Reply #22: I LOVE my Costco membership....

[mike_c]

I live ALONE, but I still do at least fifty percent of my shopping at Costco, often more. As far as the commercial quantities are concerned, there are many items that I use all the time, so why not buy them in bulk at a fraction of the supermarket price? So if I buy, say, a sixpack of canned tomatoes, that's OK-- they sit on my pantry shelf until I use them, but I can COUNT on needing cans of tomatoes during the next couple of months, so it makes sense to buy them this way. I have 30 or so rolls of toilet paper stacked on a shelf-- I can count on using TP regularly, so why not buy it once or twice a year rather than every week? I have a case of apple juice in my pantry-- I drink a bottle every few days, so it's there when I want it. And so on.

I buy most of my clothing at Costco too-- I paid $19.95 recently for a pair of running shoes that would have cost several times as much at the mall. Ditto for shirts, pants, sweaters, etc. The prices are remarkable, and even if I don't buy clothing often, I DO occasionally need new shirts, etc. Same for things like small appliances-- I bought my coffee grinder at Costco and paid half the price I'd have paid elsewhere.

I used to think a Costco membership wasn't worth it because who needs to buy things in quantity, but that has turned out to be the best reason to actually have the membership-- I buy things that I KNOW I'll use, and store them until I do. The only thing I generally don't buy at Costco are fresh fruits and veggies because I can't use them fast enough. But damned nearly everything else works-- it's MUCH less expensive in the long run.