I go there at least once a week at lunch to fill up the gas tank. The savings on the gas more than pays for the 1.65 hotdog plus drink.  I then get cash out of the cash machine because even though it is not my bank, they do not charge a fee so I save three dollars right there. So far I have spent no money at all (after the money I saved on gas), I’m actually walking out with more money that I walked in with. One of the favorite things I love is the moleskin notebooks. The letter sized ones sell for $19 for six of them. I’m basically paying the price of one notebook and getting five for free. I could go on like this with a dozen other regular items but you get the picture 
Do Costco’s lower margin really translate to lower prices? I switched to Sam’s years ago because they were cheaper. And now Sam’s has better tech: scan and go app or order in app and pick up. I hate shopping and I hate wandering in big warehouses. I just want to save money.
Seriously, build an excel spreadsheet with the items you want and what aisle they are on. I mark the boxes of what I want and then only go through each aisle once. Otherwise it's a wandering labyrinth.
Also, kirkland brand alcohol is another brand relabled. It's worth the price.
Ravi, nice introduction to Costco! The counter-intuitive notion of Costco is that it can not only keep margins way below the competition, but the low margins have the effect of cultivating trust that is reflected in the 90+% renewal rate. Costco operates on creating positive-sum member experience. The normal retail experience is more negative sum: watch out. With Costco you don’t have the nagging thought that someone is trying to pull a fast one on you: trying to sell you junk for something.
Now you should sign up for a Costco-Citi credit card. Your annual cash back will be multiples of the membership fee.
Observations of a New Costco Member
I go there at least once a week at lunch to fill up the gas tank. The savings on the gas more than pays for the 1.65 hotdog plus drink.  I then get cash out of the cash machine because even though it is not my bank, they do not charge a fee so I save three dollars right there. So far I have spent no money at all (after the money I saved on gas), I’m actually walking out with more money that I walked in with. One of the favorite things I love is the moleskin notebooks. The letter sized ones sell for $19 for six of them. I’m basically paying the price of one notebook and getting five for free. I could go on like this with a dozen other regular items but you get the picture 
Do Costco’s lower margin really translate to lower prices? I switched to Sam’s years ago because they were cheaper. And now Sam’s has better tech: scan and go app or order in app and pick up. I hate shopping and I hate wandering in big warehouses. I just want to save money.
Seriously, build an excel spreadsheet with the items you want and what aisle they are on. I mark the boxes of what I want and then only go through each aisle once. Otherwise it's a wandering labyrinth.
Also, kirkland brand alcohol is another brand relabled. It's worth the price.
Ravi, nice introduction to Costco! The counter-intuitive notion of Costco is that it can not only keep margins way below the competition, but the low margins have the effect of cultivating trust that is reflected in the 90+% renewal rate. Costco operates on creating positive-sum member experience. The normal retail experience is more negative sum: watch out. With Costco you don’t have the nagging thought that someone is trying to pull a fast one on you: trying to sell you junk for something.
Now you should sign up for a Costco-Citi credit card. Your annual cash back will be multiples of the membership fee.
You will want to address the criticism that many Costco items-not Kirkland-are last year , overruns,
or in general, not top of the line merchandise. Hear this about eyewear in particular.
Can’t wait to read the full analysis