Best (and worst) deals at Costco?

[boogiemomz]

I finally splurged on my own Costco membership... used to mooch off my mom's when we lived in the same town but now that we're far away I was just missing it too much! I love to buy clothes for DD when deals come along (as in the only HA I've ever owned!), and I like the Kirklands brand yoga and workout gear. There's not much we truly need to buy in bulk, but I think there's enough to make the membership worthwhile. I do want to be smart though and grab only the good deals. I know, for instance, that diapers are way cheaper at Target. Without whipping out my calculator at the store and comparing per item prices, I'm overwhelmed trying to figure out what's worth it and what's not. Please share your wisdom about where I can save and where I should buy elsewhere. Thanks!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Best
San Pelligrino sp? cans and liter bottles
Hummus
Sugar
Vanilla
Tires
Car rentals
Half and half

[georgiegirl]

We buy Fage yogurt (way cheaper than anywhere else), berries, go-go squeeze applesauce pouches, organic spinach and baby greens, and organic cheddar cheese on a regular basis. For non-food, organic shampoo and conditioner (sulfate free), bar soap, soft soap, toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, diapers, kitchen garbage bags (very high quality). They also have good kid clothing and grown-up workout wear. I got DD fake Uggs last year and DS a cute Halloween costume,

I'm only 5 minutes away, so I shop there often.

ETA: I got my tires there. And they do free rotations and flat repairs. Totally worth it. I had a nail in the sidewall and needed a new tire, and they only charged $13.

[blisstwins]

I always have a box of Cedarlane frozen burritos on hand for when we are out of lunch stuff or lazy dinner--they are so cheap. Also, string cheese and gogurt.

[sariana]

Best: milk. In fact, most dairy. And sometimes meat. Sheet cakes. Bread.

Not worst, maybe, but not usually a good deal: soda. I usually can get a better deal, and more variety, at the grocery store or at Target.

We don't get much Hanna here. :-(

[AngB]

The best deal for us is gasoline. It's usually 10 cents/gallon cheaper. DH drives 1.5 a day and passes it on his way to work so he stops and fills up there.

Diapers are cheaper/same as Target when they have coupons (more dipes in their cases). And I like the Kirkland's brand of diapers better than Target, they just seem more absorbent and nicer quality.

[indigo99]

We just had our first Costco cake for the boys' birthday yesterday. It was under $20 for a half sheet which is twice as big as the normal grocery store cake for the same price. Everyone LOVED it and wanted to know where it came from.

The best deals come when there are coupons so watch your circular for them. The little food kiosk in our store is also a cheap place to eat. I'm sure it's horrible for us, but $2.50 for a super long hotdog, drink, and churro is pretty hard to beat.

[oneplustwo]

I love these Costco threads; they help me so much ~ otherwise I'm like a deer in the headlights trying to find the good stuff, LOL.

Car rentals ~ the reason we finally got our own Costco membership was when we realized the incredible deal we could get for a FL car rental for a vacation a couple of years ago; the membership paid for itself and then some.

We LOVE the organic whole-bean coffee sold at our Costco, called Mayorga. It's awesome (and we are coffee fiends/snobs). The price is great, and much cheaper than the same coffee sold online at Mayorga Coffee.

We get a lot of cheeses there b/c the prices are better than we can find anywhere else: Kerrygold cheddar, a block of Parmesan, Babybel cheeses (the kids and DH love), President Brie, a Gruyere they carry, Manchego cheese (similar pricing in a few other places, but not more expensive at Costco).

We like the Kirkland EVOO in a glass bottle, and priced well.

Organic ground beef and organic skinless/boneless chicken

Some wines that are cheaper at our Costco than anywhere else we've found

Nutella!

I know there's more but that's what comes to mind immediately.

[twowhat?]

I'd say nothing is a "bad" deal at Costco. I always joke to my DH that if you need something and don't want to do the work in researching prices or hunting for coupons, Costco's price is always fair for what you get. We love Costco here and buy a ton from them. I agree with PPs assessment of the diapers and wipes. Very fair prices, and the dipers are nicer than other generics. We still buy their wipes - they are superb.

Fruit is almost guaranteed to be really good. Any of the produce and meats, really. They carry great frozen foods. We always have a stash of Amy's burritos on hand in the freezer - they are quick and relatively healthy. We buy eggs and orange juice there regularly. We love their cake (and even had a sweet-tooth snob at the girls' bday party open her eyes really wide with her first bite and go "oh...wow...you bought this cake from a store? The frosting is really high quality..."). We just love Costco!

[ABO Mama]

Cage free eggs
Butter
Cheese
Lunch meat
Big bag of broccoli
Single serving hummus cups
Loaves of bread
Evoo
Cereal
Brown sugar
Organic canned goods
Rotisserie chicken!!!
Un-cooked tortilla in the refrigerator case...you have to cook them, but so yummy!

[LD92599]

Contact lens solution
kirkland choc chips
walnuts
bread thins
deli ham
bottled water
eggs
milk
butter (4 lbs, $6.99!)
tall kitchen trash bags
wrapping paper
paper plates
plastic utencils
frozen hamburgers

thinking of what was in my cart Fri night!

[BunnyBee]

Prescriptions and OTC meds/vitamins
Baby wipes
Freeze dried fruit pouches
Nuts (pecans, almonds, salt and pepper pistachios)
Kirkland chocolate chips
Sugar
Olive oil
Rotisserie chickens are huge and much better tasting than grocery stores around us
Fruit and vegetables
Cheeses
A couple of Costcos here carry Prime grade steaks
Bread
Tortillas
Maple syrup
Liquor and wine
Light bulbs (slowly replacing all of ours with LEDs)
Books
Wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbon
Tires
Gas
Gift cards
Contigo travel coffee mugs
Ice cream bars dipped in chocolate and almonds at the Costco Cafe = $1.50
No-fee AmEx card with good cashback

I agree with PP that it may not be the BEST deal, but it's not a bad deal. Plus their return policy is amazing and they treat employees well.

[shawnandangel]

Organic sugar - I think it's 10# for $8 - way cheaper than Kroger where 1# runs around $3
Organic olive oil - superb flavor and a great deal
Cheeses
Cakes
I wouldn't say the ground beef is a "deal" but the organic ground beef is the best DH and I have ever had.
Berries
Trash bags
Kirkland brand laundry soap
Pet beds - wash really well and are good price
Nature valley granola bars
Smuckers natural strawberry jam



Don't list:
Organic chicken - has been bad when opening a few times so I stopped buying
We were not fond of the Kirkland organic strawberry jam.

[MMMommy]

I think most things are a good deal at Costco. Except for DVDs and books. I think Amazon is usually cheaper for DVDs and books comparatively.

[petesgirl]

Milk and eggs are always on my list because they are cheaper at Costco. My DH takes a muffin to work to work each day and the only kind he will touch is the apple crumb from Costco so we always get those too. A lot of their freezers items are really good deals when they are accompanied by the coupon they send out.

[boogiemomz]

Awesome, thank you everyone!!! :bighand: :bowdown:

[cagey]

the only thing that i find is NOT a deal is when I overbuy the perishables. Ex: I need 2 avacados that would be $1.00 in the store, buy a huge bag for $4.99 and just can't eat them before they go bad.

For a lot of things, I've noticed that while the prices are't rock bottom, you get a much better quality for the price, i.e. steaks and fresh seafood. Their fresh tilapia fillets are the only ones I feel that I can cook up and they dont shrivel away to nothing.

[AnnieW625]

Good deal:
car rentals
TVs
hummus
organic tomatoes
albacore tuna cans
eggs
butter
nuts
restaurant gift cards
laundry soap
dish soap
take and bake pizzas (we quarter them and freeze them)
cheese
soy milk boxes
all natural juice boxes
books
Carter's brand clothes
Foster Farms fresh chicken breasts
frozen berries
bread
Kirkland brand workout clothes
Kirkland boxer briefs
Kirkland white men's shirts
socks
movie tickets
Nutella
peanut butter
beer
wine
vitamins
diapers
diaper wipes
shampoo/conditioner

Not so great deals:
Hyatt and Best Western discounts
soda
chips
movies
TP, Kleenex or paper towels if they aren't included as a coupon special
some of the cut up fruit
Nestle Quik (in my area about the same price as the store)

I hate that they only carry the fat free Fage yogurt. I wish they would carry the 2%.

I will try and think of some more not so great bargains

[brittone2]

-wholly guacamole, hummus, tsatsiki
-boneless leg of lamb
-RXs. We started going to costco 10 years ago when our vet team recommended we check costco's prices for generic prozac for our dog, as they were substantially cheaper than anywhere else...and obviously dogs don't have RX drug coverage.
-contact lenses and multipurpose solution (I have used old Acuvue 2s forever, no idea on the newer lens prices)
-quinoa
-coleman products (organic frozen chicken breasts are 3.xx per lb, individually vacuum sealed)
-greeting card sets
-pajamas
-my current local store has crappy refrigeration and it tends to freeze the organic lettuce mix (always!) so it is too slimy to even consider purchasing.
-Kirkland brie and feta
-every 2 years I buy the kid kirkland uggs for myself as house slippers (I have small feet). Real shearling for like 20ish bucks vs. the fake shearling versions at places like target. DD finally fits in the smallest size, so she has a pair for this year.

TP is not the cheapest but I don't like worrying about coupons and sales, so I just buy in bulk and distribute in the various bathrooms right away. I don't know how cheap Finish tabs are at the grocery store but I usually buy those in bulk for convenience, and try to time it with it being on sale at costco when I can. We also like the liquid eco friendly dish soap

Bear and Wolf (?) canned salmon (fyi is also BPA free according to their website the last time I checked)

We also like the Mayorga coffee mentioned by a PP

some of the toys are good prices. Mears ago we got our Kidkraft train table with two trundles (and a cheap train set plus decent track) there for $130. At that time, the same table alone, without trundles, was selling for $130. With trundles it was 230 or so IIRC, and that's without the extra track or trains. Some deals like that are very nice at Costco.

Sheets

TVs-they double the manufacturer's warranty I believe

any item I feel might break within a few months to a year of use. I don't own a Keurig, but if I was going to buy one, I'd purchase from Costco for this reason, for example. GPS, waffle iron, steam mop...those types of things are nice to buy there because they are cheaper, and you know if you run into problems, they will stand by it.

I bought my parents an ice cream maker (cuisinart) for $25 last year. I think we paid $60 for ours elsewhere?

Every year for Christmas we take our families for a really lovely brunch. The restaurant offers GCs through Costco. You pay $80 for $100 value, with a limit of two GCs that can be used on one bill. So that saves us $40 on brunch. That's a good portion of the membership cost right there if you don't do executive.

[NJ_Mom2011]

Costco's best prices, even compared to competitors' sales (sorry if this overlaps with others):
* vitamin supplements and over-the-counter medications, especially Kirkland brand. I have paid for my membership with generic Zyrtec.
* Costco pharmacy: Consumer Reports found Costco charged the least of chain pharmacies.
* Smoked salmon: best value for lox!
* bananas;
* regular milk;
* granola bars;
* Baked goods, including as other posters mentioned, muffins and birthday sheet cake;
* Codiments (sea salt grinder, etc.);
* organic whole milk, where omegas have been added (Sale prices for other types of organic milk are better at supermarkets);
* apple sauce;
* hummus;
* organic ground beef;
* infant formula;
* organic cotton kids' PJs;
* Kirkland baby wipes if bought with store coupon.

Good if you consider quality of goods:
* fruit. Local supermarkets may sell fruit cheaper, but Costco has better quality.
* electronics. Walmart may have cheaper, but Costco provides a better warranty and no restocking fees.
* gas. You can use an Amex card, competitors demand cash if you want the same price.

Things I skipped: diapers. Couponing sites such as babycheapskate will tell you how to get diapers cheaper than found at Costco through sales and coupons. Also, pasta.

Hope this helps!

[NCGrandma]

Also a fan of the OTC meds and vitamins. In addition to very good prices all the time, they often have extra discounts. I just stocked up on brand-name Allegra, which cost less than half the CVS price. I more than paid for my membership with this one purchase!

[zukeypur]

This is a fantastic thread. The only things I can think of that haven't been mentioned are
Bao (refrigerated section-a friend used to make these for me and I've missed them so much!)
Kids Clif bars
Fig bars
kale salad mix with poppy seed dressing
Beer
Fruitables juice boxes
Kirkland brand laundry pods (rated best pods by Consumer Reports)
Canned organic tomatoes
Frozen fruit for smoothies (mango, pineapple, peach, strawberry mix)
Bottled water
aerobed ($99)
Ooma ($99)
Eyeglasses
Socks for kids
Swimming suits
Leggings
Lucky jeans
Books
Kirkland tanks

[marymoo86]

Larabars
GF chips - currently devouring some late July mojito goodness, pirates booty, pumpkin tortilla chips
Organic coconut oil
Dog treats, flea/tick stuff
Wild salmon
Specialty microbrews/wine

[crayonblue]

I always find it so interesting when people say they love Costco produce. I have horrible luck with Costco produce! I steer clear of their produce and buy at Sprouts/local grocery chains.

I buy at Costco:

1. Gas
2. Paper products
3. Chocolate chips
4. Vanilla
5. Bread- our Costco carries a locally made Sourdough bread that is sooooooooo yummy!
6. Socks- love Kirkland socks
7. PJs- LOVE Kirkland pjs for the girls.
8. Rotisserie chicken
9. Prescriptions
10. Random other stuff that I don't really need but jumps into my cart! :)

[DualvansMommy]

You'll love Costco, PP!

Best deals:

Socks
Male shirts
Rash guards
OTC meds
Cheeses (Brie, block of parm k baby bel)
Nuts/snacks
Sparkling water
TP/Paper towels
Oscar Mayer low sodium bacon
Xmas wrapping paper
Party gear (fake china, cutlery, napkins)
Tommy bahana beach chairs
And I feel there's tons more I'm forgetting.




Cate

[MamaLia!]

I just started using the Kirkland signature salon shampoo and conditioner, and I really like both of them.

We buy a lot of things mentioned, but also:

Brown rice
Baby carrots
Jimmy deans "light" breakfast sandwiches for breakfasts on the run
Their brand of Gatorade called vitarain...We've all been sick and I was so glad I stocked up
Eos lip balm
Their organic kids pjs and leggings
Big packs of scissors


And, I love their home goods section. I get something there every other trip. I have gotten some neat serving pieces, flatware, dishes, all sorts of things over the years.

I also have gotten some of my best Costco deals online. I always forget to shop there, but when I do, it's amazing. Right now they have a rocker/glider/recliner for $450 that I want fr my daughter's room. I haven't seen a similar chair for less than $1000 in my area. I have also ordered ink, and some other office supplies we use a lot of, from their website. The ink deals in store aren't my favorite, bc we don't use a lot, and I feel like I end up spending $100 on ink.

Oh, and their furniture deals are really good! They only have it in store a few times a year, but we just got an amazing sectional there. I only spent 1/3 of our budget, and we felt like the quality was better than the other brand we were splurging on. I love their furniture deals, but they obviously don't always have the exact right thing. But, I always check there first!

[kcimato]

Just a note about Costco persciptions. My DH needed a mresciption mouthwash and it was $15 through our HMO. He called Costco and it was $11. He finally called Wegmans and it was only $4. Big difference.

I love their
Milk
Half and Half
Croissants
Books
Tires the reason we first started with Costco. I too had a nail in the tire and they fixed it for free and rotated the tires.
I don't buy a whole lot of other things foodwise since the packages are too big for us. Just don't need that much all at once.
Love their return policy.

[elbenn]

Someone mentioned Fruitables and I totally agree that this product is great. It's juice boxes with vegetable juice mixed in. I compared them to other juice boxes and they have quite a bit less sugar than other juices.

They have a new dark chocolate bark with pumpkin seeds that is soooo yummy! It is 65% dark chocolate and has a saltiness from the pumpkin seeds.

Tilamoo cheese sold in individual serving packets is way cheaper than at a grocery store.

Their tortilla soup (in the refrigerated section) is super yummy. Add in some avocadoes, cheese, and a few tortilla chips and it's a meal!

[Momit]

2-packs of Contigo travel mugs
Go Go Squeez Applesauce pouches
Extra fancy unsalted mixed nuts (cashews, pistachios, almonds, pecans)
Bob's Red Mill old country muesli
Coffee mentioned by PPs, plus we have also found blends by local roasters
Kirkland cranberry macadamia cereal
Kashi cereals - coconut flax granola and ancient grains granola
Cold milled flax seed
Organic chicken breasts
Contact lenses
Beer sampler packs
Gourmet cheeses - when I stumble on their gourmet cheese sample day I am in heaven. I still remember an apricot Stilton from a few years ago. Mmmmm....

One of the few things I haven't been happy with is their flea and tick meds for dogs (like Frontline). It's excessively greasy and stays on our dog's coat forever compared to the name brand. It's gross. Bathing, brushing, even cutting off the hair has not helped.

[blisstwins]

swim goggles in the summer

[sophiesmom03]

dog food!
cat litter
cat food
vitamins
allergy meds
prescriptions for dogs
rotisserie chicken
bread
hummus
cereal
single milk boxes
organic chicken broth
chocolate chips
oatmeal
olive oil
raw nuts
nice cheeses (brie etc.)
milk ($4.99/gallon near home, $2.89/gallon at Costco)
beer/wine/scotch at the holidays
gas (.20/gallon cheaper than near my house, but Costco is 15 miles away so only get gas when going there on monthly trip)

[almostmom]

Just wanted to add:

Craisins
pine nuts
sun-dried tomato jars
layering tank tops
bras
avocados
sweet peppers
citrus fruits
granola bars

[zukeypur]

I just went to Costco last week for the first time in 3 months (we were trying to use up everything in the house before the move, and I hadn't had a chance to re-stock the pantry and freezer) and I spent a ton. I can already tell that my next trip is going to get me in even more trouble because of this thread.

[urquie]

Haven't seen listed...

organic chia seed
hemp hearts

[missym]

Thanks so much to the OP and everyone who's posted a list. Our Costco opens next month! :boogie:

[joonbug]

We get TP, paper towels and napkins. Also Pediasure which DD loves (but they only have vanilla flavor). Carters sets sometimes but we usually wait for the half off and head to a Carter store instead...
To those who buy the Kirkland ugg boots, when do they stock them? I was in Costco on Mon but did not pay attention and don't want to miss them this year!

[brittone2]

We get TP, paper towels and napkins. Also Pediasure which DD loves (but they only have vanilla flavor). Carters sets sometimes but we usually wait for the half off and head to a Carter store instead...
To those who buy the Kirkland ugg boots, when do they stock them? I was in Costco on Mon but did not pay attention and don't want to miss them this year!
Kirkland Uggs in kid sizes were out during my last trip there about 2 wks ago.

[speo]

We get lots of what has been mentioned.

We also get:
Sliced almonds
Peppercorns
Dried mango
Dried coconut
Cashew clusters for trips
Beef jerky
La Brea bread

[mommy111]

Just to mention:
Stuff that we find is not a good deal:
paper products (usu cheaper on amazon)
most fruits and veggies (cheaper at farmer's market)

Love love love their organic PJs and by far the cheapest on organic eggs/organic milk

[HipMama]

Samples.


Oh wait, you mean things you have to buy, lol. My kids seriously beg to go to Costco. We get water, tp/paper towels, gas, yogurt. Random stuff. They do have these tortillas in the refrigerator section that are awesome. They are uncooked and you cook them yourself. OMG. So yummy. Fresh hot tortillas......mmmmm

[lcarlson90]

I love their Kirkland yoga pants...they are seriously amazing.