I'm looking at signing up to Costco next month, and was wondering how many OzBargainers go and what their experiences are like. How often do you go? I was thinking I'd need to go at least 6 times a year for it to be worthwhile, and would probably try for a monthly visit. My nearest store is about 20 minutes away.
baked pigs trotters - 12 pack about $12/bag (closer to $20 in pet stores)
WHAT IS THAT?
Trotters are just that - pig feet. They also sell pig ears at Costco.
These dried pig parts are used as treats for dogs.
I live 20 mins away from a Costco and I go once every 3 weeks on average? I have a family of 4, 2 adults and young teenage kids. There are things which I buy there which I don't get from anywhere else
Box of Swiss miss drinking chocolate (60 sachets for $11) YUM!!
Kirkland basmate rice
Fruit and veg
Meat
( I have a very long list)
What I really like is the lifetime warranty in everything you buy from there as long as the membership is current. I bought a dyson from there 5 years ago and could take it back and get a full refund if it came down to it. No receipt needed (all purchases are recorded on membership)
I saw someone who took back a dog bed that their dog had chewed up and they got a full refund (I wouldn't have done that myself)
Savings make up for the membership fee for me. We have a Costco petrol station here too. Sometimes 20c a litre cheaper than everywhere else
I'm lucky I live within walking distances to the only Costco in SA. I don't shop there much but I'm sure the savings from the fuel are far greater than the $60 annual fee. They always have the cheapest price!
I go every 4-6 weeks.
Their Kirkland kitchen bags are awesome and never break or split.
I love their paper towels.
Clothing is super cheap and good quality. $22 bucks for a shirt!!
Their life time warranty on goods is also a huge plus. I've purchased appliances in there but also realise it maybe a little cheaper elsewhere. I buy it for the extra peace of mind and not needing to actually keep reciepts for warranty/ returns.
I go to Costco Moorabin and Eastland (Vic).
My main attraction for costco is fuel. They dont really follow price fluctuation resulting in savings over 25c per litre at one time.
That itself will pay for membership if you fill up using their petrol (which is ExxonMobil)
When I do shop. I love their version of yakult (blueberry). Their sack of rice is thailand rice which is good and cheap. Their nappies and wipes are awesome (huggies and kirkland). Most of all they always have food tasting on weekends sometimes on steak.
I feel their main attractions are stuffs main supermarket dont sell like their wonton noodles or naan bread. Their meats can be cheap but i like their bulgogi bbq meats.
They sell funny stuff like coffins these days but their hotdogs are grand…
In short its an experience shopping there.
My Costco is about 20 minutes away, and I shop there probably 1-2 times per week.
It's where i get most of my groceries. I get:
-Fresh meat, fruit and vegetables - the quality shits all over Coles and Woolworths
-Bagels, bread, cakes, quiches
-Frozen salmon, frozen berries,
-Washing powder and dishwashing tablets
-Woolen suit pants, belts, ties, business shirts and socks, leather Rockport shoes, runners
-glasses and contact lenses, pharmacy stuff
-Tyres for my car
-Fuel from their filling station (I don't fill up anywhere else)
-Pizza and hotdogs from the food court
-Misc stuff like tools, furniture, cookware, appliances etc. on occasion.
I shop at Costco regularly. Have been a member for over 10 years, started from the US, then UK and now in Australia. Membership works globally, so if you are member here, you can use the same card at any Costco globally.
In the US and UK they have Executive membership that earns 2% on all your purchases. I have not paid for my costco membership in over 8 years. I will have to pay this year when its time for renewal.
I buy from costco for their
1. Satisfaction guarantee, and their lifetime warranty on not only electronics, but anything you purchase (this is not written in their returns policy, but they never refuse to take anything back)
2. I have read that costco pays their employees best in the industry, and am yet to see an unhappy employee.
Tyres, Fuel, Grocery, Milk, Toilet Seats, TV, Fridge, Mattresses, Clothes, Cricket kit (too many to name) have all saved me heaps of money.
Some people are addicted to costco, and rightly so. I could never fault them.
Docklands is 15 - 20 minutes drive for me, but I do not like the store for its parking layout and now even more with the limitation.
…Toilet seats and fridges…?
Yeah their clothes are really cheap…if you like wearing that crap from Kirkland
Kirkland business shirts disappointed me - their smallest size doesn't fit an average-sized Australian man unless he is seriously overweight. They remain the only Kirkland product that I haven't found to be better than most/all other brands.
I just got the Calvin Klien ones from Costco instead (very inexpensively).
Yep, thats right. I bought toilet seats (with slow closing lid) for $99 each, they were on clearance.
Fridge was around $800 as compared to HN or TGG or DJ for same model.
You can get very good quality CK shirt for $25
I had membership but I just live with my gf who has different lifestyle habits to me, so it was of no real value to me because I could not get anything in bulk.
Time to change gf
Do not change your gf!!!! your gf is awesome if you love your wallet :)
Any gf is detrimental to your wallet thickness.
get a bf and buy everything in bulk
If you love your wallet then i choose costco :) than gf
You try to say you like/love your costco membership than your gf??????
used to
bought more stuff than i could store or consume.
went back to just supermarkets to buy what i need rather than bulk
but it was a good novelty for a while.
I live 5 minutes drive to Costco and we do our weekly groceries there. There are a few things we still have to drop into a local supermarket for, but not much. I find the quality is better than Coles/Woolworths/Aldi. Most things are cheaper, but you need to be a savvy shopper, as some things are more expensive (coconut milk and pasta I've noticed are definitely pricier at Costco),I'm sure other items are similar, but these are a couple I buy regularly. Other items, such as Coconut oil (about $7 saving per item over the supermarket) and avocado oil (less than half the price of the other supermarkets) can save a lot of money quickly.
Petrol alone justifies the membership fee for us as well. Local stations fluctuate massively, where as Costco has much less variation, the least I have ever saved is 4c per litre, but it's regularly a saving of 15-30c per litre.
Massive saving on the fuel, you pay at the pump and have to pre guess the amount you want to buy
Bit of drama to buy but the saving is to be had
The best thing is to choose a pre-authorisation amount over and above what your full tank would normally cost. That way you can't go wrong.
Drama? It's no drama at all, I know my petrol tank is 62L capacity, so if almost empty - 60L @ $1p/L, or 3/4 tank etc. Very easy to estimate how much you need, and no need to go into a shop etc, I find it much quicker than a normal petrol station.
If you shop for specials at the supermarkets and stock up you probably dont need a costco membership. I would definitely take advantage of the 12 month refund and give it a go for a year but control yourself and buy what you need.
I find that i barely save $10-20 and have to travel 30 minutes each way over the course of the year and ultimately cancelled my membership.
A lot of people claim their party supplies are cheap but I find thats not true - you can contact your local bulk wholesale suppliers and get it much cheaper.
It is a good alternative if you cant be bothered shopping the store specials.
I signed up to Costco as soon as it arrived in Adelaide. I was a big fan of the store as it undercut the competition on my favourite items. For example, I buy at least a kilo of frozen berries per week. Costco was much cheaper than Colesworths. Then the competition cut their price and matched Costco.
The items I'm buying at Costco are dwindling, and have been cut further as Aldi arrived in Adelaide in February.
Tyres are cheap at Costco, but then again they can't do wheel alignment during the install. Disappointing, and requires an extra trip to a different dealer who scowls at you and asks why you didn't just buy the tyres from him.
Car batteries are really cheap at Costco for some reason. An Exide battery for my car cost just $69, compared to the exact same brand/type at around $110 to $130 anywhere else
Resist the temptation to buy mega sized containers of food. Sure, 1.1kg of mayonnaise or peanut butter is cheap, but are you going to use it before it goes off?
For me, the following are bargain / 'must buy' items at Costco:
Japanese green tea, maple syrup, smoked salmon, those little yogurt drinks, pizza for dinner.
Fuel is always very cheap at Costco, but I'm a diesel user and there are no wild swings in price. Woolworths/Caltex plus 5% eGift card yields almost the same price as Costco, and Costco has only one fuel station in the whole city.
Am I going to renew my membership next year? Not sure…
Sure, 1.1kg of mayonnaise or peanut butter is cheap, but are you going to use it before it goes off?
Mmmm, no problem.
Does anyone know if they sell refrigerated biscuits in a can (like the Pillsbury ones)?
Word, I buy 2 of the 1kg peanut butter every time I go (every two months or so).
That's about the right time-frame for those with super self-control. :}
The only things that keep me from getting a membership are
* no Velveeta
* no Pillsbury biscuits from the fridged section
* no Welch's grape juice in the freezer section
If I am going to support a megolithic corporation that squeezes primary producers until they beg for mercy, it has to at least be Australian.
It would be interesting to find out if they actually do that. Have they been in the news for doing so?
I just read a few weeks ago that in America, Costco is rated a super company to work for. They pay employees well, have great customer policies and have strict guidelines on products. It actually changed my opinion of them because I used to consider them another WalMart. I can't see that they'd change policies here.
Well if Rupert said it, then it must be true.
But they don't. That's the difference.
They seem to actually treat suppliers, employees and even customers as human beings.
It's really quite refreshing.
They must have a great spin doctor for everyone to feel so warm and fuzzy about sending thier everday shopping dollars OS. Its gotta be Micheal J Fox, its Micheal J Fox isn't it? Also the Roche Scale pretty much depends on what big corporations are prepared to pay, the price they all pay for primary produce compared to the return the producer gets is disgusting across the board.
I've been to costco many years. Just beware that not everything is cheaper at Costco.
Their Wagyu rib-eye steaks are fantastic. Much cheaper and better quality than supermarkets/butchers (most don't even sell it). Comes in massive ~3kg pieces too so I can cut to my preferred thickness. Very happy meat lover here :D
How do you manage with 3kg? Cut into desired pieces and freeze them?
Yup just cut them up and vacuum seal them, which can then be frozen without freeze burning the meat, maintaining the texture.
Also purchased the vacuum sealer and vacuum rolls from Costco too, since they're cheaper there.
Had the membership for a year when AMEX gave back $60 (effectively free membership for a year)
Household was just the wife and a newborn so didn't really feel the need to bulk buy
12 pack of croissant/muffin sounds great but it'll be stale by the time I finish them
Found pricing to be cheaper at Coles/Woolies when it's on sale and that's where we normally stock up on half price toilet paper
RRP is cheaper at Costco
Generally just bought the A2 milk and the free range eggs which are cheaper than other places
The roast chickens are great as well - $8 from memory and heaps bigger
Sometimes, we just bought these and was weird at the checkout seeing others with their massive trolleys filled to the brim and we just had 2-3 items :)
Kids playmats are a bit cheaper and bought an office chair that's keeping pretty well
Secret Costco pricing guide if others don't know about it
http://lifehacker.com/save-even-more-money-at-costco-by-know…
We had one for 12 months, but didn't renew. Found that most items were cheaper when on special at woolowrths. Also didn't like having to buy multi packs with mixed flavors and the limited range eg 24 pack of pop tarts but 2 flavors - we only want 1 flavor. There were a few things that could only be bought there for a reasonable price - Hershey's chocolate topping and mozzarella sticks. The pizza and hot dogs at the end were good gimmicks. Family of 4 and had to drive about 30 or so minutes. Maybe if it was 5 minutes away or near an area we visited frequently I'd rejoin.
Sorry if I'm repeating a comment but if you join on the 1st of the month (like today!) you get 13 months for your membership as it expires on the last day of the month.
I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip!
If you want to watch your weight, do not go to Costco. That's all I'll say.
You suppose to say, If you don't have self control then don't go anywhere
I went yesterday just to get pizza after work. Did they change their base? It was less doughy.
My parents have a membership and I just ask them to get me a couple frozen pizzas. Their frozen pizza is the best but it just barely fits in my oven.
We recently got a membership, I think it's worth it if you make a few visits. Depends what you're going there to buy. Keep in mind that for a most items, you really are buying in bulk, so unless you're going to use it all before it expires, you'll be wasting your money.
A couple things worth considering:
I often go to Costco maybe once very two months?
I bought the membership because I needed cheaper hearing aids.
Not me
I wish they had a costco closer to sydney
…
he obvs means closer to cbd and not where the squinters live
We've got one here in SA, and its about 40mins away from me. The novelty wore off very quickly after a couple of visits… the only good thing is the cheap petrol (ours has a petrol station out the front that usually have the cheapest petrol in Adelaide).
If I am nearby I'd pop in and see if there's anything I need, but unless you're needing to buy in bulk, I find it pointless (some of their refrigerated / frozen products are probably good, but being so far away makes it difficult). Their product range wasn't as great as I was hoping, and most of what they do have isn't that cheap (better sales at Woolies / Coles etc - and you don't have to buy in bulk). Plus since Aldi opened here, thats opened my eyes further to how un-cheap they are.
Plus the last few visits have given me the absolute $hits … lots of people walking around with their big trolleys… la de da… usually a family with a couple of kids taking up an entire aisle … then if you do decide to buy anything, you have to join a massive queue at one of the couple of checkouts they have open (despite there being 10+ there, they only seem to have a few open at a time). Plus if you then want to get something to eat … HA! … more huge queues :/
Once my membership expires, I'm not renewing :)
Only special products that you cannot buy outside.
examples please?
I go twice a month.Except veggies (sometime i buy too) pretty much i get most of the things from Costco.
Do you know if they sell seeds/seedlings?
I seen once they sell seeds but i don't see often. The last one i saw Orange plant they were selling, I believe.
Here in OZ(costco), it's not very consistent they sell the same product every time i go.
I used to work at Costco. At the time it was just my husband and I. I would regularly buy the paper towel, Persian feta, Sicilian olives, 1kg bocconcini tub ($12 from memory), stuffed peppers, the Downy fabric softener, quinoa, chia seeds, Witor's chocolate (great European chocolate), frozen berries, fresh salmon, NZ mussels, free range eggs, their version of yakult, wine wine and more wine… the list goes on.
When bub came the Kirkland Babywipes were the best. Huggies nappies prices were cheaper than anywhere. You just have to buy the super huge quantity. Buyers regularly monitor the prices of Colesworth and either match the price or make it a little cheaper. For example, when PineOClean is half price at Woolies, Costco will be marginally cheaper. Only setback is that you'll have to buy 4 bottles in one go.
Clothes they source are also cheaper. I've purchased Bettina Liano jeans for <$30 and Levi's for hubby for <$25. Fila running shoes for $28. Tiger shoes for $60(?). Carter's 3piece sets for ~$15. Calvin Klein jeans ~$45. North Face wind breaker for ~$60.
The quilted coat hangers are a steal. Kirkland Signature luggage made by Samsonite were also very cheap. Cheap books. Again the list goes on.
Best thing is the warranty. You can pretty much return anything. They have a satisfaction guarantee. This includes the membership fee at any time.
Thanks, we have a 6 month old so the baby product information is definitely helpful!
you have to bit carefull, not all baby products are cheap in Costco on all time. For example we use to buy bellamy's formula for our baby ,Chemist warehouse sells for $25 but i seen yesterday costco selling it for $26 something. Same like huggies diaper.If costco don't have deals on diapers then its gonna cost you couple of dollars more when you compare with baby buntings or target.
P.s: Right now costco have deals on all baby diapers (huggies), i seen it yesterday.
Our bub has been happy with Aldi form and the nappies are very cheap from aldi and good qaulity. I buy the homebrand wipes in bulk box for $10 at woolies as they are the cheapest….
not sure what all the fuss about costco is? yes they have some items that you cant find anywhere else but most of their food items is processed junk. You deal with long cues, no parking, overcrowded stores, bad mannered people, idiots checking your receipt after you have already paid and are walking out etc etc… Think of peak hour woolies x 5 and you get the idea
I would never ever pay a cent to become a member and honestly if you are paying $60 a year for this rubbish you dont deserve to be called an ozbargainer.
Get the membership under your name. use it for 11.5 months. then get a refund.
Then get your partner to get a membership under her name, use it for 11.5 months. then get a refund.
rinse and repeat
Get the membership under your name. use it for 11.5 months. then get a refund. I don't think ozbargainer do such things. I would call that's cheap/cheating.
My 2c
DONT ASSUME BULK BUY IS CHEAPEST
Items are regularly on sale in the supermarkets, and you can often get things cheaper than at Costco's bulk buy price. Plus, if you don't have a large family, things may not get eaten by the BB dates.
SHARE
You can bring a visitor, so maybe in a circle of friends/family you can invite them so that only one of you have to pay the membership. Just be sure to have them shout you lunch for the day!
I agree. Half of the products weren't really very cheap at all, but people were throwing them into the trolley like it was the apocalypse! They had $3 per loaf bread for example…we can all agree that is NOT cheap
Only things I found were really good value were bulk condiments and sauces, toilet paper, Up and Go drinks, socks, and some of those sort of things. But i do most of my shopping at a fruit market so its way cheaper than Woolies anyway, so not really comparable
Costco is just like a gigantic, slightly more expensive version of Aldi when you think about it
Up n go just wait for the $2 for 3, or even $2.24 for 3 is quite common at the big two
Tried it for a year..not worth it for a small family and plus Woolies and Coles specials are far better and parking is way easier. Plus I don't like forking out that 60dollars.
Live with a roommate and share the membership with her, making it $30ea (you can get a supplementary card for someone who lives at the same address). Definitely recommend the membership - items are high quality and often cheaper than supermarket prices, especially with their coupons. I've found great discounts on name brand clothing like Calvin Klein and Ben Sherman. On Fridays and Saturdays they have samples of food which varies from week to week (usually have cooked meat, cheese, snacks etc) and it usually fills me up as a lunch. If you live near a Costco that has fuel, it's often cheaper but you need to compare (I use the app GasBuddy) - once it was 30c cheaper per litre.
If you change your mind about items, you can return them even if they have been used as long as you have the receipt. Warranty for items you purchase are also lifelong as long as you maintain your membership and keep the receipt.
I love Costco!! It's awesome if you have a big family and want to buy everything in one go.
What I love buying from Costco:
- Jerky
- Wet wipes
- Meat - THEIR MARINATED CHICKEN TERIYAKI IS THE BEST THING EVER OMG; raw, chicken, bulgogi etc
- Salads (cheaper than Woolies and Coles, tastes better, more variety)
- Cheese
- Coconut water
- Clothes!
- Their version of Yakult (Prolife?)
- Nuts
Originally purchased a Circulon Pots and pans set which was cheaper anywhere including membership.
There really isn't a great deal of savings that you can't get at other places when on special.
The meat is over priced grain fed beef. First place I've come across that has grain fed as a selling point.
I have noticed some designer clothing that does look like a bargain, but not in the market yet so cannot compare.
I used their optometrist and got my eyes checked, (due for a new script) This was free with Medicare. I was looking at glasses while waiting and after my appointment, I chose a pair of frames. $179. not bad for the Shark (Greg Norman) glasses. Hang on, That was the frames only I was informed, then the lenses, and the coatings and $250 for progressives. I declined and with my free script bought a nifty pair on line for a for $60.
About 6 months ago they started selling fuel. .94c a litre when the usual suspects were $1.32 on a really bad fuel cycle. This justified my membership for a few months. My last fill was $1.07.9 when shell was the same with discount voucher and $1.08 at Liberty.
They got me in to break my heart. I got a few bargains, but $60 membership for my loyalty does not work for me. Their oversized shopping trolley will just remain empty when there is Ozbargain around
Go there every week just for the fuel
My car needs 98 octane and it's easily around 150 cents per litre in normal fuel stations
Costco does it for around 120 cents.
That's 30 cent savings per litre and around $20 savings per full tank.
$60 membership fees is technically paid back to me in 3 weeks time
:)
Plus the quality of Costco's fuel is excellent. One time I even read a notice taped to the fuel pumps apologising for Costco not adding their usual fuel detergent into the 98 RON due to a supply shortage.
I reprogrammed my car from using 95 RON to 98 RON since Costco don't sell the 95 RON premium unleaded. As I did the work myself using a $7 eBay cable its literally been free performance added to my car.
Buy a couple of 20L petrol containers and fill up 2 cars worth.
Their petrol is usually 20c/l than elsewhere. eg. $1 instead of $1.20
so you can save around $15 just on petrol if you fill around 80L
Good idea. Unfortunately the one I'll be going to doesn't have petrol (Ringwood)
Everything else is usually more expensive than your average Colesworth. Aldi kills them for fresh produce pricing.
Fresh produce is a joke at Costco! Genuine supermarket prices.
Canned food isn't much better either.
And the meat (aside from the bbq chickens) is the most expensive cuts and all grain fed.
Now I'm sorry, but cattle aren't supposed to eat grain. They're supposed to eat grass!
This is a ridiculous practice imported from the USA where they feed their beef grain in the winter months because they're snow everywhere.
On a positive note though, their prices for grog are brilliant. For example, Pepperjack Shiraz has been $15 a bottle for the last few weeks. Dan Murphys has it for around $20.
once to twice a month.
I usually goto costco for some product which I can't find else where.
Kirkland Toilet paper is bigger than other brands(each square is wider)
Kirkland paper towel is cut in smaller sheets so less likely to waste it.
Kirkland baby wipes are good, but also their huggies brand baby wipe come with a nice dispenser box and is cheaper than non-sale supermarket price.
Huggies Nappies are cheaper than non-sale supermarket.
Also the Kirkland toilet paper(not sure about nappies and papertowels) is actually supplied by Kimberley Clark who is also the makers of Huggies, Kleenex, cottonelle, etc.
Bags of cranberries, sliced mango
The costco dinner rolls
If you can eat 2 loaves of bread then costco is cheaper than supermarket.
Salomn
barramundi
bulgogi
eggs
cereal is cheaper than non-sale supermarket
and their pizza
You need to be a very disciplined shopper to shop at Costco, mainly because you're buying everything in bulk. I loved shopping at Costco, but we ended up buying more things than we could eat/use so we stopped shopping there.
the only things in costco i recomment are:
the 12 pack muffins - $10 so cheap and huge
hot dog and drink for $1.99 what a bargain
Now i know why people say,if you go to Costco you become fat :). I start going to costco more than 14 yrs (from US). I think i never ever bought pastry stuff from costco and never had their pizza too.Sometimes i used to grab the avaco wrap and churro's in oz but last years onwards i don't stop at all their cafe and spend not more than 30 in store.
use it always as a main petrol station, and buying some goods occasionally.
I had a membership, it's just expired as the nearest shop is 40 min away. I bought a great telescope, a cheap cat tower and various goodies, don't really buy the food, don't see much saving in that compared to the supermarkets. But as for gadgets and novelty stuff, it's great :)
Thanks, I did buy a few novelty items when I visited with a friend last year, such as AAA powered puck lights with a remote and dimming.
I bought so much coffee that I got fed up with that particular flavour. Then it was the huge tomato sauce that I picked up - a bit of an embarrassment to stick that huge tub on the dining table when friends came over. I also bought so many batteries that I even changed the batteries on the office remote control free of charge. And let's not get to the toilet paper…
That's why you keep a smaller bottle and just refill it 😀
I'm a costco regular.
Products I love:
- caterer's alfoil
- caterer's glad wrap
- pork ribs (baby backs and american)
- bocconcini cheese
- parmesan and pecorino cheese
- clothing (good brands and great prices)
- pasta
- tomato puree bottles and cans
- quite a few organic products (coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, quinoa)
- olives
- baby capsicums (very hard to find in other stores)
- some of their kitchen products, like tramontina stainless steel dishes
- kirkland giant paper towels
- business shirts and ties
What I don't like about costco:
- The customer service is downright appalling. Many of the staff treat customers with contempt!
- The presumption that everyone is out to steal from them. They almost do a body search on your way out!
- The variability of stock levels. Every now and then they'll stop getting a favourite item for 6 months.
- crowded parking and shopping. I can only go during the week as weekends are just too crowded
Overall:
- unlike Aldi's cheap and nasty products, costco stock (generally) high quality or top of the range products.
- the home brand,kirkland, is excellent quality
- I've saved my subscription money yearly on just socks and pants
- shame about the lack of manners from most of their staff
- well worth the fee, even for just a handful of the above it would still make financial sense
We live about 20 minutes from Costco in SA. We do our weekly groceries shopping at Costco and fill up at the petrol station (Probably got my $60 back within 3 months from petrol alone). If you have family members using hearing aid, I would highly recommend go check out Costco. I saved about $7k by getting a pair of Phonak Brio (which is similar to top of the range Phonak Bolero with some features disabled - which I do not need). Costco has a full time qualified audiologist on site. The service is awesome, the audiologist came in on his off day for my new hearing aid fitting as I had to travel on short notice. The other good thing is that all consumables such as domes and wax guards (except batteries which is ridiculously cheaper too - $14 for 40 packs. Used to pay $75 for 60 packs) are free for life as long you are still a Costco member. Just walk in and ask for them when you run out. Warranty is life time and since I travel around the country, I have peace of mind that I can walk into any Costco hearing centre if my hearing aid has any problem.
We also bought lots of children books, nappies and when they have the seafood roadshow, we grab Florida/Canadian cooked lobsters for $9 each. The roast chickens are so big and cheap that Coles had to drop their roast chicken price to $6 to compete.
We had our tyres changed in Costco with lifetime balancing, rotation and Nitrogen top up (less frequent top up required and better mileage). Had a flat battery one evening and all auto shops were closed. Costco came to the rescue as they open until 8pm and got a replacement battery for $99 - Even my mechanic told me that's a bargain.
Bottom line we loved the fact that we can always bring back any items bought from Costco anytime if they are faulty. No receipt required. Just give it a try and if you don't like it just ask for a refund.
is there reason why costco won't scale their outlets to more suburbs in australia? i find it strange that they're still just sitting in a couple of locations nation-wide.
They are expanding very cautiously. Melbourne got its 3rd store late last year (moorabbin) and they sew opening another in the northern suburbs this year.
I live 15 minutes from Ringwood Costco and go once a month. Flour is definitely cheaper if you are up to storing 10KG at a time. We bake our own bread and make dumpling skins from scratch. I think it was mentioned on another thread, but the tires are well priced too if you happen to be in the market for a set that membership year. On top of it all, anything I can buy in bulk I will not due to cost alone. The idea of reducing waste (bigger jar as opposed to many little jars), reduced trips to the local supermarket appeal to me.
Thanks for all your comments. We're heading to Costco Ringwood tomorrow so that wifey can check it all out and see if we want a membership. Will probably get one, and then if I don't end up going back for 3-4 months I might just cancel it.
I have a healthy list made up from comments here, so thanks again!
I go to Costo primarily for $3 slices of amazing oversized like-the-movies PIZZA! Seriously.
I might have to try one tomorrow, it will be the 3rd time I go since getting a membership! Decided I'd try and go once a month to make it worthwhile.
Oh that's clever, buy something work related and suddenly you can claim the membership on tax :)