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Lisbet
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| Posted: Sept 12 2007 at 11:21am | IP Logged
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One just opened up in our area and I'm curious. Those of you that shop there, what do you buy? Is the annual fee worth it? How does it compare to Sams Club? I normally shop at ALDI, so what would be a reason for me to join? Thanks!
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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folklaur
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| Posted: Sept 12 2007 at 11:52am | IP Logged
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Don't have an ALDI, so I can't compare. We have both Sam's and Costco here, though. I have always kind of liked Costco better, and I can't even tell you for sure why, they are quite similar.
We buy most of our meat there, and fresh vegetables too - like their bagged salad, and bagged spinach, and things like that. Sometimes I can get a better price for canned goods at Walmart, but not always.
I always get my glasses there too  . I went with Sears this last time, and it was a nightmare, so I went back to Costco know that I knew I needed new ones.
It is good if you go the first time without planning to buy anything. Just make a list of things you would like and compare prices to other stores. It is very easy to spend a lot more than you planned on there, and it is very easy to veer off of your list. I need discipline when I go  . Those "try-its" of yummy things I don't need (and didn't budget for) get me all the time. 
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aiereis
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I don't have an ALDI either so I can't compare them. I agree with Laura that you should go to Costco and make a list of things you would buy with the prices and compare them with ALDI's prices. The will give you a "guest membership" for the day and charge you a small fraction more if you buy anything. But that won't matter if you only looking that day anyway.
We buy our cheese there because the tasty name brand cheese is the same price as the generic at our local grocery store. They also sell olive oil at a much better rate than our grocery store. My husband calculated the the savings of just the cheese and olive oil pays for our membership. (We go through a lot of both.) They also have very good prices on prescription medication and picture printing. Like Laura said though, what you need to watch out for are the impulse buys: they can really add up if you aren't careful.
There are some things that Sam's Club has that we wish Costco did, like corn-syrup free tomato sauce and funiture for sale year round. (Costco usually only has furniture in the spring and fall and more expensive than Sam's.) However, Costco has corn-syrup free vanilla at a stellar price, so we are happy about that. We just get our tomato sauce at Walmart instead.
--Christina
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5athome
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| Posted: Sept 12 2007 at 1:27pm | IP Logged
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We have not been to a Sams in years but we love our Costco membership. My general impression is that Costco carries more quality and a ton of organics at better prices than your grocery. We try to avoid all trans fat and it is pretty easy at Costco. Their housebrand Kirkland is very nice. Things we like there:
batteries
some electronics
reams of paper
binders
chlorine for pool
motor oil
bread
chips (Kirkland brand are tasty)
organic ground beef
fruits & veggies (lots of organics here)
paper towels
bottled water (Kirkland brand)
cheese
uncooked tortillas
cereal (Newmans)
peanut butter (Kirkland organic)
olive oil
vanilla
brown sugar/flour/bread flour
animal cookies (organic Disney shaped)
maple syrup
Kashi frozen meals
cascadian farms choc chip granola bars
cascadian farms jam
kashi crackers
kid wipes & diaper wipes (Kirkland)
They often have cute kids clothes but they come and go quickly so you have to get it if you see it. I love the Laura Ashley girls summer dresses (I think they were $14). They usually have Disney clothes and Carters too.
They have nice furniture (some very similar to Pottery Barn catalog stylewise). They have a decent selection of books, cds, dvds, etc (prices probably as good as a Target but not cheaper than Amazon).
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Margaret
ds '93, dd '96, ds '99,
ds '01, dd '04, ds '06,
ds '08
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Sept 12 2007 at 1:35pm | IP Logged
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Lisa,
I'm just on my way there. I dug this old thread to take with me. I think it might be exactly what you're looking for too  .
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Mary G
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I love Costco -- they carry more name-brands than Sams and their prices are good if not better. Sam's carries many of the same things you can get at Wal-mart; at Wal-mart, often the sizes are smaller and the price better.
Aldi is nice but it doesn't always have what I need -- I can't go from store to store and really need (as much as possible) to get all at one. Costco (and Sams) never seem to have good produce but I buy that at a small "farmer's market" store ... dairy/bread/eggs are bought at the Albertson across from us. I try to do Costco once a month and stock up on the essentials (tp, paper towels, etc).
Aldi here was Hofer in Austria -- somehow it never seemed a problem in Austria to have to "pay" to get a cart and bring my own bags ... here it just irritates me!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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folklaur
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| Posted: Sept 12 2007 at 2:06pm | IP Logged
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aiereis wrote:
| like corn-syrup free tomato sauce |
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Our Costco recently started carrying the 3-packs of the Classico Sauce and it is corn syrup free. I was so glad to see that!
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JodieLyn
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When I lived in Tucson and had access to a Costco.. there ended up being very little that I would get there that was cheaper than buying it on sale at the regular grocery store.. of course you can get the "sale prices" all the time.. not just occationally. So I really don't think I ever saved anything with the cost of the membership.
And I don't use it at all now.. not when it would cost me $100 in gas just to get to the nearest one 2.5 hours away.
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G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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MelissaClaire
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I've only shopped at Aldis a few times, but the quality of food is better at Costco in my experience. The vegetables last longer, the canned goods have less corn syrup or sodium--and the last time I went (over a year now) milk was cheaper at Costco.
I enjoy having a membership there. I have system I use there that helps make my dinner prep much easier, and helps us to save money. I also have the membership you pay a bit more for. You get an extra 1% back on your purchases, but if that isn't greater that the cost between the 2 membership prices they refund the extra money to you--so it's a no lose situation.
Also at Costco you can pay with a check which was much easier than making sure I had enough cash for Aldis.
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Melissa
Mom to a dd ('02), ds ('03), ds ('05), dd ('07) and baby due 9/01/09
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mom2mpr
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I just finished visiting the local warehouse stores here in our(fairly) new home. They are all a pretty good hike from home--30 minutes one way.
BJ's--my BIL works there and got me a 3 month membership for free. It, to me, was the same as Sams Club. Except it did have some organic stuff-but I didn't see any meat.
We belong to Sams here because we needed a new mattress and it was the cheapest, even factoring in the membership cost. We like their mattresses. They don't have much organic stuff and for me it really isn't worth the drive on a routine basis.
This weekend I went to Costco with a friend and am considering joining as they have organic and hormone free meats, lots of organic vegies in the frozen section, an 18 pk of Horizon Organic chocolate milk boxes-we always throw a few in the car for day trips, 1/2 gallons of organic milk in their dairy section, organic peanut butter, organic oats, etc. So, I could save a lot of $$ IF I can get out there and stock up every once in a while.
Anyhow, if it is close it could be VERY worth it if they have things you will buy and they are cheaper than the local grocery. In my case, right now, Costco can beat all the prices at my local grocery for the mentioned items.
You can always visit for free-and first time while you are researching-- go without the kids and see what you would buy.
Anne
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Fuzzy
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If it is too much to visit, I know you can look online as well, and maybe that will give you a good idea too.
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 Fuzzy
Mom to DS 12, DD 10, DS 7, and DS 4, and DD 1!
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Bookswithtea
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We *love* Costco and shopped there for years before we moved. We dropped our Sam's membership as soon as one became available in our new community.
More organics than Sam's, extremely fresh meat, dairy and veggies, and Kirkland is a quality product. I can't find cheese at a better price anywhere. The store is always clean and the employees are available and helpful.
Also, Costco has a reputation as a *great* place to work, and employee morale is generally high. The same is not true of Walmart/Sam's.
We buy enough that by paying for the executive membership (about $100), it pays for itself by the end of the year in the 2% back that we get, so the membership price is a nonissue for us.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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5athome
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Just an FYI on the 2% back - you can use it like a gift certificate / check at the checkout OR you can take it directly to the customer service desk and they will exchange it for cash.
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Margaret
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ds '01, dd '04, ds '06,
ds '08
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Barbara C.
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| Posted: Sept 13 2007 at 12:23pm | IP Logged
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So how much does a Costco membership normally cost? You all have me intrigued. Unfortunately, I don't really have much room to keep a lot of stuff in bulk (3BR townhome with a garage that is really hot in summer and really cold in winter, a small pantry, and a regular side by side fridge).
I've been thinking about adding some shelves to the garage and I could stock up and stack some things like paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, and diapers. Does Costco offer most of the main brands? I am afraid we are partial to Pampers or Luvs (bad luck with Huggies). I'm just wondering if this is worth looking into for us. Does it really save that much money?
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folklaur
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| Posted: Sept 13 2007 at 3:03pm | IP Logged
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I have no storage room for bulk buying. We have a tiny 3br that is under 1000 sf, and no closet space to speak of. And a regular old fridge. I still shop there .
I like getting my meat there, as I said, and it is a large package, but not huge. I would say a lot is like that - large but not huge.
But I have one about two miles away, so I don't have to do huge shopping trips when I go there, which might make a difference. And our sells gas too, and it is always the cheapest around.
Really, go in a take a look around on the guest pass.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Costco?
