I Dont Think Costco/**'s Type Price Clubs are Worth It...

[XS650]

We go to Costco because of the 80/20 rule. You get 80% of the benefit for the first 20% of your effort.

Sure, we could beat the prices by a bit on several items, but not by a whole bunch and at the annoyance of going to other stores.

We find the gigantic Costco sizes to be an advantage, we don't need to shop as often.

There's bunch of stuff we buy at Costco every three weeks or so, then buy fresh veggies and specialty items at good local stores or farmers markets.

 

[The One]

quote:

---

Laundry Detergent is also tons cheaper at Costco

---

i beg to differ, foods co has it for $6 for 30 pound bucket... i think costco has the hookup on toilet paper though.

schmoe - but you're in oklahoma... you guys have easy access to that kinda stuff, where do you go? the only thing we have around here are "meat markets" which are supposedly cheaper but they are not... i always wanted to go slaughterhouse direct but have no idea how.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Matt89:
I've found that we buy a ton more than we need when we go to those places because everything is in a big box...and we end up eating more because 'it's there'. I stay away now.

---

We gave up our Sam's Club membership years ago. It was a distance away ..so it was a once a month trip. Always $300-400. Things were great in the beginning ..then they expanded to a fresh meat section and we watched all the other prices escalate to pay for it. There were also a bunch of items that just had no contemporary in the regular market to compare. Some items would work in an indepenent convenience store ..but not too well in your home.

It really sucked when you had to pay the $25 annual fee on top of your $400 shopping that day.

All we did was buy more

 

[Schmoe]

I liked Sams in the past. In fact, I formed a small business and got the business card to all employees. But lately, it just seems that anything NOT food related just doesn't last. I mean like tools, garden hoses, beds, etc. etc. I've had the worse luck with all things Sams not lasting very long.
The One.....surely there are farmers somewhere in your immeadiate area and don't look for slaughter houses, look for places like meat packers, butcher shops, etc. etc. I'll admit, everywhere you turn out here, you'll see cattle. Trick is getting it from someone that puts them on grain. That's why they have feed lots at the big packing plants. A cow that is butchered strictly on a grass diet taste terrible. They put them on grains for about a week to get rid of that "grassy" taste. Those feed lots are absolutely horrible. Dirty, flys, feces and urine everywhere, cows themselves are completly filthy, etc. etc. That's why I will never buy beef from a large grocery chain if I ever have to. The ones at a steak house are usually raised a lot better as they are prime rated, which only 2 to 4% of all cattle butchered only make that grade and they are usually grabbed by the higher end cartels. Look for fat lines inside the muscle itself. That's the key to great meat.

 

[kkreit01]

I ponder this every year as I renew my Costco memebership. It depends on what you buy: 35 bottles of water for < $5. I'm buying a garage door opener today -- at $35 < Lowes. Gas is typically 3-10 cents cheaper/gal. You can save $1/wk on gas. No -- I don't like to buy bulk food, 45 rolls of TP, 10 boxes of kleenex, or 12 rolls of paper towels....I don't have a pantry the size of my garage.

 

[2Fast4U]

We've got a 2 year old Sams about 15 minutes away. Well worth it. 16" meat loaded pizza for $7.88, rotisery chicken for $4.xx slurpees for $0.99. I got my 50" toshiba hd tv from Sams about 4 years ago... it was $600 less then the same unit at Circuit City (only the model # was slightly different). Alcohol is also a great deal and you don't even need a membership to purchase that. Nearly all snacks are much cheaper $/oz then the grocery stores around. I got a pack of pistachios that were $5 less then the equal size unit from my plubix.

 

[obbop]

Dumpster diving is free.

Frugalitus Maximus

 

[Bret Chase]

quote:

---

Originally posted by eljefino:
I'm with Dominic. Shop at Shaws (Albertson's owned) and chase their wacky sales.

Hamburger goes on sale at $1.49 but buns are full price. Stick it in the freezer.

Next week, it's bread that's cheap. They seem to rotate through a sale schedule so by keeping an extra freezer I coast through the lean times.

---

if Shaw's has hamburger on sale, they double the cost of buns. I only ever go there because I can walk to the one by me. we usually buy the bulk of our groceries at Hannaford (Delhaize America) and buy meat at one of the local Surefines.. recently they had B/S chicken breasts for like $0.89/lbs.. even advertised they had it by the case.. I only bought the 30lbs that I could fit in my freezer.

as for the clubs.. I never saw the attraction, my wife's grandmother OTOH, is a Costco FREAK... it's rediculous actually.