Costco warehouse in Sarasota? (Brandon: fences, club, store)

[darrylvk]

Have heard nothing lately, but read the newspaper infrequently. There is a Costco an hour North at the South side of Brandon. I go there to save big on the 1 prescription I take.

[Andiamo]

The old Dillards building has been cordoned off and a large part of the parking lot is blocked off to allow for storage of the building equipment. A worker said that the building will come down within the next two weeks.

[gettinoutofjersey]

i emailed costco and they said they had no public info on anything happening there. i emailed back and said from what i hear the dillards is coming down to prep a site, doesnt the right hand know what the left is doing? they emailed back and bold faced the text of public. i guess its all top secret on a need to know basis.

[lrwohio]

Saw this article on twitter from the Bradenton Herald on Nov 16th.

COSTCO MOVES AHEAD ON SARASOTA SQUARE MALL STORE

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Costco Wholesale Corp. appears to be moving forward with plans to build a long-awaited discount superstore at Sarasota Square Mall.

A construction fence recently barricaded the former Dillard's department store, which is slated to be demolished, and the parking lot to the east."

YEAH!!! Can't wait!!!

[wondermint2]

I've never shopped at a Costco. But I read in that HeraldTribune article that Costco charges an annual membership fee of between approx. $50 to $100.

So my question is this - Are the prices that much better than say a Super Walmart to justify paying the membership fees?

Do they sell groceries?

[Skunk Workz]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

I've never shopped at a Costco. But I read in that HeraldTribune article that Costco charges an annual membership fee of between approx. $50 to $100.

So my question is this - Are the prices that much better than say a Super Walmart to justify paying the membership fees?

Do they sell groceries?

They are a membership warehouse like Sam's Club. They do sell groceries, but don't have the variety or selection that a grocery store does. Most of it is in bulk as well. Some things can be a real bargain, but not everything. You have to pay attention to unit costs and pick items that you can use before they will go bad.

We already had a Sam's membership from FL, and got a Costco one here a couple of months ago. I don't see much of a difference. The basic Costco membership is $10 a year more ($40 vs $50), and the prices seem to be just slightly higher than Sam's for exactly the same products.

[Ragnar]

Generally, the Costco membership fee is worth it if you make a large purchase, like a new TV, car tires, or an automobile itself. It's difficult to justify the membership fee on grocery purchases alone. Sale and online prices at other retailers can generally beat Costco, but if you were to just walk into a Costco store to pick stuff off the shelf, on average, Costco would be cheaper. Costco has a phenomenal 2-year return policy on electronics, which is why a lot of people prefer to purcahse TV's and such there.

It's often times difficult to track whether membership fees to warehouse clubs pay for themselves with savings. The bottom line is that people just like shopping at Costco and therefore the $50 membership fee is worth it to them.

[monkeychemist]

I'll say that despite the turn off of cost of membership Costco is very worth it. First off the reg membership is $50 but the $100 executive membership nets you 2% back on all your purchases there. That can add up to free membership if you shop there. Moreover, you can also get the Amex card with no annual fee (that never happens usually) with an additional 1% on ALL purchases anywhere, 2% on travel/gas/restaurants etc. I think that's the best combo. Costco has awesome products at a discounted price. However, it's not bottom cheap like Walmart. So if you want the cheapest option it's better to go there. If you want quality at reduced prices Costco rocks. Oh yeah, they have a lot of extra perks like vacation packages, etc. We have taken a trip to Mexico and Hawaii using them and it's always an awesome experience at a good price. As you can tell by this point I am quite the fanboy of Costco, but it is well deserved!

[Coachgns]

When we were renovating our condo, our Costco membership saved us lots. We used California Closets, and using the Costco membership not only saved us money, but we received a COstco gift card as well. Don't know if that promotion is still in effect, but there's always stuff like that going on.
Can't wait till the store is done.

[rock creek]

Will Costco sell gas at the Sarasota location?