Costco..any reason not to get a membership?

[Syringer]

I'm a single guy that doesn't eat at home that much, though I want to and Costco will certainly give me the motivation to..so I feel like a lot of the bulk stuff would end up wasted, but I don't know anyone who doesn't love their membership.

Any reasons that I shouldn't get one?

 

[kyrax12]

Do you like paying to buy stuff?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You already stated them. Buying things in larger quantities doesn't save you anything if it goes bad.

 

[IronWing]

Impulse buys will cost you ~$10 a pop vs $2 a pop at the regular grocery store.

 

[tfinch2]

It's too crowded on the weekend. More expensive than Sam's Club, atleast for the stuff we buy.

 

[zerocool84]

Impulse buys will cost you ~$10 a pop vs $2 a pop at the regular grocery store.

Yes but you'll get more and higher quality.

 

[KaOTiK]

You can go there and basically get free lunch from all the free sample stations they have all over the store

 

[her209]

The only reason to get Costco membership is for the free extended warranties on electronic stuff like HDTVs.

 

[JumBie]

You can go there and basically get free lunch from all the free sample stations they have all over the store

I've done that multiple times, you never know what's for lunch, its always a surprise down every isle.

 

[KaOTiK]

I've done that multiple times, you never know what's for lunch, its always a surprise down every isle.

Yup, whenever I know I'm going to head to Costco, I make sure not to eat before going, always worked out well

 

[Alone]

I'm getting one tomorrow.

 

[Bryophyte]

It's hard to justify if you're just buying for yourself, unless you are planning a big purchase.

 

[Eos]

Fucking people stopping at the sample stations. If the stations would be setup in a better location, the samplers wouldn't be able to block the main aisle. Not the side aisle, but the main aisle.

Unless you have a rewards AMEX or Discover, you have to pay cash/check/debit, so no real rewards like at other stores. I hate that.

 

[TridenT]

There is no reason unless you buy a lot of shit. And I mean, a lot.

 

[edro]

I went for the first time with my mother in law.
I got a giant box of trail mix packets. They were awesome and only ~$0.40 each.
I am thinking about getting a membership just for the trail mix.

 

[Vette73]

Costco has more than just food so there are pros vs cons you need to weigh.

Pro:
Good meat selection at a good price
Name brand tires with coupons
Extra warranty on electronics
Cheaper gas if they have a station near you
Can split a membership.
Lots of general stuff from low wattage light bulbs, sheets, beds, over the counter medicines, etc…

Con:
Have to pay $50 year for membership
Items are usually bulk, yep Alt size.
Tires are limited to certain brands.
May not be close to you to use a lot.
Have to buy more than you may want.

Costco is near me and I have a 2 year old so I make my membership back in diapers alone. We also buy milk, eggs, meats, etc… so we use it for many things and use the coupons they send out for paper towels and other household items. So for my house its very worth it. For you it depends on close you are to one and if you think you will use it enough. Go walk around one and see if they have stuff you would get at least once a month or more.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

pro:
Law Degree.
con:
Time machine.

 

[geecee]

There is no reason unless you buy a lot of shit. And I mean, a lot.

Actually, where I am, Costco sells their gallons of milk for ~$1.50 less than the supermarkets do. Buying a gallon of milk per week alone, I've made back the membership in well under a year. The caveat is, as others have pointed out here, that you really are buying a lot of stuff in bulk. If you're single, much of those fruit and vegetable purchases are inevitably going to go bad before you can eat it all.

 

[Beev]

I love our Costco membership. Not everything is in gargantuan bulk, guys. A lot of their frozen stuff is a great value, and it's a good way to get things you eat consistently for a cheaper price. They have these little single serving grapefruit cups that I love, for example. Can't get them anywhere else.

 

[kami333]

I think I made back the cost of my membership last year just buying vanilla beans. It was $10 for a pack of 10 beans, usually you get 2 for that price. Split them open, add some vodka, wait ~6months and viola, great vanilla extract by the gallon.

Barely broke even when it was just my gf and I but it was worth it for their steaks, this year we took her off and added her father instead and they use it a lot more, enough to upgrade to executive membership. Might be hard to justify a whole year with just one person though.

 

[Nebor]

I think I made back the cost of my membership last year just buying vanilla beans. It was $10 for a pack of 10 beans, usually you get 2 for that price. Split them open, add some vodka, wait ~6months and viola, great vanilla extract by the gallon.

Barely broke even when it was just my gf and I but it was worth it for their steaks, this year we took her off and added her father instead and they use it a lot more, enough to upgrade to executive membership. Might be hard to justify a whole year with just one person though.

... What do you do with gallons of vanilla extract?

 

[elitejp]

get a membership at a gym and bulk food doesnt look so big

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Costco is awesome. I'm a 'single' guy and use my membership all the time.

There are all sorts of "special" costco stuff you can't find anywhere else... Large boxes of annie's fruit snacks (for cheap), costco pizza, all sorts of good specialty frozen stuff, cheeses,



Here's something that happened last weekend.. Girl I'm dating broke my vacuum cleaner which was purchased at costco in 2007 (she bumped the bag connection and filled the inside of the casing with dust/dirt, then I removed the filters etc to order and replace. She thinks it's fixed, and tries to vacuum sucking ~4 cups of dirt and crap through the motor). I explain this to costco seeing if they can send to repair and they simply refund my money.

 

[rivan]

Feeding a family of 4, we have the executive membership that pays for itself and more every year.

 

[JTsyo]

You don't have to buy the bulk food though. There's also many food items that won't expire for years. I prefer Costco beef to grocery stores, though their chicken is frozen. Their bakery is also pretty kick ass but that might be too much for one guy.

Also things like garbage bags, toothpaste, Tide doesn't expire.