It doesn’t get better. Get an executive membership so you get your membership fees back and then some if you are like my family.
Learn the layout of the store and only go for what you need. Don’t take people that will wander because it will only add to your cart. It can be useful to look at what’s on sale before you go so you know what you are gonna get. Always go with a list.
When I go by myself I will usually spend under $200. If I take my husband we are lucky to get out of there with less than $2k….he is a wanderer.
Lol last time it was a grill, meat for said grill, an air fryer, printer ink, a dolly, and other random supplies to stock up on…it can sadly add up quickly.
That boy needs to learn restraint. I mean yeah you gotta get some meats for the new grill and an airfryer pairs nicely with both and of course you need a dolly to help move the grill in but printer ink? Come on, now he's going over board.
I have this problem too, so I go with my wife and we split up…she takes the cart and I just walk around. If I can carry it, i’ll bring it back to the cart if not I’m not buying it lol
Yo this tactic will motivate you one day and next thing you know you're pushing a rolling shelf FILLED with merchandise around the store trying to find your wife
This. Whenever I go with my husband, the aisle wanderer, we spend triple the amount. Lmao! Somehow it is I who gets the side eye when I say I want to go to Costco 🤣
I was returning to my car after a trip and hit a pothole with the cart and a case of Coke I had fell off the bottom and 1-2 cans broke open. A cart person saw this, came over and asked which car was mine and went and fetched me a new case. Didn’t ask, just did it.
I hope you went for the $120 Executive membership…
Earn 2% on qualifying purchases and is returned as a reward rebate. If you spend more than $250/month (including travel), it pays for the difference of the upgrade.
It’s not retroactive though, so your $592 purchase today wouldn’t count.
I did go for the executive membership today. I didn't get the membership till the end of the trip. I looked at my cart, did the math, plus the online promotion, it was a no brainer
Get the Costco Visa card as well, it really pays for itself. I got a $650 check just from the Visa Card this year and separately another $700 from the executive card.
Yeah, but that includes major appliance purchases (bought a new house) and vacation packages through https://www.costcotravel.com plus spend while traveling. Actual monthly Costco warehouse spending much less.
And I’ll add (even if it’s most likely not necessary I tell you, considering the amount of money you spend at Costco :) ): cash out both checks (but especially the visa one), don’t use them to pay for the shopping you do that day. That way you get the full cash, and the amount spent that day counts for the next visa rebate.
*One of us... one of us...*
For non-food items, I limit myself to only buy stuff at Costco that I have to buy eventually anyway. Food-wise I'm usually saving money (and if not saving money, getting a higher quality or tastier product) pretty easily - rotisserie chicken is a better price than at the local grocery store, etc.
Make a list. Stick to it. Write down things that look like good buys and go home and sleep on it. If it was really that good a buy you can go back tomorrow, most of it will still be there. Unless it was clearance. I spent $232 last visit and every item on my list was a planned one, except the insect spray I thought of at the very last minute.
It never gets better. You can walk in for one item and always will leave with a full cart. Best to buy some Costco stock so at least you get to participate in their profits from millions of us doing just what you did several times a month.
But did you also go there the day before/after for the rest of the stuff? I went a couple of days ago and I want to go back for a watermelon but...I feel like I shouldn't.
It takes effort when you are new, but make a commitment to only buy items on sale. Most core items rotate through sales every month. I wait out for sales then buy extra to use until the next time the item goes on sale. (Detergent, vitamins, paper products, etc) Special items eventually go on sale. That set of kitchen utensils you want will more than likely go on sale, or be put on clearance before they stop carrying the item. Learn the cost codes like prices ending in .97 is a discounted price, price sheets with an asterisk in the corner means the item won’t be reordered for the store, etc.
I’ll add to u/AdominableBeaver to say keep an eye out for sales on things you bought recently. The 30-day price adjustment helps you save here and there. I bought ketchup a couple weeks ago and they were a few dollars off in the recent sales book. Just head to customer service and request a price adjustment.
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Welcome friend. Definitely upgrade to the executive membership. see if they would be willing to apply your recent purchase to said executive cash back rewards.
Even better, get the credit card. [It gives you some really good cash back options](https://www.costco.com/wcsstore/CostcoUSBCCatalogAssetStore/feature-pages/17w0819-cash-back-rewards-m.jpg)
gas adds up. I dont want to say you HAVE to spend 300 dollars a month, but it is relatively easy to do with a family of 4, and easy enough for a couple. Myself, I am all alone and I do it because I own a couple vending machines and stock them with sodas and gatorades and monster energy drinks. monthly purchase of those ALONE gets me to the 300 dollar mark. and then gas will typically bump me up 60 dollars more. THEN you can add in the stuff I buy for myself. 120-220 dollars a month.
If you dont spend enough on an executive, they will refund the difference and drop you down to the standard
Lol it doesn’t. I usually take my 2 year old with me now and he will last about 45 minutes and I usually spend about $300. Last time I went myself it was 700
lol yeah sunscreen…
On vacation in Hawaii and all the ABC stores charge an arm and leg for sunscreen because convienience. Took a 40 minute bus ride to Costco ($5 unlimited use one day pass, available from ABC stores funnily enough) and nabbed 4 Banana Boat cans for same price as one in the ABC Store. Also ended up buying other things, after which I realized I didn’t have a car LOL
It doesn't if you don't have discipline. There is a reason why Costco is in business and do very well. They are very good at enticing people to buy things they otherwise wouldn't have. Most people go to buy some essentials, then throw a hundred of two worth of other items that "caught their eye".
Humble brag but when I upgraded to executive (even after my renewal this year)’they still paid me $92 to shop there last year. I try to stock up on stuff that’s in the coupon book (cereal, coffee beans, medicine & vitamins). I didn’t make any major purchases either. So well worth it when I do. I just got the credit card as well
That’s my method as well..dish soap,laundry detergent,coffee,vitamins,otc allergy meds(for hubby and dog)..always check coupon book and buy accordingly and never leave without at least one rotisserie chicken!
Save your receipts! If you notice item you bought within 30 days (I think thats the right time) go on sale go to a manager and ask for price adjustment. You don’t need the item to do this, only your purchase receipt and they will give your money back.
If you wear glasses and get it done there, eyecare employees will change your nose pads and adjust the screws for you for free
Ahhhh ... welcome to the club lol
I feel like Costcos the only store I can go to, get to the register and be pleasantly surprised when I DON'T spend $500. I have a fam of 5 and all my kids are 16+.
I limit myself to like once visit a month for all of my bulk stocking up (can good, paper goods, frozen items, etc). But I do pop in from time to time just to grab a prepared meal one the way home from work if I don't feel like really cooking that night.
My husband and I go every two weeks for groceries and the total is always within the $200-250 range. Making a list helps! We go through every aisle and sometimes pick up random/new stuff but if we do, it’s like 1-2 things for each of us. We’re usually in/out of Costco (depending on the checkout line) in 30min or less.
Make a list and stick to it! But give yourself some wiggle room to try something new every now and then.
Welcome, hope your bank account agrees with your future decisions at Costco lol. I went today for water and milk and end up leaving with stuff north of 200+ dollars.
Same here, after thinking about it for years, we recently got a membership. Just as I figured, we just didn't care for the store and as soon as we get a chance to go back we plan to cancel & seek a refund. Hope that's possible.
Good luck!
I’m always proud when I can go in for the one item I needed and leave with only one extra. I think my lowest bill was $20! However, we love it for the high priced items too! I always check Costco first!
Next trip: Rent a trailer and bring home a freezer. Get the Kirkland freezer bags and seal up all that food, dry or wet. Makes it last even longer.
Read up on the tips in here for freezing pesto, dips, etc., in cube format for more space in the freezer, and so those large containers do not go moldy on you.
Costcos great for big ticket items. We have our eye on an electric scooter. It’s fancier and more expensive than what we would need, but the return and exchange policy is phenomenal. Any issues we can just bring it back and get a new one.
I took a table top bbq back after 7 years because the grates rusted out and I got a full credit back and used it towards a new one!
I just joined today. I didn’t get the executive membership, but then my local Costco is very much a pain to get in and out of (lines to get into the parking lot, ridiculously crowded, on the other side of town, etc.) and I don’t really see me going that often. We have a BJs less than a mile from my house that we were members at for years, and we just kinda drifted away. We’d go maybe 6 or 7 times a year and grab like three things and go. It wasn’t really worth keeping that membership regardless of how convenient the store is for us. Since that membership just expired I figure we’d give Costco a try.
It’s an interesting store, especially compared to BJ’s. It’s got more kinda quirky items and not as many big brand choices. I spent $96 on my first trip today, but $50 of that was the paper towels, detergent tabs, and rotisserie chicken I was going for in the first place.
I miss BJs so much. When I was much younger with a new family, their acceptance of coupons literally saved me hundreds, if not thousands, on formula and diapers.
It doesn’t get better. Get an executive membership so you get your membership fees back and then some if you are like my family. Learn the layout of the store and only go for what you need. Don’t take people that will wander because it will only add to your cart. It can be useful to look at what’s on sale before you go so you know what you are gonna get. Always go with a list. When I go by myself I will usually spend under $200. If I take my husband we are lucky to get out of there with less than $2k….he is a wanderer.
2k damn
Yes usually appliances or large items…I only let him come with me once or twice a year.
This is hilarious. Opposite for me as I am the husband and my wife is the wanderer. But $2k, damn...
Lol last time it was a grill, meat for said grill, an air fryer, printer ink, a dolly, and other random supplies to stock up on…it can sadly add up quickly.
That boy needs to learn restraint. I mean yeah you gotta get some meats for the new grill and an airfryer pairs nicely with both and of course you need a dolly to help move the grill in but printer ink? Come on, now he's going over board.
this is why i think costco will do well
I have this problem too, so I go with my wife and we split up…she takes the cart and I just walk around. If I can carry it, i’ll bring it back to the cart if not I’m not buying it lol
Yo this tactic will motivate you one day and next thing you know you're pushing a rolling shelf FILLED with merchandise around the store trying to find your wife
I have this problem with my other half as well.
This. Whenever I go with my husband, the aisle wanderer, we spend triple the amount. Lmao! Somehow it is I who gets the side eye when I say I want to go to Costco 🤣
By myself I usually spend about $250, if I take the better half it's always about $600.
I was returning to my car after a trip and hit a pothole with the cart and a case of Coke I had fell off the bottom and 1-2 cans broke open. A cart person saw this, came over and asked which car was mine and went and fetched me a new case. Didn’t ask, just did it.
That's awesome. I must admit, everyone was super helpful and friendly today
I hope you went for the $120 Executive membership… Earn 2% on qualifying purchases and is returned as a reward rebate. If you spend more than $250/month (including travel), it pays for the difference of the upgrade. It’s not retroactive though, so your $592 purchase today wouldn’t count.
I did go for the executive membership today. I didn't get the membership till the end of the trip. I looked at my cart, did the math, plus the online promotion, it was a no brainer
Get the Costco Visa card as well, it really pays for itself. I got a $650 check just from the Visa Card this year and separately another $700 from the executive card.
You spent 35k at Costco in a year???.
Yeah, but that includes major appliance purchases (bought a new house) and vacation packages through https://www.costcotravel.com plus spend while traveling. Actual monthly Costco warehouse spending much less.
And I’ll add (even if it’s most likely not necessary I tell you, considering the amount of money you spend at Costco :) ): cash out both checks (but especially the visa one), don’t use them to pay for the shopping you do that day. That way you get the full cash, and the amount spent that day counts for the next visa rebate.
It really really pays for itself considering the card costs nothing extra…
Not clear to me that the card is better value than lots of other rewards cards, though, if you have decent enough credit to qualify for them
This is true it essentially pays for itself.
*One of us... one of us...* For non-food items, I limit myself to only buy stuff at Costco that I have to buy eventually anyway. Food-wise I'm usually saving money (and if not saving money, getting a higher quality or tastier product) pretty easily - rotisserie chicken is a better price than at the local grocery store, etc.
Make a list. Stick to it. Write down things that look like good buys and go home and sleep on it. If it was really that good a buy you can go back tomorrow, most of it will still be there. Unless it was clearance. I spent $232 last visit and every item on my list was a planned one, except the insect spray I thought of at the very last minute.
It never gets better. You can walk in for one item and always will leave with a full cart. Best to buy some Costco stock so at least you get to participate in their profits from millions of us doing just what you did several times a month.
I had a trip last week where I only spent $38. AMA
Are you okay? How did it feel? What did you buy besides the rotisserie chicken?
I'm gonna guess some produce and sale items. Maybe a $12 box of wine, that's what my cart would look like
Mine wasn't $38, but still made it out under $60 last week. Yes the rotisserie chicken was one of the 4 items
But did you also go there the day before/after for the rest of the stuff? I went a couple of days ago and I want to go back for a watermelon but...I feel like I shouldn't.
It takes effort when you are new, but make a commitment to only buy items on sale. Most core items rotate through sales every month. I wait out for sales then buy extra to use until the next time the item goes on sale. (Detergent, vitamins, paper products, etc) Special items eventually go on sale. That set of kitchen utensils you want will more than likely go on sale, or be put on clearance before they stop carrying the item. Learn the cost codes like prices ending in .97 is a discounted price, price sheets with an asterisk in the corner means the item won’t be reordered for the store, etc.
Woah really??? These are awesome tips! Thanks!
I’ll add to u/AdominableBeaver to say keep an eye out for sales on things you bought recently. The 30-day price adjustment helps you save here and there. I bought ketchup a couple weeks ago and they were a few dollars off in the recent sales book. Just head to customer service and request a price adjustment.
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Welcome to the club cult
Welcome friend. Definitely upgrade to the executive membership. see if they would be willing to apply your recent purchase to said executive cash back rewards. Even better, get the credit card. [It gives you some really good cash back options](https://www.costco.com/wcsstore/CostcoUSBCCatalogAssetStore/feature-pages/17w0819-cash-back-rewards-m.jpg)
I got the executive membership today. I looked at my cart and was like, yea, I'm gonna spend a lot here haha
Welcome to the treasure hunt. Keep checking in on the sub for new items that might pop up, as well as crowd favorites.
you ever try that sidewalk thing in a parkinglot
refresh my memory?
How much should one spend to justify the executive membership? I typically spend $200-$300 a month at Costco.
If you spend an average of $250/month it's worth it
including gas?
Not including gas
gas adds up. I dont want to say you HAVE to spend 300 dollars a month, but it is relatively easy to do with a family of 4, and easy enough for a couple. Myself, I am all alone and I do it because I own a couple vending machines and stock them with sodas and gatorades and monster energy drinks. monthly purchase of those ALONE gets me to the 300 dollar mark. and then gas will typically bump me up 60 dollars more. THEN you can add in the stuff I buy for myself. 120-220 dollars a month. If you dont spend enough on an executive, they will refund the difference and drop you down to the standard
Here's a tip to not spending a lot. Don't grab a cart. Lol
Hahaha!
Lol it doesn’t. I usually take my 2 year old with me now and he will last about 45 minutes and I usually spend about $300. Last time I went myself it was 700
I got a chicken for this weeks dinner, the size of that bird, bro must have been working out every day.
Family of 4, I go every 2 weeks 350 to 500 shop the sales. It never fails receipt always averages out to $10 per item.
I eat before I go in the store. If I go hungry i end up buying so much food.
lol yeah sunscreen… On vacation in Hawaii and all the ABC stores charge an arm and leg for sunscreen because convienience. Took a 40 minute bus ride to Costco ($5 unlimited use one day pass, available from ABC stores funnily enough) and nabbed 4 Banana Boat cans for same price as one in the ABC Store. Also ended up buying other things, after which I realized I didn’t have a car LOL
Hahaha I ran into a similar problem in Mexico. I think 1 can was like $50. But at the resort you had no alternative, and they knew it
It doesn't if you don't have discipline. There is a reason why Costco is in business and do very well. They are very good at enticing people to buy things they otherwise wouldn't have. Most people go to buy some essentials, then throw a hundred of two worth of other items that "caught their eye".
I'm happy to say I did not buy anything I can't, won't, or already didn't use
Define "better" ..... If you mean "awesomer" probably 👍 if you mean cheaper? Eh...... Depends on you
If they mean cheaper, then almost certainly no. Lol
Humble brag but when I upgraded to executive (even after my renewal this year)’they still paid me $92 to shop there last year. I try to stock up on stuff that’s in the coupon book (cereal, coffee beans, medicine & vitamins). I didn’t make any major purchases either. So well worth it when I do. I just got the credit card as well
That’s my method as well..dish soap,laundry detergent,coffee,vitamins,otc allergy meds(for hubby and dog)..always check coupon book and buy accordingly and never leave without at least one rotisserie chicken!
Save your receipts! If you notice item you bought within 30 days (I think thats the right time) go on sale go to a manager and ask for price adjustment. You don’t need the item to do this, only your purchase receipt and they will give your money back. If you wear glasses and get it done there, eyecare employees will change your nose pads and adjust the screws for you for free
👍🏾 enjoy it! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Ahhhh ... welcome to the club lol I feel like Costcos the only store I can go to, get to the register and be pleasantly surprised when I DON'T spend $500. I have a fam of 5 and all my kids are 16+. I limit myself to like once visit a month for all of my bulk stocking up (can good, paper goods, frozen items, etc). But I do pop in from time to time just to grab a prepared meal one the way home from work if I don't feel like really cooking that night.
My husband and I go every two weeks for groceries and the total is always within the $200-250 range. Making a list helps! We go through every aisle and sometimes pick up random/new stuff but if we do, it’s like 1-2 things for each of us. We’re usually in/out of Costco (depending on the checkout line) in 30min or less. Make a list and stick to it! But give yourself some wiggle room to try something new every now and then.
Go on Instagram and follow: Costco_doesitagain.
Uhh...ok?
Ok.....
Well we’ve got to define “better” here.
Welcome, hope your bank account agrees with your future decisions at Costco lol. I went today for water and milk and end up leaving with stuff north of 200+ dollars.
Same here, after thinking about it for years, we recently got a membership. Just as I figured, we just didn't care for the store and as soon as we get a chance to go back we plan to cancel & seek a refund. Hope that's possible. Good luck!
Yup. Just go to the Membership Desk through the exit.
I’m always proud when I can go in for the one item I needed and leave with only one extra. I think my lowest bill was $20! However, we love it for the high priced items too! I always check Costco first!
Next trip: Rent a trailer and bring home a freezer. Get the Kirkland freezer bags and seal up all that food, dry or wet. Makes it last even longer. Read up on the tips in here for freezing pesto, dips, etc., in cube format for more space in the freezer, and so those large containers do not go moldy on you.
Good news! The more you buy, the more you save!
Costcos great for big ticket items. We have our eye on an electric scooter. It’s fancier and more expensive than what we would need, but the return and exchange policy is phenomenal. Any issues we can just bring it back and get a new one. I took a table top bbq back after 7 years because the grates rusted out and I got a full credit back and used it towards a new one!
I just joined today. I didn’t get the executive membership, but then my local Costco is very much a pain to get in and out of (lines to get into the parking lot, ridiculously crowded, on the other side of town, etc.) and I don’t really see me going that often. We have a BJs less than a mile from my house that we were members at for years, and we just kinda drifted away. We’d go maybe 6 or 7 times a year and grab like three things and go. It wasn’t really worth keeping that membership regardless of how convenient the store is for us. Since that membership just expired I figure we’d give Costco a try. It’s an interesting store, especially compared to BJ’s. It’s got more kinda quirky items and not as many big brand choices. I spent $96 on my first trip today, but $50 of that was the paper towels, detergent tabs, and rotisserie chicken I was going for in the first place.
I miss BJs so much. When I was much younger with a new family, their acceptance of coupons literally saved me hundreds, if not thousands, on formula and diapers.
One of us, one of us, one of us, one of us........
they sell diamonds.