We are just waiting for Costco to come to our area (it should open by August - can't wait! Also Trader Joe's - it's a miracle!). We are members and currently have to drive an hour to get to one. We also joined Sam's which is about a five minute drive from our house but it's just not the same (although we notice that Sam's is trying to copy Costco as best they can). Costco is a great place to buy wine, cheese, coffee, ECOs laundry detergent, TP, paper towels, meat and fish. I also like their baby spring mix salad though it doesn't keep much more than a week - even if I have to throw some of it away, it's still cheaper than a smaller one at the supermarket.

I'll ditto everything Melissastar said about Costco.
I'll just add that they have great prices on organic milk.
We go to Costco every other week and buy 6 half gallons of organic milk,
along with about 200 to 300 dollars worth of other food.
Thankfully, since the reno last summer, we have an extra fridge and freezer in the basement.

I agree that Costco is "guy bait". It is the only grocery shopping trip that my 16 and 21 year old sons jump up to join. A stroll with mom through the weekly farmers' market in our town never gets the same enthusiastic response.

stuff that you know you'll go through,that is much cheaper per unit, and feasible to store. Not all things are a great deal, if you are using valuable space and it takes quite a long time to use the item up. Be selective and know the competition in your area. I dislike going to Costco/Aldi/Sam's because I prefer the local smaller grocers/food coops and farmers markets,but Costco shopping can fit into the mix of options.

And for those with little ones, the Costco Kirkland diapers are wonderful and wonderfully cheap! My kids were allergic to Pampers - the Costco brand diapers (and wipes!) are so much better.

And as my cousin just reminded me yesterday: "Never leave without the chicken." Their rotisseried chickens are big and juicy and a great price, good right then or tomorrow in a salad or hot dish.

My Costco is close, and next to several other places I frequent (hardware store and wood store as well as Lowe's and HD), so I go there often. I love that they have good things for usually really good prices. I can't think of a single category other than cabs/carpet/counters that I haven't delved into. I also like to go there with a couple of my friends and wander the aisles aimlessly out of the weather, chatting. Sometimes when we do that I forget the chicken.

Plus, food samples on the weekend are a hearty lunch for me! Big, generous samples.

I used to have an attitude about Costco's ambience and the lines. Not anymore. It's fun and smart to shop there.

Francoise...WINE! I can't believe I forgot wine...great prices on good wines.

And the boxes of chicken bakes, pizza, and other frozen guy food. And the frozen desserts....really good stuff to have on hand for those unexpected dinner guests...mini cream puffs, tropical sorbet in fruit shells, tiramisu. And the.....

We buy staples like eggs, milk, dog food, and TP there. Where you can really save is on things like eyeglasses or tires, especially with one of their coupons, which they seem to have more often than they used to. Many times you can cover the yearly membership fee with the savings on one large purchase.

Agree with all of the above. But what I din't know and was told by a friend is that you can get discounts to the local movies. You buy the coupon for $8.00 each and there is no expiration on it. Our movies here cost $11.00 or $10.00 for a senior, evening prices.
I never saw this advertised and I read the Costco magazine. Makes me wonder if I am missing out on anything else.
Maybe someone has more to add about this?

I love Costco because I have a son working there while going to college They really take care of there employees . Great wages and he gets bonuses . Plus I really like going in and looking at all the new things, Really like what they get in at Christmas.

I love Costco because I have a son working there while going to college They really take care of there employees . Great wages and he gets bonuses . Plus I really like going in and looking at all the new things, Really like what they get in at Christmas.

I don't like Costco.

We usually do not need those quantities for our family of 5 -- the kids aren't teens yet so they don't eat so much. I find that having a huge container of something lurking, makes us eat more of it, even if it is not perishable. It's psychological. I also have been burned more than once trying something and not liking it, all 50 pounds of it! : )

My DH takes it upon himself to go there and pick up bottled waters, paper products, and printer paper. I have no idea if it is a bargain or not. Luckily we have storage space for it, because I resent huge quantities. I don't want to be a warehouse.

I think to assume everything is a bargain is a big (and common) mistake.

For example, we were there just Thursday, shopping for a picnic for 70. For that purpose, Costco is a good stop just because it is a pain to try to buy 70 burgers at your local supermarket. We bought burgers and hot dogs, buns, mini cupcakes, waters (sm kirkland brand), sun chips, watermelon, strawberries, and cut mango (one product i really like, as it saves me a lot of work ... but it is too much quantity unless we are having a party). I think it was all pretty good, cost us less than $4 a person to feed people. The only downside was a huge container of strawbs that was rotten underneath. Ewww

BUT ... while i was there ( a dangerous phrase at Costco), I picked up a pair of sneakers for one of my daughters (who though only 10 wears a women's 7). The sneakers were $48, for a no name brand. I don't think that's such a bargain.

Hmmm....maybe if I happen to be near one, I'll check it out. Otherwise, no special trips. Hey what about furniture and home items??

Saying we have 7 kids in the house: 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, and 20 probably answers why we like it! I could use vegetable and fruit delivery by the truckload!

But other big buys for us are supplements, soy milk, milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, canned salmon, organic evaporated cane juice, frozen berries, frozen chicken breasts, ground turkey, chicken sausage, dog food, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Money, honey.

There was piece recently on one of those TV magazine shows that interviewed the CEO and other employees. Very eyeopening. I had figured them to be like a Sam's Club: giant size stuff that fell off a truck - caveat emptor and all. I haven't found Sam's produce to be that good quality...berries and avacados went bad in days.

The TV show described Costco's obsession with getting the best quality at the best price point. Hunts vs Heinz ketchup, Ziplock vs Glad baggies - they will carry ONE brand, not both, and select based on best price. They also rebrand with their Kirkland label, again going for optimal quality/ price point. There was an interview with the wine buyer and other buyers - the competition across venders is fierce. And the end buyer, you, benefits.

I joined to get a Gourmet Settings silverware special. GS had directed me there for a one time deal. And it was a deal! I've since picked up Kirkland sheets (nice) and a Kitchenaid coffee maker at 2/3 off Amazon pricing. Some name brand shorts and sweats were good deals too.

About every 10 days I drive the 8 miles and load up on produce and dairy, and restock whatever in the way of paper goods, canned goods, cereals etc. I buy two packs of high end breads for the same price as a single loaf (exact same bread) at the grocers. We are just 2 in this house now, but we eat lots of fruits and vegetables, so we do go through it all. Sometimes I shop with a friend and we split up the take at the picnic tables.

I am a Costco fan - I find it much better than Sam's Club.

I belong to B.J.'s, Sam's Club and Costco. Costco blows the others away. Their produce, even up here in the Northeast is always fresh and fabulous -- price is good too.

What I really love about them though, is the prices on any type of household appliance. Their strategy, I have found, seems to be carry only one option, but make it the one that outperforms any other brand. Therefore when I need a rice cooker, blender, food processor, fryer, vacuum, whatever, I go there, see what they have, check the consumer ratings and prices on the item, and nearly 100% of the time end up buying it there at Costco because it's the best there is at a price substantially lower than anyone else has it. If you check out their prices online, they don't seem that great, I think it's maybe because they pad them to cover shipping (?), the in-store prices are usually much better.

They also have some great deals on hardware items, got DH a three pack of nail guns for $50 once. I think a lot of it trickles in for the holidays and gets marked down (discretely, though, you have to memorize the prices because they never indicate they've been marked down) after. Great time to clean up on a lot of household items.

Sam's club is great place to buy a mattress in a pinch (Sealy's there are pretty good and dirt cheap), but that's about it, IMO. BJ's is 2 minutes from my house and gets us by until I can get back to Costco, 30 minutes away.

When rainier cherries are in season, no one can beat costco's price. Their cakes are awesome for potlucks and b-days at work. Their Charisma brand towels and sheets are awesome and way less expensive than the department stores for the quality.
I love Costco!

I rarely buy the bulk items.

I forgot to mention that other than food, we get batteries, printer ink, printer paper and other office supplies, clothing, and it's the first place I check for household items because of their quality choices and return policies.

We've gotten mattress sets, sheets, TVs, the X-box, small appliances, and even the dual-flush toilets and a faucet for our new house from Costco.

Ethical company in terms of policies toward employees.
High quality goods. Often the "kirkland" brand is something of a known trusted brand but made for Costco. At least at one time, their Kirkland wine glasses were made by Riedel. Luggage is durable, quality too.
Their return policy rocks. I had a Vitamix from there for some many years, maybe 5. The motor broke and I brought it back to see if it could be repaired. Costco just gave me cash for it - and I had no receipt - they check your purchases.
I know they've changed their return policy for high priced electronics because of customers abusing the policy. But they are much like Nordstrom.
Both Nordstrom and Costco are Pacific NW / Seattle (Kirkland) based and have a similar ethic with respect to high level of customer service, good to employees, solid quality products.
I just wish the Costco out here in Mid Atlantic sold as many organics as the West Coast ones. In time, hopefully!

rhome, start saving those printer ink cartridges when they run out instead of throwing them away. You can have them refilled in the photo department for about 2/3 of what they cost brand new.

I used to belong to BJ's, Sam's, and Costco because they carried different brands. After repeated disappointments with BJ's, especially their fresh produce, I didn't renew at BJ's but kept Sam's and Costco, equidistant for me. Costco is almost always better, and now I'm thinking of dropping the Sam's (which I've held onto for the gasoline prices).

Costco will take just about anything back, so you can try something and if you don't like it, take it back. I've returned produce that grew mold the second day home, so don't keep it if it isn't right. I didn't bring in the moldy food, just brought my receipt to the service desk. No questions, no hassles, just a refund.

I buy laptops there for the extended warranty and the concierge service, cameras and wide screen TVs too.

With tires, I've had great service. They will rotate your tires for free as long as you bought them from Costco. Another goodie is that they inflate your tires with nitrogen rather than air, which makes the tire run cooler on the road and noticeably extends it wear.

Oh, and one more thing they sell that not too many customers know about is caskets, yes caskets! It's on the costco.com website, great prices and super fast delivery. Funeral homes are required to use a family-supplied casket if requested, so don't be bullied or guilted into something you don't want. They also sell cars, trucks, and vacations.

Our family has tried many new foods based on the sampling demos they do. The bakery is really good, best croissants available within 50 miles, and my son, the cheese danish connoisseur, raves about theirs. I second the votes for the rotisserie chicken, good taste and good value.

Second the votes on the wines, too. They have a range of pricing from everyday table wine to some special stuff. Their price on Dom Perignon champagne was the best anywhere (although I only buy one bottle in a decade!)

Once I started buying the TVs and laptops, it made sense to upgrade to the Executive Membership which rebates 2 or 3% at the end of the year, which more than covers the cost of the membership resulting it in being not just free but a moneymaker in itself.

One of the best ways we've found to deal with the bulk quantities is to repackage them for freezing when we get home. Their ziplocks are dirt cheap when they're on a coupon, and we load up. Then we package a croissant or two, a muffin, and a pastry into one ziplock. Rinse, repeat, and freeze with all the bakery stuff. No one gets tired of too much of one thing, and nothing goes bad. Same drill with fresh fruit. We make lots of smoothies (great Costco deals on Vitamix and Blendtec), so we pre-package berries, bananas, stone fruits into single smoothie servings. It's a great way to preserve the fruits when they're at their very best. Apricot season is so short here, but we've got great ones in the freezer in our smoothie bags.

Sorry to go on for so long!

Thanks, Linelle!

Smiling, I've never taken bad produce back, but it's good to know I can. It's frustrating to occasionally get it and have to throw it out. And good idea about the freezing. I don't do enough of that because of shortage on freezer space. But I've actually been meaning to check Costco for a new upright.

I love the annual rebates from my executive membership and from my Cosco-linked American Express. 3% back on their usually-better gas prices is nice.

Things I don't buyt at Costco?

Gas grills--They have premium pellet grills and ceramic smokers/grills from time to time but their gas grills are inferior.

Clothes- Average stuff and I am picky. I might buy team gear like Lakers or USC.

Mattress- or toppers/pillows. Average stuff and not a very good value. I am picky here too.

Rotisserie Chicken- it used to be good 10 years ago now just cheap. Fatty fatty fatty. I make much better rotisserie chicken in my Capital Culinarian.

Sodas- expensive relative to the almost always on sale sodas at the supermarket.

I buy just about everything else there.

From movie tickets to tires. From fuji apples to ribeye steaks. At a very good price.

I live alone with a Costco really close to home, and was reluctant to purchase a membership until I found out they had my favorite Greek yogurt at the best price around. Then they had the best price on wild fresh pacific salmon.

After a lot of research I bought my television there. And the price of new tires was good.

You do have to shop smart 'cause it's not always the best deal in town.

I'm still not a Costco supershopper, but it has saved me enough money to justify the membership.

These are my regular repeat buys: Chobani Greek yogurt (3 different flavors in a 12 pack), Hannah's tzatziki, Sabra roasted pine nut hummus, avocadoes, Driscol strawberries, pre-packaged salad that has cranberries/ feta cheese/ balsamic dressing, Go Go Squeeze Applesauce (great for DS2 baseball player/ weight lifter/coach--no added sugar and doesn't need refrigeration), Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Pumpkin Flax Granola (no nuts in it for person's with nut allergies), Aussie Bites ( muffin size healthy treat made with whole grain, flax seed, and dried fruit and with omega 3s), laundry detergent, paper goods, my statin, and gasoline.

I've found Costco to be very responsive when I filled out a card for the suggestion box. They had discontinued the yummy Granola cereal and I told them how difficult it is to find a good granola w/out nuts. In a few weeks they brought it back. Yah!

The meats I've tried have been good. We have the Executive membership too. It does pay for itself especially when I cook for my older son to put meals in his freezer.

Regular purchases at Costco:
tilapia, salmon
broccoli heads, carrots, watermelon, strawberries, corn
dog food
cheddar cheese
pesto sauce
lunchmeats
nestle chocolate chips
cinnamon
granola bars

I've bought items I didn't like and they never hesitate to have a no-hassle return policy..even with food that I thought simply wasn't tasty.

I've heard that some of their big items are not identical to the "same" item purchased elsewhere. An example is their Dyson Vacuum cleaner. I was told they have different model numbers (made specifically for Costco) and may or may not be as good of quality as the same item purchased somewhere else.

Alcohol is much cheaper there than at the local small stores (metro Boston), and open on Sundays! Not a great selection but if you find something you like, or something you know you'll use up eventually (liqueurs like Cointreau), it's great.

I love Costco....unfortunately, there are none near where we live. Sam's Club doesn't even compare.

Things I don't buyt at Costco? ...
Clothes- Average stuff and I am picky. I might buy team gear like Lakers or USC.

Mattress- or toppers/pillows. Average stuff and not a very good value. I am picky here too.

LOL. We all have different frames of reference. I appreciate the opportunity to have average for less! :-) I don't have super high expectations for $15 sweaters and $19 slacks, but they're my splurges, and sometimes allow me to have something trendy or seasonal I wouldn't have otherwise.

I know there are probably better mattresses, but what we got at Costco is by far the best we've ever had for $400. But that's why we go there... To get more quantity or higher quality for what I have to spend.

rhome,

There are better $400 mattresses from local manufactures in almost all parts of the country. If you are looking I can point you to some good discussion boards.

There are better $15 sweaters and $19 slacks at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or Ross. And if you are willing to spend a little more Loehmanns or Nordstram's Rack offer much better stuff. Then there are usually local Indpendents to find bargains too. If none are nearby, once you know what you want and what size, even Ebay offers better deals. It does take a little more time but I have more time than money!

I hope I don't sound like I'm arguing... Just saying what I do and why...

I am already at Costco once every week or two. Any of those other places, if at all in our area of the country, would take a special trip of a few to several hours, round trip. Picking up a sweater, a jacket for one of the kids, or a shirt for DH now and then (no more than a handful of items a year) doesn't warrant that. Of course, when I shopped for our daughters' weddings, I didn't do that at Costco. ;-) (Nordstrom's Rack and JC Penney were my go-to places for good deals then.)

The only independents in our town sell antiques or hardware. Ebay doesn't allow me the convenience to take it home, try it on, and return it for free on the next grocery trip, if necessary.

I don't have any more time than I have money. :-) Costco works OK for me. It's not where I get everything-- I just don't clothes shop much at all, but some of my current favorites were Costco buys.

"I hope I don't sound like I'm arguing... Just saying what I do and why... "

Ditto

Costco is convenient. Easy no hastle returns.

Convenience usually cost money.

For mattress and clothes there are better deals/value elsewhere.

The mall allows you to try on and not buy.

Then buy on ebay. When buying on ebay I know exactly what I want.

For me, the question is what DON'T I buy at Costco?

Clothes (you have to go often and look carefully but I've gotten some GREAT clothes there, including beautiful leather jackets and cashmere sweaters)
Produce - avocados and red peppers, plus strawberries and raspberries in season
Beef tenderloins
Batteries
Cleaning products
Sheets and towels
Housewares - just bought a set of Cuisinart tri-ply pots and pans that they stocked especially for Costco with glass lids (I prefer glass so I was thrilled)
Patio furniture, Hansgrohe faucet, laser printer/copier, mattresses, mattress toppers, pillows, TV, all kinds of small appliances, contact wetting solution, generic allergy medicines, Christmas decorations, the list could go on and on

I love that they treat and pay their employees fairly. I also watched "The Costco Craze" show on CNBC. A few weeks later, I saw the co-founder and recently retired CEO at a local restaurant and just had to go up and tell him how much I love what he created. He was an absolute sweetheart.

I don't like everything from Costco, but there is plenty to like. What we buy regularly:

Organic milk
Organic chicken
Prime beef
Lettuce
Bananas
Tuna, both imported and Kirkland brand
Soaps and shampoos
Household cleaners/detergents

We have also bought TVs and computers. We bought our patio furniture at Costco online and no name brand was specified. When the furniture arrived and we could see the brand, we looked it up at other online vendors and found we'd saved a minimum of $800. I found that amazing. Some things you buy at Costco are of similar price to other vendors, but they'll throw in something extra. Like a free car charger for cell phones. Or a remote for an electronics item that others charge extra for.

The best thing about Costco, though is that they are ethical on all levels. They are good to their customers and employees, but also to their vendors. I work for a company that makes a Kirkland private label product. Costco is always pushing us to make sure that the product is a great quality product that also has a great price. Unlike some other retailers who only care that the product is as cheap as possible and could not care less about the quality. Seeing first hand how deeply Costco cares about the quality of its house brand has given me the confidence to try other Kirkland products when I probably would not have otherwise. There have been a few clunkers, but I have generally not been disappointed.

Lake_Girl ... yes, you can go in and look around. They ask to see your card at the door, but you don't really need it until checkout.

We do quite a few bulk things: flour, frozen chicken, pizzas, plastic bags, multi-packs of canned broth, etc.

Some of their products can be found cheaper elsewhere, so comparison shop.

I LOVE Costco!

Like rainwood, the question is more "what don't I buy at Costco" than what I buy. Since I have a baby, a full time+ job, and am building a house, I keep telling my DH that if something can't be purchased at Costco or amazon prime, we will do without.

Things I buy a lot:
Carter's baby clothes
Fresh berries - we go through several pounds a week
Salad mix
Yellow grape tomatoes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Frozen wild salmon
Frozen ahi tuna
Edy's fruit bars or skinny cow ice cream sandwiches
Chicken breasts or thighs individually wrapped and ready to freeze
Kokuho rose rice
Cheese
Olive oil
Shampoo/conditioner - I like the Costco brand more than some expensive brands
We try to limit red meat, but what we have bought from there is excellent quality.
All paper and cleaning products - tp, paper towels, diapers, wipes, etc. You must wait for the coupons to get the best deal. We are there every week so not that hard for us.

We also bought our tv there and I've ordered some things off their website (hansgrohe faucets for our new house).

We probably go to the regular grocery store only once or twice a month for stuff I can't buy there - some sauces and salad dressing, turkey Italian sausage, some types of baked goods. Otherwise we buy the majority of our food from there.

As others have mentioned, DH likes going to Costco too. He likes the free samples and sometimes we splurge on a hot dog or slice of pizza on the way out. We don't often eat fast food, but $1.50 for a big juicy hit dog and soda!

How much is a membership to Costco? Now I want one!!

we have a business membership and I think it's about $45 a year for my husband and me. We also have the Costco/American Express card which gives us a % back on our purchases (all purchases)...forgot to mention....we buy all of our GAS at Costco! Usually about 10cent cheaper per gallon then anywhere else!

The % back doesn't sound like much but since we use it for our business, it adds up to over $1000 back each year...and they give it back in cash rather than credit. Love it!

One thing no one has mentioned that they bought at Costco: a car! No, not me, but a good friend has bought two cars through Costco. Picked out what she wanted and got the car through a local dealership. Not the one closest to her house, but not too far away. (We're in a pretty heavily populated metro area.) I guess she got a very good price, 'cause she did it twice.

My purchases have been like those others have posted: love bulk purchasing of non-perishable stuff like TP, paper towels, kleenex, laundry detergent, . . .

I am in the pacific NW, about 10 minutes from a Costco. There are just 2 of us, but we buy much of our food there. These items are typically on the list

canned/jarred goods like pasta sauce, soup, fruit, diced tomatoes,
pasta, rice,olive oil, Tortilla chips, salsa
beer, wine, champagne, perrier, pelligrino, steak, shrimp, aidels sausages, cheeses,frozen california pizza, fage greek yogurt, shredded frozen potatoes, daves killer bread, ketchup, mustard, various kinds of granola bars, granola cereal, chocolate chips,
pistachios, almonds, carrs crackers, fresh blackberries, raspberries, romaine lettuce, soaps detergents, TP, papertowels, dog food

I did purchase a stainless bbq at costco, and have been happy with it. All parts including nuts bolts and washers were stainless, so no rusting
We also purchase eyewear, electronics, all of our gas, and homeowners and auto insurance(must be executive member to get insurance I think)

I found my Whirlpool french door fridge there for $500 less than I paid for it (and I got it on a pretty good sale), but over a year later, not when I needed it.

during my remodel I priced windows, carpet, granite, window coverings and found better deals elsewhere.

I live 2.5h from 2 Costco's (1 in the US and 1 in Canada), so I don't get to go often. However, I do believe that their return policy is second to none. Other than computer & electronic equipment, there isn't really any limit on what you can return. For example, my baby monitor broke after 1 year. I didn't have my receipt. I returned it 13 months after I bought it. No questions asked, cash back in my account.

I can buy in the US and return in Canada (and vise versa).

There have been plenty of other good points made. I just wanted to reiterate their return policy. Amazing.

"It does take a little more time but I have more time than money!"

a mom of 7 kids usually doesn't have that much of either - lol!

Vanilla extract - 16 oz. bottle for about the same price as a Schilling itty-bitty.

Our Costco is an hour away; I have never been there. We bought a membership for online purchases - shelves for the garage and a 100% latex mattress for $1K that would have cost $2K anywhere else (I checked). I liked that we could have returned the mattress if we didn't like it (we love it; too bad they no longer carry this brand). We love shopping Costco when we visit family in Florida.

BERRIES in season, lemons & limes, prosciutto di Parma, and pecorino romano cheese, too.

My stepfather buys gas at his for wayyy cheaper than other places.

I love Costco! I take my mom shopping with me to save her the cost of a membership. I don't buy as much bulk frozen as I did when boys where home and teenagers, but youngest DH and I love their frozen french onion soup cups. On a fairly regular basis I buy paper products, laundry and cleaning products, salmon, beef, chicken, pork chops, organic chicken stock (a top recommendation of Cook's Illustrated), canned tomatoes, fresh berries, cases of Smart Water, milk, butter, olive oil, small household appliances, books, DVDs, beef jerky, pistachios, wine, and alcohol. We've also bought the big flat screen for the FR and some bookshelves. Oh, bought my suitcase there, too.

I go every 2 weeks or so. In fact, I need to go tomorrow--better get my coupons ready!

Oh yeah, we bought our car through the Costco auto program. The price wasn't an incredible deal but we are not great negotiators so it saved us the hassle and run around at the dealership. I think it was an average price, which was good enough for us - we just didn't want to get screwed.

We're late adopters--literally just got my first Costco membership a couple of weeks ago. I had tried BJs years ago but didn't find it worthwhile.

So, for the past 3 weekends my husband and I have gone to check it out, and found all kinds of things to buy. It was a bit overwhelming at first and we're very careful shoppers so we had to do some ambling and calculating to figure out what kind of discounts were really available. So far we've found plenty of merchandise from motor oil to prepared food to salad mix to toilet paper to cleaning products that were definitely cheaper there. So I guess we're Costco converts now!

I don't have a membership to Costco, but my 80-year parents do. My father lingers near and hits all the sampling stations, while my mother leans on her cart and slowly meanders the aisles. Sorry to all you members who actually want to shop.

Actually all of the unnecessary purchasing and packing in coolers is merely a prelude to the main event: dining in an unbelievably packed, almost standing room only Costco cafe. Traditionalists, it's always "the best hot dogs" for them.

Cathy in SWPA

We actually bought our minivan through Costco - it was during the "cash for clunkers madness" so dealers weren't willing to "deal" since their inventory was very low. We needed something sooner though since I was pregnant and my DH car had died completely. The price they emailed us was pretty reasonable and I like to shop around/negotiate.