I don’t qualify for membership, but as far as I can tell its generally only useful if you want to get expensive branded items for a bit less. I could get the same product type for less at Aldi. 12 tins of chopped tomatoes for £7.19, meanwhile at Aldi they are £0.39 each which would come to £4.68 for 12 of them.
Also I can walk to Aldi, the nearest costco is like a £30 return on the train. I normally only spend £30 on shopping each week for the 2 of us anyway.
Mmm, my local Aldi was dirty with sad looking produce and really cheap tasting boxed stuff last time I went. Not even close to Costco TBH, and not even that cheap either.
This is in the southern US though, could be totally flipped elsewhere.
Didn’t know Costco did fresh produce, thought it was more for bulk stuff which would be pretty useless for fresh stuff unless you are cooking for a lot of people
Yeah, Costco is a a store for the upper middle class suburban family type. That was basically always their bread and butter as those are people with the space and need for constant shopping that can be sold some faux premium items alongside some real ones as a one stop solution.
Did you know Name Brands will make specific Costco versions that are meant to mimic the expected item but be slightly modified to use cheaper parts or less material.
Edit for clarity: q-tips with less tip, Vitamix sold as same model but less parts or features, Lucky brand jeans using cheaper material, name brand sponges being thinner, name brand pads being less absorbent, all sold with the same name and branding as their non bulk counterpart but using less material to make them often inferior for price to value.
There are so few things that are better or cheaper to buy in the bulk at Costco to get your money’s worth of the yearly fee and that is the point. They make a profit.
It just doesn’t make much sense to shop at Costco if you are actually on a budget or don’t have the space.
Did you know brands will make specific Costco versions that are meant to mimic the expected item but be slightly modified to use cheaper parts or less material.
The opposite for food products. I’ve heard from people who supply Kirkland-branded stuff, and with the level of requirements put on it, those same people have no problem at all buying there.
Sure those are just generics. Take the same manufacturing and modify the process as needed for consistency and value. But those generics can also be bought at regular grocery stores without paying a $100 entry fee.
I am referring more to the upsell items, clothing, books, furniture, electronics. Those items are often sourced to be modified in a way that gives better profit margins while still appearing as a better deal than buying the name brand elsewhere. But it comes at a cost of lower quality on those items but because of their infinite return policy it’s often ignored.
It’s not an end of the world type thing but it contributes to waste for perceived value. I understand that people love Costco and that I’m going to not be looked at lovingly for calling it out but it’s an issue I see and wish to point out when possible.
lol… You just propagandized…. generic products? I can’t possibly think of a more pointlessly harmless thing that everyone is already aware of to try and villainize.
As an American, It’s the cheapest place to get a variety of fruits, veggies, several types of cheese, coffee, and toilet paper, at least on average. The catch is just that you need to buy in large quantities. They definitely have fancy and expensive brands too, but I don’t think they do as well here. They’re also a really popular place to fuel up cars, because they’re usually cheaper than the area around them, but sometimes up to 10% cheaper.
I guess that you need to drive a car there is also a catch, but I just moved to the second place I’ve ever lived that’s within reasonable walking distance of a grocery store, so driving to get groceries is normal to me. I lived near an Aldi for a few years, which was awesome.
In the UK its pretty normal if you live in a town to have multiple shops within an easy walking distance. I usually cycle as its easier to carry stuff back in bags on my bike. Sometimes get a weeks shopping for the 2 of us on my bike.
You technically have to qualify for membership…But they’re not exactly rigorous in the checks.
There is a certain type of blow-hard over here who will make qualifying for a costco membership a point of pride.
Fortunately, most of ours can be reached by bus too.
Ok fine, maybe now I’ll consider getting a membership. But I still don’t have room for bulk items.
You can buy liquor from Costco without a membership, and it isn’t packaged in bulk. Prices are most likely cheaper than liquor or grocery stores.
KS brands are made for Costco typically in the same places the name brands are and quality is very decent.
That is likely very tied to where you live. Liquor sales laws vary widely from state to state, and sometimes county to county.
I’m moving from a state where I can buy liquor in Costco to one where I can’t :/
Edit: that Kirkland añejo tequila is so fuckin good.
They sell 36x18x60 shelves for $30. Just started going last week and it was the first thing I looked for
That implies that they don’t have room for bulk items but do have room for giant shelves? Sometimes a lack of space is just a lack of space.
Look at this guy who doesn’t live in a 400sqft apartment with only street parking.
No, didn’t you read? He lives in a 36x18x60 set of shelves!
They’re plastic so they’ll last forever, BIFL!
I don’t qualify for membership, but as far as I can tell its generally only useful if you want to get expensive branded items for a bit less. I could get the same product type for less at Aldi. 12 tins of chopped tomatoes for £7.19, meanwhile at Aldi they are £0.39 each which would come to £4.68 for 12 of them.
Also I can walk to Aldi, the nearest costco is like a £30 return on the train. I normally only spend £30 on shopping each week for the 2 of us anyway.
Mmm, my local Aldi was dirty with sad looking produce and really cheap tasting boxed stuff last time I went. Not even close to Costco TBH, and not even that cheap either.
This is in the southern US though, could be totally flipped elsewhere.
Didn’t know Costco did fresh produce, thought it was more for bulk stuff which would be pretty useless for fresh stuff unless you are cooking for a lot of people
Yeah, Costco is a a store for the upper middle class suburban family type. That was basically always their bread and butter as those are people with the space and need for constant shopping that can be sold some faux premium items alongside some real ones as a one stop solution.
Did you know Name Brands will make specific Costco versions that are meant to mimic the expected item but be slightly modified to use cheaper parts or less material.
Edit for clarity: q-tips with less tip, Vitamix sold as same model but less parts or features, Lucky brand jeans using cheaper material, name brand sponges being thinner, name brand pads being less absorbent, all sold with the same name and branding as their non bulk counterpart but using less material to make them often inferior for price to value.
There are so few things that are better or cheaper to buy in the bulk at Costco to get your money’s worth of the yearly fee and that is the point. They make a profit.
It just doesn’t make much sense to shop at Costco if you are actually on a budget or don’t have the space.
The opposite for food products. I’ve heard from people who supply Kirkland-branded stuff, and with the level of requirements put on it, those same people have no problem at all buying there.
Sure those are just generics. Take the same manufacturing and modify the process as needed for consistency and value. But those generics can also be bought at regular grocery stores without paying a $100 entry fee.
I am referring more to the upsell items, clothing, books, furniture, electronics. Those items are often sourced to be modified in a way that gives better profit margins while still appearing as a better deal than buying the name brand elsewhere. But it comes at a cost of lower quality on those items but because of their infinite return policy it’s often ignored.
It’s not an end of the world type thing but it contributes to waste for perceived value. I understand that people love Costco and that I’m going to not be looked at lovingly for calling it out but it’s an issue I see and wish to point out when possible.
lol… You just propagandized…. generic products? I can’t possibly think of a more pointlessly harmless thing that everyone is already aware of to try and villainize.
You need to qualify for membership in the UK?
As an American, It’s the cheapest place to get a variety of fruits, veggies, several types of cheese, coffee, and toilet paper, at least on average. The catch is just that you need to buy in large quantities. They definitely have fancy and expensive brands too, but I don’t think they do as well here. They’re also a really popular place to fuel up cars, because they’re usually cheaper than the area around them, but sometimes up to 10% cheaper.
I guess that you need to drive a car there is also a catch, but I just moved to the second place I’ve ever lived that’s within reasonable walking distance of a grocery store, so driving to get groceries is normal to me. I lived near an Aldi for a few years, which was awesome.
In the UK its pretty normal if you live in a town to have multiple shops within an easy walking distance. I usually cycle as its easier to carry stuff back in bags on my bike. Sometimes get a weeks shopping for the 2 of us on my bike.
You technically have to qualify for membership…But they’re not exactly rigorous in the checks.
There is a certain type of blow-hard over here who will make qualifying for a costco membership a point of pride.
Fortunately, most of ours can be reached by bus too.