1) PULLED rotisserie chicken - so delicious and does great in the freezer

2) Charmin toilet tissue that is 4" wide rather than 3 1/2 " wide. The ONLY place on earth that has this size. The toilet paper stays on the holder without moving left to right

3) Soft soap with lotion in it. I have not seen this in any store anywhere else around here

4) Frozen Phillips crab cakes (superior quality than the Phillips crab cakes at BJ's) more huge chunks of crab and firmer texture. Costco has higher standards for their products that they sell in their warehouse.

We have a long list of items we purchase at Costco.......Kirkland products are excellent!

For us, it is a fun day to take a ride. We go to Wesley Chapel Costco and make a good part of the day of it. We go to lunch at Cheddars. I surely wish Cheddars would come to The Villages. They would certainly be very successful here.

According to hubby (he does all the driving to Costco)......
Altamonte Springs is not the easiest ride. Altemonte Springs, via 441 and lots of stop lights, is 1hour and 15 minutes; 45 miles

Wesley Chapel, via I75, 1 hour 8 minutes; 66 miles

Orlando near Mall of Millenia via Turnpike is 1 hour and 10 minutes; 56 miles

Clermont via Turnpike is 53 minutes; 42 miles

Have I told you............I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Costco.

Agree with your response! We were just at Wesley Chapel yesterday. Looking forward to the opening! Gas was $2.79

I bought 3 bottles of single malt scotch a couple of summers ago at the Altamonte Springs Costco while visiting our son in Longwood. Put them in the bin we have in the back of the SUV and made several other stops before returning home. At the last stop we discovered a strong smell. It seems the heat expanded the scotch and blew the tops off (luckily the bin stopped it from spilling onto the carpet). Returned to the liquor dept., and they called the manager. He looked at the bottles and apologized for the inconvenience, and replaced the 3 bottles at around $80 each. I also bought a watch for my wife with a jeweled bracelet. A year later one of the stones fell out, and they only had the display model left. They offered me the display watch or a full refund with no questions asked, and I didn't even have the receipt. Those are a couple of the many reasons we love going to Costco. Also love the hot dogs and pizza!

And if you are REALLY smart, you order it all from Costco to be DELIVERED to you here at your house in TV with NO shopping, travel time. Do it all the time.

costco
 

It is beyond me why Costco hasn't built a store close to The Villages. Seems like a no brainer.

Blame it on Sams and BJ.

Last thing needed is a Costco.

So what. One doesn’t have anything to do with the other.

We LOVE Costco
 

I'm no longer amazed at the number of people who dislike/criticize Costco, based primarily on the fact that their employees are paid so well (comparatively) and treated so decently. Even if a specific item might be found cheaper at a Sam's/BJ's/Etc., the difference in the average Costco employee's positive attitude and helpfulness, compared to its competition - is legendary.

Costco Jobs Come With a Number of Perks, According to Employees

Very true. We have met many Costco employees over the years who have worked for the company for 15+ years, and are happy and helpful. Sam's Club? Typical disgruntled Wal-Mart staffers.

Skip the Turnpike. Alternate route would be CR470 to CR33 down to Marcotte and Highway 50. Easy drive.

[QUOTE=I enjoy going to Costco for the friendly staff, great return policy, and savings on many items we buy routinely. You can be well fed with their many free food and drink samples, $1.50 hot dog with Soda, complete broasted chicken for $4.99, and extra large pizza for under $10. They also have 90 day no-questions return policy on TV’s and other Electronics. Most other items have two year warranties.

On top of the above savings their gas prices are typically twenty cents below market and you save an additional 2 percent on gas if you use their credit card./QUOTE]

Yep, let's pay that $60 membership fee and drive 80 miles round trip so we will be able to get that finger licking good hot Broasted chicken for $4.99 and fill up the gas tank for 20 cents less than gas stations in The Villages (except Sam's and BJ's). Of course, we will have to reheat the chicken and freeze the leftovers when we get back.

Only about 3 hours of my time and about $20 for fuel, and car costs at $.26/mile.

But I got my 2 gallon can of green beans, 4 inch wide TP, and Softsoap with lotion.
Next week we get the $1.50 Hotdog and soda and another TV that we can take back. And more gas. Never thought I could save so much money.

You don't even need a receipt for a return at Costco. All purchases are tracked via your member ID, and they can pull it up instantly. Also, if you need a copy of a receipt you no longer have, like for a rebate, they can print a duplicate long after the time of purchase.

If you live in the same household.

Costco advertised they were coming to The Villages back in 2012, when we moved to The Villages. Are they FINALLy moving here because we now have two membership stores and we proved they should have keep their original word.

They are not coming to TV, they are building in Clermont.

Why take CR33 instead of Rt. 27?

Their business plan and operating model are different from Sam's and BJ's so all that was proved is that Sam's and BJ's models fit The Villages.

We don’t need a Costco now.

Lake Sumter to Costco via 27 no turnpike = 54 min (42.3 miles)

As far as I know....Coscto will not deliver perishables to The Villages.

Costco - Clermont, FL (NEW Store) - Hours & Weekly Ad

You can find the Clermont Costco info… just search for “Costco Clermont Florida”. You can watch for updates there.

took ours up north about 10 months

Clermont Living - Costco Opening a New Location in Clermont, Fl.https://youtu.be/hoD5dPlFtBg

WRONG! I order meat from them all the time.

About 45 minutes and $3.00 in tolls. Not as close as I had hoped for when wishing for a Villages Costco.

We order from Costco every 4-5 weeks. If you have enough frozen, perishable items they will deliver them for FREE. We buy meat, butter etc. It comes in a box with heavy insulation and bottles of frozen water. We noticed our last order after removing our items we put the box in the garage. Three days later the bottles of water were still frozen! So don't worry about them delivering and you are not home at the time. Also, can I say BJ's has been a BIG disappointment!!! Waste of membership money. Any sale item is for ONE ITEM ONLY. The second item is regular price. If sale items are depleted they don't restock until the sale is over.
Costco member for 35 years.

Can't wait! 20-25 min to Sams from St Catherine 40 min to Claremont ---- worth the extra 15-20 min ride especially for the cheap Top Tier Gasoline plus the unique and Kirkland brand items

Wait! What? You've *NEVER* been to a Costco? Luddite? There are very good deals and bulk packaging. I can get a gallon of milk for what a half-gallon costs at the local grocery, and a two-pack of bread loaves for the price of one at the local grocery. Windshield wipers were only $8 each on sale as opposed to $30 at the auto store. The pizza / food court is really inexpensive but limited. Tires are a good deal, gasoline is an excellent deal - usually 20 cents to 30 cents less a gallon than the local gas station. It is very difficult to leave there without spending over $100 and closer to $200. The rotisserie chickens are very big and $4.99 while a scrawny one at the local grocery chain is $6.99. A 24 roll pack of Charmin is about $24, but that is the cost of a 12 roll pack at my local grocery. A flat of water bottles is $2.99.

Those are just examples. While you may not be over impressed the first time you go, once you go regularly you will see the patterns of seasonal offerings and the deals they represent, as well as get used to the products you like and where to find them in the store.

I really like the ones (rare!) that have the $6.99 drive thru car wash attached. Oh, and alcohol prices are unbeatable. Even their name brands, if you do research or read some labels very closely, are the premier name brands you would normally buy only relabeled.

I saw a business insider show/documentary/expose one time on Costco. Ya know the secret to their very low prices? They essentially sell everything at their operating and procurement costs.

Their business model is memberships. They make their money not on the products they sell, but on the memberships they sell. They will always be able to sell for less than everyone else with that model because they are essentially selling at cost - and with their volume and market control and distribution network, that cost will always be lower than anyone else's. Their ownership of the trucks, the warehouses, the stores, the land, etc. insures them maximum control over costs, operating procedures, and quality.

Nope, they make their profit on the annual membership fee, and use their product pricing to fuel people buying and keeping memberships.

Fairly unique, I would say, and explains why they can do what Sam's and BJ's just cannot.

Do not know if this is true but years ago someone who worked for a company that was a big supplier to Sam's said they do the same thing.

They cap their prices at 14% above cost. And they obviously buy in huge volumes so you can be pretty sure that you are getting a good price no matter what you buy.

I guess I was incorrect. Hubby told me he looked at ordering perishables and the site said we lived too far for that delivery. Which Costo location delivers perishables to you in The Villages?

Many thanks for this reply. That is wonderful to know.

Altamonte Springs delivers to 32162. I just received a box of meats this Tuesday morning. It is sent 2 day Fed Ex and depending on how big your box is, you get between 1/2 and almost a case of "16oz frozen H20 bottles that keep it fresh. I figure they are a bonus since I just stick them in the back fridge for delivery/yard people, especially when hot out.

You will not see a Costco in TV. We do not fit their marketing dynamics plan. They want large families. I realize Sams is here but Costco puts them in the dirt with quality and service.

Been shopping at Costco for thirty five years. They put Sams and BJ's in the dirt. Their quality and assortment of items is far better. Also their checkout is so fast it is hard to believe. It is a result of employee training, their pay scales and requirements for being an employee. The employees at Costco actually enjoy working there.