Costco: Have you done the math to determine savings return (or not) after the annual $50-$100 membership fee?

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Around here you can do better in terms of gas prices...they're usually not the cheapest around by any stretch, but the location nearest me is on a busy highway and they are certainly the cheapest on that service road, but the others are soaking customers with really high prices per gallon.

For me I come out a bit ahead; whether it's worth it depends entirely on you and your buying habits.

You are in Texas, gas prices are a whole different animal on the west coast. This morning for example, the name brand stations in my city are at $3.99 for regular, Costco is at $3.73. The next lowest are Arco at $3.87, Safeway (Supermarket) at $3.83. For a 20 gallon fillup saving $5 is significant for people that commute by car when gas is so close to $4.

[irman]

Not so sure if it is *savings* only, why Costco is so popular !

In our case:
Convenience - most of what we need is *there* .
-- Meat, in our opinion better than anywhere else for a decent cost.
-- No questions asked return policy (Elnina already mentioned that).
---- funny story : Bought a 35 inch flat screen TV.
------------------Left channel audio goes out.
------------------Take the unit back.
------------------Buy a new one (same one)
------------------SURPRISE === 40 dollars cheaper - on sale !!!!

We do NOT buy veggies there. Portions too big for the two of us !

If you need a *hearing aid* --- try Costco !!
But still compare other sources.
We did and chose Costco !

We have the AMEX Costco card. Use that card for almost everything else !
Not just yearly reward check, but also a lot of *benefits* from other places when paid for by that card.
ONLY good if you pay-off monthly balance !!!

Oh btw, we make it a challenge to see how much we can munch of the free samples ....

[zugor]

I just did some quick and dirty math and I figure I save around $2,000 a year just on dog and cat food (dry and wet). That more than covers cost of membership and the 180 mile round trip that I make 3 or 4 times a year to "shop til I drop".

Yes, I get help from Costco loading 30 bags of dog food on to my carts and in to my Suburban. Once that's done I got back in and get all the other stuff - coffee, toilet paper, laundry soap, etc. When I lived in an urban area I used to get a lot of my meat there but now what I can get locally, direct from the folks who raise the cows, chickens, pigs and sheep is what I prefer.

[ackmondual]

Originally Posted by Zelpha

Me too. Their operating hours require shoppers to plan ahead.

Originally Posted by notoriouskelly

Think my military membership is $25 and I got $20 off on convection toaster oven (which I love) and LED outdoor light etc so I made it back quick even though I don't buy many things due to large quantities in pack.

I do notice people automatically grabbing big toilet paper etc when there may be better deals at local grocery; for some i think it's the convenience of getting things in one trip versus those like me who have more time for shopping at multiple stores.

Wish they opened earlier.

Don't one or some of their higher tiered memberships allow you to shop one hour earlier each day, ahead of the masses?

[prospectheightsresident]

Costco's higher priced membership was only worth it in the first year given the number of freebies I got (a bunch of double a batteries, free pizza, chicken, and other coupons). My cash reward balance was only $11. Of course, I can see how it would be worth it to others.

Also, Costco certainly isn't more convenient for me most of the time. They have extremely long lines at checkout where I am. And while the lines do tend to move quickly, I can be in and out of the commissary much faster. Not to mention the commissary generally has cheaper prices than Costco (per ounce, etc.), though the quality of produce/meats at Costco can be cheaper than it is at the commissary. Note, the main reason why I got my Costco member was for gas savings, but base gas and Costco gas prices go back and forth.

Ultimately, I'm going to keep my lower price Costco membership (I think its $60 now) as I do use it.