I was just wondering if Costco is worth it… I've heard that its cheaper with regular prices but that the supermarkets beat their Costco's during sales.
Also what can you buy in bulk? And does it have things for expecting mothers - e.g. baby car seats, baby clothes, as well as regular furniture, tvs, etc.
Is it cheaper than Aldi, Best and Less, and Target?
Thanks in advance!
Costco will sell at around or maybe less than supermarket's specials.
Worth the membership if you go there every week at the least and buy the right things.
This thread has some useful ideas for you about the good and the bad sides to Costco. Happy reading.
When i went and used my AMEX card for the $60 off deal, i found the prices quite good.
A tub of Peanut butter (American Style) 1.2Kg for $8 while woolies sell Kraft 750grams for ~ $8 .
Also they had 1Kg of Swiss cheese squares for ~ $13 while in wollies 200 grams is for $4.50).
Free range eggs 18pk was $5, in woolies $7.50.
2Kg of Greek Yougurt $5.50, in woolies $8 - $9.
The laundry powder in Bulk (10kg) is cheap too.
So depends what your buying and frequency of visits. But overall what you pay in membership ends up paying itself + more in savings.
Don't forget the hot/ready food, $15 XL pizza, the hotdog/drink combo…. I'm feeling hungry already :P
I think buying in bulk always saves moneyy, given it is for the right amount, i.e. cheaper than buying single. I hope Costco is what I think it is, as I'm close to considering a membership there.
If you are buying in bulk, yes its worth it but you need to keep an eye out if you are getting good prices. Apparently prices with a non-generic amount of cents (eg 99c) are discounted from their normal price and others arent. Doesnt make sense but apparently its true…
I will never forgetseeing 16 muffins in gthe tray and thinking I would need to be in a family of 5 or 6 to not waste the food in the amounts sold here.
Costco can save money, but it can also lead to a lot of wasted food. Coin flips both ways, but the membership fee only goes one way.
You can join and if you don't see value you can ask for a refund on your membership at any time. Everything they sell in supermarket stuff is bulk buy. They have a lot of electrical but very little in the way of furniture. Their stock changes frequently, they may sell a baby car seat or cot this week but next week, no. They always sell clothes but not sure on how much in baby clothes as my kids are grown up I don't take notice. The only thing I don't ever see value in is their vegetables and fruit, I can almost always get better value elsewhere and I have found their fruit and veg don't last well. I shop there about once every 6 weeks or so and always spend in the $100's, the most I have spent in one shop was $790 and this didn't include any large priced item. There are things you can buy here that you cant get anywhere else (from my experience anyway). It is worth it for me as I have a family of 6.
Is a full refund or pro rata for the membership? Thanks.
Full refund, as far as I know.
Being a Costco fanboy this is a question I get asked a lot. There are a number of people that say if you just shop the specials at the supermarkets and buy in bulk from there you will end up with the same prices so I am putting that to the test on Loaded Trolley (see here for week 1 results.. http://loadedtrolley.com.au/loaded-trolleys-massive-costco-a…). So far for the first week Costco is winning by a significant marging, but lets see where we end up after the full 12 weeks.
As far as baby stuff it is up and down. They normally have a small selection of baby and kids clothes usually brand names/'designer' labels. It is constantly changing so if you see it , like it and like the price you need to buy it because it may not be there next visit (that's Costco's gimmick to get you to buy). Other high volumes stuff for babies such as nappies are always in stock, but not so much in the way of food. Things like furniture can be seasonal so sometimes they have very little or other times, like right now, they have a lot by Costco standards (but not by furniture store standards).
CG
There are "puny specials" and "1/2 price specials", and they make a lot of difference. Any chance that you can indicate the discount percentage of the specials in your loadedtrolley?
I haven't noticed if the Colworths websites indicate the percentage. If they do I will add it in the weekly notes in my spreadsheet. At the end of the 12 weeks I will publish the spreadsheets and price run charts for each line item, so if I don't have the percentage you will at least be able to deduce it from the data and determine what is a big deal or a puny deal.
I probably have not got my value out of my membership this year, but now Ringwood has opened, and possibly Moorabin(5 min from home) I'll go a lot more.
I still enjoy going, seeing what's new, trying different things..
vicinity plays a major role in the cost effectiveness of costco membership
someone living in Manly is not going to rept the same benefits of having a membership from someone living in Auburn
honestly if it is more then a 5-7 min commute i'd say forget about it nothing mind blowingly cheap (In some cases is more expensive) probably better off just buying bulk when the regular supermarkets have sales.
Their almond butter 750gms is fantastic no sugar and just great for $9.99. Same amount expect to pay over $15 at Woolies or Coles.
Freshly made pesto sauce for $9.99 and its a tub worth it. Pesto sauce for 150gms is about $6 at Woolies anyways.
Almonds 1.36kgs $13.89 ,same amount at woolies will set you back at $20
Walnuts the same story but walnuts over $23
Ghirardelli's triple brownie mix great to feed a family for $13.99
Greek yoghurt 2kgs at $5.89
Medjool Organic Dates at $14 for 907gms
Mangoes the other day $13 a tray at ringwood(Special only)
Worth it for some of the stuff.
Some clothes may be cheaper depending on what you want , shorts at $20 (same ones in store at Myer are at $50)
Superdry basics tees at $15 but cost $29 in actual Superdry stores
Just workout online when you are at Costco before you buy. You can still check woolies online or coles online before you buy so you can take a decision before you pay for it at costco.
I only bring this up because there a new Costco about to open 9∼km away from my home. Which much closer compare to the one at Melbourne Docklands.
My family is not any brand loyalist,we can get most of our weekly groceries on special at Colesworth (thanks Savas) or aldi.
For me is mostly about gaming, like Blizzard gift card, Steam credits, PSN cards etc. I also want a Nintendo Switch once they drop down to <300.
So is Costco going to save my family on weekly groceries shopping? Or save me on gaming gift cards if I get them bulk? OR save on other gaming stuff to make it worth it?
Just buy a life time supply of everything in the first year, and don't renew your membership.
How do I even know how much supply I need in my lifetime.
Here are their latest deals:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/129394
Personally, I don't think they seem that great and wouldn't bother with a membership but others obviously disagree judging by the positive votes it has received.