Anyone with a COSTCO membership?

airmenair

airmenair

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Joined
Aug 18, 2005
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Location
Arlington, Texas, USA
I'm thinking about getting a membership for my roomates and I to share now that it is the closest grocery store to my new place. I would get the basic $50 membership. Before I do so I wanted to ask existing members a few questions.

1. Would there by any savings amongst an apartment of 3 people?

2. Could I get 3 membership cards for 1 $50 membership?

3. Anything else I should know before I join?

Thanks.
 
I don't have a card myself, but I sometimes go with my parents. Some answers:

1. Yes, the savings will be quite substantial, and the more people in your household the better. In fact, Costco would be a waste for single dwellers because everything would go bad before you had a chance to eat them.

2. I think you can get 2 cards per account, and it might only be for people related to the original cardholder.

3. I dunno, it's a decent place. It's no fun if you like browsing grocery shops (go to Whole Foods for that). Basically, only thing to remember is don't get carried away and buy too much because the portions are simply mammoth.

Everyone's got their favourite things at Costco. I like the croissants and these fruity cracker things which are pretty good by themselves. The best thing about Costco is you'd never expect it to sell the variety of stuff it does - I saw they had caskets in a SoCal store. Caskets for crying out loud!
 
Yeah, had one for a while. But it's a business or executive membership and I get 2% back.

I can't really answer your other questions.
 
My grandma first got us into Costco and my parents now both have membership cards, and as far as I know, you can bring people with you as "Guests" as long as one person in your party has a membership. So if one of you got a membership, the rest of you could go along, too. I don't know how this works, though, if its only a one time thing or what so you'd probably want to check.

And savings? Definitely. Buying things in bulk how Costco sells will definitely save you money, because you can buy enough for everyone in the house on just one trip out. And it usually lasts a while, so you don't have to go shopping quite as frequently.

Also, Costco also sells like electronics and other things so if you're like me ((Me: OOH SHINY! Mom: -facepalm-)) you probably best steer clear of that stuff or you'll end up buying a lot of extra things. Trust me, its easy to get carried away at Costco. My parents refuse to take me shopping with them anymore cos I get so easily distracted by, well, everything. :p
 
Yea the whole thing seems kind of bizarre to me. Not being able to go into the store without a membership like there is some massive secret held there. (I suppose there are logical reasons for it tho). About buying things there, can you only buy things in large quantities or is that just where all the savings are? I confess to being pretty ignorant about the place
 
^ Pretty much everything is in bulk... but if you have 3 people in your house it should work out well.

The membership system is a little weird, but that's why the savings are incredible. If you thought Walmart was cheap, you should see Costco.
 
You end up buying things you don't need.

Yes, you might save money, but you need to have the room for buying in bulk. I honestly don't have room for 48 rolls of toilet paper unless I start putting it in different rooms...which is just silly...and my girlfriend and I will never go through a gallon of ketchup. I used to buy bagels, but every time I had one, I'd think "Hmm...even though these are Noah's bagels, this is just making me crave a real & fresh Noah's bagel..."

Yesh, they have electronics, movies and books...and sure their regular price is a bit cheaper than, say, Best Buy's regular price...but they don't usually compare to decent sale prices everywhere else, or even Newegg.

Yes, you can bring one guest any time you want. They don't "check" as long as one person is holding up a card when you walk in. They do frown upon multiple transactions. They've done it, but you can tell they get annoyed.

We were members for two years. I found that I bought WAY too much when I went there, and the prices started to creep up. For instance, Odwalla OJ used to be $4.49 a gallon. It's like $7-8 now. Once I realized the only things I bought there were Shampoo and conditioner, 3-packs of deoderant and 36 packs of Mt. Dew, and the occasional tray of wraps for a work thing... savings just weren't there to justify not only the membership fee, but the fact that I'd have to make a special trip just for those few items and deal with the parking and the idiots who shop there who act as though they've never pushed a cart before in their lives.

I mean, The bottle of shampoo I was buying turned out to be 4 cents/oz cheaper than at Target. Whoopie. I did the math once, and I figured I'd have to buy exactly what I was buying just to break even. Personally, I'd rather not go there, and pay the extra little bit and not have to make a special trip to Costco just for those things.

If you share your living space with 2 other people...will you buy toilet paper? Are you going to split the 48 rolls, 16-each, and write each other checks? Or will you each have your own 48-pack. :p If it were a family of 3, and all the money was just coming from a joint account, or something, then it would probably be worth it.
 
airmenair said:
Yea the whole thing seems kind of bizarre to me. Not being able to go into the store without a membership like there is some massive secret held there. (I suppose there are logical reasons for it tho). About buying things there, can you only buy things in large quantities or is that just where all the savings are? I confess to being pretty ignorant about the place
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Most things are packaged in a way so you can only buy larger quantities. Like...a 3-pack of Ketchup. Hunt's will knock down the price, even though it's just two regular bottles shrink-wrapped together, because you're buying two. Normally, they'd make $0.80 proffit on each bottle, but by selling you two as a slightly lower price, they may only be making $0.50 per bottle, but you're buying two, so they are getting $1.00 from your purchase of two bottles.

Some things just come in astronomically-large containers...25lbs bags of rice, gallon bottles of Soy Sauce, etc.

Also, they buy in very large quantities because they have a limited selection, and get a better price up-front.

There are a lot of stores that you need to be a member of, though...not just Costco and Sam's Club. There's a place called "Direct Buy" that's like Costco, but for furniture and appliances (granted...UGLY furniture and appliances) but you do save money with your membership if, say, you're planning on redoing your kitchen.
 
My family used to have a membership to Sam's Club, I loved going in on the weekend and gorging myself on free samples dished out by doting old ladies who get cranky if you don't immediately buy a 4lb box of fried wontons. Or go to the same sample stand 5-6 times.
 
A few years ago, my girlfriend was a Gelato Classico sampler. :p She grew a to-the-bone distaste for most Americans in her brief time there. Just people pointing and grunting...no please, no thank you. Just "Uh....ugh..."
 
BlaRo said:
I once got a postcard in the mail around December that said, "Think BJs for your holiday cheer!"

Well, I did. :wicked:
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I should have put in an application there :lol:
where do you work? BJ'S!
 
How many people were you shopping for?

Usually my roomates and I buy food separately since we eat different things so I'm not sure if group shopping is the answer. Is it worth it for essentially a 1 person membership? The idea I'm getting is no.
 
airmenair said:
How many people were you shopping for?

Usually my roomates and I buy food separately since we eat different things so I'm not sure if group shopping is the answer. Is it worth it for essentially a 1 person membership? The idea I'm getting is no.
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There might be a few items that you'll all use, but if you all eat completely different things then it's probably not worth it.
 
And if you get the Costco AmEx card, you get 5% back on all gas-purchases.
 
katwalk said:
I should have put in an application there :lol:
where do you work? BJ'S!
Click to expand...

Even better:

Q: So where do you work?
A: Oh, I work for bj's.
Q#2: Wouldn't you rather work for money?
 
Bottom line, costco membership isnt really worth it for college students who are living in temporary housing.
 
We are indian, so naturally our family has a card...actually 2 of the Amex ones.

Its worth it, but we always get carried away. I would not recommend it for only one person though.
 
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