I bought my membership months ago, but such has been the popularity of the North Lakes store I was put off by the crowds and didn't actually go until this last weekend.
And still it was crowded and busy. I must say I can see the appeal to the average person. Australians haven't seen a shop like this since the old Campbell's Cash 'n' Carry. Not only do they sell everything conceivable, Costco sells it in gigantic quantities.
Put off by the masses of people, I found it hard to look at anything closely, so I just wandered about, aimlessly pushing my trolley up and down aisles
To be honest, most of my attention was taken up by trying not to ram my trolley into anyone. I think I was the only person there alone! Seems to be a fun family day out, buying 12-packs of hot sauce and 20kf bags of rice.
In the end I only had one item in my trolley: a 60c packet of bagels. Frankly too embarrassed to line up at the checkout and pay for them, I searched for a quiet spot to ditch it and run. There was none, so I abandoned it in the frozen food aisle and slipped out, pretending to be part of someone's family group.
So my verdict? I don't know if I will be getting my membership fee's-worth. But I do know when I go back, I'm taking my mum and it will be at a quieter time!
Do you have a Costco membrrship? What do you love about it?
Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm 33 and searching for my passion.
Until then, I slog away in a cubicle working full-time and focus on enjoying my downtime with things like TV (my old friend), movies, twitter, (trying to) cook, reading and hanging out with my hubby. My head is turned by things like vintage homewares, stationery, chocolate and scrapbooking. I blog about whatever takes my fancy.
The $60.00 annual joining fee puts me off, plus most Australian places unlike America do not have Basements or Attics to store bulk items in.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't mean our family doesn't love shopping in bulk we do but we only buy in bulk what we can store without it taking over the unit. We buy our meat in bulk which can last 4 to 6 months, loo paper, cornflakes stuff that will get used all the time.
I wouldn't mind knowing what Costco charge for their meat if they are cheaper then the butchers or actually dearer as when we go to the butchers we spend between $200 to $350 & as stated before that can last us 4 to 6 months with about 6 different meats etc
Where such shows as Extreme Couponing & Extreme Cheapskates show American people getting things in bulk that over take their basements/attic's even crawling into other rooms of the house/unit.
I reckon give Costco about 6 yrs and they will have to close just like most of the Campbells Cash & Carry stores did (although there is one still open around Archiefield somewhere)
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I agree we Aussies are not generally good stockpilers, I watch the same shows you do and also Doomsday Preppers (now those guys know how to store in bulk!). I have room for some things so will be planning to go back and get some staples like flour, rice etc but definiately don't have room for 12 bottles of tomato sauce or whatever.
DeleteI will report back on the meat prices! The meat section was very crowded when I was there so I think there's a lot of interest in it.
You need to go with another mate or two. I totally understand where you are coming from. The first time I went I bought 172 pens. Now I am a bit wiser and stock up on toilet paper, cat food and other boring things.
ReplyDeleteSounds like I need a plan, a list and definiately some company next time!
DeleteI go a couple of times a year and stock up, mainly because we are so far from town, so I might as well buy in bulk. I think the trick is not to be carried away with how cheap things are. Just because it is a great price for 1.2kg of burger rings, doesn't mean that it is a good idea to buy them. I stick to basics such as cleaning products, toiletries, and basic food ingredients, and ignore the giant muffins (they are bigger than my sons head), and the great price on 1000 chuppa chups.
ReplyDeleteThose muffins are to be seen to be believed! And I had to wrestle the 1,000 chuppa chups from my husband :)
DeleteYour way Jo sounds most sensible - I definitely need a list and a good planning session before my next trip! The feedback I'm getting is they are great for bulk staples but I'm guessing they make their margins on the more enticing products :)
DeleteMy parents went last month and they weren't really impressed either. They got a couple of things but the main thing they used was the cheaper petrol.
ReplyDeleteThe line for petrol was unbelievable so I believe a lot of people would agree with your parents! I will take back my hubby and mum and see if I like it any better without a hundred million people jostling me :)
DeleteOh I think it's a fabulous place! However I am very particular about what I buy, and know I've been twice I know what they have, so I can plan accordingly. I avoid all the heavily processed crap and have bought essentials-for-us that include nuts, toilet paper, tissues, tea, some cheeses and meats, some fresh meat, toiletries, and last time a portable hard drive. We also make sure the car needs petrol as it's an excellent price. It's an hour round trip for us, so I think we will probably aim to go 4-5 times a year, and tie it in with visits to that part of Brisbane.
ReplyDeleteI think what you do with the fresh produce and dry goods is most sensible - I don't want 50 packs of chips or lollies but the stuff you use everyday is definitely work a look. I need to educate myself on prices for things like meat and will be making a list of things like loo paper and the like!
DeleteI've been lots of time when we visit the USA. A big tin of cashews is so much cheaper than going to the hotel bar for snacks. I have to agree Northlakes is a mad place. We turned around a few times and went home after it opened. I did get a new A3 scanner I have been looking for at a price I was willing to pay. One thing I did not like was the person on the door demanding to see your membership card. This has never happened with my visits in the USA. Plus they don't have the frozen fruit & Veg and even avocados, like in the US. I would like to try them and save throwing out so many rotten ones.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your comment! We turned around once, hubby just wouldn't even go in the carpark! That is interesting about the US stores not checking membership - this store seem to be Nazis, they even check your trolley and receipt on the way out the door! I won't be looking at fruit and veg there, I do think my local grocer is better for that, but for other everyday items I will be going back and planning what I need next time.
DeleteI joined Costco in Japan and it was great, but I find it less impressive here (I think the prices worked out cheaper there!). I did join for a year here too. There were a few things I liked buying but overall, I don't think I'd join again unless I lived a bit closer (currently an hour away).
ReplyDeleteI think my problem here is that I'm not focussed on doing good shopping and buying things wisely. I just get a bit overexcited about the bulk packs of crap and I spent $200 before I knew it! I thought it might be cheaper to get nappies from there but aldi ended up being cheaper.
I think if you have a plan about what you want to get and don't get sidetracked, it could be alright. But I think I'm best of at Aldi and the local fruit shop.
Ooh - I like this post sarah. I feel the same way. I didn't want to pay the fee. Afetr all, do you pay $60 to but cheap furniture from Ikea? It's not like the $60 helps their buying power - they already have that. The $60 is about repeat business. Anyway, we did pay and we did go and yes, I spent most of the time avoiding the trolleys of large and quite frankly, overweight families. I bought a pumpkin, a 3 pack of excellent NZ butter for my baking some some liquoric for my Mum. Itw ould have been easy to buy so much convenience food but it's a slippery slope. It would be good for large families as far as basic such as paper towel, toilet paper, washing powder etc but I think the value there is outweighed by the high fat, high sugar products that are also popping into their trolley. I doubt we'll be back but may make a visit if catering for a party. We don't live nearby so the petrol's not a lure. We won't be re-newing our membership.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds fair enough! The convenience food and packaged snacks certainly must be a draw for big families but I really want to move away from that in our diet!
DeleteI am going to give it another go with non-perishables and a good plan, but certainly the fuel is a draw for us being quite close - my husband hates lining up for anything though!!