<p>We bought health insurance for our employees there for three years. It was the best price we could find for our five employee company. Now that we have 15 employees, we’ve moved on, but I’ve always been grateful to them for that small business service (available in CA, OR, WA, and you only need two employees to use that… so a mom-and-pop business can take advantage).</p>
<p>For our business, we now buy toilet paper, paper towels, printer paper, that kind of stuff. All the business staples.</p>
<p>Personally, I have bought trash bags, printer paper, toilet paper, dog beds, dog crates, cereal, canned stuff…</p>
<p>Pecans, Pine Nuts, around Christmas to get the fresh crop, and store in the freezer. Olive Oil. “Soccer mom” team snacks. Sometimes fresh salmon if I’m serving a lot of people (or this year I may try smoking it in my new smoker!) DO NOT get a cart, so you don’t make impulse buys, or after you fill your cart, commit to putting half of it back before checking out.</p>
<p>dmd reminded me, our small business processes credit cards through costco. We do not have a terminal station, do it all via the internet/pc. They have the best rates around. We also have some capital one money market accounts through costco that pay better interest while leaving your money liquid.
I do buy books at Costco when I am too impatient to wait for my turn at the library but after I read them I sell them back to our used book store.</p>
<p>Raw almonds (h’s staple for lunch after volleyball), laundry soap, bar soap, deodorant, razers, vitamins and supplements. Bounce, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, napkins, papertowels. Refried beans. San Luis Sourdough bread, english muffins. Dog beds, dog toys.
Steak on occasion, brisket. Chicken parmesan if son is home. Cheeses for parties. I don’t care for their cooked chicken (too slimy)
T-shirts Billabong, quicksilver. Socks. Sweatshirts.
Books! Magazines before an airplane trip.</p>
<p>Ok I have something a little different that we purchase there monthly, in addition to everything else that is mentioned above. Our cat requires insulin and needles and since we do not have insurance for him, I find that Costco has the best price for his prescriptions.</p>
<p>oldfort - I agree, but in the end, when I pick up something that wasn’t on my list, it was usually due to an oversight on my part of not putting it on the list to begin with. For instance, I may walk by the dishwasher soap and remember that I’m down to the last two weeks with my current box of soap, and know that I won’t be back in Costco before I run out. If I don’t put it in the cart, then I’ll end up at our local grocers whose price will be much higher. Same goes with most of the products I end up adding. I will also say that I’ve walked out of Costco with things on my list that they didn’t have and I do have to stop somewhere else. </p>
<p>And as far as getting a cart, if I get only my usuals, paper towels, toilet paper, and 2-3 boxes of my addiction (Frosted Mini Wheats), then I have to have a cart!</p>
<p>Drinks for my kids lunches
Water bottles
Jif Peanut Butter
Chicken-Greek Pasta Salad
Chunks of cheese
Shredded mexican co-jack type cheese (need more right now!)</p>
<p>My typical run is $100 - $150 - I go once or twice a month I’d say. Gas more often. I try not to look at the middle section too much so I don’t get tempted. In the fall/spring, they sometimes have good buys on plants.</p>
<p>I go once a week. Can’t live without their broccoli florets and coffee cream. I find that even if it comes in really, really large sizes, what you save more than makes up for the little we might waste. If I had to buy broccoli at the grocery store for the three times a week I serve it for six people, I’d go broke. Same with salmon, chicken pieces, feta cheese, blocks of sharp cheddar cheese.</p>
<p>At christmas time, they had Sperry topsider shoes for $20. I bought a pair for ever male in the family. I also always get them socks there for christmas. They are the best and the cheapest. The Kirkland brand drugstore items can’t be beat for price. Turbo tax was at least $20 cheaper than anywhere else.</p>
<p>Because I go so often, I’m not really tempted to go down every aisle and buy things I don’t need. Saves us a fortune.</p>
<p>I’m there twice a week getting gas. They’re often 10-20 cents lower than my local station!</p>
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<p>We get our dog’s insulin and needles there too! And our meds. And LOTS of other stuff food (prepared, fresh, and frozen), their baked goods are amazing (and cheap), plastic bags, paper goods, water, books, electronics, kitchen wares, tools, and H gets me roses every week or so (they’re beautiful and usually last the week in very good shape).</p>
<p>We often eat weekend lunch or a quick dinner - I love the hot dogs and the turkey wraps not to mention the grazing you can do with all the samples on Saturdays.</p>
<p>I used to shop there more than I do now with all of my big eatin’ boys. Now I try to stay away as I tend to spend too much there. Before my cart was so full with necessities that few extras made their way in there. Now, I find all kinds of goodies. I love their tulip bulb vases, 4 for under $13. 4 inexpensive gifts that people would love. I picked up two packs of those. Next year I will steal their idea and use up all of the old florist vases I have lined up in my garage by forcing bulbs in them.</p>
<p>I find that their roast beef, the large round roast is the best deal around. It makes for a delicious roast and sandwich meat for the rest of the week. Their steaks are very reasonable too. I also buy their double pack of whole chickens. Detergent, garbage bags, papergoods, and those pint sized water bottles. They are just the right size for me and encourage me to drink my quota of water. When I get the larger bottles, I tend to leave too much. Their rice sells at a great price too. I pick up toothpaste (I use Biotene) and Cetaphyl products there. Their prices are the best for those items.</p>
<p>I agree that their return policy tops even Nordstrom’s. I even returned food I bought for D’s team’s concessions stand once when the game was cancelled. I apologized for doing that but they took it without a problem, labelled it as “Not resellable” on the spot (probably donated to a food bank in the end) and gave me my money back.</p>
<p>I buy all my groceries there and supplement them with buys at TJ’s and PCC. My current outfit is 50% from Costco, 50% from Nordstrom Rack. H’s clothes are mostly from Costco.</p>