[Serenoa]

In the other post about what stores/services TV is missing I see many repeated requests for a Costco store. I didn't want to hijack that thread by asking there, but what exactly is the fascination with Costco? I can understand how a Costco / Sam's might be popular with families who can save by buying mass quantities of food staples, but I can't imagine that being practical or appealing for retirees. We have a Costco here in B'ham & yes, it may be a nicer store than Sam's but we still can't see that their prices justify the annual membership cost. What are we missing? I've always suspected that these membership "wholesale" clubs were just a marketing ploy to make consumers think they were getting an extra good deal. Am I wrong?

[HMLRHT1]

We find that Costco has more unique things such as x-mas decorations. It is not so much the bulk items ( but we do get TP, paper towels and napkins and other smaller bulk things like peanut butter ) the frozen foods are very good as well as a lot of their bakery items. I suppose the number one thing about Costco is it's always clean and their employees are always very helpful and courteous. So I and my wife believe that a Costco here in The Villages would be very welcomed as well as being open to the surrounding communities.

[HMLRHT1]

Originally Posted by HMLRHT1

We find that Costco has more unique things such as x-mas decorations. It is not so much the bulk items ( but we do get TP, paper towels and napkins and other smaller bulk things like peanut butter ) the frozen foods are very good as well as a lot of their bakery items. I suppose the number one thing about Costco is it's always clean and their employees are always very helpful and courteous. So I and my wife believe that a Costco here in The Villages would be very welcomed as well as being open to the surrounding communities.

Also I would add that Costco pays their employees a lot better than most if not all retail. It would be a plus for all on the economic side.

[graciegirl]

I like Sams and Costco. We have bought outdoor urns, a birdbath, an outdoor fountain, a nativity scene for a gift. Lots of gift packaged candies and nuts over time for customers and now for some friends here in the Villages at Christmas time. I buy a lot of meat at Sams. I will buy large packages of chicken breasts and put them in freezer bags in threes for us, ditto ground beef, and steaks and they have great baby back ribs. Their cookies and pies and cakes are WONDERFUL and much less expensive than at grocery stores. You can get a huge and yummy sheet cake for less than twenty dollars. Wrapping paper in bulk, high quality Christmas ornaments and other accessories for the home. Rugs, even mattresses. Sometimes their fresh fruits and vegetables are packages in too big a quantity, but I have a friend who will share.


At Costco we have purchased beautiful wooden shelving units for a room in Cincinnati, a chair, and canned goods, spices, meat and fresh vegetables. At both places their freezer entrees are good.


They both have huge buying power and as a result the savings are passed onto the consumer.


We have purchased clothing and books at both places and TV's and small appliances. They stand behind what they sell, so if you have a problem they will refund or exchange. Kitty litter and kitty food. TP, paper towels, napkins, great deals on holiday paper/plastic plates. We make a run to Sams about once a month. I think people don't quite understand about the bigger quantities. We always can break it down.


I don't work for Sams or Costco either.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I like Sams and Costco. We have bought outdoor urns, a birdbath, an outdoor fountain, a nativity scene for a gift. Lots of gift packaged candies and nuts over time for customers and now for some friends here in the Villages at Christmas time. I buy a lot of meat at Sams. I will buy large packages of chicken breasts and put them in freezer bags in threes for us, ditto ground beef, and steaks and they have great baby back ribs. Their cookies and pies and cakes are WONDERFUL and much less expensive than at grocery stores. You can get a huge and yummy sheet cake for less than twenty dollars. Wrapping paper in bulk, high quality Christmas ornaments and other accessories for the home. Rugs, even mattresses. Sometimes their fresh fruits and vegetables are packages in too big a quantity, but I have a friend who will share.


At Costco we have purchased beautiful wooden shelving units for a room in Cincinnati, a chair, and canned goods, spices, meat and fresh vegetables. At both places their freezer entrees are good.


They both have huge buying power and as a result the savings are passed onto the consumer.


We have purchased clothing and books at both places and TV's and small appliances. They stand behind what they sell, so if you have a problem they will refund or exchange. Kitty litter and kitty food. TP, paper towels, napkins, great deals on holiday paper/plastic plates. We make a run to Sams about once a month. I think people don't quite understand about the bigger quantities. We always can break it down.


I don't work for Sams or Costco either.

I have found that buying selected items, that won't perish or go stale, to be a hugh savings over time. There are some items that may be cheaper in lesser quantities, at supermarkets but overall, Sam's club is the better deal. I like Sam's in that it is kept clean and organized. That is important to me, as I can't stand any store where items are strewed around. My tendency would be to leave. ASAP

I can see belonging to both, Sam's and Costo's, as it would not be cost effective as they carry very similar items. I hope someone's point of view, can enlighten me.

[JB in TV]

Additionally to what Gracie and others have said, Costco is a great place to buy electronics, such as laptops, TVs, cell phones, etc..besides very competitive pricing, they extend the manufacturer's warranty by an additional year, and offer direct phone concierge service for these items. I believe Costco has a better return/satisfaction policy than Sam's on all other items, but I am not 100% sure. Also, Costco's gas pricing is almost always lower than any surrounding gas stations (as is Sams). We have memberships to both Sam's and Costco, do shop at Sams, but prefer Costco. We believe that the Costco employees provide a higher level of customer service to customers than Sams

EDIT: As 2BNTV questioned, these stores carry different brands/items in many cases.

[laceylady]

I find that you can count on anything bought in Costco being of excellent quality and a. Better price than elsewhere. We bought leafgard gutters for our home in WA state as well as several cars through Costco programs. Also, as stated in a previous post, computers, TVs, printers, etc. i wish they had one here. Went in Sam's club once and was not impressed.

We Love Costco! We found Sams to be lower quality. Costco quality and customer service is awesome. You can tell Costco employees are paid well and have great benefits, just the kind of store we like to support!

[asianthree]

gas is less, wine is less, scrips can be less, we have both costco and sams, its not about bulk its about everyday things at a better price,,,so a fixed income goes a long way

[LittleDog]

When in NJ we were members of Costco and BJ's. We found that we preferred Costco for electronics and household items. We like BJ's for the food as we found that the quantities for sale were not bulk items where you had to buy large items and BJ's had smaller packages which were just right for 2 people. So for food BJ's was better but for other items we liked Costco.

John

[Madelaine Amee]

We shop Sam's, we would shop Costco too if there was one. There are just two of us, but we have worked out what works for us. Buy laundry detergent, toilet paper, cleaning supplies just two or three times a year. Buy meat, get really good roast beef, cut it in half and freeze. Pork, chicken, fish the same. We like cheese, buy huge blocks of cheese. They sell Legal Seafood New England Chowder which we love, also buy their frozen double packs of ravioli - one packet gives us two servings, so four meals for under $10.00. We also buy their milk. This past week milk in Publix was over $4.00, Sam's milk is still somewhere around $2.40ish for a gallon. We eat a lot of raw nuts and their almonds and walnuts in large quantities are a great buy. We have purchased Jack Nicklaus golf shirts in there for $17.00 a piece! We are retired and have the time to browse and if you browse that store you will find numerous ways to save money. Have you seen the price of their baby aspirin? Unbelievable. Shopping the big box stores is an art form, if you go crazy you can buy a load of stuff which you don't need!!!

[Steve & Deanna]

We have Costco very near us where we live in VT. They are top-rated by a 'leading consumer magazine' and part of that is customer service. We've used them from books, movies (but check Amazon), food, eyeglasses...and the list goes on and on.

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by HMLRHT1

We find that Costco has more unique things such as x-mas decorations. It is not so much the bulk items ( but we do get TP, paper towels and napkins and other smaller bulk things like peanut butter ) the frozen foods are very good as well as a lot of their bakery items. I suppose the number one thing about Costco is it's always clean and their employees are always very helpful and courteous. So I and my wife believe that a Costco here in The Villages would be very welcomed as well as being open to the surrounding communities.

They pay their employes well , provide pension and health benefits.

[l2ridehd]

Costco product quality is better then Sam's of B J's. Everything I have bought there has been an excellent value. If you need anything from tires, TV's, to bagels and ice cream, the value and quality is there. I can not say that about the other two.

[alanmcdonald]

Where we live in Georgia the Costco is closer than Sam's, but we are members of both. I prefer Costco for electronics and generic over the counter medicines I take.

Sam's has the Christmas shortbread cookies my mother loves.

I'm sure we will keep our Sam's membership when we get to TV full time, but not sure about Costco, it's quite a trip to Orlando just for shopping. (I will have to get the Vizio 5.1 home theater with wireless rear speakers and subwoofer at Costco before we leave!)