storage, i freeze nuts so they do not go rancid.
I never buy meat as too much and too expensive at one time, if I had someone to share with it might be different. I do buy fresh fish.
Bagels are good but you have to buy 2 packets.
Frozen mini cream puffs are really good.
I now buy butter there as prices are on par with supermarkets, they used to be more expensive.
Some cereals especially gluten free are a lot cheaper.
Washing and dish washing detergent I buy every 6 months.
Toilet paper I buy, may not be cheaper but saves having to buy often or look for specials.
A bit like Aldi they have one offs so you have to buy when you see it as next time it may not be there.
I have purchased books and clothing but for grandchildren not myself.
They do now seem to have a lot of organic foods which is good and at a reasonable price.
Have never bought fruit and veg but milk and eggs good value.
Cheeses good value as are some of the dips.
What do I hate? That the aisles are not marked with what is in them so if you want a product you don’t buy often you walk up and down too find it, staff don’t even know where stuff is.
Hate having to get a big trolley for only a few things now I take my own bags.
Wish we had the petrol at ours as it sounds a good deal.
When the cars need tyres will try them as sounds like a good deal.

3 Likes
8

I love almost everything about Costco. Joined up 2 years ago as a business member but the benefit is that you get a secondary card included for only the one $55 per year membership fee. From the business side of things, it doesn’t take long to re-coup your membership. We purchase copier paper (defintely cheaper than anywhere else), toilet paper, hand towel, hand soap and other cleaning type products for the business. This alone more than covers the membership in a couple of months.
On the personal side of things, I run my cars on 98 grade premium fuel which is consistently between 20-40c per litre cheaper than everywhere else- a saving of $12 -20 per tank full. We find their clothes to be excellent top quality American brand names normally and so well priced-think Levi jeans ($40), Tommy Hilfiger shirts ($20), Adidas, Boss, etc
Their selection of books is amazing - especially kids collections for Christmas presents as well as toys.
We buy some food items there and find generally the pricing to be better when you buy the bulk type products.
I wouldn’t be able to do a full weekly type supermarket shop there as there are gaps in products being not available and generally only 1 or 2 choices per item. Alcohol is generally cheaper too- especially bottles of spirits which you would get a 1L bottle for the price of a 750 ml elsewhere.
Craziest thing we have bought from Costco is the halloween moving, speaking ghouls.
I would never buy a TV or other large type electrical item from Costco-prices are way better elsewhere.
On average, each time we shop there (say about once per month) we will spend around $500 on the groceries, clothes and a gift here and there. It’s good value and defintely a saving if you know your prices and shop smart.
If you’re not a member and want to check it out before joining you will have to tee up with a friend who is a member and tag along with them for your first visit. Downside is that you can only do one transaction when paying-they generally won’t let you split your shopping between 2 x transactions but overall I think the system is fair and reasonable and will be renewing my membership for the third year shortly.

IMG_8123
IMG_8123996×1486 310 KB

3 Likes
9

How do fuel purchases work ? Do members get a fixed discount off the sign price ?
I note that the nearest Costco with fuel to CHOICE is 6c a litre cheaper than the next least expensive ( on the fuel app I’m using ).

10

The prices on the signs are the prices for Costco members. To buy one needs to put their membership card on the reader, then preauthorise on a card similarly to the unmanned 24 hour bowsers in the regional areas.

The spread between local prices and Costco vary depending on the price cycles. My last fill was $0.12/litre below the next nearest servo, that itself was $0.05 less than those in the surrounding area. Competition works for us :slight_smile:

1 Like
11

Thanks for that ! I was no more than curious, as that nearest Costco is more than 30km distant, and driving 30km anywhere in Sydney is a pain :sweat_smile:

2 Likes
12

I find typically that the premium 98 is a better saving than the normal unleaded. While both save money the premium 98 has always been at 20c or more saving per litre than all the areas around us, we have saved as much as 42 cents a litre in the Ipswich area. This very high saving is not the typical and I would hazard that the average saving is more likely in the range of 26 cents a litre. Each State is also probably different in their savings as well. Over a year the $60 family membership is easily saved for regular filler uppers. Just as info the distance travelled to and from the Costco for us us would be around 15 km each way.

1 Like
13

I saved roughly $6k on hearing aids by going to Costco. The audiologists were thoroughly professional and the services is superb. Batteries cost about $16 for a six month supply.

I get diesel there about 15c/l less than anywhere else.

My only complaint is that their beef is grain fed, but their other meat is very good.

4 Likes
14

My wife and I joined Costco back in 2016. We started off by doing comparisons against the local supermarket chains websites while we were in-store; a lot of items were cheaper, but not all of them.

We mostly pick up non-perishables, toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, cat litter, toiletries - all that sort of stuff. My wife does buy petrol there but I find it too busy for my tastes (Epping in Victoria). Lately we’ve branched out to things like margarine, cheese. We did purchase meat for a while but had a bad experience when a pack of chicken breasts went bad on the way home, Costco refunded with no questions asked. You might need to bring an Esky with ice blocks if you want to purchase stuff that will go bad quickly.

One thing that was important to me is that the Costco parent company in the US treats its employees well. I’m not sure if it extends to Australia yet, but I’d rather support a company that is doing the right thing by it’s employees, than ones who are doing everything possible to reduce their payroll spend.

EDIT: While I was writing this the monthly coupon email popped into my mailbox, I have attached if you want a look. Costco Coupons

4 Likes
15

btw, the ‘coupons’ are just their way of making sale prices, no clipping and carrying them is required. The ‘coupon prices’ are posted and ring at the tills.

1 Like
16

What we don’t buy

  • Electronics: I find it’s far cheaper to buy electronics from eBay, amazon or when there are good sales on Jb Hi Fi, Big W, etc
  • The things that go 50% sales on Woolies and Coles
    • Toothpaste, mouth wash, coffee, chocolates, certain brands of shampoo, etc
  • Fresh fruits and veggies: we bought them a few times from Costco and found out that the freshness was not there
  • Wines and spirits (prices are better elsewhere)

What we buy

  • Jackets and hoodies
  • Salads, salmon (Tasmanian)
  • Nuts: Almonds (very good quality), nut mixes,
  • Chia seeds and other organic seeds
  • Rice (basmati and brown rice)
  • Roast chicken
  • Vitamins (Kirkland brand)

What we have found was that if you waste food, the benefit is not there. And it’s easy to overspend and buy things in large quantities.

3 Likes
17

We’ve been members for a couple of years. Mostly enjoy the different range of products you can’t really get elsewhere in Australia. If interested in seeing, we post videos on YouTube: search Costco Christmas Tree Australia for a good example.

We’re not big shoppers and find most grocery prices can be had cheaper at regular supermarkets when on sale. And we live 45mins from the nearest store, so only drop in a few times.

So to us we don’t necessarily save money with the membership. For us, it’s getting access to different products.

2 Likes
18

I suggest you always peruse their stock because while you are usually correct that there are no great deals, I have found some excellent buys. A certain major T* vineyard sells a nice premium red blend at $45, for their club members $40. Found it at Costco for $30 in quantities of one. Not found at Dan’s or most other shops…

2 Likes
19

I became a Costco member whilst living in Northern Canada , where a round trip to a decent size town was about 6 hours depending on the time of year . Given the distance bulk buying from Costco was perfect .
Now living in Australia I do still shop from time to time at Costco because I find the quality of their food items to be very good. Its always fun to stock up on my north american treats , such as orange cheese slices and Canadian Bacon and other chemically ridden items that i miss :slight_smile:
Their mince is a really good price $7.99 per kilo and under 10% fat plus it freezers well .

I always make sure my car is in need of gas , as I find Costco’s prices around 10 cents a litre cheaper than where i live .

My advice for shopping at Costco is know your prices. Look at the breakdown cost i.e. how much per litre or per gram or per kilo. That way you can compare apples with apples .

3 Likes
20

Great fan of Costco’s Kirkland cotton goods. American qualty cottons are excellent for wash fastness; colour fastness, and shrinkage. Plus Kirkland is great value even as exchange rate goes against us.Their American made hardware is always solid and well made. Less certain if bulk buying of food at Costco’s is any better value than Aldi.

3 Likes
21

I found the last petrol purchased at Costco was 40c per litre cheaper than just down the road! You don’t take very long to save the $55 membership fee (business) at that rate. The chickens are SO cheap and really good. We found clothing not as cheap as Kmart or similar. Their vitamins are usually in bigger containers and cheaper than a chemist. Tissues are cheaper than Aldi, who is the next cheapest. We purchase other food products, cheeses, frozen chinese meals and find them very good & cheap. Prepared pizzas & lunches are amazing value.

3 Likes
22

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on Costco. Here’s our advice on the best ways to snag a bargain:

4 Likes