Costco revisited

[My English Castle]

same sort of concept, IMHO, better store.
Plus--very nice flowers!

But Trader Joe's has my heart, even though I spend too much there...

[kimiko]

Unlike others, I find Costco more of a deterrence to spending since the majority of their merchandises cost at least $10 to buy. So none of those "well it's only a couple of dollar" thing. Everything I buy goes through careful deliberation since I stand to lose a lot of money if I don't use it, not to mention taking up trash space. Don't know about BJ but I certain like the quality and price of Costco's products.

[eisor]

We have a Costco membership. We buy our toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, trash bags, shampoo, conditioner, some clothing, flowers, etc.

Also, they are GREAT for electronics purchases. They have the best return policy ever. My sister bought a projector & screen and returned it a year later because the bulb exploded inside of it. She got a full refund.

Their prescription costs are great too! I was paying $30 a month with my insurance at a chain pharmacy. But, once I went off insurance it went up to $33. I went searching and now, by buying 3+ months in advance, I get it for $17 a month! That alone pays off our Costco membership. Once I get back on insurance at the end of this month, Costco will still probably be cheaper than buying my prescription with insurance again.

Their photo prices are reasonable too. I really like the enlargement packages.

Lastly, we love their pizza! Random, but it's so good. Plus, it's much cheaper than ordering delivery.

[Broken Arrow]

Originally Posted by eisor

Also, they are GREAT for electronics purchases. They have the best return policy ever. My sister bought a projector & screen and returned it a year later because the bulb exploded inside of it. She got a full refund.

Huh, it would seem that they DO have the "best return policy ever".

All projectors (that I know of) have bulbs that have a limited life expectancy. Much like a conventional light bulb, it could have simply been "used up" through a year's worth regular use. In fact, bulb burnout is expected so much so that most projectors are designed with bulb replacement in mind.

Replacement bulbs are expensive too (at ~$200), but I digress. The point is, bulb burnout is normal, and therefore, most likely not covered in any warranty. So, they didn't have to take it back if they didn't want to. But the fact that they did is something of an amazement to me.

Ah, if only Costco was closer... BJ's is the one warehouse that is close to me, but I've decided that it's not worth joining it... even if a promotional offer.

[Saving in So Cal]

Our Costco is only a few miles from our house. We use it for gas, prescriptions, TP, paper towels, produce, organic milk, organic eggs, butter, cheese, chicken nuggets, some meats, and some cleaning products. We go into the store (as opposed to through the gas island) about once a month. We only visit the food/sundry/cleaning supply areas of the building and avoid the areas with other merchandise. We are careful to buy only what we really need, can reasonably store, and will use before it spoils. Believe or not, on each of my last two trips I spent around $40. I don't know if our Costo takes newspaper coupons, but they usually mail us a book of store coupons once a month. Usually, we find one or two items we would characterizes as "deals."

[eisor]

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

Replacement bulbs are expensive too (at ~$200), but I digress. The point is, bulb burnout is normal, and therefore, most likely not covered in any warranty. So, they didn't have to take it back if they didn't want to. But the fact that they did is something of an amazement to me.

The bulb didn't just burnout. It actually exploded inside the projector. There was glass everywhere inside. Plus her projector had a counter where it kept track of the hours you've used it. Then, told you approx. how many more hours there were until you're bulb would need replaced. She was over 1000 hours away from needing a new bulb.

[Aleta]

I know that BJ's have passes and it allows you to go inside and if you want to buy anything, they charge you 5% more. I think it would be a good idea just to check it out. I like B.J.'s for tires and the rotation and balancing is free for the life of the car, or maybe they tack something on extra to the bill, but its's worth it.