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View Full Version : Quitting Costco and why



Gene Davis
05-16-2016, 11:01 PM
Sorta got talked into it by new neighbors when moving here in late '14. Joined in Jan 2015 and right away bought an 80 inch TV for $3K.

Got the exec membership for $110 and combined it with their Amex which yielded over $850 in cash back to date.

But excepting the cash back from the TV buy, most all the cash back was due to purchases not done at Costco.

There are only two of us and little to nothing available at Costco makes sense for use to buy it. One cannot comparison shop, one needs to buy large quantities, and we don't like the crowds. We pay lower prices for most everything elsewhere, including gas. Since in Colorado, the Costco has no beer or wine or booze.

I thought their tires might be a buy but for the exact same item Discount tire was $140 less for a set of four.

So we are quitting. We got tempted into impulse buys a few times, and regretted it. No more. One less piece of plastic in the wallet.

Jim Koepke
05-17-2016, 2:40 AM
Sorta got talked into it by new neighbors when moving here in late '14. Joined in Jan 2015 and right away bought an 80 inch TV for $3K.

Got the exec membership for $110 and combined it with their Amex which yielded over $850 in cash back to date.

But excepting the cash back from the TV buy, most all the cash back was due to purchases not done at Costco.

There are only two of us and little to nothing available at Costco makes sense for use to buy it. One cannot comparison shop, one needs to buy large quantities, and we don't like the crowds. We pay lower prices for most everything elsewhere, including gas. Since in Colorado, the Costco has no beer or wine or booze.

I thought their tires might be a buy but for the exact same item Discount tire was $140 less for a set of four.

So we are quitting. We got tempted into impulse buys a few times, and regretted it. No more. One less piece of plastic in the wallet.

One does have to be careful about impulse buys.

One also needs to keep up on the prices others charge for similar products. Some items do have better prices at Costco.

jtk

Lenore Epstein
05-17-2016, 4:30 AM
I do Costco even though I'm only buying for one because they sell a number of specific products (mostly supplements and OTC stuff) I use all the time significantly cheaper than anywhere else, including online. I don't do the executive membership and I have an AmEx card with better rewards than theirs, but for what I save its still well worth it--for me, at least.

I do try to avoid the temptation to buy big stuff because I don't have much space, but I couldn't resist the big bundle of rolls of blue shop towels.

But good on you for resisting the buyers club propaganda; it's not for everyone.

Adam Herman
05-17-2016, 10:04 AM
Hey Gene, we are just down the road from you in Lafayette.

We find some things at costco are worth going, dried fruit, lunch meat, cleaning supplies, paper products. We only go about once every other month. Glasses also.

Prashun Patel
05-17-2016, 10:28 AM
It's funny you say this.
I just had to go there yesterday. It's such an unpleasant experience for me. Everything is supersized and the experience just feels gluttonous.

I made it a point to keep blinders on, look at nothing, and head straight for the salmon and only the salmon (I bought a 10-person serving for my 4-person family). But that salmon is so darn good!!!

This is what I like about the Internet; you have to search for what you want. The 'targeted ads' are still pretty bad at forcing me to impulse buy. But the supermarkets have it down PAT. I can go in for a gallon of milk, and end up walking out with also a couple yogurt smoothies, a bag of freeze-dried astronaut apple slices, and a June issue of Shape magazine.

John K Jordan
05-17-2016, 10:36 AM
We use Sam's, don't pay for the premium membership. I don't shop there except for heavy duty wire shelving, shop cabinets, etc. My wife shops every few month or so for food and drinks but always makes a list before going and was born without the impulse-buying gene. She is extremely good at finding the best deal anywhere so I believe it's not a waste. She buys quantity and makes use of the freezer. My contribution is putting chocolate bars on the list.

Those addicted to the impulse-buying rush and not independently wealthy should stay away, far away.

JKJ

Mel Fulks
05-17-2016, 11:17 AM
"did'ja ever wonder ,when someone says they "quit Costco", if they were really just kicked out for eatin' too much at the
end caps? "
Attributed to Andy Rooney

Steve Peterson
05-17-2016, 11:34 AM
I agree with John that Sam's is a better option for us. Both Sam's and Costco are within a mile of each other, but Sam's is by far the better experience. Costco always seems to have 5X the number of customers and around half the selection.

Steve

Jim Becker
05-17-2016, 11:41 AM
Costco doesn't work well for everyone. It has for us, but I can appreciate where it might not be as valuable to others. And yes, like with every other buying source, one needs to know what things cost in the market to be sure they are getting a good value.

David Helm
05-17-2016, 1:10 PM
There are a few things that I get at Costco. Organic extra virgin Olive oil, Reggiano cheese, kitchen sponges and jeans. When I go, the cashiers are always surprised that I might come through the line with only one or two things.

Chris Padilla
05-17-2016, 2:47 PM
We are a family of 3 and my wife shops there every weekend. About the only things she no longer buys there is beef and pork (their roasted chickens are still excellent and a great value) but the fruit and veggies and other sundry items work well for us--beef/pork are expensive. We average about $700 in rebates from the Amex card yearly which, BTW, is being replaced shortly with a Citi Visa card that will, supposedly, carry over and provide the exact same rebate package. Safeway is a better value for beef/pork around here.

Rich Riddle
05-17-2016, 6:05 PM
Costco just built a store in Northern Kentucky and had booths set up around the area to try to get people to join. It didn't work well and then they tried to send a $10 discount coupon for joining. We had them about 8 years ago and simply never used them. Sam's seems far more supplied.

Bert Kemp
05-17-2016, 6:49 PM
? do you have to be a member to shop at either place

Bruce Page
05-17-2016, 7:13 PM
We shop Costco about once a week, we like it better than Sam's Club. They have good prices on several of the items we routinely buy. Their pharmacy prescription prices are good as are a lot of their other pharmacy type items. They have good prices on roses too. :)
Neither one of us are impulse buyers so that isn't a problem. I do like to wander around the electronic section while LOML does the shopping. ;)

Brian Henderson
05-17-2016, 9:17 PM
We were members, back in the days when you had to have a business license to join, back when they were Price Club. We just never went. I don't know why, we just never went and when we realized that we had paid for two entire years and never went once, we dropped the membership and haven't missed it yet.

Steve Peterson
05-18-2016, 12:47 AM
? do you have to be a member to shop at either place

I think you can shop at Sams without a membership, but it will cost you an additional 5% or something like that. It doesn't take much to make the basic membership worthwhile.

Steve

Kevin W Johnson
05-18-2016, 2:27 AM
Sorta got talked into it by new neighbors when moving here in late '14. Joined in Jan 2015 and right away bought an 80 inch TV for $3K.

Got the exec membership for $110 and combined it with their Amex which yielded over $850 in cash back to date.

But excepting the cash back from the TV buy, most all the cash back was due to purchases not done at Costco.

There are only two of us and little to nothing available at Costco makes sense for use to buy it. One cannot comparison shop, one needs to buy large quantities, and we don't like the crowds. We pay lower prices for most everything elsewhere, including gas. Since in Colorado, the Costco has no beer or wine or booze.

I thought their tires might be a buy but for the exact same item Discount tire was $140 less for a set of four.

So we are quitting. We got tempted into impulse buys a few times, and regretted it. No more. One less piece of plastic in the wallet.

Yeah, when that TV stops working, 3-4 years down the road, at least you won't have to worry about hauling it back in there. :p

Seriously though, we had one several years old that had to be repaired a couple times and they took it back. We bought 70" 4K tv when doing so, that started having issues after the 90 day return period as well. They took it back as well, without any hesitation. Sometimes the "value" in purchases at Costco is not immediately visible. The return policies are certainly second to none in all my experiences.

Cody Pierce
05-18-2016, 3:38 AM
I quit when they wouldn't run my 10 items under two cards. One personal purchase, one for my business. I left the stuff on the belt and got a refund for my card on site.

Mike Null
05-18-2016, 8:01 AM
I joined Costco shortly after they opened in the hope that I could transfer my business from Sam's. First, they don't open until 9 AM, Sam's opens to business customers at 7AM. They insist on using AMEX which I detest.
They don't seem to handle complaints well. I cancelled Costco after one year and I kept my Sam's membership and more than pay for it with savings on gas. We buy our beef, chicken and fish there as well and a few other things. My wife vacuum packs meal sized packages of meat and fish and freezes them. Most of the large packages grocery items are too much for my wife and I.

Daniel O'Neill
05-18-2016, 8:31 AM
Hey Gene, we are just down the road from you in Lafayette.

We find some things at costco are worth going, dried fruit, lunch meat, cleaning supplies, paper products. We only go about once every other month. Glasses also.

A friend who worked at Costco told me that you don't need a membership for the glasses. Anyone can go & purchase them. (She worked in that dept) She did say they have good prices.

Matt Day
05-18-2016, 8:43 AM
I don't get those places. I can find the same price at the local grocery store when it's on sale, or even normal price. Or online of course. We quit after our free trial year - it ended up a waste of time and one more store to had to go to. We try to minimize the amount of store we have to lug around our 2 and 3 year old.

+1 to Discoint Tire

And electronics never were a deal either.

As far as good meats and such, there are better specialized butchers or markets that sell it.

Paul McGaha
05-18-2016, 9:24 AM
We use them a lot. We find them to have quality products, sharp pricing, good return policy if there is a problem.

PHM

Michael Weber
05-18-2016, 10:25 AM
For those in need of hearing aids and have a Costco available it's a much better deal than going to a regular hearing aid dispenser. Potential savings are in the thousands. I've never used the service (no Costco in Arkansas) but pick up info from various deaf and hearing impaired forums. No idea if memberships required.

Jim Koepke
05-18-2016, 11:04 AM
But the supermarkets have it down PAT. I can go in for a gallon of milk, and end up walking out with also a couple yogurt smoothies, a bag of freeze-dried astronaut apple slices, and a June issue of Shape magazine.

That is exactly why milk is placed to be as far away from the entry door as possible. It is the most common thing to bring customers in looking to buy a single item.

jtk

Art Mann
05-18-2016, 12:06 PM
By coincidence, our Costco membership runs out this week and I have decided not to renew. I am also a Sam's Club member and their product selection and pricing suit me better.

Garth Almgren
05-18-2016, 12:59 PM
I quit when they wouldn't run my 10 items under two cards. One personal purchase, one for my business. I left the stuff on the belt and got a refund for my card on site.
Running it under two cards is a very common occurrence at Costco - I see it almost every time I'm in line at my local warehouse. Usually people just put an extra divider between the separate purchases, and the checker treats it like the two separate transactions that they are.

I'm VERY surprised they refused you that one, and personally I would have talked to a supervisor. One of the things that sets Costco apart from its competitors is the high level of customer service.

Ted Calver
05-18-2016, 5:29 PM
There are just two of us, but we belong to Costco, Sams and BJ's. We shop the specials at each place, as well as the local Farm Fresh nearby. We go during the week when every one else is at work to avoid the crowds. There are many things in these stores that you don't have to buy in bulk and it gives us and excuse to get out and get some exercise walking around the store in a relatively safe environment.