Costco and Big Box stores for food: way or no way?
I know that this is a controversial stance, but as a single gal, I'm kind of anti-big box stores. I like to buy produce, spices, and even most other goods in small amounts. It is fresher, and I tend to get sick of something--or sick at the thought of eating--something in a can or box the size of a Volkswagen.
I also like lots of variety, and these stores tend to be pretty limited. I guess I tend to like specialty stores as well, rather than overwhelming warehouses. And I feel I find just as good deals at Wegmans.
Plus, of my friends who are fans, I notice a suspicious amount of piles of boxes of cookies, crackers, and so forth with only one or two missing in their crowded garages. So I'm not even sure if they are that much of a savings for people with big families.
I know Costo is a pretty decent company with ethical practices, but for buying in bulk and paying a fee to shop at big box stores--no way.
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21 Comments:
I live alone, and I tend to tag along with family or friends who borrow their mom/dad's card probably once every month or two.
Here's what I tend to pick up:
- Eggs: Omega-3 eggs (I prefer the taste of the yolks) are $5 for 36. Since they come in two packs of 18, I'll split the package with the person I'm shopping with.
- Lemons: Produce stores usually sell 2 lemons for $1, rarely 3 for $1. For $4, Costco has a sack of lemons, probably 15~20. They keep very well, and I use them for almost everything -- adding brightness to dishes, flavouring drinking water, cleaning/deodorizing, etc.
- Whole almonds (unroasted, unsalted): A 1.3kg bag is costs ~$13, compared to the $5 little tubs I find in supermarkets or the one little bulk/scoop-into-baggies store around here.
- Berries: When they have them, they're often the same borderline insipid imported branded berries that the markets carry, but half the price. But berry season up here doesn't start until about June, so I make do with these.
- Flour: I bought 20lbs once, and store the sack in a closet. For the same amount of money I could have gotten 5lbs anywhere else. Reminds me that I should pick up some more soon. Baking bread means I go through that stuff quick...
- Meat: Sometimes I'll pick up a side of salmon or a box of chicken pieces to freeze in smaller portions. There are only marginal savings though.
- Non-food items: contact lens solution, vitamins, socks...
milkytea at 8:17PM on 05/14/09
Way, sort of.
We are a family of four with a Costco membership. My main purchases there are milk and cheese, nuts, vegetables, bananas and pineapples. Sometimes whole wheat bread, croissants, honey and maple syrup.
I never buy meat, condiments, cookies or crackers. The sizes are just too big. It takes us a year to go through a container of Trader Joe ketchup, so a bottle of Heinz ketchup from Costco might last three years. The flour is bleached at our local Costco, so I don't buy it.
By the way our 3lb bag of almonds was $10 last time I bought it, I wonder if prices vary regionally.
I almost forgot to mention the garlic. Here in the S.F. valley it is sometimes hard to find California garlic, Costco carries a giant bag of garlic from Gilroy.
LearP at 9:53PM on 05/14/09
From Costco: lemons and limes every visit. Clementines in season (really miss the ones from Israel that they originally carried). Mustard, mayo, and Tillamook cheddar. We go about every 6 weeks and don't buy the condiments every time. They have a lot of interesting wines, and we buy some occasionally, along with beer. So -- way, to a certain limited extent.
islandexile at 10:33PM on 05/14/09
I am with milkytea on this one... single gal too, but I buy a few things at Costco because they're just a better bargain than buying it at a regular grocery store... I sometimes divide stuff with friends or my mom.
Almonds and walnuts
Berries
Tomatoes
Cheeses
Asparagus
Baby spinach
Juices
Soymilk by the case
Izze natutral soft drinks
Contact lens solution
Dishwashing liquid
Plastic plates and tumblers for parties
MadelynRodriguez at 11:46PM on 05/14/09
We are a family of seven and we don't have a Costco here but we have a Sam's Club and I probably shop there at least 3 times a month. Things that I buy that I think are a great deal in bulk:
diapers
baby wipes
toilet paper
paper towels
ziploc bags
dishwasher detergent
dawn dishwashing liquid
dog treats (chicken jerky)
children's vitamins
chicken
steaks
milk
flour
nuts (pecans, walnuts and almonds....always a better bargain to buy in bulk)
pancake mix
cheese
kids snacks
bottled water
potatoes
lemons
and I always find their fruit to be fresh and a good deal to boot. DVD's are usually a good deal and so are their books.
elderberry44 at 12:37AM on 05/15/09
way. all the way. I have a deep freeze and a vaccum sealer, and a costco card. Once a month I go to costco and do the majority of my shopping for the month. I still buy milk and bread from other stores, and the odd thing I only need tiny amounts of, but the vast majority of my shopping is done at costco.
thepirateking at 12:52AM on 05/15/09
Costco produce is surprisingly good...ixnay on all the frozen processed foods, but I don't get any of those from the regular supermarket anyway.
fuuchan at 1:08AM on 05/15/09
I'm ambivalent about this particular issue.
On the one hand, I have a natural aversion to large warehouse-like stores. I used to be absolutely unable to shop at places like that - I'd walk in, get overwhelmed and run out. On the other hand, I've come to realise that I prefer buying certain things in bulk, so I have gotten used to buying these particular things at BJ's (it helps that out BJ's is actually not that large):
water (those gigantic bottles for our water cooler)
kitchen rolls and toilet paper
eggs (a 5-dozen package at a time - there are only two of us, but I love knowing that I always have eggs on hand when I suddenly decide to bake something)
organic mixed greens
cheese - much better selection and significantly better prices than any local supermarket
some granola bar ingredients - raisins, nuts, honey, chocolate chips (I got really tired of running to a supermarket after every couple of batches, and yes, the prices are much better, too)
lemons (I zest and juice them, then dry the zest, freeze the juice)
dry yeast (I bake bread all the time, so it makes sense to buy a 2-pound package for $3.60 instead of getting those 5/16 oz packets for $1)
grapefruits, when they have them (to be juiced)
We take a trip over there about once a month, sometimes twice. As you see, there is nothing on the list that will go bad quickly or I may get tired of eating, since we don't buy prepared food. I don't buy cookies and crackers...oh, and we don't pay the annual fee - FIL gave us one of his cards.
brooke29 at 1:18AM on 05/15/09
I do buy a lot of my basics at Sam's - I get the Hidden Valley Ranch powdered mix, Ro-tel, and chicken bouillon cubes most often. I also get chicken there, as well as organic greens, cherry tomatoes, avocadoes (GREAT deal!) and all my bags/plastic goods!
dharmon at 1:22AM on 05/15/09
You certainly have to be careful in there. I don't like buying TONS of one variety of something so I don't buy cookies or crackers or processed boxed stuff. I buy:
Eggs
TP/Paper Towels (I just told hubby last night we won't need TP till July!)
Meats (great prices but you gotta freeze some stuff)
Cheeses (love to buy my Babybels there - SO much cheaper)
Some fruits/veggies (grape tomatoes, bags of spinach, mushrooms, melons, berries)
Bacon
You get the idea. But this past weekend we were in Costco and came across a great deal on a big screen TV...snatched that baby up!
arm1970 at 8:31AM on 05/15/09
Costco sells great tomatoes, still on the vine, in Winter when most tomatoes taste like cardboard. We buys eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheeses (great deal) - I buy their meat and freeze what I don't use. I wait until someone in my family wants fresh salmon or trout and then we split a package. I buy their Ciabatta buns, a great deal and tasty too. Butter is cheaper. The bakery desserts are great value when there is a crowd coming and you don't have time for baking. Kirkland bacon and sausage are terrific. C'mon, if you are careful and shop wisely, the deals and quality can't be beaten.
bareneed at 8:49AM on 05/15/09
I love Costco - for the sheer entertainment value of looking at all that big food. We are a family of 5 when you count 3 dogs. We get our membership fee back in savings just on dogfood and treats. We regularly buy laundry supplies, milk, eggs and cheese, some produce - been loving blackberries for the past few weeks - good value on those items that you know you will use. Non-food items such as mens bluejeans, baby clothes for the nieces, and even some stuff for me can be a good buy. Oranges over this winter have been wonderful. I could go on and on
maryannm at 9:27AM on 05/15/09
Like some of the other posters, I appreciate certain aspects of big-box stores, but I'll confess to being a bit terrified by them. They make me feel like I'm one of the kids in "Honey I Shrunk the Kids," and not in a good way.
One thing that I do *highly* recommend looking into at Costco is yeast! If you're even a semi-regular baker, it's so worth buying a box of yeast--it costs under $5, I think, for probably 100x the quantity of those stupid packets. Even if you don't end up using the whole thing, you'll still save a ridiculous amount of money.
annatr at 10:21AM on 05/15/09
Way!! Even for our household of two, Sam's has good bargains.
I will mention the prepared foods . . . the pies are amazing at our local store, be they pecan, apple, caramel apple (especially good), and peach (in season), especially at about $5 for a 12 inch pie. If we are having company, picking up a pie is no trouble and with the money I save buying it there I can buy boutique ice cream from our favorite local purveyor to top it! The rotisserie chickens are huge and about $6, great for making chicken salad or putting in a casserole when we are short on time. A couple times a year they will have pineapples that are perfectly ripe and they will peel and core for you on site. The chicken pot pie also is delish (do not look at the nutrition information)!
It also is a great place to get items for entertaining: mini-croissants (for spring wedding showers and so on), hot dog and hamburger buns for barbecues, large cans of pork and beans (a key ingredient in our favorite baked bean recipe), plastic and paper products. The annual picnic pack (2 ketchups, 1 mustard, 1 relish) purchase is a summer tradition for us and gives us the right amount of condiments to get us through a summer of having people over to grill. They even have cute sets of salt and pepper grinders that are perfect for picnic baskets!
There also are a surprising number of high-end products at great prices. Our Sam's sells loin lamb chops for $5.99 a pound in packages of about 10, which is just the right size for two nights in our house. Maytag blue cheese is $2.50 less a pound than at the supermarket and the giant log (12 or 16 ounces, I think) of Laura Chenal goat cheese is only $6 (as opposed to $4.00 for 4 ounces at the supermarket). I cannot recall the price on the Mona Lisa gouda, but that also is well-priced. The olive oil that we prefer is $3 a half-gallon cheaper than our local Italian market (and that market is cheap otherwise). A couple times a year, they will have canisters (really, nice glass canisters) with 2 pounds of cashews for $10, which are a steal. We also have found excellent wine and liquor bargains - Dom Perignon for 10-15% less than most stores, some great little known Austrailian Chards for $15 a bottle (I think they did not realize that they were selling 95 point wines for a song), 1.5 liter bottles of Grey Goose for only about $7 more than the price that the local liquor stores had on the 750s.
Of course, you have to pick and choose, in my view. We have one bachelor friend who does almost all his shopping at Sam's. You can hardly find a place to put things in his fridge because of the giant-size bottles of ranch dressing, the 14 yogurt cups, and the humongous bags of iceberg lettuce. Then again, we do not let him cook anyway!
Mizbee at 10:40AM on 05/15/09
Definitely! The fruit and produce is very, very good, and the meat, fish and seafood is very high quality -- obviously in ridiculously large packages, but I'll buy a package of steaks or tilapia filets, separate them when I get home into 2-3 servings each (ex. -- 2 steaks per ziplock freezer bag), and freeze them for later -- we grill enough that it never goes to waste. We have kids, and use Costco for birthday supplies and snacks, and the cakes from the bakery department are DELICIOUS and always fresh -- plus $14.00 for a huge cake for 5 year olds? Can't beat the price. I stay away from the frozen/prepared stuff, but the fresh foods are awesome. Plus, the deals on toilet paper/towel paper/cleaning supplies, etc. are great.
gbania at 12:31PM on 05/15/09
Rotisserie chickens are delicious and a great value...Bigger and cheaper than those from a regular grocery store. I bone them and freeze the meat. I then thaw over medium heat in chicken broth. Great for dinners on the fly.
Costco meats are very high quality. We buy salmon and NY steaks most often, but only when cooking for a crowd.
ericjpdx at 12:44PM on 05/15/09
I got a Cusinart ice cream maker for an incredible deal last summer at BJ's. They also have the cheapest price around for milk and cream, so I saved a lot of money that way.
Mostly we get paper goods, cheeses, canned vegetables, soap, and coffee.
It's also a great place for people watching.
eeels at 12:50PM on 05/15/09
I convinced my husband to get a membership to one at the start of this year, and now I'm afraid I've wasted our money on it. I am never good at determining what's REALLY a value and which products are their scamming angle. Add to that the facts that, since we got our membership, I've started changing my feelings on the foods I want to eat and my thoughts on paying fair prices, and I start getting way too many mixed emotions about it to know if I should be shopping there or not. So, other than the deep freezer we plan to purchase there over the summer, I'm a no way girl, all the way.
mollykate678 at 1:33PM on 05/15/09
We try to cook all fresh with no packaged or prepared foods if at all possible. CostCo is there for large bottles of worchester sauce, large bottles of my favorite sweet pickle, multi-packs of butter and a few things like that. Otherwise I do my best to shop at our local co-op or at farmer's markets. I recently decided to try a large bag of pistachios and they all taste like kitty litter. Back to the co-op for the organic.
The bulk of our CostCo shopping is toilet paper, moistened glasses wipes, office supplies, half-price best sellers, and such non-food items.
Nursie at 2:01AM on 05/16/09
I'm not sure how regional CostCo's are, but they sell a coffee brand called Ruta Maya, free trade and delicious. The price and quantity is a steal, and as far as I can tell unavailable elsewhere.
The wine is about 1/2 price in some cases.
bingsy at 11:20PM on 05/16/09
I get totally and completely creeped out by Costco, so I don't buy anything edible there. However, their pharmacy is very low priced, and you don't need a membership to use it.
serious1 at 5:03AM on 05/17/09