Costco

tksmoke · March 2015

I HATE Costco!!! I never get out for under $200. And they always have something I absolutely NEED. The meat is excellent. Filets are not blade tenderized, nor are the larger cuts, including prime tri tip. Oh yeah - they are sneaky bastiges. They have the best return policy in the universe. We don't have any local grocery stores that come close to the quality (with the possible exception of Whole Paycheck). I have the executive membership ($110), and my dividend always pays for my annual membership. It's about 15 miles away, so I try to only go once a week. OK - I don't really hate Costco. I agree that RD is a little less expensive on most meat items, but since RD is too far away for a casual trip, I'm a Costco regular.

buzd504 · March 2015

Costco is awesome for TVs and meat (try the rack of lamb). That's pretty much all I buy there. Oh, and booze.

Terrebandit · March 2015

tksmoke said:

I HATE Costco!!! I never get out for under $200. And they always have something I absolutely NEED. The meat is excellent. Filets are not blade tenderized, nor are the larger cuts, including prime tri tip. Oh yeah - they are sneaky bastiges. They have the best return policy in the universe. We don't have any local grocery stores that come close to the quality (with the possible exception of Whole Paycheck). I have the executive membership ($110), and my dividend always pays for my annual membership. It's about 15 miles away, so I try to only go once a week. OK - I don't really hate Costco. I agree that RD is a little less expensive on most meat items, but since RD is too far away for a casual trip, I'm a Costco regular.

So you also spend an average of 450/ mo at Costco? That what you have to spend to break even on the fees. My family of three doesn't even get close to that.

mahenryak · March 2015

The rebate is 2%, so you would need to spend 5,500 per year to pay for your membership ONCE over. Do you spend 11,000 per year at Costco? Wow.

Yes, so for us, we're closer to the break even point, as far as the Executive membership goes. On a big spending year we might have a dividend of $80, or so, which means we may have netted a whopping $25 bucks--over the additional price of the Executive membership. We've never lost out on the deal, though. It's a bit of a decision should we, or shouldn't we, each year. If things were tight, it would be an easy 'nope', not worth it. I think I may remember a time or two where one of the checkers scanned a coupon on our behalf, too, but maybe I'm just dreaming that.

RRP · March 2015

There is no where in our area other than Costco that sells prime meat to the public. Even with a couple top butcher shops locally prime beef just is NOT available - just what they call "premium choice" and mark up the price. Now a new question...does Costco sell whole sub-primals that are prime? I dry age my own beef so this will be what trips my trigger to join.

Terrebandit · March 2015

RRP said:

There is no where in our area other than Costco that sells prime meat to the public. Even with a couple top butcher shops locally prime beef just is NOT available - just what they call "premium choice" and mark up the price. Now a new question...does Costco sell whole sub-primals that are prime? I dry age my own beef so this will be what trips my trigger to join.

I've seen those on occasion but most are USDA Choice.

Lit · March 2015

Terrebandit said:

tksmoke said:

I HATE Costco!!! I never get out for under $200. And they always have something I absolutely NEED. The meat is excellent. Filets are not blade tenderized, nor are the larger cuts, including prime tri tip. Oh yeah - they are sneaky bastiges. They have the best return policy in the universe. We don't have any local grocery stores that come close to the quality (with the possible exception of Whole Paycheck). I have the executive membership ($110), and my dividend always pays for my annual membership. It's about 15 miles away, so I try to only go once a week. OK - I don't really hate Costco. I agree that RD is a little less expensive on most meat items, but since RD is too far away for a casual trip, I'm a Costco regular.

So you also spend an average of 450/ mo at Costco? That what you have to spend to break even on the fees. My family of three doesn't even get close to that.

its very easy to spend $500 a month in Costco. We were a family of 2 when they convinced me to get the executive membership and we had spent over $10k in the previous 12 months. It was April of last year when I signed up for the executive membership and we got a $93 check in January so another $4600 in the last 8 months or so.

RRP · March 2015

Terrebandit said:

RRP said:

There is no where in our area other than Costco that sells prime meat to the public. Even with a couple top butcher shops locally prime beef just is NOT available - just what they call "premium choice" and mark up the price. Now a new question...does Costco sell whole sub-primals that are prime? I dry age my own beef so this will be what trips my trigger to join.

I've seen those on occasion but most are USDA Choice.

Hmmm, that's interesting. So then that means the individual Costco meat departments don't receive the sub-primals and then cut and repackage them into steaks. OR the steaks already packaged and labeled as prime are shipped in that way. Now I'm confused! I mean if the meat packing house has already graded the sub-primal as prime then why can't a Costco customer buy a sub-primal still sealed in cryovac which is clearly labeled as being prime?

Dobie · March 2015

I wish I had bought more Costco stock a while back, its almost doubled price. Having said that I'm not a member. Me and the Mrs went a coupe months ago to check it out. Its about 20 miles for me and we get there on a Saturday afternoon and you have to circle the lot 5 times to get a parking spot and stalk people leaving. Take the tour and while the meat section was a cut above the regular grocery store there wasnt anything there I had to have to fight the crowd. I thought some of the meat packaging was cool in that most chicken parts and some other items were vacuum packed in tear off pack portions that would go straight to the freezer and stay fresh negating the need for freezer bags but the price wasnt any better than I could get other places. They did have prime ribeyes and some nice briskets. Another factor is its just the two of us and I dont need a gallon of mayo at a time. Store was clean and crowded so it certainly is popular. I read in some business news recently that Costco moves more product per square foot of space than anyone in the same market. They have a winning business model.

YEMTrey · March 2015

Can anybody in the midwest, my neck of the woods, vouch for brisket prices? With the pricing on brisket here, if Costco is cheaper on packers, I would make back my membership fee's in a year of buying briskies.

JohnInCarolina · March 2015

The only thing you need to know is that Costco sells gigantic bottles of Bulleit that are heavily discounted.

Lit · March 2015

@johnincarolina Georgia only allows so many liquor licenses for one business in the state so my closest Costco does not have a liquor store.

@yemtrey the brisket prices at costcos in GA suck. Its like $7 a pound and they only sell flats. The rest of the meats are great though.

JohnInCarolina · March 2015

Lit said:

@johnincarolina Georgia only allows so many liquor licenses for one business in the state so my closest Costco does not have a liquor store.

Effing criminal!

stlcharcoal · March 2015

mahenryak said:

The rebate is 2%, so you would need to spend 5,500 per year to pay for your membership ONCE over. Do you spend 11,000 per year at Costco? Wow.
Yes, so for us, we're closer to the break even point, as far as the Executive membership goes. On a big spending year we might have a dividend of $80, or so, which means we may have netted a whopping $25 bucks--over the additional price of the Executive membership.

If you're ever short of that $55 on your rebate for the upgrade, they'll refund the difference.

So if you get the $110 membership and then only buy $500 worth of stuff (making your rebate only $10), they will give you another $45 back if you ask for it. The keyword is ASK.

You're membership is fully refundable at any time. So if you bought the executive, didn't like it after 12 months, you're reverting to the basic and getting a refund less the rebate. Get it?

Long story short, any way you slice it, Costco is no risk deal--same goes with their products. Return line is always long which is a deterrent. Not like Lowe's where it takes about 30 seconds to return something.

I'm still waiting for someone try buying that $1400 worth of Kobe prime rib and the $700 bottle of 40 year old scotch out of the Christmas catalog.......go through half and try to take it back. Shame shame, but intriguing.

Terrebandit · March 2015

RRP said:

Terrebandit said:

RRP said:

There is no where in our area other than Costco that sells prime meat to the public. Even with a couple top butcher shops locally prime beef just is NOT available - just what they call "premium choice" and mark up the price. Now a new question...does Costco sell whole sub-primals that are prime? I dry age my own beef so this will be what trips my trigger to join.

I've seen those on occasion but most are USDA Choice.

Hmmm, that's interesting. So then that means the individual Costco meat departments don't receive the sub-primals and then cut and repackage them into steaks. OR the steaks already packaged and labeled as prime are shipped in that way. Now I'm confused! I mean if the meat packing house has already graded the sub-primal as prime then why can't a Costco customer buy a sub-primal still sealed in cryovac which is clearly labeled as being prime?

You can buy a cryovac prime sub primal. I've seen them there several times before. They cost a bunch,which might be why they don't have them out all the time. Next time I'm there I will ask them for you. The prime cuts they have look like they've been cut and packaged on location.

bbqlearner · March 2015

Costco is awesome and it's literally less than 5 minutes away from my house. So, if at all possible, I'd go there daily

theyolksonyou · March 2015

Lit said:

.
@yemtrey the brisket prices at costcos in GA suck. Its like $7 a pound and they only sell flats. The rest of the meats are great though.

come on up I75 and get yo self a packer at Costco. Although I get it cheaper at the butcher and I haven't seen prime.

RRP · March 2015

Terrebandit said:
You can buy a cryovac prime sub primal. I've seen them there several times before. They cost a bunch,which might be why they don't have them out all the time.

Thanks for your reply, but common sense says that selling a prime sub-primal still in the cryovac labelled as prime which needs no labor of cutting, trimming and then the cost of packaging, for some price higher bothers me a bunch...one helluva bunch to be honest! Does Costco really get all that much prime when no other retailers can get it?

Hey_Bulldog · March 2015

The wife and I thoroughly enjoy the weekend Costco run. Meat is good, seafood is just plain old fantastic, and prices are good -> great on pretty much anything. I'm not very picky on brands or food, and somewhat cheap, so I pretty much shop by the end caps alone where they have their heaviest discounts that week / month.

I've even started playing a 'Chopped' like game where I have to make a meal out of only what appears on the endcaps... I pitched it to a manager at the local store and he got a kick out of it.

One benefit I haven't seen mentioned is the samples. If the Mrs and I are just a little hungry, we can turn a Costco run into a lunchtime snack... now throw the savings over going to a nearby restaurant in the equation, and a membership is CERTAINLY worth it

theyolksonyou · March 2015

@Hey_Bulldog my kids destroy the samples. To the point the associate asks my wife if they will really eat spinach quiche.

jstnezell · March 2015

Well I'm sold... now I've got to figure out if I'm gonna spend $5500 this year or not...from what you guys are telling me it shouldn't be a problem

theyolksonyou · March 2015

All the extras no one has mentioned... tires seem to be a good deal and I'll be in the market soon.

Costco travel. The wife is researching Universal now for spring break. Can get an extra day for the same or less other sites. Hotel, park and flight. There's a good chunk of $5500.

tksmoke · March 2015

@Terrebandit - I wish I only averaged $450/month at Costco. Just ran a quick and dirty summary of the last 12 months (gotta love these here electric computer gizmos) and the total that was in the Costco slot was $5949.39. That works out to $495.78/month (using the same computer gizmo). This is not an extra 500/month, as it may seem. This includes most of our groceries, except fresh fruit and veggies. It also includes some restocking of the liquor locker, and some new toys. Sad to say, we are mostly shopping for myself and the GFU. I was actually slow to adopt Costco, until I started working in AK. There, Costco was the prime shopping destination. The town I lived in (Talkeetna) only had convenience stores. Real shopping was 2 hours away if the roads were good. The fruit and veggies at Costco were better than most of the markets. There are actually 2 Costco's in Anchorage.

Eggcelsior · March 2015

@terrebandit my dad averages 400/year on his rebate. He is in there 4x week. I average 75/year :(

@RRP Costcos in my area carry Prime rib roast, tenderloin, strip loin, and sirloin. If you don't see it out, just ask one of the meat cutters and they may be able to order one for you. I don't quite follow why you should be bothered when common sense is that it will be easier to sell 4 packs of steaks at $50 each rather than 1 $200 roast(unless it's the holidays). A lot less people are dry aging at home than splurging one night on 3 or 4 nice steaks. Lastly, due to their economy of scale, Costco does get more prime than other grocers. I can only find it at specialty grocers and Wegmans. Wegmans is a "standard" supermarket but in a class by itself among similar stores.

jonnymack · March 2015

People seem to be really focused on making the fee back in rebate. To me, it's the wrong way to think about it. I buy a lot of boneless chicken breasts (don't hate me) to cook for the work week. It's $2.99/lb vs. 4.99/lb at the grocery store. If you figure 2 of their 12/breast packs a month that average 6lbs a pack I save $24/mo on chicken alone. My fee is made up in just under 3 months on one single product. I have looked at other staples that I buy like paper plates, garbage bags, paper towels and such and have found the average savings to be in the 5-10% range. If you pay attention to their sales the occasionally do on these items the savings can be greater. I don't worry about rebates, I focus on what I am saving by going to Costco.

Other items like clothing can really save money as well. Good name brand jeans are $20/pair vs. close to $100 in dept stores or even $50 in a Target. Tylenol and other home staples are also a good bit cheaper. Baby wipes are a steal vs. grocers. Electronics can be a deal as well as long as you shop smart. Take your estimated annual spend and multiply it by 10-15% and that it probably what you are saving. That is so long as you don't impulse buy a bunch of stuff. Add any rebate on top of it and you have additional gravy.

Dredger · March 2015

Costco will give you a one day pass so you can look around. We joined that day as we were leaving. Love the meat department and everything else.

Can't remember where I got this list, maybe even from here, but it has been helpful from time to time.

Costco Price Guide

Price ending in .99 – the product is full price
Price ending in .97 – a deal decided by the manager
Price ending in .49 or .79 – manufacturer’s special
Price ending in .00 – the goods are about to go!
A price tag with an asterisk – it’s discounted and done

SmokeyPitt · March 2015

Dobie said:

I wish I had bought more Costco stock a while back, its almost doubled price. Having said that I'm not a member. Me and the Mrs went a coupe months ago to check it out. Its about 20 miles for me and we get there on a Saturday afternoon and you have to circle the lot 5 times to get a parking spot and stalk people leaving.

This is definitely something to consider. I like Costco but the only one that is convenient to me is by a big mall and it is an absolute madhouse on the weekend. Even though it is only about 10 miles away from me it was a 2 hour round trip minimum so I found I just wasn't going that much.

This is no fault of Costco but for me it was enough reason not to renew.

Lit · March 2015

@smokeypitt you talking about that one on exit 5? I go there sometimes at lunch to look around and its always crazy. The one on exit 11 isn't bad during the week but never go to Costco on the weekends except like the first hour they are open. We just got the new one in Cumming its 2.3 miles from my house and not even that busy on the weekends. Its also nice this store sells steaks in 2 packs which I haven't seen before and they sell a 2 pack of strips that's like 3" thick each steak. Pretty much 2 mini roasts. I have been eyeing them for awhile

jaydub58 · March 2015

I like their meat prices and selection at our local Costco.
Also, we're lucky enough that they have a large gas station there.
Consistently the lowest prices in town.
Membership is well worth it for us.

SmokeyPitt · March 2015

Lit said:

@smokeypitt you talking about that one on exit 5? I go there sometimes at lunch to look around and its always crazy. The one on exit 11 isn't bad during the week but never go to Costco on the weekends except like the first hour they are open. We just got the new one in Cumming its 2.3 miles from my house and not even that busy on the weekends. Its also nice this store sells steaks in 2 packs which I haven't seen before and they sell a 2 pack of strips that's like 3" thick each steak. Pretty much 2 mini roasts. I have been eyeing them for awhile

@Lit- I am in Woodstock so the closest one to me is by Town Center in Kennesaw (off 75). Alpharetta location is not too far if I take back roads but I figured it would be equally crowded. I would love to have one that close to the house in a less crowded area. I'm sure one day we will get one in Woodstock. We already have BJ's and Sam's is under construction.

Costco

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