What do I want from Costco?

[muted]

This thread confirms my uneducated opinion that Costco only has about 2 dozen worthy things, all conveniently spread out in a store the size of a small airport.

I buy contacts, dog food, and sometimes tires there. I got a few new ideas from this thread but not many.

[riser4]

When I used to work near the Colchester VT Costco (that was 20 years ago, wow time flies), a typical lunch was exactly that. A quick tour of the appetizers/free samples, then a chicken bake. Filling lunch for under $3!

That's my Costco. Now with gasoline, but only at weird hours because of the VT Gasoline Cartel.

[Danno]

This thread confirms my uneducated opinion that Costco only has about 2 dozen worthy things, all conveniently spread out in a store the size of a small airport.

[Dantheman]

This thread confirms my uneducated opinion that Costco only has about 2 dozen worthy things, all conveniently spread out in a store the size of a small airport.

I buy contacts, dog food, and sometimes tires there. I got a few new ideas from this thread but not many.

If you're already a member you're a fool to not buy TP, cleaning supplies and other non-perishables while you're there. A 18 oz flat of blueberries costs the same a little 6 oz box at the grocery store and they're consistently higher-quality. Also, JOJO's chocolate.

[muted]

Amazing GIF, not sure where that us from? All I can say is Costco isn't that much cheaper than Winco or Walmart these days, but Costco has the benefit of being insanely crowded from the second it opens even on a weekday. Or when Costco does have cheaper shit the quantity is too much. The pre-made quick dinners all have an insane amount of salt in, so besides some pre-made asian wraps etc that shit is useless too. I don't like the place. Unless I had 4+ kids that consume food quickly, or if I had a bigger house to store more shit, I don't get the appeal of the place.

But I am learning a few things from this thread.

[muted]

If you're already a member you're a fool to not buy TP, cleaning supplies and other non-perishables while you're there. A 18 oz flat of blueberries costs the same a little 6 oz box at the grocery store and they're consistently higher-quality. Also, JOJO's chocolate.

I go through 6oz of blueberries a week, not 18oz. Also 1 pound of strawberries a week, they go bad quick I'm not buying 2 pounds. TP is not cheaper at Costco, last time I calculated a year ago. Cleaning supplies...my wife is a clean freak (almost typed anal freak and thought better of it) and we have two young messy kids....we don't go through a lot. What will I save, $5 a year? Our cleaning closet is small, I just did the bottle shuffle this morning there finding the toilet spray, I don't want bigger bottles. No room.

[plugboots]

Unless I had 4+ kids that consume food quickly, or if I had a bigger house to store more shit, I don't get the appeal of the place.

Exactly, don't go, help a more local business.
The one I go to is just a couple miles away, and near the other stores I go to on a regular basis. Also, I reeeeally hated the place before the self-checkout, but their's is very efficient, (esp. for wine, since they use the handheld unit), and the demographic of the typical shopper there is ascared of duh things, so no line.

[Dantheman]

Does Walmart offer a credit card that pays 4% on gas purchased anywhere, and 2% on all in-house purchases? No, no it doesn't. That 2%/4% is also straight cash, not points or other limited-use rewards. There's also the 90-day returns (even on electronics, which is otherwise unheard of), automatic doubling of factory warranties on products, and if bought on the Costco Visa those warranties double again to 4 years. A 4-year warranty on consumer electronics is unbelievable.

Walmart also treats it's employees and customers like dog shit, while Costco treats its people well and the service is usually excellent even when it's super busy. There has to be at least a 20-point delta between the IQ of the average Costco and Walmart employee. I have to buy shit somewhere, there's a lot of good reasons for that somewhere to be Costco instead of Walmart.

[Dantheman]

I go through 6oz of blueberries a week, not 18oz.

I barely consider 6 oz a serving. If I shop on Sunday that 18 oz flat is lucky to last past Tuesday. Sometimes I buy two. Regardless, even if half rot you still paid the same for more, which I think still counts as a win.

Cleaning supplies...my wife is a clean freak (almost typed anal freak and thought better of it) and we have two young messy kids....we don't go through a lot. What will I save, $5 a year? Our cleaning closet is small, I just did the bottle shuffle this morning there finding the toilet spray, I don't want bigger bottles. No room.

That one is more about not having to worry about running out. We also have a small house and don't seem to have a problem storing it, but could see it posing a problem in some houses.

[doebedoe]

Things I pretty frequently buy from Costco:

- Kerrygold butter
- Bully sticks and dog food
- Trail snacks
- Coffee
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Bread flour
- Cheese
- Mobile1 Full Synth Oil
- yearly Running/ski touring gloves (Head)
- par-done tortillas
- Greek yogurt
- various fruit....blueberries, strawberries, clementine's


Rarely buy TP anymore. Bidet for life.

[Danno]

With a family of just 3, buying virtually no electronics, I find Costco very worthwhile. Their meats and cheese are great quality for a good to fantastic price (the same cheese at the grocery store is double or triple the price). They have lots of other food items I am willing to buy in mega size, I buy clothes (not so much anymore due to the pandemic), cleaning supplies, batteries, random shit. I find very very little that I buy there gets wasted.

And I do not assume that their prices are the lowest; I used to buy canned vegetables in bulk (long story), and would shop local grocery stores and costco. What I discovered is that for off the shelf name brand prices at both places, Costco was always better. But name brand at costco vs supermarket brand? Not usually better. And definitely not better when the grocery store has a sale.

So, yeah, if you're an idjit that buys from costco because you assume it's cheap, and you waste a ton, then maybe it loses you money. For me and my family, it saves us money and time.

[muted]

Does Walmart offer a credit card that pays 4% on gas purchased anywhere, and 2% on all in-house purchases? No, no it doesn't. That 2%/4% is also straight cash, not points or other limited-use rewards. There's also the 90-day returns (even on electronics, which is otherwise unheard of), automatic doubling of factory warranties on products, and if bought on the Costco Visa those warranties double again to 4 years. A 4-year warranty on consumer electronics is unbelievable.

Walmart also treats it's employees and customers like dog shit, while Costco treats its people well and the service is usually excellent even when it's super busy. There has to be at least a 20-point delta between the IQ of the average Costco and Walmart employee. I have to buy shit somewhere, there's a lot of good reasons for that somewhere to be Costco instead of Walmart.

Walmart doesn't offer a CC but my current CC is rated the best deal out there. 4% on gas is great though, but not useful for my electric car. Would be good for my van though on road trips. The 2% household is in-Costco only, which I clearly do not like. Electronics are rarely bought in my house, and they rarely break.

I'm not into wasting food for any reason. I'm not running out of cleaning supplies often when I grocery shop once a week because we need fresh produce.

Maybe I need a private Costco coach to take me there one day and let me see the light? I'm clearly missing something. If they sold alcohol in UT, I suppose I'd understand.

[XXX-er]

a buddy worked there and he gave us a laundry list of fucked up things costco did, sez they thru out MANY pallets of fruit cuz the ordering was done from somewhere else but they didnt just order less they recieved it and thru it out when rotten

Same with baking they ordered/ made things no body bought in this town and thru it out so the bakery wasn't making money so they hire a local baker who knew what people would buy, the baker didnt last cuz Costco knew better

but that was all stuff that didnt matter in the grander scheme of things when you are too big to fail

also some wierd staffing things,

other than the violating personal rights they weren't bad to be an IT contracter for

My buddy stuck it out for a bit working minimum hrs mostly cuz of the dental plan

[BCMtnHound]

I must admit that flying into Maui with the family the couple of times I've suffered a beach vacation during the height of glorious winter, I was impressed with the Costco 10min from the airport. And smiling and waving to all the other passengers just off the same flight that are also there to stock up on clothing, beach toys, food and booze for the 2wk stay. For that particular purpose, I'm glad the MIL has a Costco membership

[Danno]

a buddy worked there and he gave us a laundry list of fucked up things costco did, sez they thru out MANY pallets of fruit cuz the ordering was done from somewhere else but they didnt just order less they recieved it and thru it out when rotten

Same with baking they ordered/ made things no body bought in this town and thru it out so the bakery wasn't making money so they hire a local baker who knew what people would buy, the baker didnt last cuz Costco knew better

but that was all stuff that didnt matter in the grander scheme of things when you are too big to fail

also some wierd staffing things,

other than the violating personal rights they weren't bad to be an IT contracter for

My buddy stuck it out for a bit working minimum hrs mostly cuz of the dental plan

As a counterpoint to this, I worked at a food bank/soup kitchen in Vermont, and the Costco there was BY FAR our largest donor. Every damn day they would give us tons of baked goods and produce rather than throw it out. They were super easy to work with and very interested in supporting their community.

I don't know if decisions like that are corporate or by store, but if corporate then your buddy is simply wrong or "his" costco was run by shitheads, and if by store, then I don't know why the store he worked at and the one I worked with are so different (again, maybe "his" store was run by shitheads).

[muted]

Deep down I feel like I am missing out but I can't put my finger on why, I guess gotta give the pace another chance. But I already save a huge amount yearly on contacts and dog food as is.

and doebedoe I've heard about these legendary cheap Head gloves, haven't seen them to snag them though! Will get oil there too, first time needing oil in over a decade. Finally own a vehicle I can work on again, and no it's not electric.

[skaredshtles]

I think if you can't get through 18oz of blueberries or a pound of strawberries before they go bad, you need to eat more fruit.

[XXX-er]

fucking Canadains eh ?

think about it, if you are looking for handouts the best place to look would be a store that thro's a lot of food out cuz they/someone don't care, costco,probably save on dumpster tipping fees giving the food away instead of trhowing it out

but seriuosly he was looking at it from a money making perspective telling us how much red ink the store was bleeding cuz of policy as opposed to actualy making sound business decisions

so your goals and what he percieved should be the corporate goals were diametricaly opposed

and they were fucking canadains eh

edit: buddy has gone on to own/run a very sucessful bidness

[skaredshtles]

More regular stuff:

Pound of baby spinach
Pound of mixed greens
Bulgogi dumplings
Eggs - during the pandemic I've been buying 10 dozen when I go
Tortilla chips

[Boissal]

For me it's worth it just for the cheeses. I go a couple times a month and get some comte, some extra sharp cheddar, either smoked gouda or a big old bock of swiss, parmesan, goat, etc... The average cheeses there are good and cheaper than anywhere else. The good cheeses are 1/5th of the price of Caputos which is the only other place in SLC to find something that isn't orange and made of plastic.
Dog & cat food, olive oil, gigantic jar of minced garlic that never goes bad, dehydrated hash browns, nuts + chocolate chips & dried fruits to make touring food (sardines for the big days), contact solution for the price of water, fresh fruit and huge bags of leafy greens for Ms Boissal's smoothies, the occasional glorious chunk of tuna/salmon/crab/mussels...

I probably haven't bought more than 25 separate items from there but I'd be bent if they went away. Ms B works across the parking lot from their store but can't go in there without coming back with $500 worth of shit so Costco is my chore. I pop in at random times and have never waited in line more than a couple of minutes. The membership pays for itself 4x over and the cost of gas makes commuting in a Taco slightly less traumatic.

Best use of Costco though is to get food for hut trips. Every time I've been to Canadia there was a massive Costco run prior to the drive. It's amazing how convenient the place is to source the proper amount of grub to feed 20 hungry people for a few meals. And the snacks are the proper size for a full week of non-stop eating.

[MarcusBrody]

It's $1.99 for a slice that will stop the kids from bitching during the entire the grocery run. That doesn't make it good, that makes it amazing. And for kids parties, two 18" pizzas, a sheet cake, and a gallon of ice cream and I'm a birthday hero that just fed 30 kids for $40 out the door and nearly zero effort. You can't get a XL gourmet fancy pants pizza for that price. Apples and oranges my friend.

And my C still has the polish dogs, but the real question is Turkey Prov sandwich vs. Chicken Bake.

Pre-covid this was my son and my thing. I was the Costco shopper in the family and I would take him along to get him out of my wife's hair. He agreed as he liked to get the pizza. He was 2-3 so he rarely got to go out to eat anywhere so I would hype it up and he liked it. He's always been a skinny guy and picky eater, so 2/3 of a Costco pizza slice was among the biggest single chunks of calories he'd get.

One of the few disagreements my wife and I have had over child rearing was when she used not getting pizza with me when we went as a threat to get him to stop doing something and then told him he couldn't. I didn't get it so as to not undermine her authority, but made it clear that in the future I'd strongly prefer that she not threaten to take away parts of our ritual.

[Dantheman]

Pre-covid this was my son and my thing. I was the Costco shopper in the family and I would take him along to get him out of my wife's hair. He agreed as he liked to get the pizza. He was 2-3 so he rarely got to go out to eat anywhere so I would hype it up and he liked it. He's always been a skinny guy and picky eater, so 2/3 of a Costco pizza slice was among the biggest single chunks of calories he'd get.

Hah, this was me exactly for years until COVID.

[abraham]

As a counterpoint to this, I worked at a food bank/soup kitchen in Vermont, and the Costco there was BY FAR our largest donor. Every damn day they would give us tons of baked goods and produce rather than throw it out. They were super easy to work with and very interested in supporting their community.

I don't know if decisions like that are corporate or by store, but if corporate then your buddy is simply wrong or "his" costco was run by shitheads, and if by store, then I don't know why the store he worked at and the one I worked with are so different (again, maybe "his" store was run by shitheads).

Keep in mind xxxer's stories are probably from back when they'd use pneumatic tubes to the registers for large amounts of cash and maybe checks. I thought this things were so fucking cool when we'd go to Costco after soccer games as a kid. I thought it I ever had a big business I'd offer sandwiches that had to fit in the tubes and could be delivered to every person's work area.

[Danno]

Best use of Costco though is to get food for hut trips.

that's what got me to finally spring for a membership even when I was a single guy. I finally got so annoyed that I couldn't shop there when prepping for hut trips that I decided $50 was worth it to not be annoyed. Now, with a wife and kid, the membership is actually worth it.

[XXX-er]

Keep in mind xxxer's stories are probably from back when they'd use pneumatic tubes to the registers for large amounts of cash and maybe checks. I thought this things were so fucking cool when we'd go to Costco after soccer games as a kid. I thought it I ever had a big business I'd offer sandwiches that had to fit in the tubes and could be delivered to every person's work area.

Abacus dude and they were all communicating on a loop later HW was token ring