Fed up with Costco

[nomoretslt]

Interesting and informative thread. When we lived in NJ I frequented Sams Club....loved it there and one day it closed with no warning. So moved on to BJs as it was closer than Costco. Moved to coastal Carolina and happily rejoined Sams in Myrtle Beach and opted for the plus (?) membership because everything was free shipping. It’s about a 40 minute drive. We’ve been extremely disappointed. Everything I want to buy for delivery is out of stock. Yet you go to the store and there is plenty. They discontinued carrying many favorites. I’m mostly annoyed about the not in stock items for free shipping. I mostly buy my coffee pods there, a certain dishwasher tab and the jet dry when they are on special. Also the wet mop supplies. And the rotisserie chicken. Our membership has expired and we will be trying out the Costco that is only 5 minutes further. If we don’t like what we see, we may just stop doing club memberships. DH is a savvy grocery shopper. He lives to bargain hunt. We are okay with buying discounted meat and poultry products with last day of sale....prepare right away or in the freezer.

Very disappointing....the other day he found 2 packages of ground beef with big tears/holes on the wrapper. He brought it to the attention of the person stocking shelves. Apparently people remove the “reduced for sale” stickers with the new bar code and place it over the more expensive meat and do self checkout. And then the store has to throw away the opened one. Makes me mad.

Main grocery stores here are Food Lion, Lowe’s and one Publix. Publix is our favorite (5% off for us old fogies on Wednesday), their produce is wonderful and their employees are top notch. They are cheaper than Food Lion for many items. DH very rarely pays full price for anything. He hasn’t been in a Lowe’s yet.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Very disappointing....the other day he found 2 packages of ground beef with big tears/holes on the wrapper. He brought it to the attention of the person stocking shelves. Apparently people remove the “reduced for sale” stickers with the new bar code and place it over the more expensive meat and do self checkout. And then the store has to throw away the opened one. Makes me mad.

This is surprising and very disappointing! It is also called "theft".

I wonder if they went thru the self service (where the weight of the item is measured when you place it in the bagging area) or if it went thru a check out clerk? I would think they'd have to go thru the full service check out clerk to avoid setting off an alarm.....

Maybe DaveNV can comment.




.

 

[easyrider]

Years ago we were in PV and went to Costco for supplies. Before we went in we decided to have a hotdog and pop deal. The food area was outdoors but the hotdog and pop were the same. The difference was no relish but instead of relish there were nacho peppers. This is a good hotdog topping, imo.

Yup, I know that was kind of a random thought.

Bill

 

[DaveNV]

This is surprising and very disappointing! It is also called "theft".

I wonder if they went thru the self service (where the weight of the item is measured when you place it in the bagging area) or if it went thru a check out clerk? I would think they'd have to go thru the full service check out clerk to avoid setting off an alarm.....

Maybe DaveNV can comment.

I don't think that meat was at Costco. I've never seen a "Reduced for sale" sticker there. ?

Dave

 

[Snazzylass]

We are about five minutes away from both a Sam's Club and a Costco (and belong to both). It seems that it doesn't matter when we go to Costco, the parking lot is always full. The Costco has a self-checkout but, it's facilitated by clerks with hand scanners. (We buy the memberships from Groupon,too). My husband tries to fulfill his role as a "hunter" by shopping in the store while I like my role as "gatherer" by just rollong up to the door and popping the truck!

Yes! I noticed a recent Groupon offer to purchase a Sam's membership for $20 or so.

 

[nomoretslt]

This is surprising and very disappointing! It is also called "theft".

I wonder if they went thru the self service (where the weight of the item is measured when you place it in the bagging area) or if it went thru a check out clerk? I would think they'd have to go thru the full service check out clerk to avoid setting off an alarm.....

Maybe DaveNV can comment.




.

I don't think that meat was at Costco. I've never seen a "Reduced for sale" sticker there. ?

Dave

Sorry should have specified....the meat theft occurred at Food Lion. When someone does self checkout there, it it easy to scan the package without alerting the employee that walks around monitoring the area. It gets pretty busy there and they have more self checkouts than manned registers.

 

[amycurl]

The theft using barcodes was from Sam’s.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Snazzylass]

Costco ribeye is great, but I am almost at the point of being priced out of this product. For years we paid $9.99/lb for choice ribeye. The last time I was there it was $14.99/lb. I begrudgingly bought a pack that was three steaks for something like $52. Not sure it is worth it for us. I might splurge for Prime every once in a while for $19.99/lb. The steaks also don't seem to cook up as good. Perhaps my cooking method has gotten worse. Not sure. I think I would rather just go to Saltgrass Steakhouse when we are in Orlando. Much more expensive, but perhaps some of the best steaks we have ever had. I have to start sticking to cheaper proteins for regular everyday meals.

Honestly find the meat selection better at Sam's. I wish I could tell you the cut I bought recently - not sure, but it was boneless and melted in my mouth. I do use a Cindergrill for my steaks.

 

[Snazzylass]

You're no doubt an exception. I'd love if you were the guy in front of me in line. I've seen people turning every item this way and that, trying to find a barcode that scans. It's much faster if the item is already laying barcode face up.

Not to mention, with Covid cleaning requirements, letting customers scan their own items would require sanitizing the scanning guns between customers. That would slow things down considerably.

Dave

Not sure if women has posted this out already, but the Scan & Go feature is now an app on your own phone. Brilliant!

Both the Sam's & Fry's (Kroger) here had the scanners for awhile which shoppers would carry around in the store.
So, yes, using my own phone eliminates a lot of headaches for me & and the store

 

[Snazzylass]

I'm right there with you, brother!

A while back, I decided I needed less bossy people in my life... and that would be Costco employees. Not sure why one of them took the time to point out that they would no longer be printing their flyers, but I let her know it was no problem. I did not plan to be a member.

My Costco has a tiny parking lot. Yes, sick of the crowds and nasty people. So, I drive a bit further to Sam's. It's way more relaxed and the staff is spectacularly friendly. I even find the shoppers nicer. Maybe it's an undiscovered secret? Maybe Sam's will be experiencing a Renaissance?

I previously had a Sam's cc and it was the Service desk people who went out of their way to help me re-establish it. If they had not mentioned it, I probably would have not thought of it. So, definitely above & beyond the overworked, snarky Costco staff.

I will be using the Scan & Go app. I love their self-check (again, I cannot emphasize enough how friendly the staff is - maybe it's because they are not so stressed by the crowds of humanity?) Either way, I do not have to unload my cart or have anyone touching my meat

The meat selection is better at Sam's! That's a surprise, and a thrill. Plus, no panhandlers in the parking lot.

 

[wackymother]

During the worst of the pandemic, we used Instacart for the first time. Now we go into grocery stores, including Costco sometimes, but eventually I realized that Costco is the best place to use Instacart. Items are slightly more expensive through Instacart, but the fruit and vegetables are prepackaged so I don't need to depend on my shopper making decisions. Produce is almost always good and if it's not, Instacart and Costco will refund. We don't usually buy meat at Costco so no decisions there.

Plus my shopper will fight the crowds and handle, literally, the heavy lifting, of cases of seltzer and 35-pound bags of dog food. I kept my Instacart membership just for Costco, I tip the poor shoppers extra bc I ordered seltzer and dog food, and I don't need to deal with the parking lot or the hordes of shoppers.

 

[DaveNV]

I'm right there with you, brother!

A while back, I decided I needed less bossy people in my life... and that would be Costco employees. Not sure why one of them took the time to point out that they would no longer be printing their flyers, but I let her know it was no problem. I did not plan to be a member.

My Costco has a tiny parking lot. Yes, sick of the crowds and nasty people. So, I drive a bit further to Sam's. It's way more relaxed and the staff is spectacularly friendly. I even find the shoppers nicer. Maybe it's an undiscovered secret? Maybe Sam's will be experiencing a Renaissance?

I previously had a Sam's cc and it was the Service desk people who went out of their way to help me re-establish it. If they had not mentioned it, I probably would have not thought of it. So, definitely above & beyond the overworked, snarky Costco staff.

I will be using the Scan & Go app. I love their self-check (again, I cannot emphasize enough how friendly the staff is - maybe it's because they are not so stressed by the crowds of humanity?) Either way, I do not have to unload my cart or have anyone touching my meat

The meat selection is better at Sam's! That's a surprise, and a thrill. Plus, no panhandlers in the parking lot.

It sounds like you've found a great solution to your shopping needs. I am glad to know you're happy.

Not sure which Costco warehouse you're referring to, but a lot of Costco stores initially were rebranded Price Club locations. Many of those were rented locations in existing strip malls, and sizes were quite restrictive. As Costco has expanded, those rented warehouses were relocated from those smaller locations into larger purpose-built independent buildings in the same general areas. The newer buildings provide more room, brighter warehouses, better parking options, and a generally better shopping experience. I believe the smallest Costco's they're building now are 80,000 square feet. Most are larger, and the biggest are 230,000 square feet.

I know the Phoenix metro area has a number of Costco locations. My friends there drive to the one in Scottsdale, because they say it's the best in the area.

Dave

 

[Brett]

Not sure if women has posted this out already, but the Scan & Go feature is now an app on your own phone. Brilliant!

Both the Sam's & Fry's (Kroger) here had the scanners for awhile which shoppers would carry around in the store.
So, yes, using my own phone eliminates a lot of headaches for me & and the store

So at Sams Club you can scan the item with your cell phone, it charges your credit card and you can walk out of the store bypassing the check-out lines ?

 

[nomoretslt]

Seems like different regions of the country have different circumstances. The Sams employees at my location are always pleasant and helpful. It Is the things they don’t carry any more and the annoying fact that nothing is available for free shipping.
Our daughter loves the Costco by her. But she does not need to rely on free shipping because the store is close. Normally I would be okay with monthly trips, but gas has gone up so much in the last few months that a 40 minute drive is costing more. I haven’t checked the price lately for my 100 count box of Maxwell House coffee pods, but if they get too high, I’ll revert back to my regular Mr Coffee type coffee pot.
Will be checking out Costco in the next couple of weeks. I find that people down here are very friendly and happy.....I’m hoping the huge influx of people from the northeast will adapt to the ways of folks around here instead of bringing (fill in the blank here). I’m from rural NJ.

 

[wackymother]

It sounds like you've found a great solution to your shopping needs. I am glad to know you're happy.

Not sure which Costco warehouse you're referring to, but a lot of Costco stores initially were rebranded Price Club locations. Many of those were rented locations in existing strip malls, and sizes were quite restrictive. As Costco has expanded, those rented warehouses were relocated from those smaller locations into larger purpose-built independent buildings in the same general areas. The newer buildings provide more room, brighter warehouses, better parking options, and a generally better shopping experience. I believe the smallest Costco's they're building now are 80,000 square feet. Most are larger, and the biggest are 230,000 square feet.

I know the Phoenix metro area has a number of Costco locations. My friends there drive to the one in Scottsdale, because they say it's the best in the area.

Dave

There are pretty significant differences between different Costcos even in our area. As I'm sure you know, they market to the immediate area. So our closest Costco has a lot of Korean food, kosher meat, and expensive high-end products. When we travel, we often see less of the fancy kitchen gadgets and more clothing, more canned goods, and often more items for children.

 

[DaveNV]

There are pretty significant differences between different Costcos even in our area. As I'm sure you know, they market to the immediate area. So our closest Costco has a lot of Korean food, kosher meat, and expensive high-end products. When we travel, we often see less of the fancy kitchen gadgets and more clothing, more canned goods, and often more items for children.

I did know they tend to stock the kinds of items their local customer base wants to buy, over and above the "staples" they normally carry. That's one of things we enjoy about visiting different Costco warehouses in different parts of the country - to see what they carry that we don't have back home. Probably the most dramatic are the Hawaii Costco locations. A very different selection of things than back on the Mainland.

Dave

 

[Snazzylass]

So at Sams Club you can scan the item with your cell phone, it charges your credit card and you can walk out of the store bypassing the check-out lines ?

I haven't used it yet. I believe the OP has though. Others have posted about it in the past.

But, thinking about it, I believe one would still stop at the door. Interesting I believe they offered me the option of not getting a paper receipt, just email...so, maybe the door checkers would scan your phone there too? Like when I board a plane.

 

[Snazzylass]

It sounds like you've found a great solution to your shopping needs. I am glad to know you're happy.

Not sure which Costco warehouse you're referring to, but a lot of Costco stores initially were rebranded Price Club locations. Many of those were rented locations in existing strip malls, and sizes were quite restrictive. As Costco has expanded, those rented warehouses were relocated from those smaller locations into larger purpose-built independent buildings in the same general areas. The newer buildings provide more room, brighter warehouses, better parking options, and a generally better shopping experience. I believe the smallest Costco's they're building now are 80,000 square feet. Most are larger, and the biggest are 230,000 square feet.

I know the Phoenix metro area has a number of Costco locations. My friends there drive to the one in Scottsdale, because they say it's the best in the area.

Dave

LOL! Everything is better in Scottsdale! I've been to both of those locations and did not notice anything special. On the other hand, the Fry's (Kroger) is fabulous! But so are a couple of Kroger's in CIncy - their hometown, I believe. Very bougie!

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am annoyed with Costco.com for having sales and then being out of stock as soon as the sale starts. But I think that is the sign of the times. I did just buy a double oven (microwave and regular oven) that is being delivered 12/15 and a new dishwasher, delivery in about two weeks, both on sale, but the matching gas cooktop is not showing as being in stock. I will need to get that cooktop, so guess I will buy it at Best Buy or Lowe's.

I am one who will not go to Home Depot anymore. They wouldn't give us a store credit or refund for some tile we didn't use that was beyond 90 days since we purchased. They still carry the tile, so I find it quite odd. It's a lot of abalone tile that was not cheap. We put it in the townhouse and had about 1/2 of it left over after we were done. It took a while to do the tile. I had no idea they would be so creepy. We have tried returning it to several stores. They refuse to take it back. I am done with that. They have lost a lot of business because we are working on a few remodels at home. I will use the tile at home, since they won't take it. I had other tile picked out for our bathroom, but Rick did the math and said we could use it. Floor and Decor has all of our business for tile from this day forward. They were very good about returns.

 

[joestein]

Yes! I noticed a recent Groupon offer to purchase a Sam's membership for $20 or so.

$20 outright or $30 option that nets a $40 gift certificate.

We bought the honey turkey breast they sell there. It is similar to Costco, as it 'real turkey' rather than the stuff you get from the cold cut companies. Costco stopped selling honey turkey about a year ago and has stopped selling the regular turkey breast about a month ago. We had been buying boars head oven gold, but it is not as good as either sams or costco.

They have a larger selection including peppered, smoked, buffalo ,etc....

Joe

 

[joestein]

So at Sams Club you can scan the item with your cell phone, it charges your credit card and you can walk out of the store bypassing the check-out lines ?

yes. They scan a bar code on your phone at the exit door. You dont get to bypass that.

 

[PamMo]

...I am one who will not go to Home Depot anymore. They wouldn't give us a store credit or refund for some tile we didn't use that was beyond 90 days since we purchased. They still carry the tile, so I find it quite odd. It's a lot of abalone tile that was not cheap. We put it in the townhouse and had about 1/2 of it left over after we were done. It took a while to do the tile. I had no idea they would be so creepy. We have tried returning it to several stores. They refuse to take it back. I am done with that. They have lost a lot of business because we are working on a few remodels at home. I will use the tile at home, since they won't take it. I had other tile picked out for our bathroom, but Rick did the math and said we could use it. Floor and Decor has all of our business for tile from this day forward. They were very good about returns.

Don't be too harsh on Home Depot. Tile has different dye lots and the colors and texture can vary quite a bit. After 90+ days, that lot is probably long gone in this crazy housing market. You might have the exact same tile, but the difference can be VERY noticeable when it's laid out on the floor, especially after it's grouted. I've renovated many homes and would never mix dye lots on a project.

 

[DaveNV]

LOL! Everything is better in Scottsdale! I've been to both of those locations and did not notice anything special. On the other hand, the Fry's (Kroger) is fabulous! But so are a couple of Kroger's in CIncy - their hometown, I believe. Very bougie!

I think any supermarket will provide a different shopping experience than a Costco warehouse. It's a very different kind of business model. There is a Kroger store, "Smith's" in St. George, Utah, that is enormous - like a combination grocery store and department store. Pretty upscale place, very fancy, and a world different than the tiny cramped little Smith's we have here in Mesquite.

Dave

 

[Luanne]

I think any supermarket will provide a different shopping experience than a Costco warehouse. It's a very different kind of business model. There is a Kroger store, "Smith's" in St. George, Utah, that is enormous - like a combination grocery store and department store. Pretty upscale place, very fancy, and a world different than the tiny cramped little Smith's we have here in Mesquite.

Dave

There is a Smith's "super store" in tiny Los Alamos, NM. They sell everything! Besides having a Starbucks inside (which isn't unusual) they have a pub.

 

[Snazzylass]

I think any supermarket will provide a different shopping experience than a Costco warehouse. It's a very different kind of business model. There is a Kroger store, "Smith's" in St. George, Utah, that is enormous - like a combination grocery store and department store. Pretty upscale place, very fancy, and a world different than the tiny cramped little Smith's we have here in Mesquite.

Dave

Oh, I get it! I went from saying that everything is nicer in Scottsdale but that grocery store is particularly nice!

Besides, I was a part of an in-depth long-term study of grocery stores for my undergrad in Economics. Yes, grocery stores are tailored to their neighborhood, for sure!