COSTCO

Well today was the day I ran out of washing powder, I know it sounds silly but since I first went to Costco three years ago I refuse to spend so much on washing powder and fabric softener that the supermarkets what us to pay. Before you think that its been three years that this powder has lasted, don't be silly, I would smell pretty bad if it had.

On average we go once a month and usually the washing powder that I get Persil Non-bio 9kg box £ 10.25 + vat ( cost £12.04), and comfort easy iron 5 litres £ 2.95 + vat ( cost £3.46).
In the supermarkets they want to charge us £2.30 upwards for washing powder, and £1.85 upwards for comfort, well I would rather spend the £15.50 and I know that it will last me for 6 months, that's working on an average of 5 loads of washing a week. So it does save me some money.

Also they do wine……..mmmm……wine…….Sorry, mind wondered a little then, anyway, they sell lots of wine and beers, but be aware that they all com as complete cases, so you can't just buy four cans of larger you get the case, like the wine comes by the box load, we get the Torres Sol, which in the shops sells for £ 4.99.-£5.25 a bottle, but here at Costco you can buy six bottles for £19.99, so if you do the sums based on £4.99 your saving £9.95.

Then there are the kiddies juices, like apple and blackcurrant 3 litre bottle for £2.29, which is just slightly less than elsewhere.

But Costco doesn't just sell, food, alcohol and washing products, oh no……. it also sells computer games, DVD's, CD's, fridges, televisions, ladders, vacuum cleaners, paint, plants( although these are very limited), barbeques, to name a few and at Christmas they sell toys galore, we bought a calendar for our son, which he can keep for years to come, it cost about £14.99, I know it sounds like a lot, but its wooden and it has the 24 wooden boxes all around the edges, with a wooden inlay of Santa and a Christmas tree, with little wooden pegs on it, and inside every numbered wooden box is a tiny wooden object, they range from angels, stars, trains, snowmen, sledges, you get the idea.

Overall I would prefer to go shopping here once a month as it does work out cheaper in the long run, But, and this is the important bit, Don't and I will repeat this DON'T go in the last week before Christmas as the queues are enormous, at any other time you only have to wait a few mins.

There is however a downside to shopping at Costco, well some of you may not see it as a downside, but I will tell you anyway, they only accept certain methods of payment. As they don't accept credit cards of any description, none at all. So you either have to pay by cash, you wouldn't find me walking round Costco with the kind of cash that some people spend, no way, I would be worried in case I got mugged.

So you have to pay with a cash or debit card, but again they only accept certain types of debit card, although they are getting better, and have started to accept more cards now.

There are two types of membership for Costco, one is for individual use, which you need a utility bill and some form of id to register, and the other is business, the cost for both is different, as it costs less for the individual use card, I think its £29.50 for the year, but that gets you two cards, and you are allowed to take up to two people with you in to the shop.

Also I have found that this is a great place to buy all your food from if you are catering for party's as I have catered for two party's from Costco, from the food itself, to the paper tablecloth, napkins, cutlery, plastic glasses, large salad bowls, platters, tin foil, cling film, you get the idea, so the registration costs had paid for itself within that first time.

So would I recommend it,………. it would have to be yes, especially if you want to save money.

But one last but very important thing that you have to remember when shopping at Costco remember to look at the price with the VAT added on, as many people forget to add this, and they get a shock when they get to the till, but the prices I mentioned at the beginning all include VAT, I did it that way so you could see what the comparison is.

Ta very much for reading.