OT- Costco?

stemc33

I'm with @tarheelmatt on this one. We have several people in the area that talk about how great Costco is and how things are cheaper. For me, I always spend more than I should on things I wouldn't normally buy. Not to mention the two hour drive to Billings. I'll go but not a must for me. 

I'd like to know if there's anybody that actually goes into Costco and comes out of the store under budget? 

Legume

There are weeks we might go 3 times.  It's very close, it's convenient unless you go at a peak time and we sometimes run in for 1-2 things.  I've been in and out for $20.  If it was an effort to go there for us, we would use it differently, but we probably have more sub-$100 trips than budget busting massive trips.  I think we waste more food that comes from the supermarket than from Costco.

Legume

And it's beer and wine only in Texas.

nolaegghead

I buy gas there for my truck and car and SWMBO's SUV.  Plus we go there for shopping regularly. 

I went yesterday, spent $5 on a rotisserie chicken.  That's it.

Time before, left not buying anything.

Time before that, I think we bought a new bed frame and some food, probably spent $800.

I'm not the kind of person that has money burning a hole in my pocket, but I can tell you Costco does a good job separating you from your money.  With excellent products with good value.   And a good experience.  Gawd, I hate that place.

TexanOfTheNorth

We rarely buy anything other than what we go in for and are usually there once every 4-6 weeks; spend about $500/visit.

The other great thing about Costco is their return policy. MIL purchased a Keurig coffee maker there about 5 or 6 years ago. At the time, they carried the decaf K-cups (she only drinks decaf coffee). 2 or 3 years after she purchased the Keurig, they stopped stocking the decaf k-cups. She took the Keurig back, no box or receipt, told them she could not use it since they no longer carried the decaf k-cups (regardless of the fact that she could have bought them somewhere else) and they gave her a full, no questions asked, refund.

Jstroke

I want to say thanks for the reminder about Costco. Mine is 10 minutes away. I have never seriously looked around. I went there yesterday. I am in Ohio so no booze which was a bummer. Here is what i found. The meat prices seemed fair. The quality looked excellent. Buying whole loins and other large unbroken cuts would save big time. However the out of pocket was significant. But the price on whole unpeeled tenderloins and bone-in pork butts was the same as RD. to the penny. Chicken was better quality than the regular grocery store but also more expensive. Ground beef was significantly cheaper and looked excellent. Items like block cheese and butter were good quality and much cheaper. We shop at Trader Joes a lot. And for us the quality is excellent on the items we buy. Their meat is very expensive. My next trip to Costco i am going to  bring the shopping list and compare items. 

RiverDoc

@Jstroke  I completely agree with the shopping list idea. I'm gonna head back next week w/o my FIL so I can just walk around and look. I am going to bring a list to compare prices, but the meet dept seemed great. I was extremely pleased with the strips I bought there so I'll bring the yeti just in case

YukonRon

I spend more money on alcohol at Costco. I usually shop for special buys, and, at least at my location, I have been happy with my purchases. I got my Yak and my Yeti there. Great prices and overall saved me some money.
costco has been my source for beef tenderloin, Tri tip, pork loin and salmon.