: How to Decide whether Costco is Worth the Joining Fee

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(516 Words)
Costco is a fantastic place to shop for many different categories of products, from food to clothing to jewelry to seasonal items to more. They do cost money to join, however. At $50 for a gold star membership that lasts a year, you will want to see your savings expand beyond this to make it worthwhile to be a member. Consider the following tips on how to decide whether Costco is worth the joining fee.
Look at the amount of money you would save
You want to try to get an idea of how much money you will save on the different items. Costco is cheaper on most items, however not all. You should peruse the items and try to calculate how much you would save on products and how often you would buy them.
You should also consider seasonal items when deciding whether it is worth it to join. Costco offers many seasonal items like gift baskets to give away during the winter holidays for very reasonable prices. They are a great deal on party platters, greeting cards, and cakes. You can save a lot on clothing. If you are looking for a lot of items or a big ticket item, you might be able to save enough in one shopping trip to make it worthwhile.
Consider the convenience of shopping at Costco
Costco is a big place, and some find it a hassle to go there. Even if you might save money on some items, some people won’t always go there if they need just a few things because a neighborhood grocer or small convenience store might be much easier.
You should also consider some other convenience issues with Costco. They do not have as many people to help you as some other stores do. Many people like a comfortable store setting more than the warehouse look. They do not bag your items, which a lot of people find inconvenient and they check your receipt at the door, which other people do not like. The lines can be long to check out. Also, you need to buy in bulk for a lot of items. Even if you save money per unit, if you just throw out half of it, you might not save at all.
Consider the savings you might get in other places
Costco does not take many manufacturers’ coupons. They also do not have sales, but they do have their own coupons. They do have items that go on clearance, although they are not always easy to spot since they will often just lower the price but not mark that they are on clearance. Consider all of these price adjustments when calculating how much you will save throughout the year.
Basically you should try to calculate how much money you will save and compare that against the joining cost of Costco. Also try to put a value on any loss of convenience by this store. Costco will give you a refund on your membership if you are not happy, so you can try it out to see if it works for you.
Updated On: 09/04/2010 Published On: 09/04/2010 Article ViewerClose
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