Ah, Costco, land of the free… samples and packs of 50 things you probably don’t need. But we still love Costco, and you probably do too. What’s not to love about a 50-pack of mac n cheese? Or enough frozen hamburgers to get you through the rest of 2022? We do love that artichoke pesto (OK, yes, and the regular pesto too)…
Do you shop at Costco? And before you say, “No way! I can’t shop at Costco and be an RVer!” we’re here to tell you you’re wrong! Actually, Gail Marsh tells you you’re wrong in a recent article she wrote about buying in bulk as an RVer.
Anyway, do you shop at Costco?
No, nearest one like Sam’s Club is over 45 miles away so I would spend more in Gas just to save a little bit and the Membership like Sam’s Club would would definitely eat the savings.
You don’t need a membership, have someone that has a membership buy you gift cards. No membership needed to spend the cards.
That’s a good idea, what happens to anything left on the card? Can your friend use it to buy another card or can you use more than one card? And what happens if you spend more than the value of the card?
So… You’re USING your friend, and the membership they PAID for, so YOU save money. How gracious of you.
Probably uses his friend’s Netflix and Hulu sign-ins too.
Yes. During the pandemic I bought many items from them online, especially paper goods, etc. I think they have good quality and prices. I also like the Kirkland brand wines. Heading there today.
The close one is about 35 miles from us, Sam’s Club is about 15 miles. We went to Costco to see what it was like; we like Sam’s better.
I’d like to try Costco, but there are none close to me, but the ACME, Tractor Supply, Kohls, and Home Depot are much closer. Sam’s Club and Costco are both considerably further away.
Let’s see…. a 4 pound oven roasted chicken for $5.00? you can’t make your own at that price! when the boys were living at home we could buy food in bulk and save money. Now we’re older, we sometimes get together and make a Costco run and sort of split all the goodies. it’s like a Christmas party! and their booze cannot be beat! We cannot buy it in Virginia or Maryland, but in DC??? WOWSERS!
Yes, shop regularly and also buy my fuel at Cost Co.
prefer Sams Club
Was a long-time Sams Club member but went to Costco last year when they had the Jupiter E-bikes for $599 each. After checking out Costco we have switched. We like to eat organic and plant-based and Costco offers more options.
We tried Costco and found they offered food we didn’t quite care for and missed the name brands we have gotten in the past at Public, Winn Dixie, Walmart, etc., so switched to Sam’s Club. Don’t do much with them, but on occasion, do buy in bulk since we have a outdoor freezer in our bay of the coach, which holds quite a bit of food.
We had a Sam’s card for many years before there was a Costco here but we don’t need to buy trunk loads of diapers for grandkids any more. Two granddaughters have Costco memberships so we can go with them on occasion.
Costco only builds stores in areas with high incomes. Of no use to me. And I don’t care if others think bulk buying is a good idea; with my limited space on board, it’s just silly to act as a warehouse for items that won’t be used for months.
Your first statement is NOT true. The two closest Costcos to me are in middle to lower middle income areas.
We were just there Saturday. Cashed my cashback check for $800. Their gas is cheaper than most. Also the only place to get the cheapest gas when visiting Maui. There, they are right by the airport exit. Convenient for stocking up when heading to a condo. Best liquor prices too.
I used to shop at Costco all the time, but I moved to a place that doesn’t have one nearby. I miss it.
Yes, once every month. Can’t shop like I did when the family was home. We downsized and travel in the motorhome. But Costco definitely has a few monthly purchases that make it worth it.
I live 150 miles from the nearest Costco or i would do all my shopping there.
Be careful buying online. Few months ago I bought a Costco item online, then a few days later went to the store and the same product was half the price.
You can always take stuff back to Costco no matter how you bought it. They are really good about that. Years ago we bought a pair of handheld GPS’s from Costco online. When they arrived we found them to be horrible and buggy. We took them to our nearby Costco and returned them with no questions asked (though we volunteered the information on why we were returning them).
Dog and coke, 1.50, even in Hawaii.
you can buy a dog for $1.50 in Hawaii??
DW hates spending money, so I was surprised that she decided to NOT join Costco. We visited the nearest one (about 45 minutes SE of our sticks and bricks) looking for a new mattress. The store was so crowded that it freaked her out. This was post-vaccinations being widely available, but pre-boosters being widely available, so perhaps that AND the large (~67%?) percentage of customers being unmasked contributed to her discomfort. In any case, between the distance to the store and the congestion inside the store, we did not join and I have every confidence that we never will.
Yes! Even though there are only two of us, I find plenty of great deals there; ie, fuel, clothing, motor oil, tires, sheet sets, vitamins, wine, raw chicken pieces sold in vacuumed-sealed packets (so easy to grab for packing our trailer), etc…. I love the fact they are huge contributors to my community and are an excellent employer.
Shop at Costco? I used to but not since making the move to full-time RVing. Limited galley space precludes buying 55 gallon drums of peanut butter. For me it’s just too much waste buying in bulk. That, plus I never liked being carded going in and searched going out.
Amen, Brother!
Hyperbole much?
Have been a satisfied Costco member in another area but have been going to Sam’s Club after moving because it’s closer. Have also parked overnight in transit at Sam’s Clubs all over the USA while RVing. They are quieter than Walmart, truck stops, etc. We always shopped first, then asked politely. The only time a Sam’s manager said we couldn’t stay overnight she said it’d be OK to eat our supper in the coach, then go elsewhere. When she was leaving a few minutes later to go home, she saw our nice Cameo fiver, knocked on the door to see if it was us, and said we were welcome to spend the night (which we did). I don’t know if Costco allows overnight parking to RVers or not.
I shop Costco weekly, like most gas today .20 less then others. My big savings I never see others talk about is propane, I can fill 2 grill tanks for under $20 it costs $23 to swap out for 1 tank at other stores. Yesterday I needed 24 oz mushrooms it cost $5.40 to get sane at grocery store would have been just under $10. When the sales comes out start of the month I check to see what I want, towards end of the month 2nd sale for one week called Hot buys, give me chance to give me chance for both sales. I needed new garbage disposal few weeks ago, I checked around same product sold for $40 to $60 more at other stores, then following week was on sale at Costco $20 less and the gave me refund. I love costco!!!
I used to drop by several locations for lunch when I was working around the area and hungry. Their pizzas are great and so filling! (The big dogs are good, too, but give me a bit of heartburn.) We max out on the specials when we can, and get gas there 95% of the time for our cars and most of the time for the RV.
In point of fact, Costco is generally cheaper on items which are also sold at Sams, by about 5-10%. Sams has some things costco does not have.
Don’t have one close. Sam’s is only 15 minutes away. Costco is 90 minutes.
The biggest obstacle with shopping at Costco in Southern Arizona is parking. Snowbirds with dual cab trucks, who don’t remove the drawbar, block the lanes and backout, hit cars with drive away. I realize the hitch is heavy, I have one, but it should be removed when staying in one place for the winter.
We were members, but Costco was too far after Sam’s and BJ’s built much closer. Great joke though, we heard Costco had bought land nearby only to find that they built a distribution center.