Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
one way or another?

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

On Feb 19, 4:11*pm, Cindy Fuller >
wrote:
> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. *She said that she and Rich
> had let their Costco membership lapse. *The SO and I have debated for
> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. *I briefly had a
> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. *Our
> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. *To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. *We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. *Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?
>
> Cindy
>
> --
> C.J. Fuller
>
> Delete the obvious to email me

Costco is not just big quantities. They have great prices on tons of
things other than food items as well. And a great
wine selection. If you haven't shopped one in a while, go in on a
guest pass and check it out, then decide.

Cindy Fuller wrote:
> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?
>
> Cindy
>

With fairly minimal purchases, mainly Prilosec, Splenda, and
Craisins, I get a nice kickback in the fall. MY debate was
whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
kickback was worth at least that amount.

Jean B. wrote:
> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
>> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
>> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
>> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had
>> a Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because
>> there wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986.
>> Our neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east
>> are devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership
>> doesn't make much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of
>> space to store large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small
>> household want to chime in one way or another?

> With fairly minimal purchases, mainly Prilosec, Splenda, and
> Craisins, I get a nice kickback in the fall. MY debate was
> whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
> kickback was worth at least that amount.

As a Costco member, I get my American Express through them and
I get cash back from it amounting to a few hundred dollars every year.
I save on Craisins, too, and soap and laundry detergent, moisturing
lotion and Visine, kitchen garbage bags ... not everything is a great
bargain but enough things are. The rewards I get from my executive
membership and my American Express card more than cover the
annual fee. Just my two cents.

nancy

On Feb 19, 8:02*pm, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> - Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -Jean B. wrote:
> > Cindy Fuller wrote:
> >> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> >> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. *She said that she and Rich
> >> had let their Costco membership lapse. *The SO and I have debated for
> >> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. *I briefly had
> >> a Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because
> >> there wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986.
> >> Our neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east
> >> are devotees of BJ's and Sam's. *To my thinking, a membership
> >> doesn't make much sense for the two of us. *We don't have oodles of
> >> space to store large quantities of stuff. *Anyone in a small
> >> household want to chime in one way or another?
> > With fairly minimal purchases, mainly Prilosec, Splenda, and
> > Craisins, I get a nice kickback in the fall. *MY debate was
> > whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
> > kickback was worth at least that amount.
>
> As a Costco member, I get my American Express through them and
> I get cash back from it amounting to a few hundred dollars every year.
> I save on Craisins, too, and soap and laundry detergent, moisturing
> lotion and Visine, kitchen garbage bags ... not everything is a great
> bargain but enough things are. *The rewards I get from my executive
> membership and my American Express card more than cover the
> annual fee. *Just my two cents. *

What are the annual fees??

Costco has just 'moved' to Australia, so I'm creaming my pants at
getting all excited over yet another way to emulate being an american
and also
become a compliant consumer of unnecessary goods. Pretty sure they'll
situate
themselves within walking distance from a bus stop.

Oops!! No matter........ GIMF.

http://www.costco.com.au/MV/Membership.aspx


I qualify for the $5 poverty membership.



Are those membership fees comparable to the US's?

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

Join us Google Groups posters.........

http://groups.google.com/support/?hl=en

http://www.freeproxy.ru/en/free_proxy/howuse.htm

Jean B. wrote:
> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
>> ... She said that she and Rich
>> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
>> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
>> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
>> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
>> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
>> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
>> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
>> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
>> one way or another?
>
>... MY debate was
> whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
> kickback was worth at least that amount.

We shop regularly at Costco. In some years we've had overlapping
memberships in both Costco and Sams Club and that wasn't worth paying
the extra fee.

Costco has better meat than any of the local groceries, less expensive
than any of the local butchers. We get most of our meat at Costco and
some at the local butcher now. They also have a lot of products that
have better price or are just not available at other stores. The larger
package size rarely matters to us. If we lived in a downtown tiny
closet sized place it might matter but we live out in the burbs.

Our question now is should we downgrade from the fancy Executive
membership to the regular membership. We don't quite spend enough in
the year for the fancy membership for pay for itself and I don't recall
using any of the other extra services. This is a function of just being
the two of us now.

Doug Freyburger wrote:
> Jean B. wrote:
>> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>>
>>> ... She said that she and Rich
>>> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
>>> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
>>> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
>>> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
>>> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
>>> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
>>> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
>>> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
>>> one way or another?
>> ... MY debate was
>> whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
>> kickback was worth at least that amount.
>
> We shop regularly at Costco. In some years we've had overlapping
> memberships in both Costco and Sams Club and that wasn't worth paying
> the extra fee.
>
> Costco has better meat than any of the local groceries, less expensive
> than any of the local butchers. We get most of our meat at Costco and
> some at the local butcher now. They also have a lot of products that
> have better price or are just not available at other stores. The larger
> package size rarely matters to us. If we lived in a downtown tiny
> closet sized place it might matter but we live out in the burbs.
>
> Our question now is should we downgrade from the fancy Executive
> membership to the regular membership. We don't quite spend enough in
> the year for the fancy membership for pay for itself and I don't recall
> using any of the other extra services. This is a function of just being
> the two of us now.

The wife and I have a Sam's membership. We use it strictly for gasoline.
We very seldom go in to the Sam's store. Sam's is only about a mile
away. You have to buy large portions of groceries at Sam's. We just use
Walmart for 90% of our groceries.

On Feb 20, 8:23*am, Stu > wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:05:13 -0500, Old Harley Rider
>
>
>
> > wrote:
>
> >Doug Freyburger wrote:
> >> Jean B. wrote:
> >>> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
> >>>> ... *She said that she and Rich
> >>>> had let their Costco membership lapse. *The SO and I have debated for
> >>>> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. *I briefly had a
> >>>> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> >>>> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. *Our
> >>>> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> >>>> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. *To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> >>>> much sense for the two of us. *We don't have oodles of space to store
> >>>> large quantities of stuff. *Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> >>>> one way or another?
> >>> ... *MY debate was
> >>> whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
> >>> kickback was worth at least that amount.
>
> >> We shop regularly at Costco. *In some years we've had overlapping
> >> memberships in both Costco and Sams Club and that wasn't worth paying
> >> the extra fee.
>
> >> Costco has better meat than any of the local groceries, less expensive
> >> than any of the local butchers. *We get most of our meat at Costco and
> >> some at the local butcher now. *They also have a lot of products that
> >> have better price or are just not available at other stores. *The larger
> >> package size rarely matters to us. *If we lived in a downtown tiny
> >> closet sized place it might matter but we live out in the burbs.
>
> >> Our question now is should we downgrade from the fancy Executive
> >> membership to the regular membership. *We don't quite spend enough in
> >> the year for the fancy membership for pay for itself and *I don't recall
> >> using any of the other extra services. *This is a function of just being
> >> the two of us now.
>
> >The wife and I have a Sam's membership. We use it strictly for gasoline.
> >We very seldom go in to the Sam's store. Sam's is only about a mile
> >away. You have to buy large portions of groceries at Sam's. We just use
> >Walmart for 90% of our groceries.
>
> We haven't shopped at wally world since the early 90's, *because most
> of their products are from china.
>
> Stu
>
> More than your average recipe website ..http://foodforu.ca

I wouldn't shop at Walmart no matter how cheap they are.

Chemo the Clown wrote:

>
> I wouldn't shop at Walmart no matter how cheap they are.

My sentiments exactly.

gloria p

On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:13:36 -0600, Andy wrote:

> Old Harley Rider > wrote:
>
>> The wife and I have a Sam's membership. We use it strictly for gasoline.
>> We very seldom go in to the Sam's store. Sam's is only about a mile
>> away. You have to buy large portions of groceries at Sam's. We just use
>> Walmart for 90% of our groceries.
>
> I belong to BJ's Wholesale club. They don't sell gas. First I've heard of
> that! My club is pretty small compared to CostCo, Sam's, etc. Membership is
> $40/annual.
>
> I usually visit once annually mostly for paper, plastic and cleaning
> supplies. I never bothered to figure out if the cost + $40 dues is a
> bargain, compared to what? No way to tell really.
>
> Andy

yeah, jeez, that would call for math and thinking and stuff.

blake

blake murphy wrote:
> Andy wrote:
>> Old Harley Rider wrote:
>>
>>> The wife and I have a Sam's membership. We use it strictly for gasoline.
>>> We very seldom go in to the Sam's store. Sam's is only about a mile
>>> away. You have to buy large portions of groceries at Sam's. We just use
>>> Walmart for 90% of our groceries.
>>
>> I belong to BJ's Wholesale club. They don't sell gas. First I've heard of
>> that! My club is pretty small compared to CostCo, Sam's, etc. Membership is
>> $40/annual.
>>
>> I usually visit once annually mostly for paper, plastic and cleaning
>> supplies. I never bothered to figure out if the cost + $40 dues is a
>> bargain, compared to what? No way to tell really.
>>
>> Andy
>
>yeah, jeez, that would call for math and thinking and stuff.

You must really love those No-Legs mick threads. lol

"Andy" wrote
> Old Harley Rider wrote:

>> The wife and I have a Sam's membership. We use it strictly for gasoline.
>> We very seldom go in to the Sam's store. Sam's is only about a mile
>> away. You have to buy large portions of groceries at Sam's. We just use
>> Walmart for 90% of our groceries.

> I belong to BJ's Wholesale club. They don't sell gas. First I've heard of
> that! My club is pretty small compared to CostCo, Sam's, etc. Membership
> is
> $40/annual.

Actually Andy, BJ's does but not at all locations. Mine does.

> I usually visit once annually mostly for paper, plastic and cleaning
> supplies. I never bothered to figure out if the cost + $40 dues is a
> bargain, compared to what? No way to tell really.

Sunroom addititon, 3,500$ off best price anyplace else local from BJ's. I
made my money back for life ;-)

Doug Freyburger wrote:

> Costco has better meat than any of the local groceries, less expensive
> than any of the local butchers.

Their meat is the reason I joined Costco, I was having trouble finding
decent pork chops. Now I mostly buy chuck roast from them, it's always
great and they come two to a package. Freeze one and make one.
They look much better than anything I find at the supermarket.

They also have something labeled chuck short ribs, which makes
terrific stew meat or braise them whole.

> some at the local butcher now. They also have a lot of products that
> have better price or are just not available at other stores. The
> larger package size rarely matters to us. If we lived in a downtown
> tiny closet sized place it might matter but we live out in the burbs.

Same here, though I don't find that buying paper towels, toilet paper
or soda there is the cheapest alternative. Kleenex, yes.

> Our question now is should we downgrade from the fancy Executive
> membership to the regular membership. We don't quite spend enough in
> the year for the fancy membership for pay for itself and I don't
> recall using any of the other extra services. This is a function of
> just being the two of us now.

If you don't make enough to cover the extra $50, they'll refund that
portion of your membership.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in news:GwGfn.61409$3E5.12609
@newsfe18.ams2:


> Jean B. wrote:
>> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>>> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
>>> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
>>> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
>>> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had
>>> a Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because
>>> there wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986.
>>> Our neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east
>>> are devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership
>>> doesn't make much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of
>>> space to store large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small
>>> household want to chime in one way or another?
>
>> With fairly minimal purchases, mainly Prilosec, Splenda, and
>> Craisins, I get a nice kickback in the fall. MY debate was
>> whether to go for the more-expensive membership, and I decided the
>> kickback was worth at least that amount.
>
> As a Costco member, I get my American Express through them and
> I get cash back from it amounting to a few hundred dollars every year.
> I save on Craisins, too, and soap and laundry detergent, moisturing
> lotion and Visine, kitchen garbage bags ... not everything is a great
> bargain but enough things are. The rewards I get from my executive
> membership and my American Express card more than cover the
> annual fee. Just my two cents.
>


What are the annual fees??

Costco has just 'moved' to Australia, so I'm pretty sure they'll situate
themselves in most capital cities over the next few years.

Oops!! No matter........ GIMF.

http://www.costco.com.au/MV/Membership.aspx


I qualify for the $55 Business membership.



Are those membership fees comparable to the US's?

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

Killfile all Google Groups posters.........

http://improve-usenet.org/

http://improve-usenet.org/filters_bg.html

PLucas1 wrote:
> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> As a Costco member, I get my American Express through them and
>> I get cash back from it amounting to a few hundred dollars every
>> year. I save on Craisins, too, and soap and laundry detergent,
>> moisturing lotion and Visine, kitchen garbage bags ... not
>> everything is a great bargain but enough things are. The rewards I
>> get from my executive membership and my American Express card more
>> than cover the annual fee. Just my two cents.

> What are the annual fees??

I have an executive membership which is $100. You can still have
the American Express card with the regular Gold Star membership,
which is $50. I don't see the executive membership on the link
you quoted.

> http://www.costco.com.au/MV/Membership.aspx

nancy

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> Doug Freyburger wrote:
>
> > Costco has better meat than any of the local groceries, less expensive
> > than any of the local butchers.
>
> Their meat is the reason I joined Costco, I was having trouble finding
> decent pork chops. Now I mostly buy chuck roast from them, it's always
> great and they come two to a package. Freeze one and make one.
> They look much better than anything I find at the supermarket.
>
> They also have something labeled chuck short ribs, which makes
> terrific stew meat or braise them whole.
>
> > some at the local butcher now. They also have a lot of products that
> > have better price or are just not available at other stores. The
> > larger package size rarely matters to us. If we lived in a downtown
> > tiny closet sized place it might matter but we live out in the burbs.
>
> Same here, though I don't find that buying paper towels, toilet paper
> or soda there is the cheapest alternative. Kleenex, yes.
>
Kleenex? Now there's something that we could save significant coin on,
between allergies and colds. With our early spring, the pollen is at
astronomic levels for February. (As my next-door-neighbor says, "Damn
fornicating trees!")

Cindy, currently recovering from a nasty cold

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

"Cindy Fuller" > wrote in message
...
snip
>>
> Kleenex? Now there's something that we could save significant coin on,
> between allergies and colds. With our early spring, the pollen is at
> astronomic levels for February. (As my next-door-neighbor says, "Damn
> fornicating trees!")
>
> Cindy, currently recovering from a nasty cold
>
The coupon books that come out once per month have coupons for Kleenex at
least every other time. I have a box of Kleenex in each vehicle, one in the
laundry, each bathroom. I understand the 'sniffles.' ;o{
Janet

Cindy Fuller wrote:

> "Nancy Young" > wrote:

>> Same here, though I don't find that buying paper towels, toilet paper
>> or soda there is the cheapest alternative. Kleenex, yes.
>>
> Kleenex? Now there's something that we could save significant coin
> on, between allergies and colds. With our early spring, the pollen
> is at astronomic levels for February. (As my next-door-neighbor
> says, "Damn fornicating trees!")

(laugh) I hear ya. I go through a lot of tissues. Of course, you
need a place to keep that 8 pack of (larger boxes than you find
at the supermarket) tissues, but I'm usually surprised at how
quickly they disburse around the house.

> Cindy, currently recovering from a nasty cold

That stinks, sorry to hear it. Knock on wood I've avoided one
this year so far.

nancy

On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:15:36 -0500, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

> If you don't make enough to cover the extra $50, they'll refund that
> portion of your membership.

Huh. I didn't know.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?

If you don't have space to store larger packages it can be more
difficult to justify if you look at it just from a savings perspective.
If you team up with a few friends and split those large packages it's
more practical. I've never heard of anyone having problems bringing a
friend along and team shopping.

For me I look at it more from an access perspective, i.e. access to some
items that are not readily available at other places in the area and are
also at good prices. I have both Sam's and Costco memberships, Sam's is
close by while Costco I am near about once a month. I also got family
cards for both for my mother at no extra cost, though she rarely uses
them.

On Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:11:29 -0800, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

>Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
>Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
>had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
>years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
>Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
>wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
>neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
>devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
>much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
>large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
>one way or another?
>
>Cindy

I guess it depends on your requirements. On lots of the electronics,
what you can save on one item will more than pay for a year's
membership.
In our case, we feed wild birds year 'round and have had a Costco
membership since '92. What we save on only one item, the black oil
sunflower seeds for bird feeding, pays for our yearly membership many
times over. The savings on anything else we buy there is just a bonus.

Ross.

Cindy Fuller wrote:


> To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?
>
>
>

There are just two of us. I love Costco's cheese selection, their large
bags of shelled pecans and almonds, mushrooms, fresh figs in season,
baby salad greens, smoked salmon, whole beef tenderloins (for the
extended family visits or guests), cry-o-vac boneless chicken breasts,
large pkgs of yeast, multi-packed batteries, artichoke and jalapeno
spread, and multi-pack canned tomato sauce. Since our neighborhood
Albertson's has closed along with their pharmacy, I am about to transfer
our prescriptions to Costco. We have three Costcos within 10 miles of us.

I do try to go only once or twice a month because I'm like a kid in a
candy store there.

gloria p

Gloria wrote:

> There are just two of us. I love Costco's cheese selection, their large
> bags of shelled pecans and almonds, mushrooms, fresh figs in season, baby
> salad greens, smoked salmon, whole beef tenderloins (for the extended
> family visits or guests), cry-o-vac boneless chicken breasts, large pkgs
> of yeast, multi-packed batteries, artichoke and jalapeno spread, and
> multi-pack canned tomato sauce. Since our neighborhood Albertson's has
> closed along with their pharmacy, I am about to transfer our prescriptions
> to Costco. We have three Costcos within 10 miles of us.
>
> I do try to go only once or twice a month because I'm like a kid in a
> candy store there.

To which I'll add: They've got good prices on wine (and stronger alcohol),
they've got produce I don't see elsewhere (like those colossal grapes in the
summer), and the savings on our HDTV was enough to pay for membership for
several years. The Kirkland brand of dog food is good quality, and so that's
what we buy for our "golden cuddler."

The big beef rib roasts are handy for breaking down into boneless roasts and
racks of meaty beef ribs: When you see beef ribs in grocery stores, almost
all the meat has been removed, rendering them useless for barbecue. If you
cut ribs off the roasts yourself, you can keep the meat there.

I'm glad Ross mentioned birdseed; Lin's been getting it at Target, but it
never occurred to me to see if it's at Costco.

The only problems I have with Costco are their shitty check-out lines and
their spotty product availability. Lin likes ground coffee (rather than
whole bean), and when I was in Costco just a few days ago, they only had one
selection of ground coffee, which happened to be a roast Lin doesn't like.

Bob

In article >,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:



> Lin likes ground coffee (rather than
> whole bean), and when I was in Costco just a few days ago, they only had one
> selection of ground coffee, which happened to be a roast Lin doesn't like.

Every Costco I've been in has industrial strength coffee grinders.
Sometimes they are next to the coffee, sometimes after the checkout.
They'll grind the whole bag in a couple of minutes, even the five pound
bags. They have scissors and tape. Just don't forget! Guess how I
found that out?

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Subject: Costco membership
From: PLucas1 >
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

"gloria.p" > wrote in news:hlngqr$ujb
-
september.org:

> Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
>
>> To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
>> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
>> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime
in
>> one way or another?
>>
>>
>>
>
> There are just two of us. I love Costco's cheese selection, their large
> bags of shelled pecans and almonds, mushrooms, fresh figs in season,
> baby salad greens, smoked salmon, whole beef tenderloins (for the
> extended family visits or guests), cry-o-vac boneless chicken breasts,
> large pkgs of yeast, multi-packed batteries, artichoke and jalapeno
> spread, and multi-pack canned tomato sauce. Since our neighborhood
> Albertson's has closed along with their pharmacy, I am about to transfer
> our prescriptions to Costco. We have three Costcos within 10 miles of
us.
>
> I do try to go only once or twice a month because I'm like a kid in a
> candy store there.
>


They even give you coupons to shop there!!!!! (Well, I know you
*would* have
coupons over there, but it's a 'new thang' over here - soon we will be
as good as america!!)

http://www.costco.com.au/Resources/c..._FEB_FINAL.pdf


Someone mentioned Raisins before.......... $47 off a 1.3kg bag.....
but
they don't give you the actual price of the items.

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

Join us Google Groups posters.........

http://groups.google.com/support/?hl=en

http://www.freeproxy.ru/en/free_proxy/howuse.htm

I would never patronize a member store that would have me as a member.

John Kuthe...

John Kuthe wrote:
> I would never patronize a member store that would have me as a member.
>
> John Kuthe...

Haha ... Best answer!



--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

"Cindy Fuller" > wrote in message
...
> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?
>
> Cindy
>
> --
> C.J. Fuller
>
> Delete the obvious to email me

Cindy,

Being part of a two person home, I can honestly say it is a phenomenal
value. Clothes are sold individually, as are wine, books, appliances, small
appliances, cd's, as well as many other items. In addition, within their
services section, great vacation values, insurance, banking.

Where most people say they are turned off by quantities, we are talking
about food. There are three things to do regarding food: don't buy it, go in
with another couple, or do what I and many others have done. Many years ago
I bought a foodsaver sealer. When I buy a package of prime top sirloin
steaks (four to a package) at $3.49/lb), I make up four bags. They last many
months.

And as for the debate of Costco vs. Sam's, most surveys choose Costco hands
down. And one added benefit. The openly "defy" Wall Street by treating their
employees with respect, money and bennies. And, unlike Sam's have never laid
off any employees.

"Cindy Fuller" > wrote in message
...
> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?
>
> Cindy

BJ's here. Just two of us and I save enough to pay for the membership many
times over. Do you want to pay $1.79 for a boneless pork loin or $4.49 at
the supermarket? Having a freezer helps, but even without, I could buy
enough to save.

Make a list of the "every month" items you buy and compare prices. I'm the
only one that eats peanut butter so that we get at the local market. Same
with many and things of that sort that we use little of. Meats, cheeses,
OTC medications are all big money savers at the club stores. Propane tanks
for the grill and my shop heater save $5 a fill over local places. I fill
10 to 12 tanks a year.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
>
>BJ's here. Just two of us and I save enough to pay for the membership many
>times over. Do you want to pay $1.79 for a boneless pork loin or $4.49 at
>the supermarket? Having a freezer helps, but even without, I could buy
>enough to save.

I have a Sam's Club membership, that's what's closest but still more
than 30 miles one way... I shop there like 3-4 times a year but not
for everyday food items, mostly specialty food items like whole
cheeses, dry sausages, snack foods like pretzels, a few large bags of
candy, I've a weakness for gum drops, jelly beans, sweedish fish and
the like, jars of marinated olives/pickles, but mostly cat food and
cat litter, and paper goods... I buy staple canned goods by the case,
and large bags of pasta, things like that... toiletries and OTC drugs
too. The few times I go I buy a lot, and save many times my
membership. But I can buy better boneless pork loins at Price Chopper
for $2/lb, that's one of the cuts that's almost always on sale at that
price. I tried the meats at the big box stores but don't find them to
be a quality grade, it has always been inferior, especially pork and
beef, the two meats I consume the most, I don't eat lamb and I eat
seafood out. I don't cook a lot of poultry, typically a turkey on
Turkey Day and the occasional roasting chicken on the grill, I never
buy cut-up chicken. I see no bargains on fresh meats at the big box
stores... in fact the little stupidmarket here in town sells very good
quality meat, and at low prices if I shop the sale items... I know the
butcher there and he will custom cut whatever I want, that's how I got
that piece of boneless chuck for the soup I just made, only I should
have asked for a hunk twice that size, not his fault I misjudged.

>OTC medications are all big money savers at the club stores.

Agreed, but only if you can use those large sizes before they expire.
But I save even more on the few OTCs I use regularly at Amazon and
they come right to my door for free.

>Propane tanks for the grill and my shop heater save $5 a fill over local places.
>I fill 10 to 12 tanks a year.

That's a very expensive way to purchase that much propane, you'd do
much better to have a bulk tank installed, and save all those trips
hauling dangerous tanks. Wait-a-minute, didn't you just buy a fancy
schmancy gas stove, where does that gas come from?

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
>
>>Propane tanks for the grill and my shop heater save $5 a fill over local
>>places.
>>I fill 10 to 12 tanks a year.
>
> That's a very expensive way to purchase that much propane, you'd do
> much better to have a bulk tank installed, and save all those trips
> hauling dangerous tanks. Wait-a-minute, didn't you just buy a fancy
> schmancy gas stove, where does that gas come from?

The problem is location. The twin 100 pound tanks feed the gas stove, the
others are for grill and heater. Running a line from the big tank to them is
a PITA and you lose the ability to move them easily. Another alternative is
to buy another big tank for each, but that presents other problem.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote
> "Cindy Fuller" wrote

>> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
>> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
>> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
>> one way or another?

> BJ's here.

Here too. There's a SAMS but seems the same.

> Just two of us and I save enough to pay for the membership many times
> over. Do you want to pay $1.79 for a boneless pork loin or $4.49 at the
> supermarket? Having a freezer helps, but even without, I could buy enough
> to save.

Same also though there are 3 of us. Oh and 2 4footed members, soon to be 3
4footed members. Extra freezer and a vacumn sealer.

> Make a list of the "every month" items you buy and compare prices. I'm
> the only one that eats peanut butter so that we get at the local market.
> Same with many and things of that sort that we use little of. Meats,
> cheeses,

I have a garage so not worried about larger volumes. That 16 pack of canned
tomatoes goes out there and I refill the kitchen cabinet from it as needed.

On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:14:21 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:

> There's a SAMS but seems the same.

I hope the people who shop at Sam's realize that Sam is Sam Walton of
Walmart fame.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:14:21 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>
>> There's a SAMS but seems the same.
>
> I hope the people who shop at Sam's realize that Sam is Sam Walton of
> Walmart fame.
>


It doesn't matter to a lot of people. It does to me.


gloria p

"gloria.p" > wrote in -
september.org:

> sf wrote:
>> On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:14:21 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>>
>>> There's a SAMS but seems the same.
>>
>> I hope the people who shop at Sam's realize that Sam is Sam Walton of
>> Walmart fame.
>>
>
>
> It doesn't matter to a lot of people. It does to me.
>
>
> gloria p
>



What's the beef with them Mrs P ??



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

Killfile all Google Groups posters.........

http://improve-usenet.org/

http://improve-usenet.org/filters_bg.html

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:14:21 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>
>> There's a SAMS but seems the same.
>
> I hope the people who shop at Sam's realize that Sam is Sam Walton of
> Walmart fame.
>

I knew that. I have been to the corporate headquarters in Arkansas and
went to the visitors center which is in the old 5 and 10 that was Sam's
first store. Very interesting place.

They have a special building on the corporate campus where merchants
bring their samples to negotiate deals. I didn't get to go in, but I did
see many harried people toting huge, wheeled cases up and down the steps
to that building.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:25:34 -0600, Janet Wilder
> wrote:

>sf wrote:
>> On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:14:21 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>>
>>> There's a SAMS but seems the same.
>>
>> I hope the people who shop at Sam's realize that Sam is Sam Walton of
>> Walmart fame.
>>
>
>I knew that. I have been to the corporate headquarters in Arkansas and
>went to the visitors center which is in the old 5 and 10 that was Sam's
>first store. Very interesting place.
>
>They have a special building on the corporate campus where merchants
>bring their samples to negotiate deals. I didn't get to go in, but I did
>see many harried people toting huge, wheeled cases up and down the steps
>to that building.

Gives you a good idea of how they feel about their prospective
suppliers.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:25:34 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:

> sf wrote:
>> On Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:14:21 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>>
>>> There's a SAMS but seems the same.
>>
>> I hope the people who shop at Sam's realize that Sam is Sam Walton of
>> Walmart fame.
>>
>
> I knew that. I have been to the corporate headquarters in Arkansas and
> went to the visitors center which is in the old 5 and 10 that was Sam's
> first store. Very interesting place.
>
> They have a special building on the corporate campus where merchants
> bring their samples to negotiate deals. I didn't get to go in, but I did
> see many harried people toting huge, wheeled cases up and down the steps
> to that building.

my impression (and i'm too lazy now to look up the cites for it) is that
sam walton wasn't quite the shark that wal-mart corporation has turned
into. his heirs, some more involved than others, have pretty much turned
the business over to managers seeking the absolute lowest price for the
goods (which means imported from china) and the absolute lowest costs for
labor (which means no unions, no benefits, and if your employees need
medicaid and food stamps, so be it).

henry ford (rat though he may have been in many ways) realized it would
probably be a good thing all around if he paid his assembly line workers
enough so that they could afford to buy one of his cars. in contrast, the
current business models focus solely on profit and not how that will affect
the larger and smaller communities that they sell to.

a better model might more evenly distribute the profits amongst the people
actually doing the work and the people owning the means of production.
that's my commie take on it anyway.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:11:29 -0800, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

> Ranee's post about the non-availability of good kosher hot dogs at
> Costco brought up an interesting sidebar. She said that she and Rich
> had let their Costco membership lapse. The SO and I have debated for
> years about the value of getting a Costco membership. I briefly had a
> Sam's Club membership many years ago, but I let it lapse because there
> wasn't one nearby when I moved from Dallas to Ithaca in 1986. Our
> neighbors are big Costco aficionados, and my relatives back east are
> devotees of BJ's and Sam's. To my thinking, a membership doesn't make
> much sense for the two of us. We don't have oodles of space to store
> large quantities of stuff. Anyone in a small household want to chime in
> one way or another?
>
We have a membership but don't go very often. Basics like toilet
paper are in such huge packages these days that it's ridiculous for
two of us. We go every so often to get nice steaks, lamb chops etc
but it's not a #1 destination the way it was when our kids were still
at home and we entertained a lot more often.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:

> We have a membership but don't go very often. Basics like toilet paper are
> in such huge packages these days that it's ridiculous for two of us.

We get toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins at Costco: We've got the
space for those "huge packages", and since they're non-perishable it makes
sense to take advantage of the savings. (Then again, we've got almost enough
closet space to store a Greyhound bus.)

Bob