Costco Membership Dues - a rip off?

[Irulan]

Whoa, $180? What membership is that? Are you buying your kids cards too? I have the executive which is $150 a years and I get that amount or close to it in a coupon once a year, you dont have to tie it to a card. My adult son pays me back for his card. You can certainly downgrade your membership to the lowest level if you want to maintain it.

It's just the two of us. I am picky about what I buy but I also have a pantry and a chest freezer for storage. I buy a lot of the 8-packs of canned goods, coffee beans, pastas for the freezer, certain snacks like raw almonds (keep the bulk in the freezer) and Lara bars. The meat is very good so I portion it and freeze it. And gas? Always 10 cents a gallon less than anywhere else. It helps that Costco is only 10 minutes away from my house. I can go at 7 PM when it's empty. The selection of affordable organics is improving all the time. Also, if you don't have prescription coverage, the pharmacy is great.

You just have to do the math on what you buy and how you use or store it. I am not an impulse shopper at all, so it's pretty rare that I purchase anything that is not on my grocery list. My rule is, "if its not there next time, you probably don't need it" and I've only been burned once. I don't buy tires, or office supplies. I routinely get out of there for less than $100.

I shop at Costco extensively for our camping, ski and raft trips.

As a side note, Costco pays real living wages and makes health insurance and other benefits available to al employes. They support a lot of regional and artist entrepreneurs, and both those things are something you'll never find at other discounters.

Bottom line, it's not a rip off if you are using it an feel like you are getting good value out of it.

[PamNY]

I got a free Costco membership through Amex and used it exactly once. The prices simply weren't that good. Of course, I have to get there by subway so that limits how much I can bring home.

I know people who think Costco is great, but I can do just as well with Trader Joe's, Chinatown and regular grocery store specials.

[withm]

Nope - as a single person, I have never been a member at Costco, BJs, or any other membership store. I have no need, nor space for the large quantities required, and buy very little processed or frozen foods. While there is a BJs about 40 minutes from me, it's in the wrong direction to anywhere I ever go. It's at least 2 hours to Costco, Target, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes, and not really on the way to anywhere I go on a regular basis. Certainly no temptation there.

On the other hand I live within 3 miles of 4 different grocery stores (2 very good ones, and 2 well, not as good) and work about 5 minutes from a wonderful CSA pick up location, and I can bike to any number of backyard farm stands all summer long, and walk to the ocean.

Clothes shopping is another story however - good thing for the internet!

[GLC1968]

I'm fairly certain we pay $50 a year for our annual membership (for the two of us)! $180 is nuts.

And hell yeah, $50 is worth it. There are two Costco's within 10 miles of us and one of them is walkable from my office, so it's easy shopping for us. We buy boatloads of produce, nuts and meat from them every couple of weeks. They often carry great deals on organics and for us...a vast majority of the in-season stuff is local. Ours carries local, pastured eggs as well. We never even go down half of the aisles since we no longer eat any pre-packaged or processed foods, and yet it's still a great deal for us.

For those that don't shop there (I can't speak for BJ's as I've never been) because you have to buy in bulk, you really don't. Not everything comes in mammoth sizes!

We've also had good luck buying electronics and various other home goods there on occasion but it is very important to be cognizant of pricing as it's not always the best deal.

Between Costco, TJ's, two CSA's and New Seasons (a local 'Whole Foods' type place but better prices and selection of local stuff), we hardly ever go to a regular grocery store anymore!

[Irulan]

I'm fairly certain we pay $50 a year for our annual membership (for the two of us)! !

That is the basic membership with no cash back.

We've also had good luck buying electronics and various other home goods there on occasion but it is very important to be cognizant of pricing as it's not always the best deal.

If you have to get a laptop for a kid (high school or college) they have a really awesome 2 year return policy on electronics. It's good even for things like, "tripped on the power cord and it fell off the table onto the floor and the screen broke". You won't find that anywhere else unless you buy an extended warranty.

[shootingstar]

In Vancouver, we've lived near a Costco that's only 2 blocks away. It has been open there for last 6 yrs.

But we never shopped there. We don't buy stuff in bulk on that scale and to have room to store it all, to make it cost-effective for 2 of us. Besides..Chinatown is only half a block away, and a pile of grocery, drug stores to get good sales on items.

I've only shopped at Costco once in my life....when I was with a friend and she had a card.