dlq04

I've never been to one either. Yep, closest is about 30 miles away. We have a Sam's which is only a couple miles away. I go there maybe twice a year. The wife goes more often because they do stock some foods she likes.

Kyras

I have a Sam's about 8 miles from me and the Costco is about 21 miles away. I go to both but to Costco more often. Sam's sells some brands that Costco doesn't such as Caress soap and Torani syrups. I usually go to Sam's to buy their store made sourdough bread. Costco has top tier gas at a better price than anywhere else. ​​​​​I won't put Sam's gas in my cars. I have mattresses, furniture, a washer, a dryer, a fountain, auto tires and PCs I bought at Costco. I also use Amazon a lot.

poorshoeless

We shopped at Costco weekly, but rarely during the weekend. We found their protein and fruit selection are excellent. We also get their rotisserie chicken to cut and freeze as treats for our three girls. With both children away to college, that weekly trip will change in the coming month.

Lainey

Costo is not close to us, we have a different wholesale outlet. It's never been a place we shop. We'd be passing by quite a few grocery stores to get there, it's near a local mall, so there is traffic. We went a couple times, but often we just didn't need the stuff in the quantities they sold, it was more trouble than it's worth.

Rick does the groceries and watches for sales items in the store he shops in. He will stock up then. We don't run to different stores to save a few bucks. Not worth our time. Gas is purchased at a Mobile station near our home. Convenience.

cosmomiller

Was a Price Club member when Costco merged. I have been to Costcos in Europe, Mexico and all over the states including home base in Kirkland WA. Bought a new electric shaver there when I was working the Orient! Much better than Sams for us. Almost all our meals are from scratch and the larger quantities at much lower prices help a lot. We do have extra reefers and freezers and we vacuum seal many meals. We do go through the giant bags of four as we make our own bread, crackers, rolls and buns. I might add we found a 30 lb bag of this particular high quality flour that was $17 at the Business Costco in Sacramento. I kid you not, Walmart had the identical flour but 15lb bags for $85. That is right, we got the same amount of flour for $17 that cost $170 at Walmart (online only)
The produce is outstanding but that is because we live in the produce factory of the USA and world: California Valley. What ever we cannot eat at half the price a Safeway or Raleys has, the goats and chickens eat! Tons of fruit, vegetables too numerous to outline. Dog food is a big plus as we have 3 dogs. People remark how healthy and shiny the coats are on the black lab (12) and Giant Schnauzer (4). 40lb Kirkland Dog food for $33 goes into the free feeder box as our dogs eat whenever they want. The two big dogs can be left for a couple of weeks without supervision to protect the 5 acres.
I enjoy seeing the different products other Costcos have. Clam vacuums in Portland. Ocean gear in Monterey. Full size drums of hydraulic fluid in Boise. Asian food in south Sacramento. Commercial food at the Business center (no booze or clothes there) in Sacramento proper. Reno has 2 and one is giant with all kinds of food service items. You can even get fresh octopus from Spain! We go there to get the roasts for our 20 plus family Thanksgiving and Christmas get togethers. Hunting and camping in Anchorage. 3 different wine selections at 3 Tuscon Costcos! Cheap, medium and what I drink. During an anniversary trip to Puerto Vallarta, staying at a condo, the wife and I went to the local Costco there and stocked up on meat and fish to cook. It was like being back at the USA except for Mexican deserts like the flan pie I got. Superior quality all around.
Our local Costco is actually a little smaller than most but it is convenient with the cheapest gas around and 4% back on my business Visa card. Easy to pop in for milk or produce. I am on first name basis with most front employees. Heck, I made a killing on the stock a few years back. Actually wished I held on to it!
The stock was lower and I was puzzled as I understood the business model pretty well. What happened? I dug and discovered Costco took a big charge to improve facilities which on paper killed profits. No problems with the business. I went all in.

S2KRAY

The nearest Costco is 60 miles away. We go to BJ’s which is 15 miles away. We go early as they open 1 hour early for senior shoppers. They have regular check out and self check out. Never a problem with long lines. They also have discounted gas and liquors. We have been lobbying for a store in our beach area especially with all of the new developments being built here. We are inundated with people from New York and Jersey because of much lower property taxes and no sales tax.

robb

I hope taxes stay low for you Ray. It used to be that way here but it has changed drastically. In addition to taxes going up here they keep coming up with new taxes. Now they are talking about a seventy cent per gallon heating tax on top of an education tax that is almost as much as our property tax and properties in my town are getting reassessed this fall.

Heyitsgary

We've had a Sam's and Costco in our area. The Sam's shut down a number of years ago.

For 2 of us, it's convenient to stock up yearly on paper plates, plastic forks, paper towels and a few things that we really do use enough of. However, unless we were having a BBQ or dinner with people, buying most of the other stuff made no sense - even with a vacuum sealer. However, the less you really need/buy from there, the more the yearly fee is a hindrance. Now, I just bug a friend with a membership. "Here's $15, buy me a box of plastic forks please."

zeroptzero

To be honest I never liked the taste of their roasted chickens. I know they are mamoth and well priced, but they add some kind of flavourig to the chicken. I think they inject it with some kind of flavouring liquid, it seems overly juicy when you cut into it.

engifineer

We used to get some Tomatillo salsa at Costco that I loved.