The Cult of Costco

[bjl584]

The cult of Costco: How one of America’s biggest retailers methodically turns casual shoppers into fanatics (msn.com)

[disneysteve]

A number of years ago, we used Groupon to join both Costco and BJs. We spent the year visiting each of them several times really exploring the entire stores aisle by aisle and their offerings. We fairly quickly discovered that BJs was far more to our liking. Costco didn't sell nearly enough items that we use to make membership at regular price worthwhile (it only cost about $5 to join with the Groupon). When the membership expired, we didn't renew it but we have remained BJs members ever since and go there about once a month. That membership saves us a ton of money.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

So put me in the costco cult column. Will never give it up. Love them and have everything from them. Auto, Home, and umbrella insurance. The insurance savings alone has paid for the membership. It pays for my single BIL membership. Then the gas savings pays for our membership. Then after kids and till now the savings on Lactose free milke or organic whole milk paid for the membership. Everything else was a bonus.

Then savings on the HVAC, garage doors, playset, not to mention TIRES! Most important thing that ever happened to us. Driving from Boston to the west coast on the 90, DH had a flat tire on his hyundai sontata on the day he was supposed to leave. He threw on the donut and called costco. They said it wasn't in stock. But they checked other warehouses and he said anything on the 90. They found it in Worcester and hour outside the city. He started driving on the spare and then had an appointment, waited 2 hours and had lunch and walked around and wham his tire was warrantied and given a discount on his new tire and off to our new life he drove. Made it in 4 days coast to coast and hit multiple costcos along the way.

We know they are always near a freeway. They typically have a cheap $1.50 hot dog and gas and restroom that is clean. You can ALWAYS pick up medicine or something you may need. And you know what you are getting. Across every state and it works. I know exactlly which ones i hit for gas and pit stop from Seattle down to San Diego.

Cult? Definitely. Listen to podcast acquired and you'll be amazed. DH and I are definitely their target market and they hooked us at 20 and 22 and 20+ years later it's our favorite store and pretty much only place we shop. I know the demographic they are targeting and I will say we spend a lot more there than anywhere else. it's obvious with our CC bills. Also costco travel is hard to beat.

Also want cheese and other stuff? Go to costco they provide local brands to save on costs. You'll get local cheese and beer and other goodies that only you know. I swear I've shopped at costco in as many states as I've visited and i love the treasure hunt and the familiarity at the same time. Buying the same zyrtec knock off or nasal spray or body wash although when they bring in the tryouts it's pretty sweet.

[kork13]

I like Costco alot, and definitely have some favorite products (the chocolate covered almonds & $5 rotisseries) .... We shop there pretty often for a variety of staples, and I'll admit I'm guilty of occasionally wandering the store on a pointless shelf check just see what's new or on sale (and probably walk out $50-$100 lighter as a result). As LAL said, I also tend to plan road trips to stop at Costco's for gas & whatever else we need.

But I'm also not the absolute devotee that others are (sadly, including my wife). I've always been a value shopper, so there are some items that I know I can find elsewhere for less (per oz/lb, or whatever) -- ex: certain produce or meats. I've also recognized that some products are manufactured specifically to match Costco's intended price points or specs, which often results in a lower-quality product, like their TVs & clothing (though sometimes the opposite is actually the case).

So while some folks will just buy everything they need from Costco, and if Costco doesn't have it, you don't need it ... I don't buy in that far. But we certainly like them.

[Fishindude77]

Nearest Costco to us is over an hour drive so we are not members. We do have a couple Sam's nearby so we shop at them occasionally.
I've got a few friends and family members who seem to be deeply enamored by Costco and preach about how superior their products are to everywhere else. I jokingly refer to them as "Costco snobs".

Just about anytime we visit one of these mega stores we buy a bunch of stuff we really didn't need (usually booze and meat), so it's not a place to save money for us, just another fun place to shop.

[ua_guy]

We're Costco Snobs here...to a point. There's only two of us, so it's not like we load up a Chevy Suburban full of groceries every week. But some things are better bought in bulk like eggs, milk, certain foods. And they're hard to beat for other household items.

I've used their auto buying program. It's superb. They have fixed pricing and it's usually about $1k better than I'm able to get anywhere else.

I've used them for HVAC and some other work, and it's always been a very highly regarded contractor, and up-front pricing on the highest quality equipment. All the contractors who have been through as part of a Costco program have been excellent, and they ultimately answer to the program if there's an issue.

Their headquarters are local

[srblanco7]

We've had a BJs membership for years and were regular shoppers there. This year we added a Costco membership (noting that the Costco is a 25-30 minute drive whereas BJs is 10 mins). I think Costco has some product offerings that are superior to BJs and we've become fans of the store (though I would not put us in the cult member camp). That being said, there are certain things that BJs has in stock that Costco does not, so for the near term we'll keep both.

Have not as of yet tapped the Costco network for their buying programs (vacations, tires, etc). Will have to do some research on these offerings.