BigStewMan Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 i wish i could remember which news site i read that article on. i was amazed to read that they made more on membership fees--that just doesn't seem right, unless many people buy the memberships and never use them. when i was married, we had a costco membership and i never got out of there without spending at least $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesV Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I read an article a few weeks ago, and i think it was the ceo of costco describing the challenges that they're currently facing. according to the article, over 60% of their revenue comes from the membership fees, so he has to be careful not to increase the prices so much that it drives people to a regular store; yet still keep making money. I think I seen that same article. It was really interesting. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 I have a Sam's Membership...there are a select few items I regularly buy there...baby formula is cheap, trash bags, and I run across some random deals here and there. I would probably rather have a Costco membership, but we do not have one. That being said, I find that the bulk of food purchases can be had cheaper if you just watch the sales at grocery stores. +1 for Amy's endorsment of Meijer...I love that store, kinda a midwest only deal, but they have some good deals...laundry detergent and frozen shrimp buy 1 get 2 free...that is hard to beat. For most of my electronic purchases I find myself buying on-line these days. Ususally larger ticket items, and besides the Fry's in Chicago, pretty much no tax since there is not a lot in Illinois, and an automatic 7.5% off in sales tax is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardP Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 World's best city for BJ's Cumming Ga , go figure . I wouldn't touch that line with a ten foot pole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardP Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 By the way, what is the deal with those checkers as you exit Sam's? Do they think you are going to shoplift something in the 20 feet between the cash register and the exit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzlemizzle Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I live in southern california and I can tell you that costco has good deals. From 46" 1080p LCDs to cases of water they're the best i've found here as far as deals go. On a side note their packs of steaks are very good. Some of the best sirloin cuts i've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesV Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 By the way, what is the deal with those checkers as you exit Sam's? Do they think you are going to shoplift something in the 20 feet between the cash register and the exit? It's not just at Sam's, CostCo does the same thing. Not only shoplift something in the 20 feet but maybe you know the person at the cash register and they let a couple of items by for you. With a discount store like they are that would be the major killer for them. Their prices would go thru the roof if people were shoplifting from them left and right, with that size of bulk items. But I do agree it can be a bit of a headache with an older person doing the checking on a busy weekend. A few times I hit that line as soon as I finished checking out and paying for my stuff. All of a sudden in another line just to get out of there, plus it's not like they put another person to help out if the line gets long like at the registers. It can be a real pain sometimes... James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIGARBUM Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Your lucky you don't live in Sautee Nacoochee, GA. The only show in two countys si Wal Mart, I hate that place. Nearest Costco or Sam's is about 150 mile drive for me (both ways). We try to be fairly self-sufficent up here in the sticks, food-- crow and racoon, maybe possum if your lucky, toilet paper, that big bush out back. You folks don'ty know how lucky you are. CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Oh my. CB, just had a visual of you stradling a pine tree! NOT a pretty thought.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 In the Toronto area, it's easy, Sam's Club closed up shop and went back home. The Wal-Mart stores offered better value and were expanding in size all the time. I've belonged to Costco for the past ten years and it pays for itself with a few deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindman Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 I have never been inside A-N-Y of these stores. And I will N-E-V-E-R shop at any store that requires that I pay them for a membership B-E-F-O-R-E I am allowed to become their customer. But more to the point, I do not shop at "Big Box", chain-owned, corporations that tend to drive locally-owned businesses out-of-business. I prefer to support my friends and neighbors who run sole proprietorships. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_proprietorship I have a good job. I make a fair wage. I earn my salary. The shopkeepers where I shop earn my business...and loyalty. When I shop, the cost of the product/service is very low on the list of my priorities. I DO NOT shop for the lowest price for the things that I buy. I buy what I need, when I need it, and I trade my hard earned dollars for the goods/services in a way that helps my friends and neighbors stay in business. I have purchased items offered by people who are regular contributors on this forum. I purchased their items, not necessarily because they were the cheapest, but because they were the most innovative, because they supported my needs & wants, and because I consider them to be forum friends. This may seem strange to you. Why would anyone actually NOT want to pay the lowest amount? I hope some day you will find yourself in a position where the cost is not the number one issue. The point of my post is not to say that anyone who shops at any of the stores in the title of this post are wrong. I just wanted to offer a different perspective. What works for me may not work for you. But it may not have occurred to you that there is a different option. Some people, such as myself, have spent a lifetime trying to reach a position economically where the price we pay for goods/services is less important then the benefit that can be provided to help the producers and sellers of those goods/services to maintain their livelihood. This altruistic approach benefits locally owned businesses over corporations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 We've been Costco members for years. For the last 5 or so, we've been (I think it's called) Executive members. You pay $100 per year, but they give you cash back (from 1-3%, not just for Costco purchases) with your Amex card. It's paid off every year. We try to charge everything we can (monthly bills, etc.) on that card, paying it off every month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Some people, such as myself, have spent a lifetime trying to reach a position economically where the price we pay for goods/services is less important then the benefit that can be provided to help the producers and sellers of those goods/services to maintain their livelihood. You're a relic, a dinosaur, a blindman. You need to become more selfish and think of others less. I don't shop at any of the stores mentioned either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Yeah, but I'm addicted to that Kirkland TP... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Bumpity comment: shamelessly designed to float this thread to the top! which one is the best for what products? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesV Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 which one is the best for what products? Just like any store, one place isn't good for everything, it all depends on what you are looking for at the moment. CostCo has some good prices for their meats, but I have only purchased them when I had coupons for it. I usually purchase my meat from a local meat market. Colin, are you looking to get a membership to one of these places or just to see what others are doing? James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 We belong to Costco. Primarily we buy bulk items there. A bag of 25 limes for $5 instead of individual ones for .25. I also really like their bulk meat. It is a great quality for the price and I prefer to cut my own portions. We have a bench freezer and hit Costco about once every 3 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Colin, If you'd like to stop by, I'll take you to Costco so you can have a look around. [ap] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 been to all of them, just wondering which is best for what, expected to find that Costco or BJs had special versions of electronics or something else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastlayne Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 We have been Costco members for years on the executive membership since we own a small business. We would shop there more but it's over 100 miles to the nearest one. That is where I usually buy my PCs. They stand behind everything they sell and have good customer service. The tire department has good deals and also the pharmacy and optical. Most everything with their label, Kirkland, is good quality. For example, the Kirkland dogfood is supposed to be on par with Science Diet, according to our vet (who sells SD), for a lot less. Anything you purchase from Costco.com can be returned to a store for a refund. Even though we are not able to shop there every week or even every month, we usually get a bigger rebate check at the end of the year than the $100 membership fee. I think you can get a guest pass for a day to go check out a Costco, but you have to have the membership to make a purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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