CostCo
A colleague at work has suggested to me that as a local government worker in the UK I would be eligible to join the membership club of, and shop at, CostCo.
Can't see anything about this on the site FAQ (http://www.costco.co.uk/default.html) so does anyone know if this is true?
Also - has anyone bought from the UK branches before and is it as cheap as I'm led to believe (30-50% off high street prices)?!
Would be interested to learn more - particularly for my nearest branches (Reading or Croydon) - if you use them :-?
Can't see anything about this on the site FAQ (http://www.costco.co.uk/default.html) so does anyone know if this is true?
Also - has anyone bought from the UK branches before and is it as cheap as I'm led to believe (30-50% off high street prices)?!
Would be interested to learn more - particularly for my nearest branches (Reading or Croydon) - if you use them :-?
Post edited by Amfoot on
Comments
Cheapskate;)
However you have to buy in bulk to make any real decent saving, i always thought i would go to Makros to save some money but always used to come away with 5 times as much stuff as i needed so didnt save anything ! Plus after the 96th packet of Salt and vinegar crisps or fizzy cola bottles you get a bit sick and tired of em !
Yes, I wondered about the volume of purchases - if I wanted to look at a new telly, I don't want to have to buy a minimum number of the bloody things!?
Note if you have a visitor and they are buying something the member has to pay not your visitor, but I'm not sure how strict this is.
That's why we have to not only keep spending, but spend more, this country will get poorer and the bankers bonus will get lower, we can't have that happening now, can we;)
You can buy 1 telly or 1 food steamer. Its things like food, you have to purchase a block of 6 or 24 cans, or mars bars you have to buy a box of 24, not 1. Lots of corner shops stock up there, its wholesale not retail.
I think I went to the reading one once, but they are all pretty much the same. Cafe / tyre bay / opticians / toys / food / electrical / books / dvds / tools / furniture / clothes etc.
but they'll price match with the tesco extra down the road , one in watford does anywAy.. so handy for tv's etc.. their guarentee's are really good apparently
not 50% off hardly.. errm things are listed.. BUT like makro they work out the VAT after you go to the till.
some things are VAT exempt .. like food
basics.. not luxuries.
e.g. jaffa cakes.. because they are biccy's are vat excempt.
cakes aren't
Jaffa cakes are cakes, the clue is in the name! Cakes are vat exempt, biscuits aren't. No idea why!
Yeah as someone else said you only have to buy 1. Just when it comes to food its often a box of crisps with 48 packets inside, if you want some chicken breasts you might have to buy 16 of them kinda thing. Electric goods its great to just get 1 or that at a half decent price.
Just remember to keep adding the VAT, the prices look so cheap but you get to the tills, they chuck on the VAT and you dont save as much as you think.
But the second you see the rows of cola bottles and other stuff you'll be like a kid and want to open up your own sweet shop !
But for anything non-electrical you obviously buy in bulk and can save money there. 400 toilet rolls kinda thing !
Some bargains that I have had in the past are:
Meade Refractor Autostar telescope (all I need is the time to use it!)
Hornby Inter City 125 OO train set ?30!!!!
It's also good for fish, meat, cooked meats for sandwiches for work. We used to stock up on nappies and wipes pretty regularly, but now number 2 son is a bit older we don't need to any more. It is pretty good for Christmas, lots of gift ideas. Clothing is another good one there. I have had Calvin Klein Jeans there, Pringle Jersey Boxer Shorts, good quality pyjamas. My wife used to like getting Birkenstocks there. They do a massive box of swing bin liners for about a tenner, used to last us two years. They are also good for washing up liquid, coffee, washing powder, softener, and they did a case of cube box tissues in nice colours for about a tenner, easily lasted a winter season. IMO it is very worth joining if you live near enough to one, we don't, so I let our membership lapse.
They have a great returns policy too, I use dto have a Philips DVD/HDD recoredr, which sadly went defective, in the intervening period they stopped selling it though. They took it back, no questions asked, and let me have a Sony instead.
Cakes and plain biscuits are VAT exempt. Chocolate covered biscuits are considered to be a luxury and so subject to VAT. When McVities were challenged that Jaffa Cakes are in fact a biscuit, McVities proved that they wern't by making a large one for the judge and also stating that biscuits go soft when stale wheras a cake goes hard when stale. Jaffa Cakes go hard when stale.
Savings are hit and miss though, some great deals some not so great. Over here you can buy a coffin at costco :lol:
I have a sam's club card too which is similar..problem with those places is you tend to spend more than you intended too....lots of 'oh look at that' when you see things.
Also not sure if bulk buying is the best idea from a cashflow point of view...I find it better to spread the costs and pay a little extra over time than paying $100 for 10yrs supply of trash sacks.
- IONIAN-GAMES.com -
Really, where do I join:smile:
They used to be ?60 trade, marked up to ?500 for the public !
That was a handmade one, nowadays you just order them in like a chinese take-away. Yes please, I would like a number 23, 4 number 12s and a number 2:)
Here you go I like the Dayton Solid wood casket..
http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?cat=23078&eCat=BC|20595|23078&whse=BC&topnav