Food Theory: Costco DOESN’T Save You Money! 

Amazing video Food Theorist Team! 😀Costco Hot Dog + Soda Combo Forever!!!

Matpat’s inner dad is on full display. Trying to be as cheap as possible with shopping like a true father.

When I lived in LA in a large, poor, family, my mother used her Costco membership exactly how you're suggesting. Every other dinner was Costco hotdogs, and it kept our family fed for years. We couldn't afford meals, so 3.00$ to feed 5 people was a great deal. My mother is an amazing and thrifty woman.

I have a Costco within a mile or two of my house. I probably make up my membership fee just from rotisserie chickens. I think I've become recognizable to the staff by repeatedly walking out with just a chicken. My 4-year-old knows that we have to look for the biggest chicken

As someone who worked there, they also move products around regularly to make you spend longer looking for things. Its not just the random placements, the placements change constantly.

As the oldest of 7, Costco and Sam's Club are a lifesaver. When you have to buy 9 peoplesworth of things, you end up getting way more bang for your buck, you use everything, and it's way less individual items to handle when shopping. So while it's a mediocre deal for an average family, it works wonders for a large family like mine.

Back when I lived with my parents, brother, and grandparents, Costco was an ideal place for us to buy most of our groceries. When I moved out with my fiance, it became a LOT harder for us to justify Costco while living in a 1 bedroom apartment with very limited kitchen/refrigerator space.

We did the math, back when we lived near a CostCo. The best deal was actually the gas--it typically ran about 10-25 cents a gallon below the nearest stations in any direction. That pretty much covered the cost of our basic membership over the course of a year.

Some really great points made. One thing to consider re bulk purchasing that first came to my mind is: bulk buy what doesn't expire. Ie toilet paper, kleenex, unwaxed floss, pasta, flour, dried legumes etc. Even toiletries and skincare can expire and you'd be surprised how quickly you get sick of the fragrance, or you skin decides to reject your favourite moisturiser you've been using for 10 years - or it's just not moisturising enough now that you've turned 27. Another thought that came to mind - you can really make some cost savings if you have growing sons, even more if they're athletic.

Shrinkflation is also terrifying I work in a grocery store and noticed that a brand of pasta sauce had changed their Alfredo sauce to be like 100ml less. Noticeably smaller jar and same price

As a Costco employee who works in the meat plant making the $1.50 hot dogs, I have a lot of pride in the products with make and will always grab a hot dog when I’m out shopping at Costco almost every time.

I have the $120/yr membership, but I don't pay a dime for it. The 2% cash back they give on all of my purchases pays for the membership and usually leaves me $20-40 left over to pur toward my shopping bill. The main reason I keep shopping there is the quality of their produce. No store in the area can beat it. Family of 4.

Mom and I literally did the math on the costco membership and we figured that if we filled up on gas 8 times a year between the two of us, we'd be saving money with the membership. We barely shop there (maybe once a month on average) but the gas savings alone put us ahead. Might be different or not so different for you depending on exactly how much gas you need and how much the costco fuel savings are for you on average. These calculations were done assuming costco was charging 70 cents less than other gas stations for fuel which is roughly accurate to our area.

As a current worker for 5 years, This is all true. But as an employee, benefits, free membership, discounts, and food from the food court (btw you can make your own pizza at the end of the day) is worth it.

As a Costco worker for more than 5 years, I agree with everything he said, Costco also makes their stores in a “horseshoe” fashion, with the expensive items, plus the free samples, being on the ends, with the deals more towards the middle of the isle, making you stay on the main isle GENIUS!! They also make their gas around $0.30 cheaper than competitors around the area, with the Visa card, which also has deals (and basically a free membership when you signup) is definitely an anti-inflation strategy that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Honestly, the groceries I have access to, Sobeys, Save On, Safeway, Super Store, Coop, Freshco... none of them sell as fresh meat or Salmon in decent sized packs and the cost of meat is much better at Costco. Plus the salad packs are priced way better. I always just buy the same items I don't impulse buy.

I already saved $100 at Costco in March (I bought a $200 electronic device for $100). What I mean is, I went shopping for an electronic item that I found as low as $200 at other stores, then found a BETTER one at Costco for $100 LESS. I have compared prices for things I buy at Costco vs every other grocery store in my area. Costco is better quality and less expensive. The vitamin suppliments are a great value as well. Buying ingredients in bulk does NOT mean that you have to eat the same boring meals every day. A 20lbs bag of rice can be turned into a LOT of different things. Great prices on large quantities of alcohol, which can be used to make extracts. Huge bags of chocolate chips for cookies, large jugs of whipping cream for desserts and you can't beat the 2 flats of 6 humbo muffins for $9.99. These are just things I can think of off the top of my head. Oh, and at my local Costco Business center, I saw whole lambs, just hanging in the refrigerator. I would not know what to do with a whole lamb, I'm just saying it's an ingredient and it's there. Costco is deffinetly my go-to for quality items at discout prices. If you lack self-control and impulse buy, this may not be the store for you but if you can control yourself and NOT buy everything you see, this is a great place to save money! And no, I do not make $100K, I am just frugal and know a good deal when I see it. ❤ Costco ❤ ❣️

As someone who recently said to my husband "what if we got a costco membership and just ate hotdogs for every meal, that would save a lot of money right?!" I feel like this video is incredibly relevant to me personally.

As a Costco employee, this was fun to watch. And you’re not kidding about the products being all over the place. We’re told it’s to "create a treasure hunt atmosphere" haha. In reality the store basically get disassembled and then reassembled every night. It’s super chaotic and messy, and it’s always incredible how quickly everything becomes ship shape just in time. It’s a good company, and I love my store’s workplace.

The gas savings, diapers, wipes, and baby formula alone are all worth the membership for me. Also you can find great deals on good quality clothes, with great returns. Found my toddler a winter coat for 12 bucks, a similar one was 30 or 40 at target.

Having enough discipline, I have more than made my money back on things we do not waste in our house. With my executive membership, I’ve also earned myself over a grand in rewards this year, so I’m happily pro-Costco haha

I used to work at Costco, if you have a $120 membership you get money back from your purchases. If you have and upgrade from the base $60 Gold Star to the $120, but for that year you don't at least earn back the $60 for the extra upgrade costs, they'll refund you the difference at the end of the year.

Another factor you didn't mention: as long as one person in a group is a member, a whole group can get in. A lot of families across multiple households will shop together to "share" a membership. Sometimes people three or four households will all go at once.

Been a Costco member for longer than i can remember and the savings add up if you have a family of 4 or more. From all the groceries to gas to tires/car battery and many other deals. It's all about convenience

This is no different than any other grocery stores tactics. I have been a loyal Costco member for over 33 years so your depiction of what they’re doing is the same as what everybody does in a grocery store and they do save me money. I also get my prescriptions filled at Costco and thereeighth of the price that I would pay at CVS Walgreens, or any other pharmacy

I’m surprised you didn’t mention gasoline purchases. I easily make my membership dues back in gas savings. Anything I save on food is just extra. Also, the quality of food that I get is usually better than what I’d get at Walmart.

There are things that wasn't discussed: - Costco Gas, always cheaper by quite a bit vs other places and you fill in at least around 10+ gallons per trip. - If you get their VISA card, you will get cash back from your purchases that can cover your yearly membership fee. - The rotisserie chicken is always $5 while you will pay at least $8-9 at any other store. The raw chicken itself is already more than $5. However, to get to where this chicken is, you have to go through the gauntlet of other advertisement. - You will be carded just to order from the food court (at least at the place where I shop). So, no cheap hotdog for you non-members. - Cheap stuff do run out and they're not obligated to fill those up to meet the demand (eggs, toilet papers, rotisserie chicken). This means they cap their loss leaders so they do not bleed profit. You don't always get the best priced items if you come too late.

Fun Fact: The original CEO of Costco was once asked if they could change the prices of the hotdogs they sold to modern day prices. He said that never will happen, and the hotdogs still remain the same cost they were from when the store first opened. Have to admit, they know what they are doing. Edit: THEY CHANGED THE PRICE AGHAGGGAGUDIDNRNDJDDJBDBD Edit: (again) THANK GOD THEY DIDNT IT WAS JUST SOME RUMOR IN THE COMMENTS

Two aspects of possible savings you didn't mention are gasoline and the Costco Visa. At least in suburban MD, I have never seen any gas station offer prices at the Costco level (although, once in a while, some stations have come within five cents). And if you have the affiliated credit card, using it at Costco (2%), restaurants--including convenience stores--(3%), gas or EV charging (4%), anjd 1% everywhere else, you get a credit voucher each year to use at Costco. If you're buying enough, especially if you've followed the savings tips in this video, that yearly voucher will more than cover the costs of a membership--even the $120 one.

My family falls in the poor camp, but we're also executive members at Costco, which is something you didn't actually fully cover in your theory. You mentioned the executive member benefits, of which there's a pretty good perk. At the end of the year, executive members are sent a redeemable coupon from Costco that refunds them a small percentage of all the purchases they made at the store that year, up to a max of $1,000. Since my family's the type to bulk buy everything we need for the family to last until the next paycheck, we do the majority of our essential purchases at Costco. While we never spend enough to get $1,000, we do often get enough back that it's above the cost of getting a new executive member card, and then some. So we do get our money's worth that way. And while there have been the impulse buys on occasion, pretty much everything we've bought there gets used before it expires. Often times we know that something won't be used right away, so we store it in a deep freezer my parents got back in the late 80s until we need to take it out and thaw it. Sometimes it results in us having some leftover meals that we don't have to spend as much during our next grocery run.

This video did nothing but make me respect costco even more and want to spend more there 😭

Pre-pandemic, it was true that Costco was cheaper than Walmart/ supermarkets. Now, even the eggs are more expensive in Costco. The only consistent cheap thing is the 40 pack bottled waters. Otherwise, you need to look at every price tag before you decide to buy or NOT.

Also pro tip: freeze everything! Costco cheese freezes well with all types, and individual items that freeze (burritos, pizza,fish, meat, bulk deli items you can re-bake), can be frozen for up to 18 months. I’m poor, a bit younger than the demographic and live in an apartment. But I store carefully and have a deep separate freezer and airtight containers for dry goods. I even buy a few items for neighbors, who pay a few percent more for me to bring it to their apartment! Then I get annual cash back too.

Costco ends up being better if you have an idea of how much you go through as far as food items. Usually their frozen foods (and some refrigerated foods) are enough for a family of 3 or 4. The big problem (as you stated, MatPat) is that they get you with all of the other things you see while trying to buy the things you need. It's how a reasonable shopping trip ends up costing a couple hundred dollars very quickly. :) We've started to learn that it works better if we buy certain things at Costco (usually sale items) and try to buy the rest at out local supermarkets. Saves a lot of money.

That’s why you always make a list and stick to that list. We’re a family of 6. I have a sam’s club membership and bulk is more time saving for me. So, I always shop for only what I need. But, I rarely ever step foot in the store at all these days. Being able to buy what I need and just go pick it up without stepping foot out of my truck.

That’s great! That means that all these impulse buyers are subsidizing my carefully selected items! And I don’t even have to pay the membership fees because all the cash payers are offsetting prices to accommodate my credit card rewards points… And no, I don’t pay any interest because I pay full balance with automatic payments…

The real savings of Costco and similar places is when you are in a family of >4 and have to go back every two weeks to restock everything you brought. Basically, it can save thousands if you need to constantly consume and cycle through those products. I think our family of 7 uses around 200-300 dollars per trip and go every other week (~10k a year) typically on consumable items.

I think the point many people miss is it’s not just about the savings but more about the quality for price. Costco brand products are second to non when it comes to big box stores like Walmart. The best of almost everything, in bulk, at a reasonable price. The chickens, prepackaged food, and bakery alone are worth the trip. You just can’t beat it!

I gave up my Costco Membership, every time I went there I was buying stuff “I didn’t know I needed”. The grass feed beef is something I like, I found it cheaper elsewhere, the gasoline where I live is always cheaper than in the city so that was never a motivation for a membership. I realized that I can find the things that I get at Costco without paying for a membership. I just don’t need anymore stuff.

This is precisely why the wife and I avoid almost all perishable food items at Costco that can’t be frozen and thawed. We might pick up some fruit every now and then, but that becomes a daily staple. Otherwise, everything food related either gets portioned and frozen for later use, or is already in packaging that prolongs the freshness anyways. Oh…. and the hot dog deal is something we take advantage of every visit… our 5 year old included. 😎

Whenever my mom shops at Costco she always asks friends and family if they need anything before she goes. Then, she almost exclusively gets non-perishables, and will distribute items between several households. I never realized how much of a smart strategy that was until now. I’ll have to tell her that I have a greater appreciation for her efforts!

The fact that Costco is selling same weight of cooked chicken cheaper than raw chicken at our local traditional market makes Costco really a no brainer. I’m not sure it’s my country only or not, but the price differences is way beyond a few penny or a few dollar overall compare to all other possible grocery shop available for us. Like, we’re talking about 25%different on sth like tissue towels that lands on a necessity side while it don’t really expired.

We just recently acquired a Costco card for the first time through groupon w/c was running a holiday promo, membership with $40 Costco giftcard. Basically it only cost us $20 for the year. Only use it for gas, mostly non-perishable daily use items like toilet paper, dishwashing liq, lotion, soaps, etc; staple foods like rice, coffee, creamer, eggs, & ofc the roasted chicken & hotdog. I still shop at other grocery stores when items like meat are cheaper elsewhere.

I can confirm about the samples cause I used to work as a Costco sample person. And every time I would do samples. They would sell out of whatever I was sampleing.

Costco also has a great return policy

For my household of seven, Costco has definitely saved my parents a bunch of money. We are the target audience, plus, when they bring us kids along we try to sell them products they don't need and we want. We make Costco more money, but we save so much its worth it.

My mother relies on Costco to feed her 4 dogs. Kirkland kibble and canned food is about $65. Getting the equivalent amount at another store will cost probably around $100 if it is a good price.

The savings also depends a lot on the product. I buy Diet Coke at costco and compared to buying 12 packs at the grocery store, it's less than half the price or about $12 savings per 'pallet' of Diet Coke I buy.

As a previous Costco vendor - they truly do pass the savings on to you and their quality stands are pretty high. I just saved a lot on a Nespresso machine that I was going to buy anyway. There’s good ways to shop there and there are bad ways to shop there, you need to price compare and be realistic about your needs. The hotdogs and rotisserie chicken are incentive items that Costco is literally losing money on and chucking it off to advertisement costs

As someone who consumes an insane quantity of eggs, costco has been a lifesaver. Their eggs never spiked in price and they’re pretty cheap given todays pricing

Where we live they always have the best price in town for gasoline. You can save 3% more if you have the Costco Citi Visa. I've also found that using their sale booklet does save money, if it is something you already use. Purchasing their Kirkland brand saves too.

I hear ya. And so much truth here. And there are ways to shop Costco without these problems. We tend to do paper products there and that amazing chicken. Otherwise purchases are in consideration that it’s a 1-2 person house shop. Sometimes we’ll buy and split the bulk with another small household.

The broken strategy I found with Costco: You buy only one membership and then buy food and goods for a bunch of people or friends. They usually do not care if a small group of people come in as long as the one person with the membership is technically doing all of the shopping. You can even split the membership costs so it's a lot less for you to spend on a membership. This works with extended or larger families as well.

With a family of 8 we went thru food and other essentials like crazy. I had the executive membership which offers 3% cash back. Our cash back alone covered our membership fee plus extra and Costco always had the cheapest gas in town

I return stuff all the time and they don’t make it a big deal like other stores, and when I go check out almost all cashiers are being used un like others stores sometimes it’s the little stuff that makes the biggest difference in your day.

More and more costcos are requiring memberships for food, even if the food court is outside. You may be in for a $61.50 hotdog when you get there.

My college friends and I chipped in for a Costco membership. All of us together using one membership was pretty worth it. There were several apartments all using one card. It was pretty nice

As a foreigner visiting my US relatives in Washington DC a few years ago, I had no idea Costco was a membership only store. They didn't have any pre-check or signage outside to inform me, and I was by myself that day, as my relatives were attending one of their friends wedding, which didn't concern me, so I just headed in and started shopping. As a tourist I wasn't interested in foods, but I needed some new underwear and socks and while in there I found some other things that were at least a lot cheaper than in Sweden that I put in my cart. Come checkout I was asked to show my membership card, which of course I didn't have any. A few award minutes later trying to explain I was just a tourist and didn't know, at first thinking it was an issue of picking the right checkout, like the fast lane is only for members or something, he just gave up and let me pay anyway.

If you keep an eye out you can get insane deals on display model items. The computers, recliners, and foosball tables, all have to be sold, even the ones on display in the store. Because they’ve been sat out and ‘used’ costco usually gives you an up to 50% discount. I got a lenovo legion pro 5 (retail $1,600) for $750 and change. Same goes for a lot of our outdoor furniture and our foosball table!

Costco is 1. convenience. Large quantity means less trips, 2. Some Kirkland house brand items are BETTER quality items than their retail counterparts. In particular, their trash bags are better than force flex, their cold brew cans are better than other brands and their Kirkland ground coffee is roasted by Starbucks roasters, etc. 3. Cheap good wine, and 4. Their meat quality. Particularly their higher end steaks and seafood(tuna, salmon etc.

In one of my business classes I did a report on Costco's financial statements. I determined that their sale of goods about exactly covered all their operating expenses and the membership fees was almost exactly equal to their net profit. Thus, they sell everything about at cost and their cut is that membership fee. Also when comparing them to Walmart, Costco treats it's employees far better and is not proven to reduce the wages and wellbeing of the surrounding community.

You have to pick and choose. Specific items are priced very well and others are a ripoff. You don't need organic grapes for $9 a pound, but enough TP to last several months for $20 is amazing. Plus their gas stations save you at least a dollar per fillup.

11:00 mark is very accurate. 1. u need the cash available to buy in bulk. 2. as u said the storage. pantry, at bare minimum. so yea sadly most people wont budget well enough to make use of costco, and even if they do, small apartments already tight on space isnt going to be any more fun with piles of costco products in corners lol..... it is good for familys of 5 or so, or ofc more... as u said u got to get through the items u buy as well.

Here are some tips that I learned at Costco. Instead of buying shredded mozzarella cheese, or even blocks of cheese, by individually wrapped cheese strings or baby bell cheese. They have a much longer shelf life because they are vacuum sealed and you can portion out properly what you want. Instead of buying fresh chilled milk, buy vacuum sealed milk or plant based milk that don’t require refrigeration. These cartons of milk are actually shelfstable without refrigeration up until the expiration date which is at least a few months. Don’t bother buying cereal unless you actually love to eat it every day, it’s actually healthier to buy oatmeal and stored in a vacuum sealed container. The vacuum sealed containers are a usually good deal at Costco and can store a significant amount of shelfstable produce such as nuts, oatmeal, flour, pasta etc. Tomato paste can be used to make tomato sauces, stews and curries, and is a great way to use up old frozen vegetables. All you have to do is use one can pursue pot, and use an immersion blender with any vegetables and stock. Tomato paste also takes up less space than tomato sauce. When you buy fresh produce, such as meat fruits or vegetables, freeze half, cook a quarter, and keep the other quarter in your fridge for next time. When you buy jars of jam, save those jars! Not only are they good drinking glasses but they are good for storing things, food or physical items otherwise. You can even sanitize them in boiling water, and reuse them to re-seal and preserve food for pickling or even jarred meat for long shelf stable food down the road. Freeze your slice bread or keep it in the refrigerator. They cook just fine when you put them in the toaster.

Had a membership for 18 years. We always went with a list, and never shopped off the list. We also price compared, and only bought items that would not use. We went once a month, and made sure to come with an empty gas tank. It was totally worth it. We never bought crap we didn't need.

Costco worth it 100%, quality of produce is above average, selection of products changes over time, I do weekly shopping there, and yes, with cash back my membership costed me $30 this year. Brilliant business strategy!

I can go to 3 gas stations close to my home that are less expensive than Costco. To top it off, in California, membership stores don’t have to display their gas prices prior to entry. People assume Costco has the cheapest gas prices, but sometimes they don’t.

Living in Arizona, we make up the cost of our Costco membership with three words: car battery warranty. Given 100+ degree heat is terrible on lead acid car batteries, we have to replace our $120 car battery almost yearly during the summer. Costco has a battery warranty of 3 years from time of sale, which carries over and resets to three years when you exchange your battery. We have for years gotten car batteries from Costco (most of them free) because of this.

Honestly shocked you didnt mention the gas station usually attached to the costco store. 95% of the time they have the cheapest price for gas in my area and I probably get a majority of my memebership paid for by savings in gas prices

Costco is a social experiment gone wrong. 30min to park 45min to checkout. 20min to have recipient checked to leave. 30min wait to get gas. All to save $15 total.

I would say even though Costco only saved $20 assuming you’re just purchasing there, that’s still really good over a long time. Even a dollar saved a day is equal to $365 extra a year. Added onto other things like responsibly using your credit cards to maximize cash back, and making sure you’re staying out of debt, it’s a lot that you’re saving in the long run.

My mom and I went to Costco bi weekly. We're a family of 5 and my brother, sister, and especially stepdad, are food vacuums. So shopping at Costco was actually the smarter thing to do, we had a route through the store and everything.

I’m shocked he didn’t mention the savings at the Costco gas pumps. That alone is worth the membership in savings

I'm single and I use my Costco card for chicken, free samples, an abundance of toilet paper, a $1.25 hot dog, and an abundance of people watching. It makes me happy. Thank you very much. It's worth it.

For me, the costco credit card cashback of ~$170 per year (used mainly on gas/costco purchases) and the executive membership cashback ~$70 per year + gas savings + $1.50 hotdog for me and my wife once per week definitely worth it.

I think that it’s worthy of you have a big family, cause those same quantities at regular supermarkets add up quick. Besides, the benefits of the executive membership and the credit card help a lot. It’s just a matter of knowing how to administer your money wisely

One important thing that you did not address is the big difference between how Costco treats their employees and how Walmart treats their employees. Costco is well known for giving a living wage with good benefits. While Walmart does their best to pay everyone as low as possible with minimal benefits. This means a lot to me in terms of where I spend my money.

Having a costco 5 min from my school was massive. Always easy to get a cheap lunch and gas if needed. NTM buying select things in bulk for dinner was massive as a student living by themselves.

1.14$/saving per product, its pretty good for a 5$/monthly fees... I live alone and go to costco at least 2 time a month, in canada the rotisseri chicken is 7.99 which is about 3-4$saving so it is very easy to save if you realy look what you buy.

My husband and I crunched the costco math while I was pregnant. (6 years ago) At least at that time, if you bought nothing but diapers and formula from Costco, you'd more than pay for your membership in savings in like a month and a half. You can also *only* buy items that can be long term stored- canned goods, non-food items like toothpaste, vitamins, paper products, etc. And meat... The meat is cheaper in bulk. You can get a 10lb thing of ground beef for sometimes as much as 50% what that same meat would cost at another grocery store. Just break it up into 1lb portions once you get home.

Costco is one of the greatest stores. It does save money as long as you have self-control. Otherwise it is the same as a regular store.

I usually only shop there once per month by design. My wife and I go there and spend roughly $400-600 per trip and only buy items we will use in full. If we go more than once once that's where they get us.

I joined Costco as the employee was trying to upsell me to the exec. membership saying I’m going to love it. When I compared prices to my local Kroger, I actually wasn’t saving money. My main staples were the exact same prices so why pay the $60 membership? Additionally, Kroger has rewards are competitive so there’s no incentive for me. I do believe location plays a part though

So basically so long as you're not wasting the product that you buy and throwing it in the trash, it's worth it. Seems like a win to me so long as you're responsible and thoughtful about what you buy.

If you buy what you need it saves you money but if you buy everything you see then it doesn’t save you money

I love all of your channels so much.

I use everything I get at costco. I go there for much more than you say you need to. I have made impulse buys but it was for things that added to the variety of my meals, and I still shop at other supermarkets. I save a ton of cash shopping there. Also, the impulse buys at a regular supermarket are far worse and those are the ones to really avoid

If you are actually a student or low income family costco can still save you money, but it takes a little more work. The biggest thing people don't tell you about costco is, not everyone needs a membership, only 1 person needs one and you can split multiple purchases just like any other store. Meaning that you can get together with other students and families and schedule regular costco trips where everyone meets up and does their shopping, then all check out with the same membership, all while paying separately. and if you all share the cost of that one membership you can pay it off within the first few purchases.

As a cafe employee in Sams Club (Costco but make it Walmart), I will always advocate for the food being insanely cheap considering inflation. Depending on the store, we won't even ask to see your membership (if you manage to sneak in through the exit).

My wife and I did the math for us it more than pays for itself in the Gas and TP. I lot of times we can get great deals on things we already have on our shopping list in the food and drinks category. I seldom even look at anything else.

We use our Costco membership for the gas, bulk items (food and non-food) and the occasional electronics purchases. We have the executive level membership for the extra reward and we always recoup our full membership cost and more.

I have a Sam's club membership, which is basically the same thing, and my wife and I have done the math, and we do save over $200 per year. Toilet paper, tissues, parchment paper, toiletries, coffee, granola bars, 50lb bags of rice, cleaning supplies, etc. We even saved when our cookware needed to be replaced. We got a 15 piece, professional cookset (nine pots and pans, and 6 lids, 3 of which have strainer holes) that can go from stovetop to oven (meaning no plastic anywhere, including the lids), and we paid $130 for it. At Walmart, Meijer, and other places, there were 12 piece cookware sets that were over $200. The pots and pans were smaller than the set we got, they all had plastic (unless you got a 7 or 9 piece set for over $250, but again, size matters too in this case), none of the lids could go in the oven, even if the pots/pans could, and some of the pieces in comparably numbered sets weren't pots and pans, but utensils. I'll get the utensils I want, not your gimmicky cheap ones, thanks. You have to do an analysis of what all you are, or are not going to use on a regular basis, and whether or not you're actually saving money on those things. Milk, half & half, bread, and several other things that spoil, usually are cheaper somewhere else like Meijer or Aldi. For us, the sheer amount of things we use on a regular basis that can be bought for much less in bulk made it worth it for us to get the plus membership. If we spend $2,750 or more a year on things (or $229.17 per month), which we do, we end up with enough cash back that it is actually cheaper to pay for the premium membership than the regular one, which also gets us free shipping. Free shipping means we save gas money as well. So all in all, you really can save on your overall budget by getting one of these memberships, you just have to know first if it's going to save you anything, you have to go in disciplined, and you have to go into the store with a plan if you're going in person.

Just an aside, Costco employees are some of the nicest people I have ever interacted with. I worked at an MSP that took calls from employees for various things. They are the best! I honestly miss them years later.

I do save more being a carnivore, and also I have more variety. Is like a mix of box, but I might be wrong. When I compare the prices on Instacart, the prices per pound are always better in wholesalers (and also if you go in person)

It really depends on what you buy. For me the price of raw meat of the same cut is about a buck cheaper a pound at costco than the other chain super markets in the area. Junk food is also about half the price if you buy a 3 pound bag of chips. For those items alone, the membership pays for itself within 4 months. Thats about all I buy at cost costco; raw meats and junkfood. Everything else isnt worth the trouble. I may actually drop that too since I've noticed that if youre willing to process your own meatt from large chunks (pork and beef anyway) you can get it even cheaper than costco from a butcher if you buy like 30 pounds. You just have to trim it up, package and freeze it.

It ends up being economical for my family because of disability, oddly. Because it's changed what we shop for so much, we generally only buy things that either won't waste or definitely get used. Then we hit up a good, non-membership grocery-usually on a seperate day-for the few gaps in availability or what would've otherwise been wasted between shopping. Also, while not being strictly benevolent or anything, Costco pays it's employees WAY better than a Walmart, and most other grocery stores if I'm being honest.

Costco membership being 72% of their income isn't too bad when you realize it's at no cost to you. They sell their products sometimes extremely close to the price they bought it for, and so the income being the memberships really is just a reflection of how cheap some of the prices were.

1st; Make a hard list & Stick to It, Period! *Put the horse blinders on! BUT: You forgot the huge savings on lower priced Top tier Gasoline. Along with "% cash back "on Costco c.c. & the % back check, from their membership. Play their game wisely and actually WIN.

Costco’s focus is on value, which can be different from price. The real value of the membership is in the high quality products including unique and healthful snacks relative to what’s at the local grocer, their almost absurdly high value house brand (Kirkland Signature), gas, and return policy. It’s almost criminal not to include a comparison of Kirkland pharmacy products to other stores. Meat, dairy, and produce are all high quality, so it’s important to compare equivalents at other stores. Smart consumers understand there is more to value than price and Costco delivers that. It’s up to the consumer to determine when the bulk buy is good value for them.

I think this is a theory you should revisit/update later: perhaps expand more on the "how to win at shopping at Costco" aspect rather than the "you probably can't win" perspective. I totally agree that for a young single person, early in their career, if you don't have the space or means for bulk shopping, Costco can be a bad investment. (And yeah, I get it, that's the Food Theory core audience demographic, isn't it? Under 30, probably single, probably either a student, working for an hourly wage, or early in a career.) I'm the dad of a growing family of five (upper-middle class, suburbs, though not in the PNW and under $100K income), and we hit up Costco twice a month, buying way more than the requisite 53 items, and we still usually run out of some things by month's end. How are we so efficient? Planning ahead, finding multiple uses for items (whole chickens become dinner then bones for stock then compost for the garden!), wisely using a freezer/pantry, and figuring how how to avoid the nonsense items like the TVs and appliances. And real talk: the food court deals are bangers, man. Our whole family eats for like 12 bucks. Normally, a meal at even a mediocre fast-food restaurant rings up at $30-40. I'm just saying: this theory, while all in good fun, may suffer from death by a thousand caveats. Anyways, keep rockin, Team Theorist. Been a fan for many years.