whatever

Do you need to be a membership to shop at places like Costco? They opened one in the UK not too long ago by the North Circular, Chingford and I heard that it was the same deal as with Makros, where you need to be self-employed or in certain employment to get a membership card. Is this the case in the US or can anyone shop there?

(p.s. What is Costco exactly? I know you can buy some bulk foods but what else is worth buying there?)

doctor scrumpy

Yes u need to have a business card to get a membership there. On the whole in the US it is not that much cheaper than some shops & the quality is ok rather than good.

honeymommy

Costco has all the food in big/bulk packaging, and some regular size. They also have hardware, electrical, Jewelry, computers, Gadgets!!!!!!etc...

It's a bit like macro but bigger.

We had membership for 4 years and thought it was great as we have 4 kids....

BUT....

It is very easy after a while to buy too much.... especially when I took the kids.... Oh and hubby was great in the electrical section LOL....

You can go in and look around before you get membership. At least this way you can see if it's worth paying the membership fee. (We payed $40 a year)

All in all I think it is a good store but best to go with a list and stick to it. very easy to spend $400 without thinking.....

I now cut coupons and shop for bargains..... God how boring I have become!! LOL

rogerpenycate

Better one's around here anyway, are B/J's (honestly) and Sam's Club which is Walmarts wholesale division.

USBound

The only thing you need for places like Costco is the card. Currently at Costco (LA area) this costs around $45 for the basic package (per annum) which is the only package available to people who are not self employed.

Costco is cheap, there is no doubt, but its only cheap if you want to buy in bulk. Consumer electronics (the cheap/ lower quality ones) are cheaper there too.

Food/Clothes/Drinks (beer) ---- STUPIDLY Cheap

see CostCo Homepage for more info

enjoy

Ash UK/US

We have membership to Sams Club which is something similar to Costco but the membership fee is a little less. Some things you get get an excellent deal on others are only so so but on the whole it is worth it.

Ash

honeymommy

I just thought...

I go to Smart and final.... No membership fee...

I also just found a link....... It gives location of retail stores in your area. Just click on the state....

http://www.mwpolar.com/distribution.htm

snorkmaiden

We have membership at both Costco and Sams club and use them quite a bit for different things. You can get some really good deals in there, it just depends, the stock changes all the time. Sometimes you can get a really great bargain.

I do the majority of my shopping between the two places and just get the odds and ends from Target.

The meat is certainly cheaper than the usual stores around here at least and with four kids bulk buying is great for me.

I would definitely say our membership has paid for itself this year in savings.

Also, Costco do a very nice Very Berry Sundae Great motivator for the children to behave while shopping

katina

Costco is cool. We've gotten some random unplanned things there, like DVDs, a papercutter, a CO detector, etc. Usually we buy tissues and paper towels there, both in bulk, because it's WAY cheaper than the supermarkets around here and we tend to go through a lot of paper products!

Along with the normal stuff, they have all sorts of random things, from kayaks to diamonds to computers to a bulk box of 80 cream puffs which we took to a party once.

We just joined this month for $45 for two of us (total, not each).

ms_bhon

The best things for these kinds of places, especially if there is just two of you are staples- paper towels, loo roll, garbage bags, soda/sparkling water, laundry detergent, light bulbs,etc...

You can really save money buying in bulk, and if you have a basement of garage, you just store the stuff till it needs to be restocked. It's great to only have to worry about buying staples every 4 months or so.

Also there's the occasional deal on consumer goods as well...

PrincessofWales

Costco is a great and I love the cheap gas...BUT, parking is a 'mare! And weekends there are crazy.

Between Trader Joes and Target I seem to find deals on food and household items outside of Costco.

I cannot tell you how much I love Tarjay!

katina

Forgot to say that the annoying thing about Costco is (besides the parking!) that you can only use an American Express card if you want to use a credit card. We don't have an AE card, so we have to use our debit cards.

You just have to show a driver's license to join, but I'm not sure what they'd accept if someone didn't have one yet -- maybe a passport?

Pimpbot

We use Costco all the time. The $45 we spent to join has more than paid for itself in overall savings compared to our local grocery stores like Fry's or Albertsons. Just for fresh meats alone, it is more cost effective to shop at Costco and then come home and vaccum pack it into the freezer. We did a huge $600+ shop back in february and we still have frozen meats in the freezer and canned goods in the cupboards from that trip, that should last us a little while longer. I was sick and tired of paying $9.99 for 5 frozen chicken breasts over at Fry's, when I could buy a bag of 15+ from Costco for $13 dollars. Also, 6 italian sausages were $5.99 at Fry's where as I can get 20 for $6.99 at Costco. Their tool and electrical sections are pretty good too. I wouldnt mind getting myself a cordless combo set from them.

Yosser

I'm with you on that one POW, we get our groceries at Target, also birthday/xmas/easter presents. There on-line website is worth checking out, I managed to pick up a remote controlled Moto X bike for $15 reduced from $60.00, for my step-son (although I managed to flip it straight down the storm drain on my first try ).

The fruit and veg is alot fresher than Walmart, but things like razor blades and shower gel is a tad more than wally world.

I also check out the end of the shopping isle for clearance baragins, you can pick up really cheap photo frames and nic nacs.

Tom Thumb has some great deals going everyweek, but its way to expensive to buy all the weeks groceries there!

Thydney

We are members in th UK we have one on our doorstep so it's quite handy. It really depends what you want to buy we bought our washer from there and saved enough to pay our membership for 15 years! I like it you can get all sorts their admittedly it tends to be bulk buying but we are not talking 1/2 lorry loads and there are lots of single items to buy. I agree that you can spend a lot if you get carried away. Can't say for the US (YET) but the UK one is well worth it.