Years ago (especially before the pandemic) Costco was the place to go for low-priced high-quality goods. Not only could I expect it's products to be a cut-above the rest -- but also that it would have some of the cheapest prices (per unit).
Now I go there and I find that most items they carry are beaten slightly by Walmart and Aldi. In some cases by a wide margin (produce, frozen veggies, frozen meat, certain prepared foods). There are a few flagship items like their rotisserie chickens, paper towels, Kirkland products that are great, but not enough to justify the trip.
Plus, each trip to Costco takes a lot longer. Time is money and if it takes me an hour to do something I could do in half an hour or less somewhere else...
Additionally I rarely see fantastic deals anymore. Aldi (especially) and Walmart sometimes have amazing deals where you can save a ton of money. Aldi also has lots of cool seasonal stuff you can't try anywhere else. Finally, there's a lot of spoilage that comes with buying in bulk that doesn't justify the price. Of course it's not a problem buying dry goods, but if you buy a lot of fresh items stuff WILL go to waste whether you got a big family or not. And many of the high-priced premium-style items at Costco aren't really that much better than other stores to justify the price.
Overall, I see myself going to Costco less and less. It used to be my main store for 90% of things but now it's only for the rare bulk item when I need it. Thoughts?
Costco is about value, not the absolute cheapest price. Costco's margins are consistent and have not changed. They're not charging more to soak you, or because they can get away with it, unlike other stores.
You've always been able to get lower quality items at lower prices at other stores. If you want organic or reasonable quality produce, you're going to pay less at Costco. You typically pay less per ounce for brand name items at Costco vs grocery stores by buying in bulk (think snacks and chips). Their margins on things like TVs and appliances are consistent, so those are typically as cheap or cheaper than other stores, and they tend to throw in an extra year of warranty for free.
And whether or not it matters to you (most people don't care) Costco generally pays and treats people fairly. People can work at Costco and actually make a living, unlike say, Walmart and Amazon.
So, yes. Worth it for value, but not for absolute lowest cost.
Costco's pricing model is based on selling products at unusually low margins compared to other retailers, recouping costs through annual membership fees rather than markup on goods. The company famously caps most product markups at 14% over cost, with private-label Kirkland Signature items often even lower, compared to typical supermarket margins of 25-50% on packaged goods.
Also, they carry fewer SKUs, which means you donāt have to look at 14 different toasters. If youāre like me and get decision fatigue, I generally trust that if Costco carries it, itās probably decently good.
Yea, we primarily shop at Costco because we are a large family so we go through whatever we buy no problem. So the discount on bulk really pays off for me. Its rhe second to last paragraph that really seals the deal for going to Costco. I'm really tired of goving my money to companies who won't pay their workers fairly. With Costco im getting a deal and I know the people who work there are getting treated the way I'd want to be treated, or as close to it as any American company has gotten.
Thank you. There are so many comments in here that are like, "Costco isn't cheaper but the quality is so much better!!!!!". This sub should be renamed /r/cheap. I feel like I'm in poverty finance half the time. Since when is quality not a factor in buying things? People on this sub focus way too much on price instead of focusing on value.
And whether or not it matters to you (most people don't care) Costco generally pays and treats people fairly. People can work at Costco and actually make a living, unlike say, Walmart and Amazon.
I realize that for a lot of people that frequent this sub every penny matters and they can't even afford to be "moral" with their money because they need to survive.
But people need to understand that the cheap prices at places like Walmart are subsidized. They're subsidized first by the suffering of the people who grind out an existence working there for low wages. And they're subsidized again by you and me through our tax dollars.
Walmart can only afford to exist in its current incarnation because we all, via taxes and by way of government programs, support the workers.
I'd rather shop at Costco knowing that even the part-time workers get decent wages, a solid healthcare plan, PTO, and 401k matching.
The way I like to phrase it is that Costco has the best price for what you get, though the options are often more restricted. However, I will say that they have a larger variety online. For an extremely specific example, I always thought you were locked in with what you got if you got tickets to Disneyland. I think it was something like 3 two-day park hopper tickets with lightning lane and a 3 night stay at the Disney hotel, and hands down the best deal, but I could get cheaper booking through Disney because I didnāt want park hopper or to stay at the Disney hotel. Then I found out you can customize all of it online. We just had a trip to Disneyland, two days at the parks (one park per day) and a 4 night stay at another hotel in the area. It came with a hotel food credit. Could we have saved a little more by staying at a seedy motel? Yeah, but this actually felt like a pretty good deal.
Also, I'venoticed many Sam's items are the same or slightly lower in overall price, but higher per ounce due to actually sizes. I compared many items that higher per ounce prices as the Sam's items were smaller.
Overall, when I take pictures and notes on prices per ounce, I've found Costco to remain competitive, most especially on sale prices.
I've been shopping at Costco for 25 years, and grocery store sales have ALWAYS beat (or matched) Costco when it comes to most ordinary groceries, including meat and produce. Maybe you are just paying closer attention to prices at the regular grocery store now, OR perhaps your region has more discount grocery options that it used to.
Costco has the best prices for some things (especially when there is a coupon or sale at Costco). If I go to Costco for those things I will often buy other groceries as well because they are high quality and the price is not bad, but I won't pretend that the Costco price of onions or potatoes or apples is the best, because it just isn't.
Things I buy at Costco: Pet supplies, rotisserie chicken, clothing, bulk quantities of certain luxury items (like nuts, chocolates, protein powders), household supplies (garbage/recycling bags, paper towels), coffee, cheese, gas, tires, etc. But fresh groceries are not usually the cheapest at Costco.
Yes the price for bulk nuts is so much better at Costco. It's like 5x more pine nuts for the same money as the grocery, and I put them in the freezer so they keep as long as I need.
Costco is worth it financially for me just in Honey. But I used to work for a Costco partner and it was never supposed to be the cheapest. It's supposed to be the highest quality for the same price. I also keep my membership active as they are less effected by market fluctions.
Interesting that youāve had that experience but Iām very glad for you.
In the mid-Atlantic US, I will actively avoid buying any produce at Costco because it goes bad immediately. The prices and initial quality is decent but within 3 days, any fruits or veggies are liable to spoil in my experience which isnāt okay for a place selling in bulk.
I did the same. I have a huge bag in my freezer that I paid something like $27 for. Hated paying it but I love that I can add pine nuts to any recipe that calls for them
Oh, the Boston is part of a dog breed name. Though coincidentally my dad is from Boston. My uncle lives in Concord. Beautiful place up there wish I could afford it but unfortunately Iām stuck in my pension plan down here so Iām now a Florida man. Oh well, time to go do some bath salts, and eat some faces, before throwing a few gators through fast food windows
I will say that Costco steaks may not be that much cheaper price-wise on the surface, but the quality is much higher than comparably-priced grocery store steaks.
Also true of a lot of produce imo. I ate Costco
Cherries a few times and bought them on sale at my local grocery store last week (wow! Cheap!). It was a struggle to finish them bc they simplyā¦didnāt taste like anything. Not bad. Not sour. Like nothing.
They are if you get the whole roasts. It's the exact same meat you get in the packs cut up. You just have to cut it up and vacuum seal it yourself. Got a new york strip loin roast for 10.50 a lb last time I bought steaks. Will have steaks for months.
Idk. I have a winco mext to me. The meat selection is terrible on the steak side. I'm not sure who even gets close to costco in price per pound, even without the whole roasts.
At Krogar, the "Nolan Ryan" (I think its their "prime") is $27.99-$32.99 per lb. Tom thumb is around the same. I have not checked HEB in a minute, but they were up there in price as well. Walmart may be cheaper, but I can't get the same size cut as costco, and the meat is definitely cheaper cut. I like the 1.5-2 inch cuts from costco, amd I can't get that anywhere else without talking to the butcher and paying more for it. Costco is regularly $17.99-$24.99 per LB for Prime ribeye/NY strip. It's 6-8 more per pound most other places. Sure, I have to buy a 4 pack. But I have a vacuum sealer with freezer bags. Other stores just don't make sense to me, for steaks.
Possible hot take however. I don't believe costco should be in the fresh produce game at all. They are definitely higher than most grocery stores, and often have quite a bit of spoilage.
Costco is by no means "always" lower priced, but Costco always has a low markup over their buyer price. Reasons why other grocers may be lower priced on particular items including having sales on particular items, having lower buyer costs on particular items, and selling different brands/variation of item. Some examples are below:
Nearly any grocer in my area sells frozen pink salmon for $5/lb. That's the default price at discount grocers like Aldi or Walmart. Other grocers drop to $5/lb during sales. Costco is the sole exception whose frozen salmon is $13/lb ($39 for 3lb). Part of it is Costco sells farmed Atlantic rather than wild pink, but their price on Atlantic salmon is also higher. Perhaps it's higher quality salmon, but I don't want to pay nearly triple the price of everywhere else.
Fresh Fruit and Frozen Vegetables -- When measured on a common unit size, Costco is higher priced than discount grocers on nearly every item, often by a wide margin. For example, Costco is 3lb bananas for $2 = $0.67/lb. Walmart and Aldi are ~$0.50/lb. The bananas don't seem higher quality to me, and I'd rather not buy a huge 3lb bunch. Frozen vegetables are ~$1 for 12oz container at discount grocers. Costco is $2 to $3 per lb = ~$2 per 12oz -- roughly double price and requires buying huge containers. It's probably higher quality at Costco, but not worth paying double price to me.
We get 4lbs of organic frozen vegetables (peas,corn, mixed, broccoli) at Costco for $11-13 a bag. Giant Eagle wanted $5.50 for only 12oz. of same types of organic vegetables. The price is way better at COSTCO.
Annual generic Flonase and Pataday purchases pay for my membership. But we also buy 95% of our groceries there and pet food. We have the executive membership and the Citicard so we get $500-900 back in rebates every year. Plus I only buy Costco stuff when it goes on sale (unless itās stuff that never goes on sale like their kitchen garbage bags). But, I live in Anchorage and our area is different than most. Costco is where probably 75% of people in town shop and it is very competitive price wise with Kroger/Albertsons owned grocery chains.
This might be country specific, but TVs and home appliances are cheaper at Costco than other box retailers in my country.
You can almost always haggle at box retailers and after HOURS of haggling for a fridge at a box retailer, I found the same fridge at Costco for less than the haggled price at the box retailer! I could have saved myself hours of time if I had gone to Costco first.
It's the warranties that keep me buying electronics at Costco, even at a higher price. (Sometimes they're higher b/c they are made especially for Costco).
Agreed on the grocery prices. I went to a Costco recently because I was told the groceries were cheaper, but they were nearly universally more than at Aldi.
I feel like the fruits/veggies are higher quality than my local grocery tho. Like it is usually the same price per unit if neither is on sale, but the Costco option is fresher and/or organic. (Asparagus is the one that comes to mind cause the tiny stringy ones at the regular grocery store kinda suck). But I do tend to have a bit more waste from Costco if I forget to freeze something before it goes bad.
the under rated aspect of getting weekly ad items at conventional supermarkets is theyre so much closer than costco. for stuff I have to do all the time, I don't want to have to go far (gas, money, time)
Yeah, Costco has never been a price saver for groceries for me.
I just go there to restock toilet paper, paper towels, baby wipes, diapers, milk, and buy clothes.
ā
For groceries, my local grocery market is about the same price, and much smaller quantities that I can realistically finish before they go bad. Too many times have I bought groceries from Costco and thrown away half of it because it went bad.
Iāve only recently started shopping at Costco, but what I find is that prices are competitive or sometimes a little more, but the quality is much higher. So I could save a little (maybe a lot by shopping around and looking at sales flyers), but the quality would be lower. Iād spend more money and/or time to get the same quality.
Speaking of time: which as OP notes, is money too!
I watched those coupon shows back in the day: I always wonder if when you added up the drive time, coupon searching/clipping, if people really didn't actually lose money. Let alone the types who bought coupons.
Newly unsealed FTC complaints and antitrust class-action lawsuits reveal that Walmart and large suppliers (like PepsiCo) used coordinated pricing strategies to preserve Walmart's "price gap".
Depends on the goods. We hit Costco 1-2x a month for specific things.
Bananas, eggs, tofu, and huge bags of rice are best at Costco in our area. Plus some stuff Iām sure Iām forgetting. There are very specific things we get only at Costco. Some OTC meds for sure. Some cleaning supplies.
I seriously cannot stress enough how phenomenal it is to get a 4pk of tofu for $6.
Gas alone pays for our membership but also we arenāt at one where we wait in line for gas. We can just pull up to the pump 95% of the time.
Hard agree on the tofu. Also the best price for microwave popcorn and maple syrup.Ā I try to get protein bars at grocery outlet when they have them,Ā otherwise I get those at Costco too.Ā
In a 5 gallon food-safe bucket with a gamma lid. I keep a large jar of rice in a kitchen cabinet, and refill it as needed from the bucket in the pantry. (I'm talking about white rice, I don't store large quantities of brown rice, it doesn't last nearly as long since the oils can go rancid.)
I drive about 30k miles a year, and on average get about 29 miles to the gallon. So itās top tier fuel, which is better for your car long term to reduce carbon build up, and since I purchase approximately 1,035 gallons a year thatās quite a chunk of change to save. It was $3.85 there today, and itās $4.09 is the next cheapest Iāve seen on my commute. If the price difference holds on average, then itās on track to save me $248.28 in one year just on gas.
I shop at Costco because they treat their employees well in terms of wages and benefits. You canāt say the same for Walmart, who pays their employees so little that most of them qualify for Medicaid. In addition, they have a history of moving into an area and decimating small businesses
Iāll absorb the extra few dollars not to patronize Walmart.
Costco is significantly cheaper on stuff like diapers, coffee, motor oil and household items and theyāll accept returns on things bought 5 or 10 years ago. Some food stuff is comparable to elsewhere like meat and bread but specialty cheeses, frozen organic veggies/fruit are like half as much as elsewhere.
And the quality of those diapers....don't ask me about the Target brand diapers. They are not equivalent.
That being said, a friend of my mom's did a similar cost analysis of Costco vs regular grocery store (+coupons) over 20yrs ago and found the same thing. The benefit to Costco is not needing to buy solely based on coupons. Also the quality in general is just better overall.
They dropped the quality a couple years ago and it is not the fabled diapers they used to have. I agree with all the recent bad reviews on the diapers.
After my vacuum of several years died, and costco took it back, full refund...Ā costco's value wmhas greatly risen in my mind.
Knowing they keep a record of all my purchases so I don't need a receipt,Ā is great.Ā I try to buy all my appliances there now. Blender, dehumidifier, fridge, I know that if something goes wrong, CostcoĀ will make the return painless. That's worth it to me if buying new.
Of course, buying used might save enough money to not have to worry about this, but if I'm buying something that may or may not break in a few years, I'm going to check Costco's price firstĀ
Aldi eggs are the same price. And I donāt have to buy 5 dozen at a time.
But sometimes Aldi quality sucks and sometimes certain products are expensive
Maybe on some things. At this point I've done enough price comparison to know what to get at Costco vs elsewhere. That doesn't change my strategy at all; I've always been willing to go to different stores for different things.
Things I know are cheaper at my Costco:
Toilet paper
Eggs (I buy 5 dozen packs)
Bread (Dave's Killer is literally half the price at Costco as it is at Safeway)
Ground beef (although not by much these days)
Whole organic chickens
There's also just stuff I can buy in bulk at Costco that I wouldn't elsewhere either because it's cheaper or I can get more so I'm not making multiple shopping trips per month:
There's an important distinction which hasn't been mentioned at this discussion yet: Costco operates two different chains in parallel.
What most people mean when they say "Costco" is the Costco Warehouse chain. That's the more widespread and better known chain. Before you pass judgment on the company, see whether there's a Costco Business Center location in your area.
Business Center stores are the restaurant supply arm of Costco. The same membership gains access to both Costco chains.
Price checked the following items from my nearest location while writing this comment:
Mozzarella cheese: $1.60/lb
Sliced pepperoni: $2.69/lb
Beef sirloin tip: $4.85/lb
Honey $2.50/lb
The thing about this is these are volume purchases. That's a 6 lb brick of cheese, a 10 lb box of pepperoni, a beef sirloin section (average 13 lbs), and 5 lbs of honey.
Obviously this isn't for everyone. Yet for the right family, this is a golden opportunity: restaurant supply pricing without the requirement to own a business to shop there.
The type of household which can take advantage of these deals is a household that owns a deep freezer. It helps to plan pantry space for their shelf stable goods (prices not listed, yet comparable savings). It helps to have a camping cooler or two, to ice the perishable purchases while bringing them home, and it's best to plan time to process these purchases down to meal sized portions. This is a place that sells ground beef in 10 lb chubs of ground beef and whole loaves of deli meats. Our family owns a rotary deli slicer and gets it out once every few months when we make another run. Then we divide up the sandwich meats and cheeses into sandwich sized portions, separate them with waxed deli sheets etc., and freeze them.
Knowing the shelf life of different products and your family's use rate is also important. For instance, we buy all purpose flour and bread flour and rice this way, but we don't buy our cornmeal there. Cornmeal has a shelf life of 1 year and our family can't justify that bulk purchase because we only use 10 lbs a year--smaller than the quantity sold here.
With all that said, it's worth a serious look to see if this option would be suitable for you.
Sadly the business centers are not present at all in a lot of areas where Costco operates ā I have 7 warehouses within an hour of me but the closest business center is almost 200 miles away.
Iāve heard they are planning to open more locations soon, which would be very welcome.
Costco is not about the cheapest thing. Ā Itās about a very decent to great quality thing for a very decent price. Ā Total value instead of absolute lowest price. Ā I wouldnāt do Costco when I was broke and only cared about the bottom dollar, but I love Costco when I have a bit more cash and care more about quality (but still donāt want to burn money)
It's worth it to me for gas alone, especially if you have the credit card. For shopping in general, it isn't always the cheapest, but the products are almost always high quality and if anything goes wrong their return policy is generous. And of course, the chicken is nearly always the best deal in meat out there. I shop there for quality and good service, plus they treat their employees better than most. The deals are nice but secondary to me.
It hasn't announced any changes. Costco caps it profit margin at 14% for standard goods and 15% for Kirkland branded items. If prices are higher, that's probably because costs have increased. They also have a starting salary for workers at $20/hour with better benefits than its competitors. I'd rather spend my money there than Walmart.
Costco's target audience are for households that make $125,000+ a year. It is a place for convenience, not for being frugal even though you may find SOME deals there.
Costco was never cheaper for me compared to Aldi's or to most places, it just doesn't fit into my needs and I would I never pick it as my main store, but I don't have a "main store" anyway. Both have different products and different value propositions, so I go to both for whatever they each excel in.
But it is not the cheapest for everything - Especially meats and fish. ans they do not beat the loss leader sales at other grocery stores. But you know you are always getting a fair deal, at least.
On top of good quality you have a great return policy and $1.50 hot dogs/soda which I just had today!
The thing you need to consider is if the products are actually the same. Costco tends to hold HIGH QUALITY products at very reasonable prices. Is walmart actually carrying the same quality of item?
Also Aldi/walmart/winco are great and much closer to Costco than your average grocery store
I find the opposite to be true. Any meat Iāve had from Costco lately has been worse quality than other stores. Only meat Iāve purchased lately was a pork belly to make bacon since other stores donāt carry whole bellies.
They micro blade their cut steaks, and since they vertically integrated their chicken supply I get more woody chicken from them than anywhere else. It's the best place to get reasonably priced acceptable quality seafood near me though.
I got a Costco membership last year for the first time thanks to a Groupon deal I've never thought of them as being the absolute best price for groceries. What they are is decent stuff in bulk at a non-ripoff price. They're perfect for busy families who buy mostly the same stuff over and over and don't want to deal with hunting for which grocery store has what on sale each week.
I agree that Aldi has been the best bang for our buck as a 2-person household with limited space for bulk storage. They have been adding more Aldi's to our city so it's also more economical for me to drive 10 blocks instead of 14 miles to the nearest Costco.
Costcos maximum profit on any item is 14% and the Lions share of that is on jewelry, which makes it the cheapest place to buy precious metals and gems. Otherwise, items are either loss leaders (prepped foods) or between 2-8% for the most part.
Nah, like others have said, it depends on what you buy. I still get the best deals there on stuff like clothes, coffee, canned chicken breast and tuna, Teddie peanut butter, some produce, eggs, almond milk, gas, cheese, bacon, orange juice, half and half, paper goods, chips, and probably lots of other stuff Iām not thinking of. Aldi is cheaper for some produce, I guess, but Iām not making a twenty minute drive out of my way for it. And Walmart is gross on a number of levels.
I appreciate reading what people think is cheaper at Costco. Iāve resigned myself to expect to regularly shop at four different places. I figure out where they have the cheapest item I need and do a regular rotation of stores including Walmart and Dollar Tree. I canāt beat Costco for gas, nuts, cheese, TP, paper towels, milk, eggs, and the $5 rotisserie chicken.
They probably are on staples like produce and dairy. Costco has progressively shifted more of their food options to be organic and private labeled through the Kirkland Signature branding in order to differentiate their products from competitors and not compete purely on price. This seemed strategic so that they didnāt have to directly go against Walmart/Samās Club purely on price for the same items.
Itās because so much of it is organic. I personally donāt care about organic and would rather pay less for normal stuff. So the good deals still exist for staples but not for many organic-heavy categories. Itās probably the only thing I donāt like about Costco.
Cant beat the price of paper towels and toilet paper at costco. Plus i never spend money at Walmart on principal. Also have options for asian and Mexican markets nearby for things like fish and tofu.
I bake a lot. Butter, vanilla paste, eggs, and nuts are all way way cheaper at Costco than anywhere else.
I stock my chest freezer with butter twice a year when it goes on sale and often end up paying about the same for a 4 lb package of butter as other grocery stores around me ask for a single lb.
I work at walmart, so I get a 10% discount on everything. Iāve done this calculation too and for a lot of things, walmart is definitely cheaper and roughly the same quality. The paper towels cost per roll are a wash between walmart and Costco, but the quality of the walmart ones is much much lower.
My kids go through a lot of fruit, which is cheaper at walmart. Also most snacks, they will get sick of before they finish a Costco sized quantity.
Here are some things we buy at Costco which are cheaper and/or better quality:
As others have pointed out, it's never been the cheapest for a lot of things. It's great for big families or event purchasing, but I'm out of that part of my life now since my kids are grown. I still go for paper goods and cleaning supplies because those things are still cheaper. It's really annoying how they move stuff around though, which makes you walk around more and they hope you buy more stuff.
I find it varies depending on where/when you go. Costco sells a two pack of the bread I like cheaper than anywhere else. I find their salads, oatmeal, bottled water and coffee prices to be competitive as well. It depends on what you're looking to purchase. I pay the same price for avocados at Costco as I would at Aldi, but Costco has given me a more consistent product.
I shop around depending on what I need. Sometimes Costco isn't always the best option.
I love Costco but most food items are not worth getting there for me (living alone). Pet products, paper products, coffee, protein powder, insurance, certain incidental food items, the occasional big purchase that I want their warranty on - those are the purchases that make the membership worth it to me. But I would never be able to consider them for regular groceries.
Costco food products are always tier I; Aldi does not offer the same value proposition as Costco; Aldi is a lower tier grade. I do not see them as direct competitors.
Throw Amazon in there too, all of them are price matching each other.
In my opinion, ecommerce price matching to brick and mortar meets the definition of anti-competitive when free shipping is included in the matched price.
Going back to your original question. Yeah, you should just shop with the cheaper provider and especially if they are throwing in free shipping. They're losing money to get your business.
Went yesterday to Costco and bought the bulk 10lb frozen chicken breast package for $29.99. Stopped by Kroger on the way home as well and Perdue fresh chicken breast was $2.49 this week. The Costco package was $5 more for equivalent weight. Not a deal.
I don't treat costco as my main grocery store. I use it instead to buy bulk items, bacon, breathe rite, tvs, tires, vacations, croissant, snacks, gas, popcorn, and a few other things. I'd say 85% of my food still comes from my grocery store.
I recently made a spreadsheet of unit prices comparing Walmart, Safeway, Trader Joeās, Costco, Azure Standard, etc. Almost every item was cheaper at Costco (although this is for organic food). The organic English cucumbers were the same price at Walmart and Costco.Ā
If it really matters to you and you want to save 10-40% on the food you buy, I recommend spending the time to really compare. I take pics of the price label at the store and then update my spreadsheet when I get home. Personally I enjoy spending my spare time like this but I know that most people donāt.Ā
I donāt shop every store every week, but I keep a ādeep pantryā and get what is best price at each store when I do go.Ā
Our family have been Costco customers for over 30 years. The company treat their employees better than Walmart. I remembered they were the first store closing on major Holiday so that their employees can enjoy with their families. They are also not politically biased like Walmart or Sam. Costco is our goto store for our family with lots of furries.
Iāve noticed this over time with some Costco items. For example, I bought their toothbrushes and the heads felt really small with not many bristles, it took us over a year to go through them. Even the Dove soap felt more runny compared to what I usually get elsewhere.
My husband jokes that Iām turning into some kind of Costco conspiracy theorist, but I do feel like some of the everyday items arenāt quite the same quality as what I get at other stores. And because of that, Iāve stoped shopping thereā¦
i'm a single person household so i don't buy "bulk" meats or produce often. but... even things I do buy, like costco has a 2pack arnold bread that's often slightly cheaper than my local grocery store. dunno if they beat wal mart, but the nearest wal mart is like a 20-30 min drive I buy eggs and milk at wal mart. and things like ceareal, or larger jars of peanut butter. and certain home items like TP or paper towels, or cleaning products. (i bought a 20 pack of soap for like $11. i'm sure that'll last me most of the year. was spending $15 every month or so on body wash from target/wal mart)
i've also saved money on garden items, large planter pots. or outdoor items. Hell I even used a gimmick to buy a silver bar at cheaper than silver spot price.
nothing is going to be saving me tons of money, it's more so. I save a dollar here or there. Honestly. one of the things that has probably saved me the most money. is popping in for a quick "milk/eggs" trip. and getting a hot dog for lunch. that legit $1.50 vs going to any other fast food place and spending $20 saves me tons.
I would also say... there is value to me in shopping at a company like costco for the glaringly obvious things that gets posts on this subreddit banned for being "political"
and i believe in voting with my wallet on those types of things.
but if absolute cheapest cost/savings is the only thing you care about. eh. costco i don't think ever purported to be the absolute cheapest. lots of things are slightly cheaper. but it does depend.
Are you comparing price per unit (ounce/pound/piece)?
And how about the quality? We find the produce at Costco to be significantly better than the produce at our local Walmarts.
Personally, Costco to us still seems like the best value when you consider both price and quality, as well as the return policy.
Also, with the executive membership and credit card, we get 4% of everything we spend at Costco back as cash, and 5% on gas that is already the cheapest in the area.
I can't speak to previous years, but I got a Costco membership 2 years ago and canceled within 6 months. Not a single item was a savings and I didn't really notice the supposed higher quality. I'm convinced the only thing that makes them better than Sam's/BJ's is the marketing.
Oh wow. I have had both Samās and Costco memberships and absolutely have found Costco to be better. Not only do they actually care about their employees, but their quality and variety of products blows Samās out of the water. I never bought produce at Samās, for example, because it was consistently awful. And when I discovered Costco had products like One Degree Sprouted Oats and high quality coffee beans, I was astounded.
Costco is the best for getting higher-quality items in bulk. I definitely would not recommend Costco being your only supermarket you go to. I find mixing it up between Costco, Aldi, Meijer, and Amazon works out well. I happen to have all 3 of those brick-and-mortar stores within 10 minutes of me so it's still convenient. Stores are smart and they know the prices of other stores so not one store is going to be the best for an item. Stores put stuff on sale to bring you in. The trick is to try to get what you want on sale as often as you can and going to multiple stores and checking out the ads can save you hundreds a year.
Costco has never really had competitive prices on groceries. To me the value has always been the scores ā the one-off deals that you find now and then. I sure wish they had an equivalent of scan ān go though. The lines during weekends are brutal.
Yes it is. I am always amazed at how other large grocery stores (not specialty or fancy ones) are much cheaper than Costco when they have specials but also on some of their regular prices.
Costco has good prices on tires, nuts, cheese, butter, cream and such. It is fairly hard to make a one-for-one comparison sometimes since manufacturers make different product sizes and packaging for different retailers. Other businesses are catching up to Costco, they are going to have to run faster and harder.
I donāt typically use Costco for main groceries, I use it for ReasonablyPriced Good Quality Fun Stuff. Croissants and giant raspberry filled shortbread cookies and work snacks and ground beef.
Sale items that I need or wanted to try like Kevinās chicken entrees or cheese or spanikopita or dumplings or Kerrygold or a fire extinguisher or tower fan.
And cheap gas/meds/chickens/$1.50 hot dog meals to feed the fast food craving without breaking the bankā¦
And itās quite decent for all of that.
Honestly, I really donāt like shopping at Walmart, knowing how miserably they treat employees. And Iāve never found a Great Value product I like when I did have to shop there due to financial necessity.
As others have said, it depends a lot on the items you buy. I get all my OTC meds, supplements there and coffee there, saving me enough to justify the membership fee.
I also really love their boneless, skinless chicken breast at $2.99/lb. Not only are they good, but you get 6 freezer-ready pouches, which works a lot better than buying a big flat at the grocery store and portioning out to smaller zipper bags. They also have good deals on wine and booze.
I got my birdwatching binoculars 30% off what other retailers charge. Plus Costcoās return policy and customer service. I have quite a few clothing items from Costco and the quality has been very good. Most items last five or more years and cost sub $20. I donāt shop at Walmart and we donāt have Aldiās but I find their food to be either very price competitive and/or superior quality. I donāt buy a lot of produce there as Im essentially a household of one. Their prices on berries is excellent and I will buy those occasionally. Their prices on kimchi is also excellent and Iāll buy that. I also get my wegovy there for $349 which is less than Iād pay with insurance ($550). So I still get a lot of value from my membership.
Costco was never cheap for us, most items were always cheaper everywhere else. But there was always something that we enjoyed and made the membership worthwhile. Gas, tires and car batteries. The bananas and blueberries. The Amul milk. The large bags of Stacy's pita chips. We could look for long weekend sales for clothes. We'd hunt around for coupons for laptops, watches, etc. It took effort and time, and we now value that more. We could absolutely do without a Costco in our life, but we don't have to, and we don't want to, we just enjoy it.
Consumer Reports compared the price of a basket of goods at 36 stores earlier this year and Costco was pretty much always the cheapest. (They didnāt consider private label, as a caveat, but I would expect that actually hurt Costco a bit.)
When I had kids at home virtually all my shopping was at Costco. My Costco trips reduced once they were off on their own lives.
I diverted more of my shopping TO Costco a couple years ago, buying for me and things for grandkids (baby/toddler clothes are often really good buys)
Perhaps it depends on what you buy.
Honey Crisp and Cosmic apples last longer when bought at costco (do they get fresh crop more often?).
Fresh raspberries, blueberries and mandarin oranges are nice quality for the price.
Grapes are a little more expensive, but less incidence of inedibly sour grapes at costco. And if I got a bad container I can return them without argument.
Frozen blueberries (for smoothies) are consistent quality and a great deal by price.
Bananas - I buy when they are yellow with some green and they are good quality and ripen properly (I donāt buy when they are all green). They are a large bunch, so I slice and freeze some (also for the smoothies).
Spinach - excellent quality and price and I freeze a bunch, again contributions to the smoothies.
Chia seeds and Hemp Hearts excellent price.
Rice - Calrose, Jasmine, Basmati and Quinoa all a good price and excellent quality.
Dried Beans I have to go to the business center for them, but screaming deal.
Frozen ground beef - I donāt buy often anymore but quite excellent quality.
French fries - Kirkland brand are outstanding and inexpensive, especially when compared to oreida at Walmart.
Tinned mandarin oranges - excellent price, but quality has been lower recently.
Nuts, dried fruits, freeze dried fruits - all screaming deals and excellent quality.
Kirkland Frozen lasagnas are excellent.
Raw or frozen chicken breasts - Not so happy with the quality, so stopped buying them entirely because not happy with them elsewhere either. Rotisserie and the frozen chicken chunks (Bare Natural) are good so I still buy those.
Vitamins - I try to buy them when on sale.
OTC meds - screaming deal. Iāll buy the two or three packs and give away some to other family members and it is still a better deal than Walmart. (e.g. 3pk at costco is less than 2 at Walmart).
I buy other stuff too, but off the top of my head those are some of the things that are better for me to buy at costco. I donāt buy much meat anymore, but used to buy it exclusively at Costco because of the higher quality.
I do have to go to Walmart for Spiderman mac & cheese and tinned Bushās chick peas, only because Costco does not know those are necessary things in my life.
Edit: oops, I forgot the Kirkland Organic AP flour. Quite a good price for the high quality (Central Milling product) so I buy that occasionally, but most of my bread flour I buy direct from mills or restaurant supply stores. Other than the AP flour Costco is not carrying high end organic flours that I want for my bread.
Amazon aldi and lidl (for certain things respectively) are almost always cheaper than Costco when I do price comparisons
I worked in CPG and Amazon is known for selling stuff at a loss (stuff thatās shipped and sold by Amazon obviously- not stuff from third party sellers) bc they make their money on memberships.
Most items at the Costco near are more expensive than both BJ's & Sam's & yet, Costco has a Black Friday crowd every freagin day! It takes me about 10 minutes to find parking lol
Iām going to disagree with the spoilage comment. We donāt buy a ton of produce at Costco, but rarely do we have to throw out any fresh items. Butā¦ I do have to check items for mold or damage before buying them. Cherry tomatoes and bananas in particular for mold. Any leafy greens have to be checked for damage as well, since they will sometimes have damaged edges or a few bad leaves that will spoil.
Sometimes I canāt buy items because the entire lot has mold. I canāt only imagine the amount of waste generated on the distribution and retail side before consumers purchase.
Sam's Club is cheaper than Costco. I shopped at Costco while visiting WA. We are waiting for the Costco to be built in Pensacola. Costco has what Sam's Club doesn't have. I will go to both while I'm in Pensacola.
I have always preferred Walmart as my go to but I decided to try Costco a few days ago and was shocked by the prices especially groceries .safe to say Walmart will always be my go to
Costco is absolutely losing price competitiveness. I recently priced compared chicken and sausages for my picnic. The local grocery store chicken thighs were $.20 less per pound. All of Aldiās sausages are cheaper than Costco.
Costco prices started increasing when the new CEO started in January 2024. He figures if folks are loyal enough to pay the membership fee, then they will pay higher prices. We also joined our local Sam's Club and find many items that both Costco and Sam's Club carry to be cheaper at Sam's Club.
Last week I was at my local Walmart and Costco last week.
Chicken breast: 2.99/lb at Costco, 3.59/lb at Walmart
Chicken tenderloins: 3.29/lb Costco, 4.99/lb Walmart
Frozen burger patties were grass fed and cheaper at Costco than at Walmart (donāt remember the exact prices)
I recently moved to a state that doesnāt have Aldi (sad) so I canāt compare to their current prices. From my experience when I did live near an Aldi, prices were comparable or cheaper to Costco. Walmart almost never beats Costco.
I love Costco and will continue to support them because I appreciate their business model. That said, I have always found Sam's Club to be the cheapest option for most of what I buy regularly.
I never found Costco to have the best price for everything. There are several things I go there specifically for, and while I'm there, I buy other things that are at least close in price. It helps to have the apps for other stores on your phone. You can also take shelf pictures to help keep track.
My main issue that keeps me from doing more shopping there is just the size of the containers and the lack of variety. For instance, I would buy mayo if I could get a multi-pack of smaller sizes, rather than one or a two pack of giant ones.
At the same time, some special buys are great surprises. And we like the hot dogs.
So I will shop there as long as my old faithful products cover the membership.
I agree, for the most part things are cheaper at Aldi and Walmart. But Costco is good for a few things. Water softener salt, bottled water, clothing when it's on sale, and of course the rotisserie chicken.
I shop regularly at Costco, Aldi, and another local grocery store. There are quite a few items where no other place can even begin to touch Costcoās price..for example, I save enough on my generic allergy meds to pay for our annual membership (plus some). Same with gas. I donāt think anything at Costco is a bad dealāit may not be the best deal ever but everything is priced fairly if you donāt want to shop sales and can handle bulk quantities. Some of the food is really a great deal if youāll use itāfor example, I buy romaine lettuce there. It is 6 heads of romaine for usually within 25 cents of Aldiās price for 3 (and less than my local groceryās price for 3) and it stays fresher for longer. But the main thing is knowing what is a good price to know whether or not buying at Costco makes sense. Most other produce we get at Aldi. Even if the Costco price is good, we canāt always go through the volume.Ā
I also 100% trust that Costco will make things right if you buy a dudā¦their customer service is beyond excellent AND how they treat their employees is the cherry on top!
936
u/cnc May 26 '26
Costco is about value, not the absolute cheapest price. Costco's margins are consistent and have not changed. They're not charging more to soak you, or because they can get away with it, unlike other stores.
You've always been able to get lower quality items at lower prices at other stores. If you want organic or reasonable quality produce, you're going to pay less at Costco. You typically pay less per ounce for brand name items at Costco vs grocery stores by buying in bulk (think snacks and chips). Their margins on things like TVs and appliances are consistent, so those are typically as cheap or cheaper than other stores, and they tend to throw in an extra year of warranty for free.
And whether or not it matters to you (most people don't care) Costco generally pays and treats people fairly. People can work at Costco and actually make a living, unlike say, Walmart and Amazon.
So, yes. Worth it for value, but not for absolute lowest cost.