{"id":24335,"date":"2016-02-09T07:15:35","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T12:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/?p=24335"},"modified":"2025-01-23T05:40:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T05:40:55","slug":"costco-membership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalskyweb.co\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/2016\/02\/09\/costco-membership\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Buy Into A Costco Membership?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>17<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is a Costco membership worth it? Read our in-depth review to find out the benefits, deals, and savings you can enjoy at Costco Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put away your coupon binder if you plan to shop at Costco Canada,<\/strong> as they don’t accept manufacturer coupons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco has coupons and promotions for its 2023 private elite members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also boast the best deals because their buyers can negotiate great prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How great are these prices compared to your typical grocery store paired with sales, coupons, and coupon apps<\/strong><\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s find out…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> How to chop everyday food prices without coupons<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frugal Shopping At Costco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not owning a smartphone and Costco memberships simultaneously means you’re very frugal<\/strong>, don’t see the benefit, or have no Costco location nearby.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, there’s no point in considering if there are any budget savings to be had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t have either, but we have a Costco close to our house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to see if there was a benefit for us to stop in and shop on my way home from work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found it interesting that Costco motivates shoppers who entertain saving money by buying in bulk but also offers a Costco Concierge Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we say frugal and posh at the same time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not really; it just sounds like it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading about the concierge service, I realized it was just frosting for the typical “Customer Service” help that almost every store has for customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco History<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Costco was born in 1976…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Costco story begins in 1976, when entrepreneur Sol Price introduced a groundbreaking retail concept in San Diego, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price Club was the world\u2019s first membership warehouse club, a place where efficient buying and operating practices gave members access to unmatched savings.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Most of you might not care about the history, but the critical point is how long consumers have been motivated to buy in bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are keeping the doors open to what has become a big success story for Costco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to Costco Canada<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our friends took us to Costco last week for final decision-making walk around the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We investigated prices and the worthiness of our money towards a Costco Membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides that, we had a non-friendly door host the overall experience was very good, and so were the delicious samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you walk through Costco’s front door, you grab a massive shopping cart (more to fill and more money to spend).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you aren’t prepared for what’s around the corner, you’ll get hit with a clean, massive warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fans on the ceiling are massive; the lighting is very bright, tunes are playing, food smells all over the place, and shopping carts are filling up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s easy to see how anyone would want to shop in bulk, BUT do we need to stockpile food?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Waste Is A Massive Financial Expense<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you toss out food still in boxes or bags because no one eats it or your super-sized jars of condiments are going wrong or past expiry, you should consider not buying in considerable measures like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be a great experiment to purchase some items that you would typically buy at a regular grocery store but at Costco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, you’ll want to see how long it takes to get through the product before it puts a dent in your pantry or freezer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice food waste, cut back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s nothing worse than saving on flushing money down the toilet because you can’t get it back again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know Your Prices Before Shopping At Costco <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we raced from aisle to aisle, my mathematical brain was going full-speed, tapping into the regular Costco price, Costco sale price, and whether we could pick a product up for less at the grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t just look at the price, either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to read the size, units, weight, and so on to determine if you are getting the best bang for your buck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those unsuspecting customers who don’t know their prices will potentially pay more at Costco for some items they had waited for a good sale at the grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A three-pack of bacon at Costco costs $15.99, but if you wait for a sale at the grocery store for $2.99, you’ll save more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also depends on product urgency, but for the most part, you’ll see savings on many products at Costco if the need is immediate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I couldn’t justify the prices of paper products because they always go on sale at the grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just that day, we bought a six-pack of Supreme Kleenex tissues on sale for $3.88- $1.50 Snap Groupon rebate on each group, making them $2.38.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toilet paper and paper towels always go on sale, and you can easily save more if you wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 12-pack of Kleenex tissue at Costco was priced at $15.99, so you can see how patience can save money by waiting for grocery store sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We found that the product was not something we would often purchase because we can’t inspect what we are buying as we do at the grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limited Options At Costco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can’t pick and choose at Costco as you can at Zehrs, for example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It either is, or it isn’t. The reason for this is to cut down on waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oddly enough, some people don’t need the typical grocery store and don’t even step inside one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco is the only grocery store they will shop at, and for many membership holders, that makes sense for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediate Savings At Costco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the most part, Costco will give you the immediate sale price, so you don’t have to wait for the grocery store sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes sense if you don’t care to wait it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a smartphone, you can download the Costco Canada App to do some price searching while you are in the store If you have a data plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We didn’t read about any free Wi-Fi in the store while we were shopping which saddened us, but I’m sure one day, all stores will entertain the Wi-Fi idea for their customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The great thing about having the online ability is that you can price match and base your buying decisions on price searches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research Before You Buy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We didn’t buy anything during this trip to Costco, but it was fun to research what they offered and the prices available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The toys, clothes, and home appliance aisles were a few that we splashed through but didn’t investigate too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could see that toys were reasonably priced, and books were trendy as the section was packed with shoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were the prices reasonable? We buy books second-hand or go to the library, so free and dirt cheap are how we roll when it comes to reading books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll always pay a premium for new books no matter where you shop, but with Costco, you’ll likely save a bit more as you would with Chapters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does Costco Canada Sell?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

They aren’t kidding around at Costco.. they probably sell a little of everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even this…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most shocking product I found at Costco Canada was a casket<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was not ready for that because when you need or want to pre-purchase a casket, you go to the casket place, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uh, I’m so not informed about where to buy caskets but don’t worry, you won’t bump into one on display at the Costco store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can only order the casket online for $2099.99,<\/strong> along with flower arrangements.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every funeral home will accept this and not every Costco ships casket. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They offer this as a service to their members. I suppose this is one way to say they care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costco Store Hours<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t know your closest Costco Store, they have a handy Costco Store Locator link on their website where you can type in your city, which will locate the nearest Costco store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time I drive by our local Costco store, the place is packed day and night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Costco store hours are 10 am-8:30 pm, Monday to Friday, Saturday, 9:30 am-6 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Costco were a 24-hour warehouse operation, it would also be packed at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything about Costco is bulk in size and, in some cases, price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask anyone where to get the best price on pharmacy prescription refills, and they will tell you Costco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned you don’t have to purchase a Costco membership to use the pharmacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, give your local store a call and ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We pay $11.99 filling fees at Shoppers Drug Mart, which are outrageous, so pharmacy savings can add up over a year immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick residents<\/strong> can now order prescriptions online and have them delivered in the convenience of their homes. Register online<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pharmacy hours at Costco are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ontario<\/b>
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Saturday closed
Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our First Visit To Costco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we first went to Costco years ago with my sister-in-law, we did not own a house as I was back in school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renting a room was a viable option for us to save more money for a down payment on the home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our room had little storage space, so we were limited in what we could buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first trip to Costco went as expected, especially with the wide aisles, pallet stacks, bulk packaging, smells, and sights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The samples became the show’s highlight, and I quickly realized that those sample booths were enormous money-makers for the warehouse giant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food marketing is an extensive business ensuring customers can taste, visualize and hold products before putting them in the shopping cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a store can successfully draw a customer in with free food, they know that is money in their pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just about everyone I know who talks about Costco tells me how much they love going to eat the free food samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes it fun and engaging for the customer, and when you have happy customers, they tend to spend more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bigger Is Not Always Better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you necessarily need that massive box of shrimp?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Probably not, but because you just had the best-tasting grilled shrimp on a skewer at around lunchtime, paying $75 for a big bag seems reasonable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m betting that, just like any other grocery store, you’re risking your grocery budget if you don’t go in with a shopping list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you go into Costco and try to justify every bulk product you put in your shopping cart, you WILL spend more than you set out to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans have a strange way of conversing with themselves to come up with answers to questions in which not much thought is needed. Either it’s yes or no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have to think about it, you likely don’t need it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Is A Costco Membership?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Buying a membership for Costco will either;<\/p>\n\n\n\n