Is Costco really that cheap for food?

[fuzzybabybunny]

The 3lb rotisserie chickens at $5 a pop are definitely cheaper than supermarkets, as are some of the meat like pork and chicken you can get for around $2-$3/lb. Not too sure about their other, name brand stuff. I'm a new Costco member, so anyone have the inside scoop on food I should get at Costco and food I should get elsewhere? I have no problem buying generic brands elsewhere.

 

[oiprocs]

First.

 

[waggy]

for some things yes. you really need to check prices.

 

[compuwiz1]

Per pound a lot of stuff is cheaper but sometimes not justified to have to buy such large quantities.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Rarely. Costco beats supermarket everyday prices, but usually doesn't beat supermarket sale prices. Factor in coupons and I can get 95% of my shopping done cheaper at regular stores rather than Costco. Where I use Costco is for things like dog food (their house brand is excellent) and OTC meds.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I know I'm not the only one that had a mental image of FBB snorgling bulk beef in a Costco....

 

[DayLaPaul]

Most price tags have a unit price next to them. It will tell you how much an item cost per unit. When you compare prices, this is the only number you should be looking at. This is not just Costco specific, most stores have unit prices next to the real price.

 

[IGBT]

ya. it's a good place for one stop shopping.

 

[PottedMeat]

Costco/Sams are good for bulk bakery stuff, boxed snacks, and the goddamn food court.

Get fresh vegetables and fruits at the local mexican or asian grocery and meats on sale at the supermarkets.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

depends

do your research

 

[brtspears2]

Bigger stuff like pancake mix, spices and spice mix, pet food, household chemicals, and paper products are priced very low at Costco. Other home and electronic items are priced close to the big box stores, but you get costco's satisfaction guarantee policy. Alcohol, meat, and produce prices are about the same.

 

[Perknose]

Their Live Bunny Bin, where they'll slice the thro . . . sorry, I'm just in a certain mood.

Costco. If you're obsessive, and I'm gonna' go ahead and assume you are, shopping the rotating weekly 1/2 price sales at your local supermarkets will beat Costco's prices on those items every damn time.

But if you value your time more than those savings, Costco offers the one-stop convenience of consistently decent prices on a wide range of decent stuff.

 

[biggestmuff]

Their rabbit is quite a bit cheaper.

 

[0roo0roo]

hard to make back the membership cost.
basically yea its mostly if you want to put shopping out of mind and just hit the store to stock up every couple weeks..one stop shop.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: waggy
for some things yes. you really need to check prices.

Yup and be very careful.

 

[Sheep]

Nothing beats Costco's rotisserie chickens. They blow Dominick's/Safeway's horrible, chewy roasted chicken out of the water by apparently cooking them better AND using a better grade of chicken. (If they somehow use the same grade, the way they cook it makes it taste like ass.)

 

[LilPima]

They have decent prices on bulk things that I use often that are expensive individually in grocery stores--6 packs of egg whites in little cartons and 3 half gallons of organic milk in a pack. They also have a long shelf life, so I only have to pick them up once in awhile.

 

[BoomerD]

Costco's house brands tend to be better (IMO) than most other name brands. Yes, there will be exceptions, but Kirkland's standards are higher than any other "off brand."

Their hamburger is the best we can buy locally.

For many people, the killer is having to buy in bulk. If you don't need 25 lbs of something...and won't use it before it goes bad, then it's not a good buy.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Sheep
Nothing beats Costco's rotisserie chickens. They blow Dominick's/Safeway's horrible, chewy roasted chicken out of the water by apparently cooking them better AND using a better grade of chicken. (If they somehow use the same grade, the way they cook it makes it taste like ass.)

Trader Joes cooked Chickens own Costcos and I think they're the same price.

 

[sjwaste]

Costco is usually at the same price point for fresh foods, but arguably, they're of a bit better quality. So if that matters to you, yes, they are cheaper.

You can't generalize with groceries, though. For instance, Whole Foods beats the prices that my nearby Harris Teeter charges for many of the same items that I buy. Last time, I was surprised to notice that the greek yogurt that I get (brand is Fage, just checked) is like 10-20 cents cheaper at WF than HT. Similarly, HT is cheaper for regular butter, but if I want their "european" variety (higher fat content, cultured), its cheaper if I go to WF and buy their store brand, and the WF store brand tastes better.

Still cant beat Safeway for canned goods, though. Beans, etc. And the Safeway Select brand is some of the best packaged bacon I've had, as well as chocolate, and coffee. Whatever they're using to source their Italian Roast, it's good enough to put in my espresso machine, and I normally spend $20+ a kilo on the Italian brands from a specialty store. Of course, at $8 per 10oz, it's not cheaper, but surprisingly as good or better than Miscela D'Oro and Lavazza.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
hard to make back the membership cost.
basically yea its mostly if you want to put shopping out of mind and just hit the store to stock up every couple weeks..one stop shop.

I make it back on diapers and formula alone.



Also don't forget some of the cheaper meats on sale at other places are not as good. Chicken breast are a major one. I got some cheaper at the grocery store but they are not trimmed as well and I have to supply my own bags to wrap them up. At costco they are trimmed very well and already wrapped by each breast. So in the end its about the same when you count what i have to cut let alone my time and the bags.

Also they now have coupons so $10 off a case of Mobil1 and other items starting tomorrow. Or the dryer sheets and softner to go on sale and buy them and save again.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
hard to make back the membership cost.
basically yea its mostly if you want to put shopping out of mind and just hit the store to stock up every couple weeks..one stop shop.

I make it back on diapers and formula alone.



Also don't forget some of the cheaper meats on sale at other places are not as good. Chicken breast are a major one. I got some cheaper at the grocery store but they are not trimmed as well and I have to supply my own bags to wrap them up. At costco they are trimmed very well and already wrapped by each breast. So in the end its about the same when you count what i have to cut let alone my time and the bags.

Also they now have coupons so $10 off a case of Mobil1 and other items starting tomorrow. Or the dryer sheets and softner to go on sale and buy them and save again.

There are definitely a slew of things at Costco that are great buys all the way 'round. In addition to the ones people have listed, there are certain "lower-end gourmet" items they carry/have carried that rawk!

For the longest time, they carried a Soy-Ginger salad dressing that I used pick up at the rate of 4-5 a pop each time I went. I forget the brand, but I was heart :brokenheart: broken when they dropped it. 😉

Like with most real life questions, there is no one answer to food shopping unless you are willing to make significant trade-offs. The hidden metric is time, which does matter.

If you are willing to view any one pursuit of yours, even one as seemingly mundane as food shopping, as at least partially a hobby, then you're time is well spent.

If not, not.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
hard to make back the membership cost.
basically yea its mostly if you want to put shopping out of mind and just hit the store to stock up every couple weeks..one stop shop.

Not sure what you buy but the vast majority of people can, just through the basics - milk, gas, etc...

 

[Parasitic]

18" pizza for $10
$1.50 hot dogs
2lb Starbucks house blend coffee (aka Kirkland house brand, the $10 stuff).

 

[Red Squirrel]

I wish we had a cosco here. That's probably the only store you can get chocolate covered nuts in a 10 pound bag. The tiny 600g bags they sell at No Frills just don't do it for me, I need more nuts!