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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Hop-Frog writes:
> Costco is a good deal if used sparingly and with some intelligence.
I'm tending to side with Calum on this one. If you use Costco too sparingly
then it isn't worth the $45 you pay for membership. BTW I checked Costco today
because at Scam's Club (whose membership I let lapse in November) you can shop
there for a 5% premium if you're not a member-- not true at Costco.
> So if you walk in to a
> costco and think tires for $65 dollars are a great deal -- I guess it
> depends on the quality of the tire (and I am not obsessed by name brands
> when I can go to Big O and get tires for $35 and get them to patch all my
> holes besides).
I joined Sam's to get tires. I got tires all right. The salesperson convinced
me I needed low-profile white wall tires. Let me tell you they looked odd on a
1985 Volvo wagon. (See, they were supposed to really go well on a white car.
And they were Michelins!) After about nine months they wore out because they
weren't made to take the weight of the car. Fortunately, I was able to
convince them to give me a VERY generous pro-rated refund on the tires-- it was
easy for me to express righteous indignation after the grief I had gotten for
getting these tires. Oh, lately we've been getting our tires from some place
like Les Schwab.
> If you had a a minimum family
> of four, you could probably justify other foodstuffs as good deals too,
I first joined Price Club (before it was subsumed by Costco) when I was
pregnant with my first kid and had to buy and consume disgusting quantities of
milk. Then I thought, as you do, that with a family it would be worthwhile.
But, as Calum says, you are forced to buy ridiculous quantities of many items
you wouldn't otherwise get. I would find I had spent almost double what I
planned by the time I made it through the checkout line. And I also discovered
that by shopping wisely I actually get better deals at regular stores. For
food my big three are Raley's Supermarket (not the cheapest, but has the best
meat and produce), Trader Joe's (now THEY have a nice selection of cheese, in
manageable quantities), and Canned Grocery Outlet (the one with the rainbow
logo). And I get WAY better deals than I would at a Costco or Sam's. Of
course, I shop the specials and plan what I buy.
When I was at Costco I talked to three people.
A salesperson told me LEGO was seasonal and they were out.
A customer in line told me he had been in line for twenty-five minutes and that
was usual (he made it to the checkout while we were chatting). He puts up with
it because printer cartridges are a good deal.
A person at customer service told me if you are not satisfied with your
membership you can get a FULL refund at any time (even the 29th day of the 11th
month). He mentioned that the overwhelming reason people requested refunds was
that they were either ticked from standing in line too long or they had an
altercation with a sales clerk.
So what you can do is wait until you hear about the next irresistable Costco
LEGO deal, then run over there and join to buy the LEGO. And then
request a membership refund after you've made your purchase.
But wait, that might be unethical! (Notice I have x-posted to .debate just in
case.)
Maggie C.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Love that Costco
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| I'll just jump in here with my 2 cents USD worth of wisdom... Costco is a good deal if used sparingly and with some intelligence. As it happens, I am usually the cook of the household (as I am an unusually good cook) and as a consequence I tend to (...) (23 years ago, 3-Jan-02, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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