<p>Yes, sometimes, it"s more cost effective to buy a huge Costco container and give away any extra than to buy the small store sized container. It’s not necessarily that the neighborhood stores are trying to rip you off, but they have overhead too and don’t have the bargaining power that Costco does to drive prices as low as possible. They don’t buy in sufficient bulk for that type of leverage.</p>
<p>Interesting to read how each Costco stores can vary state by state depending on state regulations. For me, it is much more cost effective to buy milk at Trader Joe’s which has the cheapest pricing on both milk and eggs around but Costco here only sells milk in packages of 2 gallons… great if you have a large family but since most of the time it’s only DH and I in the house, not cost effective or would go to waste. Their fresh produce is good but they also only sell in large sizes so I ended up throwing away close to half of the 6 quart package of strawberries that DH bought. Our Costco does not offer a food court… but I do see that they sell hot dogs and I think pizza but it is so unappealing looking that I see very few people using it.
We keep a running list and when there are enough items to make it worthwhile, DH will go over and we might pick up something else like their salmon. The check-out lines are so long… always wondered why they didn’t have an express check-out like the supermarket. Agree that their sheet cakes are good and a good value, especially as regular bakeries are now few and far between. We only have one left in our neighborhood when we used to have three and two more not far away. Those sheet cakes were served at all birthday parties in the neighborhood and school events… but those days are long gone on our end.</p>
<p>Our Costco does not have a food court.
Just all those wonderful freebie food samples that I turn into “lunch”.</p>
<p>Prime beef. End of story. Only place to get it around here, and in packs of three New York strip steaks. They also have some of the best seafood in my town, albeit in packages bigger than needed for our family of two, and often farmed. </p>
<p>Always go there when I’m feeding a crowd, like a party or a meeting. We have no Trader Joe or Whole Foods in town. </p>
<p>Also ditto the gas, pine nuts (pignoli), pecans, both stored in the freezer till gone or the new crop, whichever come first. Olive oil, maple syrup, canola spray, parmigiano-regiano, unsalted butter, beef jersey, frozen shrimp, ice scream (Hagan daz), ink jet cartridges, and random stuff we might need that we can review before we buy, like cordless phones, a vacuum sealer. I am so about to get new glasses there. </p>
<p>It helps that mine is three miles from home, and about one from work. It’s actually a bit faster on weekends because there are a lot more lines open. Things don’t seem to move around the store, or at least the things I get. </p>
<p>I did once buy some straw baskets made by women in Africa on impulse.</p>
<p>Underwear.</p>
<p>edad, the pickles remind me of when I bought yeast there. It was an enormous amount of yeast, but only cost, like, $4 which was half the price of the tiny jar they sell in all the local supermarkets.</p>
<p>I always buy yeast there. You put some in a container in the fridge and the rest go into the freezer. It will last indefinitely in the freezer. And it’s an amazing deal compared to what the grocery stores sell.</p>
<p>^^Shrinkrap:</p>
<p>We avoid our Costco on the weekends. Possibly more cashiers open, but tons more people and lines. We are fortunate to work from home so can go at anytime during the day. That helps.</p>
<p>I agree…their beef is rather tasty. We’ve bought tons of foods there. Produce is excellent.
How far does the OP live from a Costco? We love going but try to stick to a list or it’s easy to overspend.</p>
<p>We, too have bought cordless phones there and eye glasses & contacts for our kids. We’ve bought soooo many things over the years and have been 99% happy with our purchases. And they have a very lenient return policy too.</p>
<p>OP: Try it again! Just walk through the isles and see what you need! Great place to buy those huge garbage bags for the kitchen and lawn. And laundry detergent. And dish detergent. And…</p>
<p>You guys are fantastic! I knew that CC was the right place to talk about Costco. I"ve learned a TON and just ordered online 10 Regal movie tickets. Chocci, to answer your question, we live about a 20 mins highway drive away. On the other hand, Target is 4 mins. and I do get 5% off with my Target card…so I’ve made a list like one of the posters does and when its a bit longer I"ll go back. I wish that ours had a gas station but it doesnt.
Here’s another Costco query: Does the inventory change? I get the impression that every once in awhile they’ll pop something in there like someone mentioned African baskets. Is that why people kind of think of it sometimes as a treasure hunt? That’s the way I think of Marshalls!</p>
<p>Yes, inventory can and does change. Especially the middle aisle stuff. Great opportunities to buy seasonal stuff there too. Christmas trees/lights in the winter, nice plans/shrubs in the spring, beach/water sports items in the summer, etc. Food items can change too and sometimes that’s a bummer cause you get used to a product and then it’s gone. </p>
<p>(I love Marshall’s too! Have to drive close to an hour to get to one but when we are close, we def stop!!!)</p>
<p>Honestly, dke, I like Costco much better than Target. Better choices, better prices, yes different items and all around better selection. I do not go to Target EVER to buy foods. They seem to be high priced imo.</p>
<p>So you buy larger items but then you don’t have to go back quite so often! 
(In theory :p)</p>
<p>You’ll wonder why it took you so long to buy from them!</p>
<p>Costco also has these people selling food on a limited-time basis. If those foods sell well enough, Costco will then add the item to inventory. Additionally, as abasket says above, the seasonal inventory changes regularly. Lunch boxes and back-to-school merchandise is in stock and Christmas will be there by Labor Day. Jan brings furniture…spring brings swing sets and garden supplies.</p>
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<p>I love Costco (enough to write about James Sinegal borrowing from Drucker in an application essay) but there are some great items at Target. Give their “fruity” salsa a chance. Target’s private label for such product is excellent. Well, that is if you happen to like salsa, that is! :)</p>
<p>[Archer</a> Farms® Original Mango Peach Medium Th… : Target](<a href=“http://www.target.com/p/archer-farms-original-mango-peach-medium-thick-chunky-salsa-16-oz/-/A-13013190]Archer”>http://www.target.com/p/archer-farms-original-mango-peach-medium-thick-chunky-salsa-16-oz/-/A-13013190)</p>
<p>This thread delivers! Just booked a rental car through Costco travel for the first time and got a great rate. My employer thanks you!</p>
<p>I bought a foam mat that is supposed to be for the kitchen. We have repurposed it for jumping rope with. It does a good job absorbing shock from the jumping was was $4 off for a total of $11 or so. It allows us to jump barefooted without injury.</p>
<p>Yeah…I prefer Target to Costco, also. Just a few minutes away so easy travel. I live right in the middle of 4 Targets so it’s a no brainer for us so I do buy most of my food there with my 5% off. I shop at farmer’s markets for summer produce and we eat very little meat or milk so big items would go to waste for us.</p>
<p>Just to be clear, I don’t mean “prime beef”, I mean “prime”, as in not “choice”. This is “steak-house quality” beef that can be very difficult to get, at least around here. I don’t eat a lot of beef, but when I eat a steak, it’s going to be prime. Most of their beef is choice, but they usually have a section marked prime as well. </p>
<p>[Finding</a> Prime Beef at Your Local Grocery Store - WSJ.com](<a href=“Finding Prime Beef at Your Local Grocery Store - WSJ”>Finding Prime Beef at Your Local Grocery Store - WSJ)</p>
<p>Used to love Target. Still love Costco.Our local Super Target used to have great staff. Lately the employees are so rude my husband refuses to go. I will go to Target maybe once a month for body lotion with spf and a few other items. We used to go every weekend. We go to Costco when they open on the weekends. No samples=no crowds at our Costco. Gas, meat, TV, tires plus paper goods save us significantly more than our membership fee. Love the clothes, but small sizes go quickly and sometimes are not small enough for me:(.</p>