Things to buy at Costco

[bjl584]

Based on a survey, here are some of the top items to buy at Costco for savings and value
This list may vary for you based on personal preference and size of household

OTC drugs and supplements
Non Perishables like paper products
Rotisserie Chicken
Eggs
Yogurt
Butter
Gasoline
Laundry Detergent
Pet Food
Eye Glasses/Contacts
Electronics
Travel deals

[kork13]

I've generally found that a great many items sold by Costco are either: (1) lower cost per unit/ounce/etc; (2) higher quality than comparable products at the same price point; or (3) both better value & higher quality. Certainly, there are also products that defy all of those expectations ... But I'm general, I've been pretty happy with most of what I find there.

BJL’s list is definitely some of the big ones. Others include alcohol (I don't drink but many say Costco's wine/booze is fabulous), cakes, meat, diapers, clothing*/shoes, food court pizza & hot dogs, toiletries, many types of snacks .... The list could go on. If you have the storage capacity to buy in bulk, they often provide a good value for it all.

Notable caveat for clothing: very limited in variety & sizes, some is lower-quality or improperly manufactured.

The things that I love regardless of price/value: their chocolate almonds & salted caramel chocolates. Utterly delightful.

[Jluke]

Hearing aids for those who need them

otherwise Costco is sensory overload for me and seeing the overfilled carts just causes my math brain to tally up what people are spending and shake my head.

[ua_guy]

If you're considering a new car, check out their auto buying program.

We've also used their contractor services (the people who stand at the booths, usually near the exits). HVAC and other work - we've always had really good work done by contractors affiliated with Costco at a fair price for high quality equipment and installation.

[disneysteve]

We don't use Costco but do use BJs. The things we buy there regularly are;
bread
toilet paper
tissues
cereal
dish detergent, both for hand washing and dishwasher
soda
gasoline

There are various other items we get there from time to time as well. More than enough savings to make the membership fee worthwhile.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Dishsoap - dishwasher and dawn
cheese
milk
meat
frozen foods
fizzy water
beer/alcohol
fruit
laundy detergent
dog food - very good deal for a dog that can eat it (i've had 3 that couldn't)
diapers - worked for others my kids could only use pampers sensitive or organic diapers
wipes - again didn't work for mine but everyone else swore by them
formula same thing - mine couldn't handle it, but others no problem
clothing - bought my kids shoes now $30 for a pair that's reasonable
gloves - not real winter ones but fake ones that work in non-cold weather

[msomnipotent]

My family hates the rotisserie chicken and I think we are the only people on the planet that do. Even my dog doesn't eat more than a few bites. Most of their pre-made meals are too salty.

I like their detergent in the white bottle. I've used Tide my whole life until I realized the white bottle cleans better and is a lot cheaper.

We usually buy the weird things like the kayak, the giant candles, and the massage chair. Those were all really good deals.

[ua_guy]

Let's-Go, Cost-Co!!

Heck yeah we'll take our membership card for a spin this week

[kork13]

Oof ... This week while on vacation in Alaska, I broke a personal record ... I spent over $1k in a single day of shopping at Costco.

Since we live in Japan & the Costco stores over there have significantly different products, most of it was for stocking up on things we need/want but otherwise can't get over there -- snacks, clothes, winter gear, etc ... Plus a few snacks/fruits/etc. for while we're here.

The happiest surprise was finding a bunch of great coats/jackets/snow pants for the entire family, for only $5-$20 apiece!! We maybe went overboard with those ones...

We're flying home in ~24 hrs, and working on packing all of the purchased stuff into the extra suitcases we brought in anticipation of our shopping spree. So far, so good!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Oof ... This week while on vacation in Alaska, I broke a personal record ... I spent over $1k in a single day of shopping at Costco.

Since we live in Japan & the Costco stores over there have significantly different products, most of it was for stocking up on things we need/want but otherwise can't get over there -- snacks, clothes, winter gear, etc ... Plus a few snacks/fruits/etc. for while we're here.

The happiest surprise was finding a bunch of great coats/jackets/snow pants for the entire family, for only $5-$20 apiece!! We maybe went overboard with those ones...

We're flying home in ~24 hrs, and working on packing all of the purchased stuff into the extra suitcases we brought in anticipation of our shopping spree. So far, so good!

How many suitcases are you takingback? I gotta know how does that work? You plan on bringing a ton of extra stuff? I have to laugh and say QMM do you do suitcases or the hawaii samsonite?

[kork13]

We ended up with 8 checked bags -- 2x larger (standard-size) suitcases, 3x carry-on size suitcases, 3x checked backpacks of various sizes, plus 2 small suitcases & 4 backpacks that we actually carried around. That was for all of us, 2 adults/3 kids (ages 4-10).
We over-packed a little bit (1-2 more changes of clothes than needed), but otherwise we were pretty efficient with packing. 2 of the carry-on suitcases started the trip packed full but stashed inside the 2 bigger suitcases -- that was the intentional excess capacity that we brought for the shopping. We also sold/donated a few items up in Alaska that we replaced with the shopping, like coats & clothes that didn't fit well anymore.

I assume "Hawaiian Samsonite" refers to either boxes or coolers that are taped up & brought as checked baggage? I'm quite familiar with that tactic as well, pretty common in Guam & the rest of the Pacific ... But I at least didn't go that route this time.

[Like2Plan]

Tires. (This thread was very timely because I needed to buy some Michelin Crossclimate2s that went on sale while we were on travel and it reminded me to put the order in. )
Discounted gift cards.
candy bars (in Sept) for Halloween treats
razor blades.
occasionally eye glasses.
occasionally food items, but we don't do our weekly grocery shopping at Costco.


It doesn't seem like we buy very much at Costco, but back in Sept we received a check for 225 (IIRC) from Costco for our 2% back which covered our membership fee plus some $$ left over.

They do have some interesting things on sale. (Not items that we have purchased, though)
I just noticed they have a 100 Gram Gold Bar Rand Refinery (New in Assay) available for sale. ( I thought caskets were the most unusual thing they sold. )

[disneysteve]

( I thought caskets were the most unusual thing they sold. )

I believe Walmart sells caskets as well. You can actually save thousands by buying a casket online instead of from a funeral home and they are required by law to accept it.