OT: Costco bargains guidance?

[JRZEER]

pistachio nuts (can't get enough of these)
cashews (organic)
almonds
blueberry muffins

All solid choices

 

[IMORTGAGENJ]

Costco has a no questions asked return policy. 3 years ago I bought a couch with reclining seats. The mechanism for one of the recliners broke and I was going to trash it. By chance I was in Costco and I saw one of the managers. I told him about the broken couch and he told me to bring it back for a refund. Sure enough I returned it and they refunded $1000 plus tax.

 

[brookdale-soda]

Kirkland Ground Coffee is very good as well as Starbucks whole bean French Roast and both very good prices.

 

[IMORTGAGENJ]

We had a trial membership for a bit, but didn't see a lot of savings when comparing grocery bills from Costco to wegmans. I have found that milk and meat (both organic) are cheaper at wegmans.

We do go to Costco for gas - the one closest to me doesn't require membership for gas. Easily 20-30 cents per gallon less for premium.

In New Jersey you do not need to be a member to get gas.

 

[kapyoche]

Costco is probably the biggest cause of waste in food.
People buy in bulk and end up throwing most of it away.
I don't buy food from Costco except hummus packets.

 

[Scarlet_Monster]

Costco is probably the biggest cause of waste in food.
People buy in bulk and end up throwing most of it away.
I don't buy food from Costco except hummus packets.

Disagree with a decent size freezer and vacuum sealer you can buy in bull responsibly with minimal waste. I don't buy produce from Costco outside of lettuce and super cheap pineapples.

 

[Scarlet4Shore]

Contact lenses

 

[e5fdny]

Heard this too but only 2 clubs in jersey can sell alcohol Iirc...Edison and Middletown?

Sell INSIDE.

The Brick location built a liquor section/dept connected but you have to go outside to enter.

 

[RUfinal4]

for comparison
Bounty 12 pack double rolls

BJs - 1.47 cents a sheet
Costco - 1.51 cents a sheet
Walmart - didn't say how many sheets but has the same price a ft as Costco
Shoprite only had smaller sizes (6 pack) but was 2.1 cents a sheet

 

[LETSGORU91]

Heard this too but only 2 clubs in jersey can sell alcohol Iirc...Edison and Middletown?

Wayne Costco has booze. Imported Kirkland vodka is reportedly made in the same factory as Grey Goose. Some think the domestic Kirkland vodka is Tito's. Either way, both are really good at less than half the cost for a handle.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

1) free samples
2) batteries

 

[Knightmoves]

Costco is probably the biggest cause of waste in food.
People buy in bulk and end up throwing most of it away.
I don't buy food from Costco except hummus packets.

True but not a popular opinion in this thread.

Thx for the hummus packet tout. Great car food w bread or crackers. Adding it to my buy list.

 

[RUChoppin]

Costco is probably the biggest cause of waste in food.
People buy in bulk and end up throwing most of it away.
I don't buy food from Costco except hummus packets.

There's definitely a huge risk of wasted food, but we've mostly managed to avoid it. A second freezer helps, but also have to be careful about what you purchase. For instance, the quantities they sell produce in are too large unless we split them up with 1-2 other families - buying a crate of oranges is a guarantee that half will mold before we get to them. And it just doesn't make sense to buy a gallon of mayo or whatever unless there's a specific need in a bulk recipe, or something, or you're buying them for commercial purposes.

You can tell that some of their products/quantities are aimed at small food service businesses - and when people buy that quantity of perishable goods for home use, it's almost a guarantee of spoilage.

 

[Knightmoves]

Best advice I’ve heard recently is to eat a full meal before shopping at a bulk food club like Costco.

And never ever go shopping there on an empty stomach.

 

[Crazed_RU]

Never knew about the numbers on the products, so that's helpful. But any specific items that people are regularly purchasing?

In season fruit. Off season fruit is not priced as well (i.e. berries in the winter) as they ship from South America.

 

[DHajekRC84]

for comparison
Bounty 12 pack double rolls

BJs - 1.47 cents a sheet
Costco - 1.51 cents a sheet
Walmart - didn't say how many sheets but has the same price a ft as Costco
Shoprite only had smaller sizes (6 pack) but was 2.1 cents a sheet

But the Kirkland towels are just as good or even better....

 

[DHajekRC84]

True but not a popular opinion in this thread.

Thx for the hummus packet tout. Great car food w bread or crackers. Adding it to my buy list.

Its the individuals not Costco (kinda) . There isn't a single thing I buy there that goes to waste. Any perishables are split up, "Foodsavered", and frozen for later.

 

[DHajekRC84]

Wayne Costco has booze. Imported Kirkland vodka is reportedly made in the same factory as Grey Goose. Some think the domestic Kirkland vodka is Tito's. Either way, both are really good at less than half the cost for a handle.

well the bad news is that I don't live near Wayne, or Edison, or Brick. The good news is I don't live close to them so my liver will last a bit longer. I would drink K. Vodka like water.

 

[SKnight00]

2 adults, 2 kids:

Costco brand toilet paper, paper towels, tissues
Rotisserie chicken
Salmon (fresh)
Hummus cups for school and travel
Craisins (when on sale)
Nuts (pecans, walnuts)
Ritz (when on sale)
Raspberries
3 lb bag of broccoli
Goldfish
Annie’s fruit snacks
Nature Valley protein granola bars
Spray oil
Big jars of skippy (when on sale)
Marcona almonds
Kirkland low sodium bacon (when under $14)
Egg whites
2 pack of country bread from the bakery

I can do better at the grocery store on cereal, lettuce mix and health and beauty stuff.

 

[Scarlet_Monster]

I absolutely adore Costco.

People say Costco doesn't work for single people, or a couple, but we get our moneys worth easily at Costco.

Doing a low-carb paleo diet you can't beat the prices on the following;

Eggs
Heavy Cream (You get a QT for the price of a PT at the food store)
Almond Flour
Chicken Breast usually around (1.99lb)
Cheddar Cheese (2lb block for 4.99)

Right now they got an insane deal on the 4505 Chicharrones. Whole Foods sells a smallish-to average size bag for usually 6.99. Costco has a mega sized bag on sale right now for 9 bucks. It's easily double the size of the regular bag for 2 bucks more.

 

[RU82]

The thing about Costco is that even though you may not always get the lowest price that can be found anywhere, you don’t over pay for anything. If you find something cheaper elsewhere it won’t be by much.

 

[ddsmugs]

Costcos model is to make their money via selling memberships and work on a 5ish % margin.

Once read Costco gets 70% of revenue strictly from memberships ....30% is from selling stuff.

 

[DHajekRC84]

2 adults, 2 kids:

Costco brand toilet paper, paper towels, tissues
Rotisserie chicken
Salmon (fresh)
Hummus cups for school and travel
Craisins (when on sale)
Nuts (pecans, walnuts)
Ritz (when on sale)
Raspberries
3 lb bag of broccoli
Goldfish
Annie’s fruit snacks
Nature Valley protein granola bars
Spray oil
Big jars of skippy (when on sale)
Marcona almonds
Kirkland low sodium bacon (when under $14)
Egg whites
2 pack of country bread from the bakery

I can do better at the grocery store on cereal, lettuce mix and health and beauty stuff.

That Ritz box is another club project I worked on. Funny story. We spent MONTHS coming up with the right configuration. A price-value vs. Sams and Retail and they ordered like 2500 pallets first run.
When we produced the first production samples for a delivery scheduled a week later they came in with the box graphics upside down!
When I moved off the desk the team presented me with a framed upside down package signed by the project team. As lead sales guy it was funny ......AFTER the fact.

 

[RU#1fan]

We had a trial membership for a bit, but didn't see a lot of savings when comparing grocery bills from Costco to wegmans. I have found that milk and meat (both organic) are cheaper at wegmans.

We do go to Costco for gas - the one closest to me doesn't require membership for gas. Easily 20-30 cents per gallon less for premium.

It sucks anyone can get gas at Costco in New Jersey at the discount price and we pay an annual Costco membership fee. When we travel to other states and get gas they always ask for our Costco membership card and they verify it is active. Must be a NJ law where you can’t require memberships for discounted gas prices.

 

[Scarlet_Monster]

It sucks anyone can get gas at Costco in New Jersey at the discount price and we pay an annual Costco membership fee. When we travel to other states and get gas they always ask for our Costco membership card and they verify it is active. Must be a NJ law where you can’t require memberships for discounted gas prices.

It's the same thing for prescription drugs and I believe alcohol.

 

[RUnTeX]

Right now it looks like milk is the same price between Costco (Bridgewater/Flemington) and Wegmans (Bridgewater). $2.99 for a gallon of 1%... which is a dollar cheaper than the $3.99/gal at ShopRite in Hillsborough. The price has definitely gone up over the last couple years or so... I remember it being $2.49/gal a while back.

I spoke to a couple of distant cousins at a party last year who were from Wisconsin, and they almost fell off their chair when I told them how much we pay for milk out here.

Down in MD we have been paying $2.19/2.29 (as low as $2.09) for 1% milk (non-organic) at Wegmans for about 4-5 years now. Not sure why they've kept the price down so low but they seem to be treating milk as a loss leader. Other grocery stores in town (Safeway, Giant) have had 1% milk priced anywhere from $3.49 to $3.99 over the same horizon.

 

[Woody522]

Kirkland Signature 3 Pc Urethane Golf Balls 24pk

 

[njrexguy]

Say Cheese! Excellent selection of all kinds. And the prices are incredible. FRENCH BRIE, MANCHEGO, FRENCH BLUE CHEESE, FETA, SOFT GOAT CHEESE. I would keep my
Membership just for the cheeses. Did I remember prices?

Pot stickers, Belgian chocolates at Christmas, spanicopita, Jones frozen sausage patties, butter, Greek olives, granular garlic, frozen berries, marinated artickokes, canned catfood

Did I mention cheeze?

 

[RUaMoose_rivals]

Never had a Cosco membership, didn’t think it was worth the membership dues when you can get items on sale elsewhere. As for the chickens Walmart and Shoprite have roasted chickens for about the same price. That said, my mother had a membership and she always picked me up a 3lb can of Kirkland Colombian coffee for like 8 bucks. Great coffee. Walmart great value Colombian in the foil bag is pretty damn close though

 

[Scarlet_Monster]

Never had a Cosco membership, didn’t think it was worth the membership dues when you can get items on sale elsewhere. As for the chickens Walmart and Shoprite have roasted chickens for about the same price. That said, my mother had a membership and she always picked me up a 3lb can of Kirkland Colombian coffee for like 8 bucks. Great coffee. Walmart great value Colombian in the foil bag is pretty damn close though

Except the Costco chicken is an enormous bird at most being 5 1/2lbs, while most grocery store rotisserie chickens are around 3lbs.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

https://www.costco.com/organic-tasty-bite-madras-lentils,-10-oz,-8-count.product.100502845.html

 

[RUChoppin]

Never had a Cosco membership, didn’t think it was worth the membership dues when you can get items on sale elsewhere. As for the chickens Walmart and Shoprite have roasted chickens for about the same price. That said, my mother had a membership and she always picked me up a 3lb can of Kirkland Colombian coffee for like 8 bucks. Great coffee. Walmart great value Colombian in the foil bag is pretty damn close though

It depends on how much you buy, really. Our membership easily pays for itself every year.

 

[RUevolution36]

Kirkland Signature 3 Pc Urethane Golf Balls 24pk

Those are apparently not quite the same quality as when they first came out. New factory and formula.

 

[koleszar]

-24 count cage free eggs $3.59ish .
.

Just some stuff I've learned:

Cage free eggs are not any healthier for you or more humane. I bet those eggs are brown as well. They've done studies, people associate brown eggs as being healthier for you as opposed to white. Guess what, that's just a certain breed of chicken which lays brown eggs has nothing to do with how they're raised.

Cage free or Free Range simply means they cut a hole in the barn and give them a 10' x 10' area outside for about 40,000 chickens. However those 40,000 chickens never go outside since they're food driven and just stay where the food is.

There's also a reason farmers like to cage chickens as it keeps them separated. Chickens will peck each other and basically bully for a pecking order. Having them free to do this in a confined area they will eventually kill some or even worse the weak one's become sick and it spreads. Chickens are carnivores so they eat the dead chicken. They will also eat any unattended eggs by the hen.

 

[LETSGORU91]

Down in MD we have been paying $2.19/2.29 (as low as $2.09) for 1% milk (non-organic) at Wegmans for about 4-5 years now. Not sure why they've kept the price down so low but they seem to be treating milk as a loss leader. Other grocery stores in town (Safeway, Giant) have had 1% milk priced anywhere from $3.49 to $3.99 over the same horizon.

Spanky: "Don't drink the milk".
Teacher: "Why?"
Spanky: "It's spoiled!"

Kirkland Signature 3 Pc Urethane Golf Balls 24pk

Just picked up a 24 pack!

Except the Costco chicken is an enormous bird at most being 5 1/2lbs, while most grocery store rotisserie chickens are around 3lbs.

Costco usually tastier and not as dry.

Those are apparently not quite the same quality as when they first came out. New factory and formula.

Rut roh..just bought the 24 pack....

 

[LETSGORU91]

Just some stuff I've learned:

Cage free eggs are not any healthier for you or more humane. I bet those eggs are brown as well. They've done studies, people associate brown eggs as being healthier for you as opposed to white. Guess what, that's just a certain breed of chicken which lays brown eggs has nothing to do with how they're raised.

Cage free or Free Range simply means they cut a hole in the barn and give them a 10' x 10' area outside for about 40,000 chickens. However those 40,000 chickens never go outside since they're food driven and just stay where the food is.

There's also a reason farmers like to cage chickens as it keeps them separated. Chickens will peck each other and basically bully for a pecking order. Having them free to do this in a confined area they will eventually kill some or even worse the weak one's become sick and it spreads. Chickens are carnivores so they eat the dead chicken.

I had some of thos eggs this afternoon and followed up with said dead chicken tonight with Yoshita teriyaki sauce.

 

[koleszar]

I had some of thos eggs this afternoon and followed up with said dead chicken tonight with Yoshita teriyaki sauce.

I'll give you a trick on figuring out if your eggs truly are free range. The yolks. If the yolk is orange they're eating a lot of protein(bugs) and grasses. Now there is a way some companies fool you on this, they feed them Marigolds. However, you can dispel this by cooking scrambled eggs, the eggs will turn out firmer than non-Free Range.

 

[DHajekRC84]

Just some stuff I've learned:

Cage free eggs are not any healthier for you or more humane. I bet those eggs are brown as well. They've done studies, people associate brown eggs as being healthier for you as opposed to white. Guess what, that's just a certain breed of chicken which lays brown eggs has nothing to do with how they're raised.

Cage free or Free Range simply means they cut a hole in the barn and give them a 10' x 10' area outside for about 40,000 chickens. However those 40,000 chickens never go outside since they're food driven and just stay where the food is.

There's also a reason farmers like to cage chickens as it keeps them separated. Chickens will peck each other and basically bully for a pecking order. Having them free to do this in a confined area they will eventually kill some or even worse the weak one's become sick and it spreads. Chickens are carnivores so they eat the dead chicken. They will also eat any unattended eggs by the hen.

I stopped right after you lost the bet about them being brown. They are white.
I also know enough about eggs to know what is running and slimy and dull vs. Quality yoke and whites that don't run all over the pan like water. Vs. come out as a nice round blob.

 

[BigWill]

Is buying another freezer and storing excess food and using the electric power to run the appliance a real savings ? Adding in the membership fees ?

Freezer burn throw outs ?

Just asking, I don't go shopping. Those wanting to know how Mary Anne doesn't send me out for milk/eggs/toilet paper ? I would buy cans of Crab meat, cans of sardines, hagan daz (sp) ice cream. A 5 dollar trip would go up to 50 or more. (I actually like crab meat, sardines and ice cream, just not at the same time.)

 

[Woody522]

Those are apparently not quite the same quality as when they first came out. New factory and formula.

Yea the original were a 4pc and basically pro v1s.

That being said for the average golfer the 3 pc is a great value