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Costco - I'm blaming TUG

Sandy VDH

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I've heard stories of people buying seasonal items and then returning them after the season is over, so that they do not have to store them and they get new ones the next season. Unlike most stores however, Costco has a history of everything you have ever purchased and what price you paid for it, and if you returned it. So they can revoke memberships for those who abuse their policy, but my experience is that they are very liberal.
 

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The only thing keeping me from living full time in Hilton Head is the lack of a Costco! It's been rumored for years, but who knows.



I can claim getting to shop at FedMart as a child too. My favorite part...the giant long and skinny bag of freshly popped popcorn for 35 cents that my mom would buy for us to keep us occupied. She was allowed to get a membership at the time as she was taking classes at a California State college....membership was limited to federal and state employees (plus state college students apparently).

We shopped at something called Fedco when I was a kid. We'd get fresh carmel popcorn as we exited the store. Our Fedco flooded when the Baldwin Hills damn burst in the early-mid sixties. I believe they cleaned it up and we continued to shop there until Gemco opened nearer to us in the early seventies.
 

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Too funny. I am one of the folks who also not like sour anything.
I can do sour, but don't serve me anything with a bitter taste! And I unfortunately have a well developed sense of bitter and can taste it when Cliff can't. I regularly have to pick certain greens out of restaurant salads. I pass those on to Cliff, and he unloads his cucumbers on me.
 

easyrider

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LOL. We did the same. Moved our 55 to the BR and got a new 65 to replace it. In retrospect a new 75 would have been better! I probably should stay out of Costco until this urge goes away!!

I want a new 75 inch with all the tech, but sadly, I have been told many times, I have to wait until the death of our 12 year old 55 inch Samsung plasma set. Its still works like new.

Bill
 

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Wow, I can remember when it was called Price Club, that was many, many years ago or maybe decades ago.

Plus, I liked Costco because it treats their employees well. IMO.
I am such a Costco junkie. Love almost everything I buy there. The citi card came in handy when I broke my leg prior to a tour to Greece. On a whim, I called and they totally reimbursed my tour cost. It was the one time I had not taken travel insurance.
 

easyrider

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A well placed water spill can fix that.

I did unplug the power from the back of the tv a couple of years ago. I had the ok to get my new tv. My son came over and fixed it in front of my wife. They are all on to my shenanigans, lol.

Bill
 

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JanM, I had to laugh at your post. We lived in Seattle in the 1980's and were regulars at Costco. My "grocery shopping" was anything but! I never got out of there spending less than $300 on a trip to buy "staples" for the family. My weak spot was bargains in electronics, my husband liked garden supplies/equipment. We've kept our membership over the years, even after moving to an area where the closest Costco is 2.5 hours away. We shop Costco online and when we travel. We love perusing the aisles for things we didn't know we can't live without. When we're in Mexico or California or Washington or Arizona or Virginia or Florida or... we always seem to pick up that damn rotisserie chicken and a calm shell of salad fixings for dinner!
 

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I found Costco car rental to almost always be the cheapest.
We, too, have rented vehicles through Costco, but it's not always the cheapest. We find it useful to check also with autoslash...and with USAA, if that's available to you. We have also found excellent rates from Hertz in Spain when renting a year or 13 months in advance (renting early is good, as we can always cancel if our plans change or don't materialize).
 

Sandy VDH

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Costco car rentals do come with a free additional driver. So if you are having that, you might consider Costco.
 

bobpark56

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I am an amateur tequila snob. This is pretty good tequila. I have drank it straight no worries. For the price, you can’t beat it.
Good mezcal these days works the same way. But you drink it with a wedge of orange (naranja), not limon (lime).
 

bobpark56

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I enjoyed the OP's comments.

You aren't a serious Costco member until you find yourself trying to time your visits so that you can max out on the "treats" (most people call them samples). My wife and I sometimes do the "Costco lunch" with all the goodies available.

Yes, the pizza is quite good. But I didn't see you mention the rotisserie chickens or the danishes. (We had to stop off today on our way home to pick up cheese danishes and cherry danishes. I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.)
We find the stuffed bell peppers to be quite good in our area (SW PA).
 

bobpark56

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Jan: make sure you have the executive membership and the Costco Credit Card. 2% back on the executive membership. On the Costco Credit Card you get 4% back on all gas purchases (whether Costco or other gas), 3% back on restaurants and certain travel expenses, 2% back on all Costco purchases put on the credit card (this is on top of the 2% for being an executive member), and 1% on all other items put on the credit card. When you get your check at the end of the year from CITI do not use it to pay for Costco purchases (you are giving up the 2% for COSTCO purchases on the credit card). Go to the membership desk and they will either give you cash or write you a check you can deposit into your bank account. When you get your check back from Costco (separate from your CITI Check) buy a $20 item and they will give you the cash back.

None of the Costco vodka is Grey Goose. Grey Goose does not even distill their own vodka.
The best way to save money at Costco may be to buy hearing aides...and put it on an executive card. In addition to the $2,000-$4,000 or so savings on the hearing aides, the cash back on your purchase more than pays for executive membership.
 

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What do people pay for the 1.75l of kirkland vodka. I paid $11 yesterday which included the 10% alcohol tax. Smirnoff is about $18 or $19 all in at the same place. I drink neither so have no idea which one is better but the price seemed right. Cheaper then I had seen it before.
 

ronandjoan

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Daaaaaave, are you being an enabler too? You are so bad! Lol.

Yes we did get the executive membership and the Costco credit card too.
Jan, yep, us too and we got a nice rebate on the CC... extra percentage for travel usage. Yes, rule is: if you like something at Costco... buy two!!!!
Chicken and hot dogs... love them at the great prices!!!
 
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Jan M.

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The best way to save money at Costco may be to buy hearing aides...and put it on an executive card. In addition to the $2,000-$4,000 or so savings on the hearing aides, the cash back on your purchase more than pays for executive membership.

My husband wears hearing aids and we were really impressed with how much we save on batteries. And they last just as long as the name brands. I had done a lot of searching online to find the best prices and Costco beat what I'd been paying by more than just a dollar or two. Hearing aid batteries were our first Costco purchase.
 

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My husband wears hearing aids and we were really impressed with how much we save on batteries. And they last just as long as the name brands. I had done a lot of searching online to find the best prices and Costco beat what I'd been paying by more than just a dollar or two. Hearing aid batteries were our first Costco purchase.

I'm told Hearing Aid services are one of the very best Costco values. If I ever get to the point of needing them, I know where I'll be shopping.

Dave

P.S. <poke in the ribs> How ya doing on the big screen TV? Pulled the trigger yet? ;)
 

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I'm told Hearing Aid services are one of the very best Costco values. If I ever get to the point of needing them, I know where I'll be shopping.
Dave, we ALL know where you'll be shopping. For ANYthing. :) OK, spoiler alert. Costco outing later today. So far, vitamins, coffee, rotisserie chicken on the list. It's anybody's guess how we'll get it to the usual $200-$300 final cost.
 

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I spend just $364 at Sams Club the other day- a lot less than my normal $500+ . I usually go about 4 x per year- each season. Once in a blue moon I might get just a couple of things in between IF I feel I really need to and I am in that area.

As for hearing aids, my husband needs one but we keep putting it off. When he finally decides he has to have one, that is one time we will make the long trip down to Costco and we will become a member if we have to.
 

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I have my eyes on the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker which goes on sale on 3/13/2019. I will be away and hopefully it won't be sold out when I get back home. Earlier this month when I wanted to buy 2 more motion sensor trash containers, they were sold out. :( We bought one from a year ago and it is still functioning well and we have not even had a need to change out the batteries yet.
 

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I have my eyes on the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker which goes on sale on 3/13/2019. I will be away and hopefully it won't be sold out when I get back home.
I've lusted after one of those for some years. Well, not really. Maybe for the money to buy all the meat that could go through one. I have Louisiana Grills (+_ 450sq in) that I bought at least 15 years ago. It's still going strong. I haven't even had to replace the ignitor. Louisiana is made in that great Cajun city of Edmonton, Alberta of powder-coated 20 gauge steel as opposed to Brand 'T', made in China of 22 gauge painted material. (Imo) a better cooker. I don't smoke as much meat now as I once did, but the pellet smoker is certainly capable of doing it year round. Hope you can get one.

Jim
 

DaveNV

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Dave, we ALL know where you'll be shopping. For ANYthing. :) OK, spoiler alert. Costco outing later today. So far, vitamins, coffee, rotisserie chicken on the list. It's anybody's guess how we'll get it to the usual $200-$300 final cost.

No secret, huh? ;) I know it'll be easy to spend that $300+ on stuff. The Spring gardening things are there, and some amazing deals on patio furniture. They have a bar-height round fire pit table and chair set that has really caught my attention. Spendy, but I'm an easy mark... ;)

Dave
 

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I've lusted after one of those for some years. Well, not really. Maybe for the money to buy all the meat that could go through one. I have Louisiana Grills (+_ 450sq in) that I bought at least 15 years ago. It's still going strong. I haven't even had to replace the ignitor. Louisiana is made in that great Cajun city of Edmonton, Alberta of powder-coated 20 gauge steel as opposed to Brand 'T', made in China of 22 gauge painted material. (Imo) a better cooker. I don't smoke as much meat now as I once did, but the pellet smoker is certainly capable of doing it year round. Hope you can get one.

Jim
Our friends bought a different brand from Costco earlier, Traeger, and they loved it. The issue with their smoker is that the temperature says one thing and the meat comes out still mooing. We checked Traeger out and prefer the looks of the Louisian Grill vertical pellet smoker.... plus as you said not made in China. :).
 
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DaveNV

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I have my eyes on the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker which goes on sale on 3/13/2019. I will be away and hopefully it won't be sold out when I get back home. Earlier this month when I wanted to buy 2 more motion sensor trash containers, they were sold out. :( We bought one from a year ago and it is still functioning well and we have not even had a need to change out the batteries yet.

You might be able to order it online during the sale period, so you won't miss out. :)

Dave
 
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