Costco guest passes
opmy
I need to buy a couple of things at Costco - I am ready
to pay an additional 10% or whatever, if they allow me
to shop without a membership.
Mark Anderson
Then you'd probably be better off shopping at Target. Costco fools
people with loss leaders so they think they're getting value for their
membership fee. If you have an understanding of what things cost and
you take an overall view of their inventory, Costco probably won't save
you much over shopping at non membership stores. Many people convince
themselves they save money simply because they paid for a membership and
to think they haven't saved money would give them cognitive dissonance.
Many of these people never shop anywhere else other than Costco (so as
to make use of the membership card) so they really don't know what
things cost elsewhere.
That said, if you know what you're going to use the membership for and
scouted Costco's loss leaders you can make good on the $50 membership by
shopping wisely. I certainly wouldn't pay a 10% overall penalty for a
basket full of random stuff.
As always, YMMV.
SMS
I think you can get them. One thing that seems to work is to get someone
to buy you a Costco gift card, which I believe allows non-members to get
a guest pass.
Of course you could always get a membership, buy your stuff, and cancel
it a few weeks later for a full refund.
I know very few people that aren't Costco members, and they ask me to
take them. Ironically, one of the people is someone that would most
benefit from a membership, with two small children, and not a lot of
time to run around from store to store taking advantage of sales.
Remember, Costco doesn't do loss leaders, you can occasionally find
similar items, especially some perishable food items, on sale for less
at a regular store.
Costco saves most people such an enormous amount of money that the
membership fee is lost in the noise (and with the rebate on the
executive membership, we actually don't pay anything for the
membership). Certain items we buy at Costco are stuff that regular
stores charge so much more for that we wouldn't even consider buying
them if not for Costco.
A few items that are much cheaper at Costco are:
-Tires (especially because they don't gouge on mounting/balancing, and
don't charge extra for valve stems, road hazard warranty, or nitrogen-fill)
-Good Coffee beans
-Fruit & vegetables (though only when compared against normal
supermarkets, the Asian and Mexican markets are cheaper)
-Fresh fish
-USDA Choice meat (most supermarket chains in my area no longer carry it
at all).
-Cheese
-Name brand clothing, though the selection varies over time
-OTC medications
-Gasoline
-Office supplies
-Plants and trees. OMG, you can get some unbelievable deals on trees
compared to Home Depot, Lowes, or an independent nursery.
-Mattresses
-Furniture
-Computers (include a 2 year warranty at no extra cost)
-Televisions (include a 2 year warranty at no extra cost)
Seerialmom
I haven't seen any myself; why not just go shopping with a friend who
has a card?
The Real Bev
And buy your stuff on their CostcoAmex card, giving them the 1% rebate
as an incentive. Costco doesn't do separate transactions for guests any
more, but they'll run a subtotal (including tax).
--
Cheers,
Bev
---------------------------------------------
"The primary purpose of any government entity
is to employ the unemployable."
Evelyn Leeper
Batteries (Kirkland brand)
Actually, just about anything Kirkland brand. Kirkland grape juice is
the cheapest around (and beat out four other national brans in a blind
taste taste my husband did),
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what
he reads as a task will do him little good. -- Samuel Johnson
Seerialmom
Ok...now I know where I'll look for the flat panel TV I'm
considering...and I already have the membership so that's covered. I
didn't realize they throw in an extended warranty.
SMS
> Ok...now I know where I'll look for the flat panel TV I'm
> considering...and I already have the membership so that's covered. I
> didn't realize they throw in an extended warranty.
Yeah, and until it was abused, they had an essentially unlimited
exchange period, but even now it's a very good six months.
SoCalMike
3 mos.
the extended warranty is through the manufacturer after the 90 days are up.
they also offer a free service called "costco concierge" to answer any
questions about electronic devices purchased at costco. that eliminates
returns due to frustration.
Evelyn Leeper
> SMS wrote:
>>
>> Costco saves most people such an enormous amount of money that the
>> membership fee is lost in the noise (and with the rebate on the
>> executive membership, we actually don't pay anything for the
>> membership). Certain items we buy at Costco are stuff that regular
>> stores charge so much more for that we wouldn't even consider buying
>> them if not for Costco.
>>
>> A few items that are much cheaper at Costco are:
>>
>
> Batteries (Kirkland brand)
>
> Actually, just about anything Kirkland brand. Kirkland grape juice is
> the cheapest around (and beat out four other national brans in a blind
> taste taste my husband did),
Let me add a couple of more items that Kirkland is higher quality on:
men's T-shirts (much thicker than the average brand) and woolen trail
socks. (I just bought some and they are *really* comfy!) T-shirts come
in a pack of six, socks in a pack of 4 pair.
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul.
-Mark Twain