Using Costco More for Groceries

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

I have used our local Walmart for a lot of groceries in recent years, along with some from Target and Sams, and been pretty happy with it. Lately Walmart is often out of things and the produce is not as fresh as it used to be just in the last couple months.

So I've switched mostly to Costco. The quality if far far better, and I usually get what I ordered with fewer substitutions, tons more variety, and they often get here well within 2 hours of ordering. Sams is so close we do pickup and they are almost always stocked and we get what we ordered.

If I do Walmart, is it store delivery, which is a lot better than the other kind. The truck from the store come with real Walmart employees.

The Costco shoppers can text you while shopping if they have any questions, which Target shoppers can do but not Walmart or Sams--'ya gets what 'ya gets! I can get bananas with green in them!!!!!

It is a little more expensive but we don't eat a lot of meat, we don't eat out, and there is just two of us so at this point in life it is worth it.

I thought I would mention this--might be useful review for some of you. I know not everyone wants to do deliveries and pickup, but then a lot of us do, and it's all good!

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

While I like Costco, I'm not interested in large amounts of products to have to store. I don't buy a lot of produce and I don't have room in the fridge for lots of eggs or gallons of milk. DH gets yogurts there and it takes up almost a whole shelf in the refrigerator. They also don't have the variety as far as brands go and I can be quite picky about brands in some products. I just can't imagine using Costco as my main grocery store. I avoid Walmart like the plague, but DH goes there occasionally for Yasso frozen bars. They're consistently about $1 cheaper at Walmart and they carry the tamales I like, so I get him to pick those up on one of his trips when I get low.

I can't speak to shoppers since I don't use them. As much as I dislike trying to pull together all the ingredients for a recipe, I still want to pick out my own food.

I tried buying strawberries at Costco, but they went bad faster than the ones I got at the regular grocery store so I stopped doing that.

SactoSue · ‎06-11-2024

I buy a few food items from Costco: The frozen broccoli, the sous vide egg bites that are like the ones Starbucks sells, the avocado spread.

I never buy their packaged dinner items. The meat in their prepared dinners has gone down in quality and I think the dinners have smaller volumes. Their Burned Ends beef packer is just awful. Very fatty and gristley with little meat. The "sear' is just painted on. I'm sure it's full of salt and artificial flavors, ugh.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@Icegoddess wrote:
While I like Costco, I'm not interested in large amounts of products to have to store. I don't buy a lot of produce and I don't have room in the fridge for lots of eggs or gallons of milk. DH gets yogurts there and it takes up almost a whole shelf in the refrigerator. They also don't have the variety as far as brands go and I can be quite picky about brands in some products. I just can't imagine using Costco as my main grocery store. I avoid Walmart like the plague, but DH goes there occasionally for Yasso frozen bars. They're consistently about $1 cheaper at Walmart and they carry the tamales I like, so I get him to pick those up on one of his trips when I get low.

I can't speak to shoppers since I don't use them. As much as I dislike trying to pull together all the ingredients for a recipe, I still want to pick out my own food.

I tried buying strawberries at Costco, but they went bad faster than the ones I got at the regular grocery store so I stopped doing that.

@Icegoddess It all depends on what you eat I guess. We use a lot of romain lettuce and their small heads are always fresh and crisp. We use one or two almost every day. Their peaches, cherries and strawberries have lasted quite well for us--lucky I guess!

We get some meat there, and rotisserie chickens from Sams, which is near us and easy to get to. Sams and Costo both have decent organic and or grass fed burger meat, and Costo's organic eggs have been good, or Egglands Organic from Walmart.

I love Costo's Kirkland brand salsa and we go through a lot of that for taco salads made with ground very lean turkey, and for putting in soups and beans. I avoided Walmart like the plague before Covid, and then shopped at Whole Foods until roadwork made it impossible.

I have had remarkable good luck from shoppers and I am a very generous tipper. I appreciate what people do for me when they are working. I have not had trouble really getting organic foods since we've done deliveries and pickups, nor in getting fresh produce I am happy with. I don't mind paying extra for good food either--was raised that food is important and nothing to skimp on.

My mom was low carb, little fat in the 1960's and we had our own beef butchered, younger than average and pasture and grain raised. Exactly what you would pay premium if you could get it. Dad's steers often got top dollar at the cattle sales and he treated fed and tended to them very well and was so proud of them.

Produce was mostly from relatives and friends who had big gardens in the warm months. My uncle flooded us with his wonderful strawberries! Those were the days!!!

For me, as a reward I hope never to have to go to a grocery store again. I'm too old to waste precious time like that!

Pooky1 · ‎12-23-2015

Sooner we were going to get a Costco in the same city we live in but that fell through. Nearest Costco is over an hour away. We just have bjs near us. We get our stuff delivered from bjs and from stop and shop.delivery is so worth the extra money but we do d it cheaper because we're not picking up this and that .online we order just need so it works well for us.

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

About 85-90% of our bi-monthly trips to Costco is meat, seafood, fish, butter, & eggs.

The rest are deals for things we see that are usually only there for short periods...like the big boxes of Starbucks holiday blend 72 ct k-cups. We'll get several to last us throughout the year.

wagirl · ‎03-09-2010

I don't have a Costco card--#1 and then #2, I don't have room for bulk buying. Have a tiny refer in my apartment so I can't stock up like I used to do.

ID2 · ‎06-25-2012

We live very rural. Several years ago we got a Costco and its a 2 hour drive (there and back). We LOVE having one this close! Make regular monthy visits!

"Pure Michigan"