<p>Everyone I know loves Costco and raves about it constantly. There’s one about a 20 mins drive from our house, and years ago I was a member for a year, but found that I was bringing home too many boxes of brownies, jugs of mayo that my family of four would never consume, etc. so I let it lapse. I went in last Saturday to see if it had changed, and ended up getting one of those Amex Costco cards…not sure WHY I did that! So 250.00 later I have a garage closet filled with batteries, TP, TIde, etc. and am kicking myself. Was it worth it? I’m not sure… The books I can get cheaper on my IPAD, and wine is cheaper at some of the wine world type places around town. The roasted chickens were a good buy, but for the gas and time to get there and back…Am I missing something? I couldn’t buy ONE loaf of bread or 12 eggs…the quantities seem like they’re more for an army??</p>
<p>I agree. My wife shops there for our family of four about 5 or 6 times a year. I don’t go near the place.</p>
<p>We have a Costco very close by so it’s not out of my way to go in and grab a chicken or pizza for dinner. When our 2 girls were younger there were some things I would get there on a regular basis, but I don’t have a lot of storage in our small house so it was never worth it to buy huge quantities of anything. This summer they had really nice large beach towels so I bought 4 as we needed to replace some old ones we had. My husband gets gas at the Costco by his work which is always the lowest price gas around.</p>
<p>I think many of Costco’s customers have large families, or, in some cases are small businesses getting out from under their distributors. </p>
<p>We buy some food at costco, and like their chicken, and hamburger. But I agree about the syndrome of coming home with a three year supply of batteries, tylenol, and razor blades. 
I also buy all my tires there, if possible. </p>
<p>It is a funny store, but they’re doing something right. Recent sales figures are up 6% over last year. The stock market likes the company. They went out and borrowed a fair amount last year to pay a special dividend to shareholders ahead of the 2013 tax increase.</p>
<p>Their pretax income is roughly equal to their membership fees, which means that they are selling their merchandise, taken as a whole, at cost. (Their cost may be higher than others, though, since they have a reputation for paying employees better than other retailers.)</p>
<p>I love Costco!! My grandmother has a membership there, and we usually go there once a week, sometimes every other. </p>
<p>A.) we hit up all the free samples for lunch
B.) we buy things in bulk for both my mom and I and my uncle and his family, like toilet paper, paper towels, ketchup, basically anything we use every day and that won’t spoil.
C.) she gets her glasses there because I guess it’s cheaper than her doctor’s store
D.) she buys some electronics (when they’re appropriately priced) and any type of outdoorsy item that might be of use/on sale
E.) Cheaper gas
F.) she has a partnership thing with American Express so that she gets points back that are applicable to Costco. She gets at least $100 a year, which covers any waste from time-to-time and maybe even the gas to get there (even though she lives a couple miles away.) </p>
<p>For us, Costco is a good, good thing. :)</p>
<p>I dont generally buy food there, as it is just the two of us.
I buy magazines, reading glasses( how smart is it for them to come in packs?) ;),
Underwear, socks, bathing suits, cashmere sweaters, towels, bedding, jeans, tops & jackets, flannel shirts, printer paper, appliances, books for xmas presents, prescription glasses( really good prices)landscaping materials ( bought enough emerald green thuja for a hedge- very healthy)…
I also buy gas & use their car wash. ( we also buy tires)
Their return policy makes buying things risk free.
Oh & the $1.50 hot dog & soda.</p>
<p>^ the $1.50 hot dog and pop tempts me every time ;)</p>
<p>Our gas savings alone more than make up for our membership fee. Of course it helps if you live/work nearby.</p>
<p>I am with you 100%! We have a membership but only go there about 6 times a year when we need to load up on paper products and K-cups, etc.</p>
<p>The rest of the time, I’d much rather skip the confusion, concrete and harsh lighting by going to my friendly local grocery store. It’s pleasant, I know where to find things, and I don’t buy a bunch of stuff in bulk that I don’t need.</p>
<p>I also have a hearing aid that I got at Costco. Their audiologist was better than my Yale-educated ENT’s audiologist, and the price was about 2/3 of what it would cost at the ENT associated dispenser.</p>
<p>Momx gets her glasses at costco at about 1/2 of what the local opticians charge.</p>
<p>I usually buy my tax prep software from them, and I get summer/spring garden plants at prices that are half the local nursery’s level. </p>
<p>I am glad that I’m not in a business that has to compete against them.</p>
<p>Gas, printer ink, photo service, movie tickets, flowers, etc. Great return policy. Also, Costco Travel has saved me a bundle on rental cars. Cannot remember the last time that I did not book cars with them, as they are consistently the best deal. Wish the 2% back would apply to travel!</p>
<p>No gas at the Costco 15 min away from me. 
I would have to drive quite farther to ‘save’ on gas at the next one.</p>
<p>Otherwise, love Costco.
Yes, free lunch while shopping.
Extended warranty on electronics.
Unbelievable return policy on products.
BabyBell lite cheese thingys, eggs that don’t go bad, frozen meatballs, whole wheat flat breads for lunches, frozen sirloin beef patties that go right onto the grill, Chobani yogurts, paper towels, bathing suits, underwear, socks, ibuprophen, chocolate covered almonds, photo processing, and the BEST $1.59ish Very Berry frozen yogurt sundae!</p>
<p>There are just the two of us, but we still shop at Costco. It is the closest grocery store for us, and their produce and fresh fish prices are unbeatable (the quality easily rivals Whole Foods). I avoid the middle isles just like I do at any other grocery store…</p>
<p>I also discovered that their car rental prices are the lowest, if you need a car in a busy location on a short notice.</p>
<p>I have a good friend who goes there often and loves it; I have tried it and it doesn’t work for me, and here’s what I think are the reasons:</p>
<p>My friend can go during the week (whereas I work full time so I can only go on weekends when it’s really crowded which automatically makes it harder to park and navigate the aisles and check out)</p>
<p>My friend has lots of storage space in her house so when she gets good deals on buying in bulk, she can store it easily (whereas I have limited storage)</p>
<p>Her kids eat the same food as her and her husband so she can buy large quantities of a certain food they all love (whereas my family’s tastes only converge on a few items)</p>
<p>My friend entertains a lot and gets invited to parties where she’s supposed to bring something, and she swears by the pre-made crudite trays and appetizers and desserts. We entertain far less often and when we bring something, it’s usually wine or a dessert we picked up in the city.</p>
<p>OP it’s interesting what you said:
</p>
<p>Do you find you’re more likely to buy stuff you don’t need at a Costco?</p>
<p>Ballard Market is the closest grocery store to us, so I am a little spoiled.
Good to know about the car rentals.</p>
<p>We have a BJ’s near us, we pass on the way home from work. We’re there at least every other week. It really depends on your shopping habits. I buy our meats and freeze portion. We save the price of membership just on milk each week, but also get most of our non perishables and paper products. The deli is probably save the most. The cold cuts we prefer are usually about $7-8 there vs $11-12 elsewhere. BJ’s accepts coupns too, so I don’t miss out on using those. If it were out of the way, we wouldn’t go as often, but it would still be worth it to us. It would just require better planning. Because I’m there regularly, I don’t impulse shop.</p>
<p>Agreed on the gas if you live or pass by it enough. </p>
<p>I still think Costco is not just for large families. </p>
<p>The things you DON’T have to buy in large quantity/sizes (but that are still cheaper than other places):
Clothing
Small appliances
The photo, optical, pharmacy services
Electronics
Baked goods (cookies, pies, fresh baked bread, etc.)
Frontline for dogs
Gallon of milk - always much cheaper than the grocery!</p>
<p>And then you need to learn “restraint” and good judgement on other stuff. The Tide might be a great buy but do you need/want a barrel full of it - if not, say no! </p>
<p>I love buying the 3 dozen pack of eggs and then knowing they will last me a month (or whatever) - I fill up the egg bin in my refrig and stick the extra dozen and a half carton underneath the bin. </p>
<p>I am not a fan of buying meat at traditional grocery stores so I like going to Costco and getting the big packs of hamburger or pork chops then just break at down into 1 lb packages or 4 chop packages and still it in the freezer - then I don’t have to even bother buying hamburger or whatever meat for awhile. </p>
<p>And while I understand that for some people Costco is quite a drive, if it’s NOT, I think you can also change your frame of mind (if you have it) that you don’t have to go in and fill your cart or go down every aisle each time. I sometimes run in with a list of 5 things, grab them and check out. </p>
<p>You can’t blame/knock Costco for your own shopping shortfalls (not saying OP is, but I have heard people do this!). You just need to make good decisions just like when you enter any other store. Then again, if you don’t like the atmosphere, the selection, the process, maybe Costco isn’t for you!!</p>
<p>The thing that does drive me insane, is that some things are moved in the store. Its hard for me to shuffle through the warehouse, but when restocking items get placed where there is room- in the " general" vicinity of where it was before.
So lots of wandering up and down the aisles.
Or you can find something that is an amazing deal, come back two days later and it is gone.
Sizing availability can also be a pita. Unless you get there at just the right time, the small sizes are gone or buried. I have had very nice employees dig through the pile for me without me even having to ask however.</p>
<p>I shop less for food at Costco as the kids grow up and move out. With 2 daughters, the women’s hygiene products have been a good deal, also shampoo/conditioner, razor blades, contact solution, sunscreen, face wash, vitamins, etc. I do like the meat and freeze it, also the frozen blueberries in 4 lb bags. I shopped there a lot when I was stocking the concession stand for my D’s sport team. They have a good price for contacts. I bought my Keurig there and order K-cups online with free shipping. My H bought his parents’ big screen TV, we got a nice room heater, I bought a couple of suitcases to get my D to college, and the rental cars and gas prices are good. The prices for checks are good, but I hardly write checks anymore. No wine here in PA!</p>
<p>We have a Costco close by, but it (and particularly its parking lot) are so overwhelming that we don’t belong. We travel across the state line to shop at Wegmans. My husband and son will absolutely never eat frozen meat, but the whole eyeglasses thing makes me wonder if we should check it out for stuff like that because all three kids wear contacts.</p>