[UpNorth]

Been a Costco member for 30 years. When we became snowbirds, got a Sam's membership since the nearest Costco was at least 1 hour away. Tried BJ's a couple of times, but not even close to Sam's. But with the new Costco location, we will likely bump up our membership to Executive level for more benefits. Worth it if you do enough shopping there.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by wayneman

When i compare our needs and wants is Costco really worth it? We have Sam's, our latest membership cost $25. I believe Costco is $65.
We buy ALL our paper products at Sam's. Looked up all the same product types at Costco and they are either more $$ or they don't have a
good choice, like paper towels. Also allergy meds are more at Costco. So i am trying to justify switching! Having both memberships is not
cost prohibitive. Thoughts??

Sam's regular annual membership is $50. I have both Sam's and Costco memberships, but I dropped BJ's. If I had to choose between Sam's and Costco, I would definitely go with Costco. If your allergy medicines are prescription drugs, you don't need a membership to use either Sam's or Costco pharmacies. It is state law.

[Barkriver]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

A regular membership is $65 per year. You don't need to go to Clermont to get a membership or to wait in any line. Do it on their website. See Post No. 39.

The Costco App currently does not list the new Costco in TV, so card purchase is not possible via the app. Clermont is the best option for a card purchase at this point.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Barkriver

The Costco App currently does not list the new Costco in TV, so card purchase is not possible via the app. Clermont is the best option for a card purchase at this point.

My point is that you don't need a physical card to enter or buy products from Costco. You can buy a membership online and use a digital membership card, which does not require a photo or a visit to any Costco warehouse. There is no need to drive to Clermont or to wait in any line. If you want a physical card, you can wait until the lines are no longer long, and get a physical card. But, the physical card doesn't do anything that the digital card can't do.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Ahh phobia with pets? Anytime you are in grocery, cashier wipes the blood off the belt, takes money, do you allow them to bag your groceries? They just touched every item you bought.

Most would worry strangers in my house, puppy runs out the door, can’t find the frozen veggies, is all my groceries in the delivery?

Just to give you piece of mind for home delivery info that you most likely will never experience, but put your mind at ease.

Gloves are used and discarded after each delivery. Protects the person from using hand sanitizer 50+ times a day, putting their immune system at risk.

No phobia. I was a dog owner for nearly 40 years.

Good to know that gloves are used for each delivery. Yes, you are correct......as long as I or hubby can drive, we will not use home delivery.

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

No phobia. I was a dog owner for nearly 40 years.

Good to know that gloves are used for each delivery. Yes, you are correct......as long as I or hubby can drive, we will not use home delivery.

Gloves are for employees protection, not the consumer home. They use a keypad to enter house, or garage, then touch refrigerator, freezer, cabinet and pantry handles. Employees are subject to handles that could be previously touched by sick kids, adults, and just everyday grime.

Applying hand sanitizer 40-60 times a day, strips sebum natural oils that are to protect the skin, blocking bacteria from entering tissues.
Health care workers actually have a higher rate of illness, not because of patient exposure, but washing hands more than 60 times a day.

So gloves are very important to keep healthy delivery employees.

10 years ago I figured it took me more than 3 hours a week to grocery shop at two different sites. From drive, shop, stand in checkout. Our stock orders arrive at my front door in hours every Friday Morning 6am. Our 3 kids are coming next week, ordering their needs on my standard order. More quality time, and nothing missing. I really don’t need to touch everything on my list, it’s the same bag every week. My mom scoffed at home delivery, until I sent her first order. Now you couldn’t get her to waste time in a grocery for a winning lottery ticket. Instead she spends more time with friends

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Gloves are for employees protection, not the consumer home. They use a keypad to enter house, or garage, then touch refrigerator, freezer, cabinet and pantry handles. Employees are subject to handles that could be previously touched by sick kids, adults, and just everyday grime.

Applying hand sanitizer 40-60 times a day, strips sebum natural oils that are to protect the skin, blocking bacteria from entering tissues.
Health care workers actually have a higher rate of illness, not because of patient exposure, but washing hands more than 60 times a day.

So gloves are very important to keep healthy delivery employees.

10 years ago I figured it took me more than 3 hours a week to grocery shop at two different sites. From drive, shop, stand in checkout. Our stock orders arrive at my front door in hours every Friday Morning 6am. Our 3 kids are coming next week, ordering their needs on my standard order. More quality time, and nothing missing. I really don’t need to touch everything on my list, it’s the same bag every week. My mom scoffed at home delivery, until I sent her first order. Now you couldn’t get her to waste time in a grocery for a winning lottery ticket. Instead she spends more time with friends

Different strokes for different folks.. It takes us about 30 minutes to shop, leave the store and arrive back home. No extra cost, tipping, no errors in orders and we don't have to get up before dawn for exercise. Definitely would consider having others trying to do our shopping if we become disabled, too old or were still working and had no spare time.

I've watched the people doing this shopping and for the most part they're conscientious but then there are always a few who make it clear they'd rather be doing something else.

As in everything else, we all have choices and no one way is superior to the other.

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by Aces4

Different strokes for different folks.. It takes us about 30 minutes to shop, leave the store and arrive back home. No extra cost, tipping, no errors in orders and we don't have to get up before dawn for exercise. Definitely would consider having others trying to do our shopping if we become disabled, too old or were still working and had no spare time.

I've watched the people doing this shopping and for the most part they're conscientious but then there are always a few who make it clear they'd rather be doing something else.

As in everything else, we all have choices and no one way is superior to the other.

Our call ours were 30 days on 7 days off. I could return home at times, but spouse was on property for solid 30 days. Up north Kroger was our go to, plus deliver to the hospital, so win win.

My Covid 60 hour weeks, Kroger guy was the only person I saw outside of work for 18 months. Spouse was safely in TV while i returned to work up north. 95% of Covid health care had as much as possible delivered, to avoid the possibility of passing on to the public. Many were not symptomatic and in the early days there was no testing.

I am not a fan of Publix, WD, definitely not Aldi. Kroger Delivery in TV, is not only efficient, but cost is less than walking in any Publix. (Our 3 kids are appalled at the prices in Publix)
Never had a missing item, delivery on time. Actually grocery bill is probably less than most, no impulse buying.
If there was a Brick Kroger I would drive an hour like we did Costco Claremont, just to avoid walking in a Publix. We drive to Trader Joe’s and WF’s to shop, so if the store is worth my time I do in person shopping

I know tipping for some in TV is a sore point. Kroger doesn’t allow tipping. Once Costco opens same day delivery to avoid the masses for a couple months is well worth the 5 minutes to place the order. Hopefully same day will be as efficient as up north.
My app scans any item I use and goes to my cart for Kroger or Costco. So never have the I forget ________.

I am out running between 3-4am every morning, then laps, like clockwork every week wave to the Kroger person. Sorbet frozen better than if I travel 10 minutes to grocery. I equate out grocery delivery to those who hire house cleaners. Sometimes you just have better use of time

[PilotAlan]

Costco does have self checkout. Everyone in Colorado has them, including the new build that opened 6 months ago.
I don’t know how they decide which/when existing stores get upgraded, but I would expect a new store to have it.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by PilotAlan

Costco does have self checkout. Everyone in Colorado has them, including the new build that opened 6 months ago.
I don’t know how they decide which/when existing stores get upgraded, but I would expect a new store to have it.

Self checkout or Scan and Go?

With self checkout I stand in line waiting for my opportunity to use the handheld device to scan my items and then the credit card reader to pay for them.

With Scan and Go I stand to the side and use my phone to scan the items and pay for them. No lines, no devices, no reader.

[Boilerman]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Self checkout or Scan and Go?

With self checkout I stand in line waiting for my opportunity to use the handheld device to scan my items and then the credit card reader to pay for them.

With Scan and Go I stand to the side and use my phone to scan the items and pay for them. No lines, no devices, no reader.

Some Costcos have self checkout. None have scan and go (although Costco says they doing some testing with scan and go at a few of their stores.)

[UpNorth]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Self checkout or Scan and Go?

With self checkout I stand in line waiting for my opportunity to use the handheld device to scan my items and then the credit card reader to pay for them.

With Scan and Go I stand to the side and use my phone to scan the items and pay for them. No lines, no devices, no reader.

Not a deal breaker for me. Costco lines move along pretty quickly. Aldis are even faster.

[Nana2Teddy]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Our call ours were 30 days on 7 days off. I could return home at times, but spouse was on property for solid 30 days. Up north Kroger was our go to, plus deliver to the hospital, so win win.

My Covid 60 hour weeks, Kroger guy was the only person I saw outside of work for 18 months. Spouse was safely in TV while i returned to work up north. 95% of Covid health care had as much as possible delivered, to avoid the possibility of passing on to the public. Many were not symptomatic and in the early days there was no testing.

I am not a fan of Publix, WD, definitely not Aldi. Kroger Delivery in TV, is not only efficient, but cost is less than walking in any Publix. (Our 3 kids are appalled at the prices in Publix)
Never had a missing item, delivery on time. Actually grocery bill is probably less than most, no impulse buying.
If there was a Brick Kroger I would drive an hour like we did Costco Claremont, just to avoid walking in a Publix. We drive to Trader Joe’s and WF’s to shop, so if the store is worth my time I do in person shopping

I know tipping for some in TV is a sore point. Kroger doesn’t allow tipping. Once Costco opens same day delivery to avoid the masses for a couple months is well worth the 5 minutes to place the order. Hopefully same day will be as efficient as up north.
My app scans any item I use and goes to my cart for Kroger or Costco. So never have the I forget ________.

I am out running between 3-4am every morning, then laps, like clockwork every week wave to the Kroger person. Sorbet frozen better than if I travel 10 minutes to grocery. I equate out grocery delivery to those who hire house cleaners. Sometimes you just have better use of time

I’m very intrigued by this as we do shop at Publix in Magnolia Plaza and it’s crazy how busy it’s become just since our arrival in 2022 because of the growth down in Middleton and Eastport area. We shop the BOGOs and sales mostly so we don’t feel like we’re spending too much.

We were Ralph’s (Kroger) and TJ's shoppers at our former home in SoCal with both just five minutes from us in the same shopping center. We miss them a lot. Costco was a monthly trip if there were items in the monthly savings book that we wanted or needed. That was 15 minutes from home. Maybe we’ll try home delivery with Kroger and Costco.

We shop TJ's occasionally as part of a Disney day trip since we rarely stay at a park for a full day, but back home in SoCal it was our main weekly store, with Ralph’s being just a supplement when needed. We really miss having TJ's close to home.

[Nana2Teddy]

Originally Posted by Aces4

As I said, we all have choices. Some of the best use of time we have is stepping into the store, selecting groceries we want and will be eating. I like the Publix stores and they have nicer choices and selections than Kroger, IMHO. I will admit they are slightly more expensive but it is our food and that's a priority for good health to us. We aren't impulse shoppers and you'll never wave to us at that time of the morning while you are running. We will be sleeping so we are fresh and energetic for the day. I admire your committment to your schedule and aren't you happy we all don't do that? Think how crowded that road would be for you... choices!

I’m a night owl so I’m definitely not a morning lark. Most days if I’m out of bed by nine that’s a major accomplishment, lol. Hubby beats me by an hour, so he enjoys peace and quiet for breakfast and reading the paper before I’m up and making my breakfast. Works for us. 😊

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by UpNorth

Not a deal breaker for me. Costco lines move along pretty quickly. Aldis are even faster.

Scan and Go is not a deal breaker as long as the lines aren’t too bad. On the other hand, zero line beats a pretty quick line every day.