Costco is a fairly known warehouse club which many know for their unbelievably cheap food, clothes, groceries, office supplies, electronics and household items in bulk. Some may even know it due to its recent popularity from the “Costco Guys” on tiktok, who post Costco product reviews while keeping viewers entertained. Its growing popularity is the reason there are hundreds of thousands of Costco members. But is it truly worth paying $65 yearly?

Determining whether A Costco membership is worth it depends on factors such as our grocery habits, family size, household storage, food and nearby locations.

First off, one of the best things about Costco is the food. Its cheap and tasty menu allows Costco shoppers to purchase a meal and choose to eat in while shopping or outside the warehouse in the food court. They offer three of the best selling menu items: pizza, chicken bake, and the famous $1.50  hot dog and drink combo that has never changed in price. Costco has sold the infamously cheap hot dog which has become a fan favorite for many. Costco also offers an abnormally large pizza for $9.99, which Costco members lean towards when buying something from the food court. Food at Costco isn’t only great outside the warehouse but also inside. They provide customers with free samples. Walking around shopping while having a taste of many of Costco’s items is a must do experience. 

Another great thing about Costco is their affordable prices on general day to day items, household appliances, office supplies and groceries. Since they sell items in bulk, shoppers buy more of an item for a cheaper price than it would cost normally at another store making it a win-win. An excellent example of this is Costco brand toilet paper. A Costco toilet paper bundle will come out cheaper than buying a smaller pack from other stores. The price difference for name brand toilet paper is estimated to be ¢12 more expensive per one-hundred sheets of toilet paper. In addition to the price difference, customers get more toilet paper for a cheaper unit price. It may not seem like much until added up. Not only is Costco more budget friendly, it’s also a time saver. This is most helpful to those who have large families and need more household items.

Buying in bulk is helpful since it means consumers are always prepared. Unlike other grocery stores, Costco allows people to buy in bulk, it’s very convenient at times since it doesn’t require people to constantly have the need to go out and buy more items. 

Although there are other similar stores such as Sam’s Club and Smart & Final that sell in bulk, Costco is a fan favorite due to it being a great environment for shopping. When walking into a Costco store immediately it smells like the food court since Costco strategically places their food courts at the entrance of the store for convenience and delicious smell. Sam’s Club may also have a food court, but it lacks the Costco menu since consumers prefer better prices while having a number of possibilities to choose from.

There is no store that comes close to Costco due to their variety of products to purchase. They sell groceries, clothes, outdoor items, sporting goods, office supplies and even caskets online! The number of products consumers can purchase at a Costco is what differentiates itself from other stores.

However, there are some disadvantages to shopping from Costco. First, Costco charges an annual fee to become a member, with three options increasing in price. The three options include, the executive membership priced at $130 yearly, the gold star membership at $65 yearly is the base, and lastly the business membership at $65 yearly.

Many Costco shoppers enjoy the executive membership since their main benefit is being able to shop while earning money accumulating into a check at the end of the year at a 2% cashback rate. This money amount caps out at $1,250. Both the gold star membership and the business membership lack this benefit, ultimately being an option to consider when picking what Costco membership to purchase.

Also since everything is sold in bulk it may be difficult to find storage to store the items at home. For example, not everyone has space for a large box full of croissants or even for a large pack of 36 rolls .

Another disadvantage is that customers could end up buying more than needed due to their extremely cheap prices. Not only does it affect the budget for the shopping spree but also it’s important to have shopping skills to determine what should be purchased and what shouldn’t, since it may limit if we use all the items considering expiration dates. Since it’s very cheap, it causes shoppers to purchase more items than really needed due to their fair discounts.

There are lots of benefits to the Costco membership, especially since they have a variety of products, great deals and tasty food to be enjoyed. The affordable prices and bulk options make being prepared easy while not breaking the bank. Taking everything into consideration, a Costco membership is definitely worth it since everything is at customers’ fingertips which is convenient since it avoids trips to other stores. As a final thing, Preuss students who end up at UCSD college can even join the Costco club there.