Costco and Food Stamps

kathy wrote:

Can someone explain to me why they would pay for the privilage to shop in a store? The 45.00 a yr membership you have to pay just to shop there would put groceries in the table. This is just plain stupid.

It's 50.00 a yr and no it's not stupid to pay that yearly when you consider the savings that Costco offers on their products. I have shopped there for over 25 yrs. But then to each their own.

Ok, here is how warehouse stores work. It is a Membership based warehouse. This means, you pay to be a member. I guess 30 million Costco members must agree that they are doing something right. How does Costco have higher sales than Sams with less than half the locations they do. As far as using coupons and food stamps,,,,, again this is a member based warehouse. You buy in bulk, the rules dont apply with coupons. You cant use a $1 off coupon for paper towels when they are sold in a 15 pack. Costco has ocupons. Let me rephrase that, Costco has vendor sponsored coupons. This money is provided by the vendor, not Costco. It would cut into their margin. Sams takes this money instead and puts it into thier bottom line whereas Costco would rather pass it on to the member. Have you ever heard or seen a Costco commercial? There is a reason for that. Margin. It costs money to advertise. This increases pricing. Before you all rant and rave, do the math. Look things up. Do research. Costco is one of the best business models out there. They must be doing something right. They are the creator of the warehouse club concept. Yes, you are right. Costco is not for everyone. But if you do the math, you will see the benefits and if you do it right the membership will be paid for. What is the gas price at your local station? Now find out what Costco is at? Do the math, gas alone in one year will be paid for. Stop judging until you do the math. Literally. Costco rules!!!

Get over yourself wrote:

Ok, here is how warehouse stores work. It is a Membership based warehouse. This means, you pay to be a member. I guess 30 million Costco members must agree that they are doing something right. How does Costco have higher sales than Sams with less than half the locations they do. As far as using coupons and food stamps,,,,, again this is a member based warehouse. You buy in bulk, the rules dont apply with coupons. You cant use a $1 off coupon for paper towels when they are sold in a 15 pack. Costco has ocupons. Let me rephrase that, Costco has vendor sponsored coupons. This money is provided by the vendor, not Costco. It would cut into their margin. Sams takes this money instead and puts it into thier bottom line whereas Costco would rather pass it on to the member. Have you ever heard or seen a Costco commercial? There is a reason for that. Margin. It costs money to advertise. This increases pricing. Before you all rant and rave, do the math. Look things up. Do research. Costco is one of the best business models out there. They must be doing something right. They are the creator of the warehouse club concept. Yes, you are right. Costco is not for everyone. But if you do the math, you will see the benefits and if you do it right the membership will be paid for. What is the gas price at your local station? Now find out what Costco is at? Do the math, gas alone in one year will be paid for. Stop judging until you do the math. Literally. Costco rules!!!

Done the math and no costco and sams are not the best deal. I am ecominics Professor and I have done the math.Actually it is part of one of my classes at the college where I teach.
It is a proven fact that if you has access to a store the allows double or triple coupons, shopping at this store is your best deal.
You waste 50.00 a yr just to walk into one of the membership stores and they do not take coupons.
Example:
Recently a class project was for students to take 30.00 and get as much food for the local shelter that they could without going over. This was food items only.
Half of the class went to the membership clubs to shop, the other half was assigned the local stores. Some of the stores doubles coupons.
The students that went to the stores that double coupons went with a handful of coupons and they donated 35 percent more to the food bank than the students who were assigned to go to the membership clubs.
Unless you have a family the size of the Duggers, you will be wasting alot of money going to the membership clubs.

Elaine wrote:

<quoted text>
It's 50.00 a yr and no it's not stupid to pay that yearly when you consider the savings that Costco offers on their products. I have shopped there for over 25 yrs. But then to each their own.

Sorry but I am a ecominics professor and I have to tell you, you are very much wrong.Read my reply to the other poster.

Get over yourself wrote:

Ok, here is how warehouse stores work. It is a Membership based warehouse. This means, you pay to be a member. I guess 30 million Costco members must agree that they are doing something right. How does Costco have higher sales than Sams with less than half the locations they do. As far as using coupons and food stamps,,,,, again this is a member based warehouse. You buy in bulk, the rules dont apply with coupons. You cant use a $1 off coupon for paper towels when they are sold in a 15 pack. Costco has ocupons. Let me rephrase that, Costco has vendor sponsored coupons. This money is provided by the vendor, not Costco. It would cut into their margin. Sams takes this money instead and puts it into thier bottom line whereas Costco would rather pass it on to the member. Have you ever heard or seen a Costco commercial? There is a reason for that. Margin. It costs money to advertise. This increases pricing. Before you all rant and rave, do the math. Look things up. Do research. Costco is one of the best business models out there. They must be doing something right. They are the creator of the warehouse club concept. Yes, you are right. Costco is not for everyone. But if you do the math, you will see the benefits and if you do it right the membership will be paid for. What is the gas price at your local station? Now find out what Costco is at? Do the math, gas alone in one year will be paid for. Stop judging until you do the math. Literally. Costco rules!!!

lots of stupid people waste money on places like this. Thats what keeps them in business.

On a recent mission for food for our church food bank,my wife was givne 300.00 to go to sams to buy items. She told the pastor that she wasnt going to sams, she was going to other stores which accepts coupons. She left and returned 4 hrs later with a van full of items for our people who frequent our food bank.She totaled out all the reciepts from the 3 stores she went to and she has bought 1163.68 worth of groceries for 300.00. COnvinced me and the pastor that membership stores are a waste of money.
She is now in charge of buying for the food bank each month.

I had a membership to sams club for yrs before I figured out I was wasting alot of money just buying the membership.Sams is not much cheaper than any other store and they think they can charge people just to go in there?Thats plain stupid.Coupons really help us out and I use alot of them. We are a family of 6. Coupons, used the right way, can save you tons of money and feed your family very well.My sister in law is from Rochester ny and when she came down here, she couldnt believe that I didnt go to sams or Costco's. But after going with me to get groceries and seeing who much I got for what little I spent, she decided it was membership stores was a money racket. She no longer calls me a stupid southerner. Guess she figured out who was stupid.

Chester, looks like you and a few others shut them up didnt ya. SOmetimes it takes ALOT to show the yankees they are wrong about something.

Elaine wrote:

<quoted text>
It's 50.00 a yr and no it's not stupid to pay that yearly when you consider the savings that Costco offers on their products. I have shopped there for over 25 yrs. But then to each their own.

you can save a lot more than that if you just wait for a good sale at a supermarket or two and then buy in bulk there....and you don't have to bring your own bags/boxes to pack up your stuff. ripoff, pure and simple.

a crime

Elaine wrote:

<quoted text>
It's 50.00 a yr and no it's not stupid to pay that yearly when you consider the savings that Costco offers on their products. I have shopped there for over 25 yrs. But then to each their own.

The only savings at costco is if your a frugal shopper. You really need to do your homework. You need to figure out unit price of an item. Many times costco is more expensive that your regular local market. Most time it's a mind game. You buy a crate of oranges for 9 bucks, your thinkin what a bargin! your local store has them on special for 69 cents per pound and you paid 9.00 for 7lbs of oranges. most shoppers eyes are bigger than their stomachs, We use to shop there, buy a monster box of corn flakes and throw out half cause they went stale. those places are really geared for commerical purchase customers. most shoppers think if the buy where the commerical people buy their gettin a deal. You can make out on many of the non food items but again you need to do your homework.

Get over yourself wrote:

Ok, here is how warehouse stores work. It is a Membership based warehouse. This means, you pay to be a member. I guess 30 million Costco members must agree that they are doing something right. How does Costco have higher sales than Sams with less than half the locations they do. As far as using coupons and food stamps,,,,, again this is a member based warehouse. You buy in bulk, the rules dont apply with coupons. You cant use a $1 off coupon for paper towels when they are sold in a 15 pack. Costco has ocupons. Let me rephrase that, Costco has vendor sponsored coupons. This money is provided by the vendor, not Costco. It would cut into their margin. Sams takes this money instead and puts it into thier bottom line whereas Costco would rather pass it on to the member. Have you ever heard or seen a Costco commercial? There is a reason for that. Margin. It costs money to advertise. This increases pricing. Before you all rant and rave, do the math. Look things up. Do research. Costco is one of the best business models out there. They must be doing something right. They are the creator of the warehouse club concept. Yes, you are right. Costco is not for everyone. But if you do the math, you will see the benefits and if you do it right the membership will be paid for. What is the gas price at your local station? Now find out what Costco is at? Do the math, gas alone in one year will be paid for. Stop judging until you do the math. Literally. Costco rules!!!

Costco is an excellent store no doubt! sam's quality is not as high as costco even on an identical item because sams products are manufactured strictly for sams. Sams is walmart garbage in a bigger box! even the costco-kirkland brands are excellent quality. I'd buy kirkland coffee over starbucks!

illegal is illegal wrote:

My question is: Why do people have to pay for a membership if they want to shop at costco? Why don't they just open the doors to everyone? I don't care how mucho I would save by shopping at Costco, just the fact that they force people to buy a membership I don't like it, and I do not give them the pleasure. If they are in the business of selling, just open the door to everyone. Just out of principles I will never go to those places.

Hello Mcfly! Don't you see that the reason you can save monies on the items you purchase at Costco is because they have the luxury of income from membership fee's do you think the market model would be as successful if they allowed everyone in free and held the current margins? Costco doesn't want food stamp recipients in their stores and I don't either, if they do I will have to start locking my car in their parking lot and hide my valuables under the seat.

get a job not food stamps.

Mary wrote:

I had a membership to sams club for yrs before I figured out I was wasting alot of money just buying the membership.Sams is not much cheaper than any other store and they think they can charge people just to go in there?Thats plain stupid.Coupons really help us out and I use alot of them. We are a family of 6. Coupons, used the right way, can save you tons of money and feed your family very well.My sister in law is from Rochester ny and when she came down here, she couldnt believe that I didnt go to sams or Costco's. But after going with me to get groceries and seeing who much I got for what little I spent, she decided it was membership stores was a money racket. She no longer calls me a stupid southerner. Guess she figured out who was stupid.

More power to you! We all have choices on where we shop and the vote of the dollar is all that matters over all of our opinions, the bttm line is I will pay any membership fee to stay away from WIC, Food Stamps and the majority of people who receive such assistance.

John Adams wrote:

<quoted text>
Done the math and no costco and sams are not the best deal. I am ecominics Professor and I have done the math.Actually it is part of one of my classes at the college where I teach.
It is a proven fact that if you has access to a store the allows double or triple coupons, shopping at this store is your best deal.
You waste 50.00 a yr just to walk into one of the membership stores and they do not take coupons.
Example:
Recently a class project was for students to take 30.00 and get as much food for the local shelter that they could without going over. This was food items only.
Half of the class went to the membership clubs to shop, the other half was assigned the local stores. Some of the stores doubles coupons.
The students that went to the stores that double coupons went with a handful of coupons and they donated 35 percent more to the food bank than the students who were assigned to go to the membership clubs.
Unless you have a family the size of the Duggers, you will be wasting alot of money going to the membership clubs.

But, can you get a $1.50 hot dog and soda while you have tires put on your car at those places that dbl and triple your coupons? I think not. Or better yet can you feed your family lunch on demo's while shopping at those fantastic coupon places? Oh I better stop looks like there really is no comparison..... Youv'e been served!

food stamp hater wrote:

<quoted text>
But, can you get a $1.50 hot dog and soda while you have tires put on your car at those places that dbl and triple your coupons? I think not. Or better yet can you feed your family lunch on demo's while shopping at those fantastic coupon places? Oh I better stop looks like there really is no comparison..... Youv'e been served!

Why would I feed my child those nasty 1.50 hotdogs that has been cooked for hrs? This is basically child abuse!And yes we can feed our family lunch on demos if we wanted to but there again, that is usually processed trash that no one in our family would want to eat.
You go right ahead and waste all the money you want at those "membership" clubs. Thats fine with me. I am just laughing all the way to the bank. Could retire and live very very well on what we have saved but just want to hang on for the retirement. Waste your money, idiot. I dont really care.

Long time shopper at Price Club/Costco. Very happy with them. I save much more over a year's time than the 50 bucks or so that it costs to join. If it doesn't work for you, stay away. Easy, isn't it?

Been to both Costco and BJ’s and wasn’t impressed. They had a couple of good deals, but shopping at the local markets when things are on sale is a bigger money saver for me. With that being one situation, why would someone who is strapped for cash spend $50 for membership? Do they use that many paper towels?
I can understand in that area Costco might want to keep out certain kinds of people.

John Adams wrote:

<quoted text>
Done the math and no costco and sams are not the best deal. I am ecominics Professor and I have done the math.Actually it is part of one of my classes at the college where I teach.
It is a proven fact that if you has access to a store the allows double or triple coupons, shopping at this store is your best deal.
You waste 50.00 a yr just to walk into one of the membership stores and they do not take coupons.
Example:
Recently a class project was for students to take 30.00 and get as much food for the local shelter that they could without going over. This was food items only.
Half of the class went to the membership clubs to shop, the other half was assigned the local stores. Some of the stores doubles coupons.
The students that went to the stores that double coupons went with a handful of coupons and they donated 35 percent more to the food bank than the students who were assigned to go to the membership clubs.
Unless you have a family the size of the Duggers, you will be wasting alot of money going to the membership clubs.

Where do you get these "free" magical coupons? Professor last time I looked newspapers cost$$$

Time for a Change wrote:

<quoted text>Where do you get these "free" magical coupons? Professor last time I looked newspapers cost$$$

coupons.com ?