Costco.ca membership sign up bonus - free 10$GC [Archive]

denyed

Jun 27th, 2006, 09:40 AM

denyed

Jun 27th, 2006, 09:42 AM

No kidding....so only $40 to pay higher prices than most other discount stores, stand in checkout lines for 20 minutes, and then wait for the receipt nazis on the way out who make sure you're not stealing stuff.

hahahahaha, I love it!! The receipt nazis!(kind of like the soup nazis) I never thought of it that way, but you have a point! hahahaha Ohhh do I hate the line ups... ooh yes! But I love Costco... it's like an addiction for me.

Quadcats

Jun 27th, 2006, 09:44 AM

denyed

Jun 27th, 2006, 09:46 AM

The minimum GC you can purchase is 25$ though...Don't know if this is a change in policy, but that's what my store is.

Ok, then buy a few of those... or as many as you can afford. I thought they had $10 GC's on the rack in WInnipeg.... I could be wrong. I haven't done this in a long time.

tienm23

Jun 27th, 2006, 09:47 AM

No kidding....so only $40 to pay higher prices than most other discount stores, stand in checkout lines for 20 minutes, and then wait for the receipt nazis on the way out who make sure you're not stealing stuff.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I love shopping at Costco. I think that the $4.17/month is worth it for me. They sell good quality products at competitive prices. I buy my eggs, bread and meat there and save at least $4.17 a month. Plus the return policy is great and the product specials they have sometimes are great. Plus I go in sat morning and get to have some great snacks!

The $2 pop and hotdog are great too..oh and I forgot..their books are also the cheapest...all there meat is AAA.

Plus they have among the best wages and benefits for their employees among all retailers.

A good read "How Costco became the Anti-Walmart:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/business/yourmoney/17costco.html?ex=1279252800&en=8b31033c5b6a6d68&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

/excuse my costco love....

bubble.tea

Jun 27th, 2006, 09:48 AM

............Can some1 bring in some1, come out then go back in with some1 else...etc
what're you planning?

Not much of a life by the sounds of it.

Wrocky

Jun 27th, 2006, 10:07 AM

Do they ever offer enough incentives to cover a membership for free? $50 is a bit steep for me. :(

I haven't been a member for a while, and just checked on the web. The price for an individual appears to be $55 now. Maybe it's cheaper at the store.

JS2K6

Jun 27th, 2006, 10:14 AM

tienm23

Jun 27th, 2006, 10:22 AM

It's $55 at the store as well. Is there any way I can share a membership with my parents, who won't be living in the same city? I'm not sure I'll be saving enough on regular purchases by myself to justify the cost of a membership.

Do you have a roomie? You can get a spouse card as long as you have proof of same residence.

denyed

Jun 27th, 2006, 10:23 AM

It's $55 at the store as well. Is there any way I can share a membership with my parents, who won't be living in the same city? I'm not sure I'll be saving enough on regular purchases by myself to justify the cost of a membership.

If you have some proof that you live with your parents you can. Like a drivers license or something. I did that for years and I never lived with my parents. Yes yes, I am legit now, but it worked great!

denyed

Jun 27th, 2006, 10:25 AM

I'm sorry you feel that way. I love shopping at Costco. I think that the $4.17/month is worth it for me. They sell good quality products at competitive prices. I buy my eggs, bread and meat there and save at least $4.17 a month. Plus the return policy is great and the product specials they have sometimes are great. Plus I go in sat morning and get to have some great snacks!

The $2 pop and hotdog are great too..oh and I forgot..their books are also the cheapest...all there meat is AAA.

Plus they have among the best wages and benefits for their employees among all retailers.

A good read "How Costco became the Anti-Walmart:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/business/yourmoney/17costco.html?ex=1279252800&en=8b31033c5b6a6d68&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

/excuse my costco love....

I feel your costco love! we(my wife and i) love it too!! Very good products. I can't remember the last time we received a shoddy product from them. Plus we do all our photo printing there as well. You gotta love the samples! :)

denyed

Jun 27th, 2006, 10:50 AM

vtachy

Jun 27th, 2006, 11:05 AM

The best incentive I personally ever saw was one where the member referring got a 10$GC and the new member also got 10$ GC. My membership was over so I referred my wife. we both got 10$ GC and it was totally legit.

What's nice is the ability to go into the US costco stores. The food stand is even cheaper and the chicken bake for 2.70$ US is a bargain at todays exchange rate (though you have to think of the calories...NOT!). The US stores do carry some different products not available in Canada. There are also the gas station but you have to use AMEX or GC.

Shopping at costco is not for everyone but I enjoy finding new products at decent prices. Their meat products are good quality and for the chicken and pork generally well priced at least for my area. Costco does try to bring in local products, especially the frozen foods.

brunes

Jun 27th, 2006, 11:08 AM

No kidding....so only $40 to pay higher prices than most other discount stores, stand in checkout lines for 20 minutes, and then wait for the receipt nazis on the way out who make sure you're not stealing stuff.

I duno - it's not all about value. Look at it this way.

- It's only 4 bucks a month. I spend more on this in a week on coffee. It's less than a happy meal.

- If you have even one "good" deal a year on a larger ticket item, like a TV, reciever, tool, etc - it will probably more than pay for the membership.

- The biggest one for me - Costco carries a lot of brands and products it is near impossible to find at other major retailers. The ability to buy this stuff alone is worth the memberhsip for me.

jq_jou

Jun 27th, 2006, 11:08 AM

what does B&M means? Thx
Also offered @ B&M - just got it today!

selpats

Jun 27th, 2006, 11:25 AM

what does B&M means? Thx

Brick and Mortar...the actual store...

Tolo

Jun 27th, 2006, 12:08 PM

I'm steal teetering on whether or not to renew my membership this year. (Primarily do to the fact that Costco is a 20-30 minute drive - and at first they announced a new location to be built by 2007 just 5 minutes from my house and now it appears this has been kibashed - I'm a man of convenience ;) ). But now the kicker is the sign I saw stating that as of July 1st (could've been 10th) that guests of card holders can no longer pay for their own purchases on the same receipt and that payment must be soley made by the card member)....

Jetran

Jun 27th, 2006, 12:08 PM

So is this offer valid for existing members that are renewing?

Gdog

Jun 27th, 2006, 12:18 PM

Do they ever offer enough incentives to cover a membership for free? $50 is a bit steep for me. :(

Can you afford $0.14 cents a day? Because that's how much your membership will cost you for one year...food for thought! :)

psych1

Jun 27th, 2006, 12:45 PM

I'm steal teetering ...

Don't steal :evil: Teetering is o.k. though...as long as you don't fall on anyone else. :)

Tolo

Jun 27th, 2006, 01:03 PM

Doh! Still - still still - that's what I meant. If I was to fall on someone...that'd be bad - as my wife says "you're fluffy - but weigh more than a marshmellow"..

kcjchan

Jun 27th, 2006, 01:27 PM

Can you afford $0.14 cents a day? Because that's how much your membership will cost you for one year...food for thought! :)

It's not only that. I don't own a car, to get to the nearest Costco takes about an hour and a half on the bus. Then I need to carry all the stuff home. My local Costco is pretty small (being in a small town), and they don't even seem to sell a lot of the stuff they advertise on their website. However, there are those times when there is a really hot deal that I want to get only to find myself restricted without a membership. It's hard to say whether I would save that $55 with a year membership, so if there are incentives to lower the cost of the membership, I'm willing to go for it.

FlintBlade

Jun 27th, 2006, 01:29 PM

Awesome!

boo4842

Jun 27th, 2006, 01:46 PM

Ya, my local costco is 25 mins away. Add that lack of convenience to the $50 membership and its unlikely I'll get my money's worth.

I mean if I find a good deal at staples that saves me $100 a membership would be worth it, but I'm not going to pay $50 for the privilege of shopping there.

I'd ahve to save 10% on at least $500 worth of purchases just to break even. Or I could spend 10% more at wal-mart, save the gas and time and thats assuming that costco is 10% cheaper, which its not.

On big ticket items it would work, but most times I would shop around anyways or find someone with a membership to buy it for me.

Beradon

Jun 27th, 2006, 01:57 PM

No kidding....so only $40 to pay higher prices than most other discount stores, stand in checkout lines for 20 minutes, and then wait for the receipt nazis on the way out who make sure you're not stealing stuff.
And by the time you leave Costco in the summer heat, your frozen meats have now defrosted. Nice.

If you don't have family or can't buy enough quantities of food and supplies to realize the price savings, then costco isn't for you. If there's that odd deal you need, find a friend that has a membership.

Canadianpsycho

Jun 27th, 2006, 02:15 PM

No kidding....so only $40 to pay higher prices than most other discount stores, stand in checkout lines for 20 minutes, and then wait for the receipt nazis on the way out who make sure you're not stealing stuff.

Hoo boy, someone needs to put the coffee down.

The wife and I go every one or two weeks after work. As long as you don't go on the weekend I find my local Costco isn't packed. Especially now with the baby, Costco has some pretty good prices. If you know what to shop for, Costco's prices can't be beat, even with that massive $50 membership fee. :rolleyes:

Driving 30 minutes to Costco isn't worth it, agreed. The key is having one nearby, and having more then 1 person to shop for. As mentioned, all the meats are awesome. But don't even get me started on Wal-Mart. I'd rather wait a few minutes in line at Costco then try and bodyslam past the gawkers and hillbillies that need to stop every 2 feet in those aisles that for some ******** reason are exactly 1.5 shopping carts wide.

Cyanne

Jun 27th, 2006, 02:38 PM

If you feel the cost of a costco card is too much here is a little something you can do for the moment. Get someone that has a costco card to purchase you a whole bunch of $10 costco GC's. They are as good as a membership to costco. Now lets say you spend $1000 bucks, you can pay with your GC and the rest with your debit or american express card OR cash. Before I had a card, this worked great for me. In the long run you are better off to get a card.

Fantastic! My parents were just asking me recently if I thought they should renew thier membership when it expires next month. For years my dad's been a member on the rationale that their savings on milk alone, which was cheaper there than anywhere else, paid for their membership. In the past year, however, all the other grocercy stores in the area lowered their milk prices to match, so costco no longer seems like such a great deal. Yes, there are other items there that are nice to get from time to time, but since they normally shop the sales, the savings they would get from a membership are questionable. Reading about this loophole, I quickly phoned my dad with the information. His question was: can you buy more gift cards when you get in with a gift card? That would make this a perfect solution! Does anyone know?

Haz

Jun 27th, 2006, 02:40 PM

My company paid for my Costco membership and it's renewal time for me in August. I've only really used the card for convenience since my parents have the card. I've saved more than $50 already when I bought a mattress/box spring but I hate shopping at Costco on weekends! Sorry, I'm just going on and on about nothing here...

Anyway, not a bad deal here but I remember that last year, Costco was offering a $50 GC for all new member signups at the Richmond Public Market.

mahjongmaniac

Jun 27th, 2006, 05:48 PM

The wife and I go every one or two weeks after work. As long as you don't go on the weekend I find my local Costco isn't packed. Especially now with the baby, Costco has some pretty good prices. If you know what to shop for, Costco's prices can't be beat, even with that massive $50 membership fee. :rolleyes:

yes, like u said the KEY is buying for others... i.e. buying LOTS of stuff in grossly large pkgs ...

i'd agree Costoc has some pretty good prices, but not for everything ;)

and btw, altho i haven't been to Costco v. many times, almost every time i've been there it's packed... and line-ups at the till are seemingly just as worse as RCSS or WM during peak hrs...
not fun at all.... :|

But don't even get me started on Wal-Mart. I'd rather wait a few minutes in line at Costco then try and bodyslam past the gawkers and hillbillies that need to stop every 2 feet in those aisles that for some ******** reason are exactly 1.5 shopping carts wide.

lol... maybe it's just the WM u go to....
but the few WMs i've been to, the aisles are are 2 shopping carts wide plus a lil more space just to make sure u can stroll by another shoppping cart that's comin by in the opposite direction....

mahjongmaniac

Jun 27th, 2006, 05:57 PM

I'm sorry you feel that way. I love shopping at Costco. I think that the $4.17/month is worth it for me. They sell good quality products at competitive prices. I buy my eggs, bread and meat there and save at least $4.17 a month. Plus the return policy is great and the product specials they have sometimes are great. Plus I go in sat morning and get to have some great snacks!

The $2 pop and hotdog are great too..oh and I forgot..their books are also the cheapest...all there meat is AAA.

Plus they have among the best wages and benefits for their employees among all retailers.

A good read "How Costco became the Anti-Walmart:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/business/yourmoney/17costco.html?ex=1279252800&en=8b31033c5b6a6d68&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

/excuse my costco love....

i love Costco b/c of the free food... u can always consider eating lunch/dinner there w/ ur family :lol:

btw, thx4da article... interesting read.

---------

Can you afford $0.14 cents a day? Because that's how much your membership will cost you for one year...food for thought! :)

not if ur a penny-pincher... :lol:

-----------

they had $25 cash card with membership signup last December. That's when I signed up.

ah... so that was it... i remembered they had sth like this b4, just didn't remember exactly what the details were (cash card)...

i think if u referred sb u get a bonus too....

shoppingmama

Jun 27th, 2006, 07:54 PM

We LOVE Costco. We are only a family of 4 but I do the majority of my shopping there. The meat and produce is hands down the best. I have a Executive Membership and already this year I've spent $7,000...so worth the membership fee. You have to know your prices though, it's not always a great deal but love the return policy and items that can't be found at other stores.

blizzard

Jun 28th, 2006, 01:43 AM

Driving 30 minutes to Costco isn't worth it, agreed. The key is having one nearby, and having more then 1 person to shop for. As mentioned, all the meats are awesome. But don't even get me started on Wal-Mart. I'd rather wait a few minutes in line at Costco then try and bodyslam past the gawkers and hillbillies that need to stop every 2 feet in those aisles that for some ******** reason are exactly 1.5 shopping carts wide.

Yeah, I agree that shopping at Wal-Mart is MUCH worse than shopping at Costco - long lines @ costco aren't fun but then, who cares? I've gotten free samples, I'm on my way to a $2 hot dog/pop (that really IS an awesome deal, isn't it? Mmm, I want one now... :D ) - and I've saved a ton of money.

I have to disagree that it's not worth it for one person - it totally depends on your lifestyle. At the moment I can't use it to my advantage, having a roommate and not enough room to shop how I like, but when I'm on my own I do a LOT of batch cooking - I like to get it all done in one day and have anywhere from 2 weeks to a month's worth of meals ready to go in my freezer - so I save a heck of a lot of money buying meat there, as well as ingredients. Just wish I wouldn't keep forgetting to bring my freezer bag* whenever I happen to get there these days (currently no access to a car and bus doesn't go that way >:( ) - they had some reeeeeeeally good fishsticks for awhile there - and now that I live in Alberta I'm not gonna get 'real' fish for cheap anymore. ;)

* and if anyone's afraid of their stuff 'melting' on the way out of Costco, hello, pick a couple of those up - I bought mine at Superstore, and love them. Or heck, just bring yourself a portable cooler - my parents have one that plugs into the lighter thingy in the car and when they need to do some shopping there, as it's an hour away from where they live, they bring it and stuff everything in for the ride home.

mrken

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:10 AM

Just wondering, for those who already have a Costco membership, will returns on defective merchandise still be accepted after the membership is cancelled?

GYR8

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:40 AM

and btw, altho i haven't been to Costco v. many times, almost every time i've been there it's packed... and line-ups at the till are seemingly just as worse as RCSS or WM during peak hrs...
not fun at all.... :|

Hey there,

I don't think I will get into any trouble for mentioning this, so here goes...
In the last year or two, the company has mandated that the cashiers should be processing approximately *50 members per hour* on the average.

So let's say that it's a busy Saturday and most registers are open and there is 4-5 people in line, with the two main aisles backed up another 4-5 carts back. You come into the store and are like "OMG", thinking that it's the end of the world. :cheesygri This is a typical busy day at my Costco in Richmond.

So thats about 18-20 registers processing (for the sake of not being perfect) 30 members per hour. This means that in the course of 10 MINUTES, the cashiers can put through 90 transactions!

Now yes not every cashier is going to open when *you* go through, but the next time you actually do line up and are thinking that armageddon is upon us because you might have to wait in line, I say you *time it* to see if I am correct or not. I think for the most part, you will find that the average wait on a busy day is around 10-12 minutes. And besides, you will NEED that time to finish digesting all that sample food you gobbled down :lol:

Hmm I wonder if I should start a 'Ask me anything about Costco... at least anything that won't get me in hot water!' thread :cheesygri

GYR8

GYR8

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:43 AM

Just wondering, for those who already have a Costco membership, will returns on defective merchandise still be accepted after the membership is cancelled?

Well hello MrKen :) Long time no making fun of me and my royal sceptre and robe :lol:

As always, hold onto the receipt. I dont think you would have any trouble with a return that is complete.

But of course you wouldn't have that problem, because you *won't* cancel your membership, correct??? :twisted:

GYR8

ShaTR

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:58 AM

well, costco is convient for me because its on my way home from work. we buy milk, bread, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deoderant, contact lens fluid, etc etc and that alone justifies the $50 in savings. wallmart may have good prices for some of that stuff too, so the savings may not be huge, but with 5 people in the house, (4 of which wear contact lenses too), it adds up.

If your looking for electronics, it may not always be the best, but for general stuff, the prices are hard to beat.

my last purchase there was a nice fully leather tall back managers chair for $146 for my computer station at home. this is the most comfortable chair ive ever had. wen't back and got myself another one for my office. my dad tried it out, and he wants one too. Stooples would have charged 300 at least for a chair like this. i LOVE it.

so if your looking to buy specific items youve researched and decided on, its probably not your thing (unless its a dell 2407 :D), but if you buy groceries and household items, and maybe some furniture too, its stupid NOT to have a costco membership.

ps. loved the old cheese breadsticks they had. wut happend to them :(

mahjongmaniac

Jun 28th, 2006, 03:41 AM

So thats about 18-20 registers processing (for the sake of not being perfect) 30 members per hour. This means that in the course of 10 MINUTES, the cashiers can put through 90 transactions!

well the typical RCSS has like up to 30+ tills... and usually during pk hours at least 20 of'em are open... ... Fri.'s, Sat.'s and Sun.'s seem to be the busiest days of the wk for me....

but i've been thru waiting 10-15+ mins in a line during peak hours that seems to never end (seriously, some ppl that buy at RCSS buy just as much in qty as if they were at Costco, hence the long line-ups / waits)
sometimes the lines can extend as far as to 1/2 the lenght of an aisle!

well, ^that was a long time ago.... now i try to shop right when RCSS opens, or right b4 they close... :) that's when it's near dead :D

Now yes not every cashier is going to open when *you* go through, but the next time you actually do line up and are thinking that armageddon is upon us because you might have to wait in line, I say you *time it* to see if I am correct or not. I think for the most part, you will find that the average wait on a busy day is around 10-12 minutes.

( lol... armageddon? :lol: )

well, never thought i'd time this as it seems kinda lame... but perhaps one day... LOL

And besides, you will NEED that time to finish digesting all that sample food you gobbled down :lol:

lol... yeah, true dat if ur at Costco! :lol:

while waiting in line, might as well run around the store and get some exercise done to burn off those calories f/ those free food!?!? :lol: haha

Hmm I wonder if I should start a 'Ask me anything about Costco... at least anything that won't get me in hot water!' thread :cheesygri

GYR8

ur more than welcome to.... i'm sure ppl will be interested as i suspect many RFDers on here don't have memberships yet... and might even be borrowing their friend's/relatives' memb. card just to get in to shop somtimes (like me) :cheesygri

jdewit

Jun 28th, 2006, 04:27 AM

No kidding....so only $40 to pay higher prices than most other discount stores, stand in checkout lines for 20 minutes, and then wait for the receipt nazis on the way out who make sure you're not stealing stuff.

OK, you finally convinced me. I'll stop shopping there.

Oh wait. They sometimes are more expensive than other discount stores - but they don't sell CRAP.
I usually spend much longer in line at Walmart or Superstore.
And having somebody glance at my receipt and wish me a good day beats the hell outta trying to get some slackjawed teenager at Walmart to help you find something.

I saved $100 on my lawnmower - worth the membership right there. The leather club chair on sale this week for $250 is another awesome deal.

GYR8

Jun 28th, 2006, 08:39 AM

well, never thought i'd time this as it seems kinda lame... but perhaps one day... LOL

I probably should expand on the whole 'timing it' thing... Often at my building, I will get people who are in line and they will wave me over to suggest we open more registers (I dont hold that power though) if they aren't all open. They say similar things like "The lines are too long" or "It will take forever to get through this". At this point I usually tell them that it will take them X# of minutes to get through and the majority of time I am correct. So when they get through in less time than they thought, they seem pretty happy knowing that it is not *nearly* as bad as they thought initially.

I think also the size of the shopping carts has to do with the psychology behind the perceived line-up panic that sets in. I guess you can never please everybody, but I guess the main point behind my novel-length response is that there is definitely an efficiency factor at work to ensure that the wait in line is never as bad as it seems from a distance (referring to half-way up the main aisle :lol: )

GYR8

anom

Jun 28th, 2006, 09:11 AM

I probably should expand on the whole 'timing it' thing... Often at my building, I will get people who are in line and they will wave me over to suggest we open more registers (I dont hold that power though) if they aren't all open. They say similar things like "The lines are too long" or "It will take forever to get through this". At this point I usually tell them that it will take them X# of minutes to get through and the majority of time I am correct. So when they get through in less time than they thought, they seem pretty happy knowing that it is not *nearly* as bad as they thought initially.

I think also the size of the shopping carts has to do with the psychology behind the perceived line-up panic that sets in. I guess you can never please everybody, but I guess the main point behind my novel-length response is that there is definitely an efficiency factor at work to ensure that the wait in line is never as bad as it seems from a distance (referring to half-way up the main aisle :lol: )

GYR8

I have to agree...the lines in Costco never really take all that long, even though they seem really long. Plus, one side is usually rammed while the other side is practically empty.

Rosico

Jun 28th, 2006, 09:22 AM

Um, Costco has addictive poutine and hot dogs which is reason enough to join. :lol:

And weekly coupons most weeks (notice those threads). Like every store, you just need to time your purchases right and wait for the sales.

they also have the 2+2 AMEX and Executive Membership. Last year, I racked up a $300 rebate on my amex and a $150 on my exec membership. Which paid for this year's membership.

Try Costco out, if you don't like it - cancel the membership and get a refund.

TheLegace

Jun 28th, 2006, 09:47 AM

My uncle has the card, but our family goes in all the time with him, i think once 8 of us went in, they didnt even look at us, im talking about the one in Brampton.

jgib01

Jun 28th, 2006, 11:19 AM

So is this offer valid for existing members that are renewing?

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to be for new signups only. Tried entering it in the "coupon" field but no go; don't know where else you'd enter it. As OP stated, has to be "new membership at checkout".

And my $.02 on thread digression into a Costco vs. Wal-mart... you couldn't pay me $55 a year to shop at Wal-mart. I simply prefer Costco's business model, and despise Wal-mart on so many levels. Ever been standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona? It's "such a fine sight to see" what Wal-mart has done to small town America, and what they are now starting to attempt to do here in Canada. link (http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=790c9da4-df73-4ce8-8e35-2cd96cc64240&k=66460)

Mr Sparkle

Jun 28th, 2006, 11:44 AM

what Wal-mart has done to small town America, and what they are now starting to attempt to do here in Canada.

Oh pleazzze...

boo4842

Jun 28th, 2006, 11:56 AM

I'm not saying I'm a wal-mart fanboy and I may or may not shop there, but at least they don't charge me for the privilege of shopping there.

I'm sure if you spend $7000 at costco- your membership will be worth it, but I would say there are just as many 'deals' at futureshop, except I can choose whether or not to shop there, cause like every store in the country except 2, they don't charge you to buy something from them.

I find those with costco memberships often go there just to justify spending $50 on something that just allows you to shop there. Sure you'll pick up a deal now and then, absolutely, but you can say that about every single store (except staples :p). I absolutely save a boatload of money shopping at CT for sales, prolly saved $500 this year. But I still wouldn't pay for the privilege of going there, as its basically a contract guarenteeing Costco repeat customers.

And for 50 customers an hour at checkouts is absolutely rediculous. There is no way that they AVERAGE 1 customer every 80 seconds. I doubt they do half this, and I've never seen 18 checkouts open lol.

freddyprinze

Jun 28th, 2006, 11:58 AM

I think paying a "membership fee" to allow me the privilege of shopping at Costco one of the biggest legal scams around. I am going to burst the buble and yell out screaming: "THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!!". Well enough of my ranting--I think it's B.S. to pay a fee to shop anywhere.

I was offended a couple of years ago when I tried to exchange a gift (toy) that my son already had. My aunt had bought it at Costco in Ottawa and shipped it here with the receipt just in case. I took it to Costco hoping to exchange it with the receipt and was told that I could not exchange it because I was not a member but that they would gladly refund the purchase price--they would rather not have my money because I wasn't a member! I took the cash and went to Toys 'r 'us. I asked the Customer Service lady why a membership fee is charged and she told me that they have to pay for the building, employees, etc. In other words, the cost of running their business. Other retail doesn't charge for this and granted Costco prices might be slightly lower (I visited as a guest recently) but not justifiably so. ;)

Canadianpsycho

Jun 28th, 2006, 12:58 PM

And for 50 customers an hour at checkouts is absolutely rediculous. There is no way that they AVERAGE 1 customer every 80 seconds. I doubt they do half this, and I've never seen 18 checkouts open lol.

Everything is club pack/bulk. We go regularly and checkout is pretty quick. 1 person scans, other loads the cart. Considering you can't fit more then 10-20 things in a cart at once the checkout time doesn't really seem that outrageous. We top it off with 2 Hotdogs and a an order of fries - dinner for less then 10 bucks.

We're also not stupid enough to shop on the weekends. Anywhere.

I think paying a "membership fee" to allow me the privilege of shopping at Costco one of the biggest legal scams around. I am going to burst the buble and yell out screaming: "THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!!". Well enough of my ranting--I think it's B.S. to pay a fee to shop anywhere.

I was offended a couple of years ago when I tried to exchange a gift (toy) that my son already had. My aunt had bought it at Costco in Ottawa and shipped it here with the receipt just in case. I took it to Costco hoping to exchange it with the receipt and was told that I could not exchange it because I was not a member but that they would gladly refund the purchase price--they would rather not have my money because I wasn't a member! I took the cash and went to Toys 'r 'us. I asked the Customer Service lady why a membership fee is charged and she told me that they have to pay for the building, employees, etc. In other words, the cost of running their business. Other retail doesn't charge for this and granted Costco prices might be slightly lower (I visited as a guest recently) but not justifiably so.

Yeah, I can see how 50 bucks is a waste if you go to Costco once, especially if you're cynical to the whole concept to begin with. The amount of money I'm going to save on baby stuff alone is worth it.

As for the "Emperor has no Clothes" comment, all I can say is: Uh, Okay?

HowEver

Jun 28th, 2006, 01:26 PM

My aunt had bought it at Costco in Ottawa and shipped it here with the receipt just in case. I took it to Costco hoping to exchange it with the receipt and was told that I could not exchange it because I was not a member but that they would gladly refund the purchase price--

Isn't that *better* than offering the exchange??

Other retail doesn't charge for this and granted Costco prices might be slightly lower (I visited as a guest recently) but not justifiably so. ;)

I don't think this statement makes sense, but I get the general idea.

For myself, I'm not a fan of all of the brands that Costco sells, for the most part, but there sure are deals to be had across the spectrum of what they sell, enough to justify the cost of 'membership' and especially when something large and necessary (to me) goes on sale.

mahjongmaniac

Jun 28th, 2006, 01:52 PM

I think also the size of the shopping carts has to do with the psychology behind the perceived line-up panic that sets in. I guess you can never please everybody, but I guess the main point behind my novel-length response is that there is definitely an efficiency factor at work to ensure that the wait in line is never as bad as it seems from a distance (referring to half-way up the main aisle :lol: )

well, i'm not saying it's "always" like that... but sometimes the line-up wait CAN be that long....

almost everytime i walk into RCSS during peak hrs, i see ppl w/ a shopping cart FULL of groceries... it's like they're shopping groceries for an entire mth! and not planning to come back 'til the next mth LOL!

i swear, those ppl that are like ^that take forever to "checkout" ...

mahjongmaniac

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:00 PM

Um, Costco has addictive poutine and hot dogs which is reason enough to join. :lol:

lol... plz don't tell me sb got "sold" for ^that very reason.... :lol:

-----------

I think paying a "membership fee" to allow me the privilege of shopping at Costco one of the biggest legal scams around. I am going to burst the buble and yell out screaming: "THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!!". Well enough of my ranting--I think it's B.S. to pay a fee to shop anywhere.

um... wtf is ^that supposed mean? :lol:

boo4842

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:21 PM

um... wtf is ^that supposed mean? :lol:

Many years ago there lived an emperor who was quite an average fairy tale ruler, with one exception: he cared much about his clothes. One day he heard from two swindlers named Guido and Luigi Farabutto that they could make the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they said, also had the special capability that it was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position.

Being a bit nervous about whether he himself would be able to see the cloth, the emperor first sent two of his trusted men to see it. Of course, neither would admit that they could not see the cloth and so praised it. All the townspeople had also heard of the cloth and were interested to learn how stupid their neighbors were.

The emperor then allowed himself to be dressed in the clothes for a procession through town, never admitting that he was too unfit and stupid to see what he was wearing. For he was afraid that the other people would think that he was stupid.

Of course, all the townspeople wildly praised the magnificent clothes of the emperor, afraid to admit that they could not see them, until his son, the prince, said:

"But he has nothing on"!

This was whispered from person to person until everyone in the crowd was shouting that the emperor had nothing on. The emperor heard it and felt that they were correct, but held his head high and finished the procession. Guido and Luigi escaped during the procession when they realized they had been found out.

The expressions The Emperor's new clothes and The Emperor has no clothes are often used with allusion to Andersen's tale. Most frequently, the metaphor involves a situation wherein the overwhelming (usually unempowered) majority of observers willingly share in a collective ignorance of an obvious fact, despite individually recognizing the absurdity

ie costco membership

neo1973

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:29 PM

Last time when I signed up I got $25 GC.

Venusia

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:40 PM

I don't go to Costco just for the discounts, although they are pretty good. I go there because I love the "treasure hunt", the rotating stock, and the selection, which, while limited, has unique things that I can't find at the grocery store. For example, huge jars of artichoke hearts for 7$, almond-stuffed olives for 4.50, sea salt for 1$ for a huge bottle, 3.50 packs of huge meaty porcini mushrooms, Italpizza made and flashfrozen in Italy, I love their triangle buns and their butter croissants, I'm so happy when the sherbet guy is there with his 2 for 8$ containers of mango and guanabana and chocolate sherbet etc. I tend to buy the upscale products, and these are of very good quality and great price. Go anywhere else and artichoke hearts are 3.50 for a tiny jar!

I also bought a 2k wood patio set online, and I was not able to find anything elsewhere of that quality in that price range. Oh, and I have a habit of giving these French mini-encyclopedias for kids' birthdays (my daughters go to 10 bdays a year, so it adds up); each book of the series sells for 19$ at Chapters, but they're only 13.50 at Costco. Flowers too! 19$ for 24 cream roses for my grandma!

So if you just want to buy some milk and butter, it's not really worth the membership, but if you like to try new things at great prices, I find it totally worth it. The only thing I don't like is that I can't use my credit card and get points on my purchases. Oh, and the lack of bags. I bring my own now.

freddyprinze

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:40 PM

Many years ago there lived an emperor who was quite an average fairy tale ruler, with one exception: he cared much about his clothes. One day he heard from two swindlers named Guido and Luigi Farabutto that they could make the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they said, also had the special capability that it was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position.

Being a bit nervous about whether he himself would be able to see the cloth, the emperor first sent two of his trusted men to see it. Of course, neither would admit that they could not see the cloth and so praised it. All the townspeople had also heard of the cloth and were interested to learn how stupid their neighbors were.

The emperor then allowed himself to be dressed in the clothes for a procession through town, never admitting that he was too unfit and stupid to see what he was wearing. For he was afraid that the other people would think that he was stupid.

Of course, all the townspeople wildly praised the magnificent clothes of the emperor, afraid to admit that they could not see them, until his son, the prince, said:

"But he has nothing on"!

This was whispered from person to person until everyone in the crowd was shouting that the emperor had nothing on. The emperor heard it and felt that they were correct, but held his head high and finished the procession. Guido and Luigi escaped during the procession when they realized they had been found out.

The expressions The Emperor's new clothes and The Emperor has no clothes are often used with allusion to Andersen's tale. Most frequently, the metaphor involves a situation wherein the overwhelming (usually unempowered) majority of observers willingly share in a collective ignorance of an obvious fact, despite individually recognizing the absurdity

ie costco membership

Thanks Boo! I appreciate the long and detailed explanation and yes, you hit the nail on the head. It seems that NO ONE questions the membership fee and acceptingly follows the masses . All the power to Costco if they can fool that many people into buying a memebership and long live capitalism! (They just haven't fooled or convinced me) :D

mahjongmaniac

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:47 PM

....
The expressions The Emperor's new clothes and The Emperor has no clothes are often used with allusion to Andersen's tale. Most frequently, the metaphor involves a situation wherein the overwhelming (usually unempowered) majority of observers willingly share in a collective ignorance of an obvious fact, despite individually recognizing the absurdity

ie costco membership

lol... thx4da explanation...

i must say, i'd shop there more often if it weren't for the their memb. fee....

---------

Last time when I signed up I got $25 GC.

actually, it was a $25 cash card, ... not a gift card ;)

freddyprinze

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:55 PM

Isn't that *better* than offering the exchange??

I don't think this statement makes sense, but I get the general idea.

For myself, I'm not a fan of all of the brands that Costco sells, for the most part, but there sure are deals to be had across the spectrum of what they sell, enough to justify the cost of 'membership' and especially when something large and necessary (to me) goes on sale.

I don't think it's better than an exchange when you have a 6 year old with you who wants his toy and you have to drive to another store out of your way to replace it. I also don't think it makes economic sense for Costco to send people away with a refund who are willing to look at an exchange. :)

Canadianpsycho

Jun 28th, 2006, 02:59 PM

I don't think it's better than an exchange when you have a 6 year old with you who wants his toy and you have to drive to another store out of your way to replace it. I also don't think it makes economic sense for Costco to send people away with a refund who are willing to look at an exchange. :)

Its a duplicate toy, and you're not a member. You expect them to let you get store credit and shop? Doesn't seem fair to us elitists who pay the hefty membership fee.

You just figured you could sneak in and see how the other half lives, admit it.

freddyprinze

Jun 28th, 2006, 03:10 PM

Its a duplicate toy, and you're not a member. You expect them to let you get store credit and shop? Doesn't seem fair to us elitists who pay the hefty membership fee.

You just figured you could sneak in and see how the other half lives, admit it.

No thanks Canadianpsycho, I'm not that desperate! If you have young kids, you know it's best to shop quickly and even better if you can avoid Toys 'r' us. I'll stick to the stores where I can get in for free without feeling like a chump.

P.S. Love the Hey Kool Aid guy! ;)

GYR8

Jun 28th, 2006, 03:12 PM

And for 50 customers an hour at checkouts is absolutely rediculous. There is no way that they AVERAGE 1 customer every 80 seconds. I doubt they do half this, and I've never seen 18 checkouts open lol.

As mentioned, this is a goal for the cashiers to achieve... Of course its not going to always be this way for every building. I can assure you, however, that if it was half that amount, then someone would have to explain this to the corporate managers.

So the next time you are at the location you shop at, go up to a supervisor and ask them what their current MPH (Members per hour) is. Sometimes they even have a whiteboard close to the office.

GYR8

blizzard

Jun 28th, 2006, 08:08 PM

Thanks Boo! I appreciate the long and detailed explanation and yes, you hit the nail on the head. It seems that NO ONE questions the membership fee and acceptingly follows the masses . All the power to Costco if they can fool that many people into buying a memebership and long live capitalism! (They just haven't fooled or convinced me) :D

Oh my god, you're right - they've fooled me into saving money! Those bastards! :rolleyes: Just because your shopping habits don't make you a good fit for Costco doesn't mean nobody else's does. And several people have provided "long and detailed explanations" of exactly how and on what they save money - or did you bother reading those? Honestly, stop with the conspiracy theories and just don't shop there.

ShaTR

Jun 28th, 2006, 09:51 PM

bottom line, costco has good prices on bulk groceries, and an occasional peice of furniture, household, or electronic good(s). if you don't have anything to do with shopping for groceries in your house, or havn't gone inside and checked out the furniture, or car maintannece (motor oil), etc you won't know the benifit of a costco membership.

costco isn't for kids. if you don't need a membership or don't want one, don't get it, but don't try telling us we dont need it either. because according to our wallets, we do. and we know how to deal hunt too, remember, were also RFD'ers ;)

tienm23

Jun 28th, 2006, 10:05 PM

I never knew that there was this much animousity towards Costco.

I think that everyone is forgetting that Costco's Membership has a 100% guarantee. Buy one, and if you don't save enough, cancel before the year is up and get your money back.

I for one, save atleast $4 dollars a month by shopping there and I only shop for me and my fiance. Where else you can you get an oil change for 21.99 with no additional fees (i.e. enviro charge, disposal). I bought a pepper grinder for $10 that other stores sell for upwards of $40...but I digress.

jadesm

Jun 29th, 2006, 12:05 AM

lol... thx4da explanation...

i must say, i'd shop there more often if it weren't for the their memb. fee....

---------

actually, it was a $25 cash card, ... not a gift card ;)

what is the difference? Can you cash them in? You usually spend more that $50 a visit anyways.. I'm waiting for the $25 card before I renew otherwise I'll keep using Cash/gift Cards by having other members buy it for you.

mahjongmaniac

Jun 29th, 2006, 12:26 AM

what is the difference? Can you cash them in? You usually spend more that $50 a visit anyways.. I'm waiting for the $25 card before I renew otherwise I'll keep using Cash/gift Cards by having other members buy it for you.

don't think there is a diff....

(well personally i haven't had nor used a "cash card" b4... but i assume it's the same.)

junkbuggy

Jun 29th, 2006, 12:29 AM

Last time I used a GC, they took down my driver's license and all other info. Then, I was only allowed to pay cash or debit. Only members are allowed to use AE. That super sucked. Luckily, my friend had enough to pay with debit.

MaryToronto

Jun 29th, 2006, 12:30 AM

No one mentioned the great parking space that fits those oversized shopping carts and the photo lab savings are awesome.
I can't wait to see the weekly specials and am dissapointed if I walk in and there are no flyers being handed out for that week.
It works for me and many others however Costco is clearly not for everyone. It is an individual choice as well as all the savings offered on RDF, some deals work for some and not for others.

mrken

Jun 29th, 2006, 02:21 AM

I don't think I will get into any trouble for mentioning this, so here goes...
In the last year or two, the company has mandated that the cashiers should be processing approximately *50 members per hour* on the average.
So that is why the cashiers seem to be much more agressive in swiping the products down the counter... They used to be quite slow and relaxed.

I guess if the cashiers want to earn twice as much as their Walmart counterparts, they would have to swipe stuff twice as fast? :lol:

Well hello MrKen :) Long time no making fun of me and my royal sceptre and robe :lol:

As always, hold onto the receipt. I dont think you would have any trouble with a return that is complete.

But of course you wouldn't have that problem, because you *won't* cancel your membership, correct??? :twisted:

GYR8
Greetings again! I have been quite busy recently (or this year?). But did you not see all the posts I made regarding your royal sceptre and robe in the past week? ;)

And to add to the Costco-haters, why do Costco employees get royal sceptres and robes for free, while Costco-membership-holders who may $50+ per year cannot even buy them? Boycott Costco! :mad:

Membership, what membership? :razz:

Many years ago there lived [...]
I shall be the child. "Your post has no citations!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_emperor%27s_new_clothes

Where else you can you get an oil change for 21.99 with no additional fees (i.e. enviro charge, disposal). I bought a pepper grinder for $10 that other stores sell for upwards of $40...but I digress.
Costco offers oil changes? Is this at all locations?

mahjongmaniac

Jun 29th, 2006, 02:32 AM

Costco offers oil changes? Is this at all locations?

why don't u just give ur local Costco a call and u'll find out :P

tienm23

Jun 29th, 2006, 09:15 AM

Costco offers oil changes? Is this at all locations?

Both locations here in London do. I would assume all the Costco's with Autobays would.

I also forgot to mention Costco pharmacies have one of the lowest dispensing fees as well. The one here charges $4.17 compared to $8-14 at other pharmacies.

alkaseltzer01

Jun 29th, 2006, 09:44 AM

I use to be a member but found the all the cons (as mentioned in previously) outweighting the pros (also mentioned).

I still keep the membership card on me in case I feel like a hotdog drink deal or if I just feel like cruising for free samples. This is my way of making my $50 back for being a past member.

freddyprinze

Jun 29th, 2006, 09:44 AM

Oh my god, you're right - they've fooled me into saving money! Those bastards! :rolleyes: Just because your shopping habits don't make you a good fit for Costco doesn't mean nobody else's does. And several people have provided "long and detailed explanations" of exactly how and on what they save money - or did you bother reading those? Honestly, stop with the conspiracy theories and just don't shop there.

Hi blizzard. I'm not questioning that you can get a deal at Costco and save money. Fact of the matter is that you can get these deals elsewhere if you look, without paying a membership fee. I don't think enough people question this "membership fee". Doesn't Costco make enough profit from selling their products without having to gouge their "members" for an extra $55? It seems that no one wants to question this and blindly pays their fee. You have to PAY them to shop there--what a country! I only wish I had thought of it first. I hope that RCSS and Walmart (yikes Sam's Club) don't follow suit :D

Venusia

Jun 29th, 2006, 09:53 AM

Your assumption that members "blindly" pay the fee without questioning it is rather condescending. We all do our cost/benefit analyses; that's their business model and people who frequent the store think it's worth it.

Why does AtHome charge a fee to sell GCs at a discount? Why do people pay the fee? It's not that unusual a concept. That's what a membership is for.

Why pay to belong to a tennis club and then pay for court fees on top of it? Because you feel that the benefit of paying the membership outweighs the cost of it. Perhaps they have better tennis courts. In my case, Costco has more interesting merchandise AND I save money.

mahjongmaniac

Jun 29th, 2006, 03:53 PM

Hi blizzard. I'm not questioning that you can get a deal at Costco and save money. Fact of the matter is that you can get these deals elsewhere if you look, without paying a membership fee.

well, the v. few times i've ben to Costco, there's been *some* prices that seem to be better than other competitors like RCSS/WM... but there ARE also some that are more $$$.

I don't think enough people question this "membership fee". Doesn't Costco make enough profit from selling their products without having to gouge their "members" for an extra $55?

if RCSS can buy in bulk and resell to make a profit, i'm sure Costco can be just as successful, even w/o the membership fee...

It seems that no one wants to question this and blindly pays their fee. You have to PAY them to shop there--what a country! I only wish I had thought of it first.

yeah, the "pay to shop" has been one of the reasons i can't justify to pay for the memb. fee to shop there....
it just doesn't make sense when u can buy at RCSS/WM w/o doing so...

some other factors for me is the distance drive, and sometimes i don't see the need to buy in BIG bulk pkgs... buying in bulk at RCSS is usually more than enuff, so buying even BIGGER pkgs in bulk is even harder to justify for .

well, to each their own...

I hope that RCSS and Walmart (yikes Sam's Club) don't follow suit :D

i really hope not lol