[- Paul -]

Is it worth joining for £25 a year?

I don't run a business so was wondering if anyone else used them for "normal" shopping?

[jjbirch]

yes i use them once a month as the nearest one is 80ish miles away, the food is nice as well as the meat, but you dont really save much on that or beer as the supermarkets do the best deal on beer,nappies as uch cheaper there for my child,and mirc towels are cheap,but it is a usa store and the £-$ has dropped a bit surly that means higher prices

[peterg1965]

Isn't Costco good value for branded engine oil? You might be able to save £25 by buying oil and getting the dealer to use it when your car needs servicing instead of paying their outrageous prices for oil.

[CD]

sorry to be stupid , but what is it is it like a makro type retailer ?

[M3-FAST]

Yes Chris, like Makro but bigger.

But whereas with Makro you need to be a 'trader' to join, Costco charge you £25 per year instead.

Only ever been to one and was not that impressed. Makro is good when they have a particular deal, but in general not that cheap compared to supermarkets like Tesco, etc.. for most stuff.

[Porscha!]

What sort of stuff are you looking to buy?

Costco is good for non food products but the food products are rather expensive.

Booker and Parfeits is better and cheaper for food supplies.

[- Paul -]

I buy a lot of electronic stuff and noticed a HD camcorder I was interested in - Thought about using it for oil and tyres too.

Good point re the $ and £

[SoYank]

I was in the Costco in Leeds in the summer and they had a trio of Castrol Edge 0W-30 for £15+VAT. I've been back twice but they don't have the same anymore. The nearest they had a week or so ago was a 4-litre jug (either 0W-30 or 0W-40 for petrol engines) for £20+VAT. Still, if the weight matches your needs you're at least £25 under Halford's or BMW. Wouldn't that cover the membership costs?

Costco food is best used for folks that have a family and cold storage facilities or consume food products rapidly. For a single person it's not a good deal. You have to buy in bulk. For example, I only wanted a package of 6 bagels but had to buy two packages. Bagles go stale in a day or two and I don't think my waistline would look as svelte as it does if I were ingesting 6 bagels a day (with the associated cream cheese, of course).

The durable goods selection isn't all that great and to get a membership merely for those types of purchases isn't going to gain you much. The white goods (towels, sheets, etc.) are similar. You're not going to be buying these items each week or every month and the pricing isn't that much lower than buying the same items even at the supermarkets. From my experience the clothing selection is miniscule.

[mistry]

Once one person joins, I'm sure you can get a second card on the account. so if you know someone else who wants to join it might be worth spliting the £25 joining fee with them.

[jjbirch]

Originally Posted by mistry

Once one person joins, I'm sure you can get a second card on the account. so if you know someone else who wants to join it might be worth spliting the £25 joining fee with them.

yes thats right but you have to be in the same company or your wife,

[RichardM]

I think Costco is fantastic, good value for money (although normally you could find the same price on-line) and you can always take anything back without any problems even after several months. I buy all sorts of stuff there and its nearly always cheaper than high street shops, the only exception being if a shop has an offer on such as BOGOF so I think its well worth the money. Great for everything from electronics, white goods designer jeans (BOSS, Diesel, CK), soft drinks, cleaning stuff (car and house), pet stuff etc.

I also belong to Makro but in comparison that is crap, chavy and expensive so I never go there.

You could also ask to be shown around Costco if you say your thinking of joining. I often see people doing that.

[Serjames]

I actually supply lots of the bakery goods into Costco and can confirm that if you are buying in bulk then they carry superb deals...

Eg. 10 inch Apple pie.. £4.99 Hooge Christmas cake for £12 (I think) And the key thing with Costco, certainly on the food side is they are REALLY strict about the quality.

For instance all their meat comes from scottish farms, that breed specifically for them I think, ALL from the Macphie farmhold If I remember ?

Anyway their returns policy is awsome, and some of the branded goods like Sony Tv's for instance are re-numbered units to hide the fact they are selling for less than normal high street prices, that is to say Costco have sony use new different model names to differentiate them.

I'm a member, but have never actually bought anything yet.... Still waiting for the party occasion where I'll need 64 6 ounce burgers for £9.99

SJ

[Gibbo]

Originally Posted by Serjames

I'm a member, but have never actually bought anything yet.... Still waiting for the party occasion where I'll need 64 6 ounce burgers for £9.99

SJ

What time do you want us to come round?

[willhollin]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

What time do you want us to come round?

+ 1

1. Gibbo
2. Willhollin

Sure we can fill another 62 places easily.

[jjbirch]

its a long drive but if it's free food, i think i could make it

[SoYank]

+1

1. Gibbo
2. Willhollin
3. jjbirch
4. SoYank

Need another 60 places easily but I don't think you're going to find even Costco to supply the burgers that cheap (15p each) unless you want 15% mince. In that case, count me out.

[RichardM]

Originally Posted by Serjames

Anyway their returns policy is awsome, and some of the branded goods like Sony Tv's for instance are re-numbered units to hide the fact they are selling for less than normal high street prices, that is to say Costco have sony use new different model names to differentiate them.

I bought my Sony 40" LCD from there and it was a standard model available elsewhere. Costco also offer a free 5 year warranty on all TVs which is another big saving. I couldn't decide between two different TVs so I bought both to compare them at home knowing I could take the one back without any problems.

Originally Posted by Serjames

I'm a member, but have never actually bought anything yet.... Still waiting for the party occasion where I'll need 64 6 ounce burgers for £9.99

I bought them once when I had a BBQ and they were fantastic burgers! I've been tempted to buy them again as they were so nice even though most would go to waste.

[- Paul -]

Thanks for all the input - think I'll give it a go and see what I can buy to save the membership fee ;-)

[Serjames]

lol wish I'd gone shopping !! Big TONE and Carlos are eating me out of house and home... Tanya keeps making food !!!

lol

SJ

[- Paul -]

Burgers all round then!!! BTW - you may wanna change your sig - UK5 has been and gone ;-)