<p>We got a couple of the cookbooks this year - gave one to D1 and kept one - haven’t looked at it yet!</p>
<p>We ALWAYS buy the extended warranty at Costco via Squaretrade - we have had to take advantage of the warranty a couple of times and Squaretrade is EXCELLENT. Just be sure to register your item online after you purchase it and the warranty - makes it really easy when you need to use the warranty.</p>
<p>Soup (organic chicken kale); nuts - walnuts, almonds, cashews; love those women’s wool socks; two new purchases are a Christmas tree (the in-store $29 fir tree - it’s in the garage in a bucket of water so can’t vouch for its look yet) and tomorrow we’re picking up a new car we bought through Costco. I wish they sold electricity.</p>
<p>I really want a Costco to open near me. Well…maybe not! I would probably buy things I do NOT need!</p>
<p>^^^^^ hahaha now THAT’s the truth. It’s amazing how a trip for $25 worth of paper goods can wind up resulting in $200 worth of stuff you never knew you couldn’t live without.</p>
<p>abasket,
When I spoke to the Costco manager, she gave me the distinct impression that between the Costco warranty and the extra warranty gotten when using the Costco Amex, squaretrade really isnt necessary.</p>
<p>Re: cookbooks- our costco didn’t distribute all of them on Black Friday, so they gave them out to customers last week. Last summer they had extra cookbooks at desk for new customers, and I got one then, too. Ask at desk if you really want one.</p>
<p>Bought coats for 3 of 4 members of family I’m adopting for Christmas this year. Great down coats for the parents for $30 each. the front desk assured me they can return the items for credit and shop in the store with the credit with no problem. I just need to provide a redacted receipt w my membership number for them to get the proper credit. </p>
<p>I always seem to miss the cookbooks, but you can find them online and download them for free; at least that is what I did 2013 and 2012. This year they actually had them at the registers, so I picked up one for both my mother and myself the Saturday after Black Friday. </p>
<p>Here is a link to the cookbooks: <a href=“http://www.costco.com/costco-connection-online-edition.html”>http://www.costco.com/costco-connection-online-edition.html</a></p>
<p>The Squaretrade warranty for $29.99 was well worth it to in the 3rd year, make a call, and a week later have a check in the mail for the original cost of the tv. Before we got the check we went to Costco and bought a replacement tv for only about $30 more than the original tv. </p>
<p>I was buying gifts at Costco today and was told that I cannot pay for them with my Amex - if the recipient tries to return them, the refund will be put back on my Amex (this has to do with Amex trying to curb the abuse of the Amex Costco points system by folks trying to score points by buying and returning expensive stuff). I had to write a check, and the clerk went on and on how the refund would not be processed until he check cleared. I had to remind the guy that Christmas was still 2 weeks away - plenty of time for the check to clear. My, if this is such an issue, Costco has to straighten it out soon or they will be losing my $$ because I will be buying my gifts elsewhere.</p>
<p>Wow Bunsen…the person at the desk assured me they would get a store credit. Sometimes I return items without a recipes and they give me a store credit too use. I always use my costco Amex. </p>
<p>I’ve returned items without a receipt and as long as I have my membership card on me, they look it up and credit my account. Not a store credit. I can certainly understand the policy of no cash refund if you use Amex to pay and most stores do the same. Probably for the same reason that Bunsen was given.</p>
<p>Going to be making a trip to Costco today to return the remaining ~30 Kirkland laundry pods we had left. Three straight loads the ‘plastic wrap’ holding the detergent hasn’t dissolved and leaves our clothes a gummy mess. A quick google indicates this is an issue if you wash in cold water (which I do, for color purposes) or have a front loader/HE machine!</p>
<p>I returned a couple of things this week with a receipt. I had paid with a debit card and got cash back.</p>
<p>My S2 recently bought a house with his long-term GF. I’m thinking of getting them a gift membership to Costco.</p>
<p>Our Costco will accept returns without a receipt but if the price has dropped (I think this is most likely on clothing at end of season) you will be refunded the lower price. I can believe a return on an item paid for with a credit card would only be done as a credit to the card - fraud would be so much easier if they forked over the cash. When I buy gift items from Costco, I return them if here’s a problem because I assume it wouldn’t be so easy - they don’t issue gift receipts. Have never bought gift cards there.</p>
<p>They definitely have gift cards, says the woman who has given them! Got it at the register.</p>
<p>BB, I’ve got to wonder if your register guy didn’t know what he was talking about!!! I can imagine that there are people trying to do the buy-get-the-points-return business, but oodles of people do their holiday shopping at Costco - not to mention the fact that (I think) many people do not carry cash/check anymore - so that they are not going to be in the store with alternative paying methods. That’s nuts!!!</p>
<p>Costco definitely has the best prices in town on milk, eggs and bread. (French toast, anyone?). I figure that we make back our membership fee just on buying two gallons of milk per week, so the rest is gravy. Whenever a coupon book comes out, I really stock up on the items we use, hopefully enough to make it the next coupon. Best coupon items are shampoo & conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, cereal, coffee, dishwasher & laundry detergent, cat litter. Got some really nice spinner suitcases there recently too, for around $40 each. Plus, it’s just fun to shop there for some reason - always something new to see.</p>
<p>I don’t know that we buy enough at Costco to justify our membership there anymore, but for some reason we keep it.</p>