At the risk of pitchforks being raised up against me, I am going to say this. Can someone please explain to me the draw of Costco? I have a membership as a necessary evil of my calling, but really, I probably wouldn't have one normally. Here are my reasons:- I have yet to find an item that is significantly less expensive than Smith's or Wal-mart. People rave about the price of diapers, but the cost per unit is the same- not to mention there are only two choices and Brady is allergic to Huggies. The milk and eggs are a few cents more expensive. Even if there are things that might be cheaper, it is by so little that I would NEVER make back the $50 in membership fees every year.
- The bulk packaging just doesn't work for our family. I mean, who really needs 5 lbs of tortilla chips? We could probably eat it, but that doesn't mean we should! I love watermelon as much as the next person, but when it is the size of Brady, I know our little family will not eat it all.
- I hate the cereal boxes- you can never get the second bag back in the box after you open it!
- I know a lot of people like the frozen foods. I think their selection is great, but unless you have a freezer the size of a house, you can only get 1-2 items. So if I get corn dogs (gross example) that's all we can eat for the next few weeks because the box is so big!
- You walk out of there spending $50 or so but only end up with like 6 things. That's a good chunk of my grocery budget, and I don't have a single meal to show for it.
- There aren't many generic options for items. If I want to buy ketchup I am totally fine with the Great Value brand to save myself some change- except for Macaroni and Cheese- you can't skimp on that!
- I like feeling like I am getting a good deal so I shop sale items and stock up. There are no sales at Costco. Similarly, they do not accept coupons.
- I hate having to explain to Jackson why we can't buy the $900 monstrous waterslide on display right by the food items.
- They only accept American Express credit cards. Apparently Visa is NOT everywhere you want to be.
- They don't open until 11:00- the day is half over at the Wangsgard house. I have to go shopping when my kids are in a somewhat good mood- usually early in the morning.
- I just can't justify dragging my kids to another store, buckling and unbuckling their car seats, to only get 2-3 items. I'd rather go get it done in one place.
I don't mean to put down everyone's FAVORITE place, but I would really love to hear someone justify their $50 membership. Please don't hate me. I hope we can still be friends.
9 comments:
I HEART this post, because I also LOATHE the Costco! I have never enjoyed it, and most everyone that knows me- knows that! I agree with you, I just don't get the appeal. I try to avoid Costco like the plague, but sometimes I just have to go in. I know some people love it and go for date nights, but that is just not me!!
P.S. I love reading your blog, it is so fun and I love hearing all your opinions!! Also, has your hubby had any good pedicures lately!?!?!?!!?
I kinda like Costco...but mostly for the "window shopping". I like to look at the furniture and the movies and the books.
As far as groceries go, with our small family it is really hard to go Costco shopping. And while Lexi really does enjoy those corndogs...we will have them for months because Lexi eats them and then maybe Matt will occasionally.
Maybe if my family was bigger I would use my membership more. Maybe if they didn't have $1 churros I wouldn't shop there at all. :)
With being on a strict student budget, I have found Costco to be helpful. It isn't perfect, but every year we make back our membership fee and then some. I have found it to be particularly helpful when it comes to our eye care. The independent optometrist (out here at least) is a far better bargain than anywhere else, and the contacts are a great price. They also take rebates which makes it even better (at least for our brands). I guess it just depends on what ya shop for.
Haha, you make me laugh. I'm torn though.. I can understand a lot of your thoughts but I still love Costco. Buying in bulk is hard esp when there's only two of us! And I know what you mean about the corn dogs.. I get sick of feeling like we are eating the same thing day after day.
However, once a month Costco does have their coupon books of sale items which are great! We have saved a lot of money doing that. Also, Matt and I booked our honeymoon cruise through Costco and with the 2% return we got back a good portion of our membership fees. Plus since we booked the cruise through Costco we received $150 shipboard credit which was great! And some medicines, like Miralax for example, is way cheaper when buying it in bulk from Costco rather than in smaller bottles at Wal-Mart.
Well that's just a couple of my thoughts.. I actually enjoy grocery shopping so I don't mind going to both places. I'm sure that will change when I have a couple kids to take along though!
Oh and one more I just thought of :) ... I got my gym pass to 24hr fitness through Costco which was a great deal. It was $300 for two years.. A lot to spend up front but that breaks down to only $12.50 a month. Matt's sister Anne pays monthly through 24 hr and pays $27 a month. Thats huge savings! :)
Okay I'm done..!
Umm...I'm really not sure about our friendship. If you see a "For Sale" sign infront of our house, you'll know why. :) Jeremy totally agrees with you, by the way. He will never go with me, unless it's first thing in the morning and we are doing a food storage stock up.
I love Costco. Yes, you can get some things cheaper when they go on sale at other stores, but I love it there. I especially love the 2 seater cart, big cart, produce, meat (I do buy it sometimes on sale at other places, but I just think their meat tastes better), it's NOT WalMart, good deals on clothes/toys, cheese, frozen foods (we do have a extra freezer), baking goods (flour, spices, nuts). Oh, I could go on. They are great when you have something to return or price match, too.
If you don't want your membership, I'll take you ANYTIME. I usually go once a week, anyway.
Oh, and Yes, I'll be with my picket sign infront of your house tomorrow.
I'm with Karen...I LOVE Costco. The taste testers alone are worth it :) I see what your saying about their hours though, it's so annoying when you want to just get shopping over with early.
Also, their return policy is the best I have ever seen. I saw a man return a suitcase that was 8 years old (and totally ruined) but they didn't question him because it had a 15 year warranty and he still had his receipt. I have also heard of a family returning a leather couch a few years later because of a tear in it...that's pretty impressive!
And let me just add...if you get you have a child that needs lots of medicine or even lots of kids that need medicine you can get a return on that. THAT alone is worth it for us. Many times their cash price is cheaper than using my insurance for medicine.
PS...I HATE WALMART...it is EVIL.
and one more thing, Costco is open at 10 am :)
I was going to mention that they open at 10 too!
We have the executive memebership which ends up earning us money. You earn 1% on all your purchases and if you haven't earned the membership fee back by the end of the year they reimburse you the difference. We also have the Costco American Express and so we get 3% back on everything we buy there (including gas!). It's free money and we love it.
I can understand your not loving it so much right now, but your boys are still pretty small and not eating so much right now. I noticed that those who disagreed with your opinion were those with older kids or more kids. Roland and I didn't used to love Cotco as much as we do now. Our kids eat a lot these days and it's so nice to be able to buy things in bulk.
I also agree with Karen on the quality. My step-dad used to work for Nestle (they own tons of food companies) and he once told me that it can take up to 2 years to get a product in to Costco because of the extreme quality testing they require. This is a big factor in their return policy too (which is so awesome, by the way!).
Anyway, while I can understand some of your reasons for disliking it...I have to say that I do heart Costco.
p.s. I feel bad that you got a memebership just for your calling. That is so not necessary! Especially when so many of us who want one are willing to take you. If you really loathe it that much, don't renew it! We'd be more than happy to meet you there for the once-a-quarter ward activity!
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