The Pros and Cons of Costco

Who doesn't love to buy food in bulk for a lot cheaper than is sold at the store? Growing up, my parents chose to buy Sam's Club Membership to buy our groceries for a lot less. With hundreds of bulk items to choose from: it made sense to buy everything in large quantities to feed our big family.

After moving to Boise, my husband and I were sad to find that there wasn't a Sam's Club within two hours of our home. After a few months of wishing, we had a place to buy our food storage. We decided to ask for a Costco Membership for Christmas. After shopping at Costco for a couple of months, I have quickly learned the Pros and Cons of having a Costco membership.

Pros of Costco

1. Big family? Not a problem! You can buy anything from Tuna fish to diapers in bulk! There is something empowering, from walking down ales with shelves that reach so high that you have to have a man lift to get to the top. Yes! A ton of everything you can imagine.
2. Samples! You are not being honest if you say you don't go there for the food samples. Would you like some Smoked Black Peper Samon on whole wheat organic crackers? 
3. Double seated kids carts. Why is this not a thing at every store? With three kids under the age of five, two seats at the front of the cart makes the membership worth it!
4. Not only food deals. There are some nice clothes, outdoor gear, and electronics! Payless for things that are going to last.
5. Have you tried the Costco food court? This is a must for all members. For two hotdogs, two drinks, and two slices of pizza, you might pay $8. And once again, talk about huge!
6.  The Gas prices. No one wants to pay more for gas! Sometimes that is the only reason we drive to Costco. For the most part, gas is ten cents cheaper than we would pay anywhere else.

Cons of Costco

1. If you like buying off-brand products, you will probably not find them at Costco. When buying yogurt, I have two options name brand or name brand. 
2. Sometimes you feel like a herd of cows. With 100,000 other shoppers, you have to follow the herd. You are just one more number, not a person.
3. Bulk is not always the cheapest. I have often found that some general foods are more expensive than they would be at your local grocery store. Price checking is valuable if you are on a tight budget.
4. One trip is going to cost you more upfront. $300 oh that is normal after only buying a few things. I was surprised the other day when we spent $60 on some cheese, yogurt, and one or two different products. Yes, it lasted forever, but upfront it was more money.
5. It takes a lot longer to bring in groceries from the car. With everything ginormous and not bagged, you can plan on taking a trip back and forth at least three times more than you would from a "grocery store" trip.
6. You have to pay to shop? That seems weird. Here let me pay you money so you can give me permission to pay you more money. It makes 100% sense, right?

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." - Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah