Amazon Prime vs Costco

[jesmu84]

What are people's thoughts on the comparison here? I currently have Prime and find it super convenient to jump on anytime I want/need something. However, this probably also has led to a decent amount of frivolous spending.

Assuming I don't use Prime video much (I don't... I have Netflix, which I find better overall), would Costco be a better choice considering the things I can't buy on Amazon (produce, meat, gas)?

[4everwarriors]

Both, hey?

[Stronghold]

How many people are you shopping for?  My wife and I have a Costco membership and sometimes find that the quantities​ there are not always ideal for just 2 people.

[Jay Bee]

How many people are you shopping for?  My wife and I have a Costco membership and sometimes find that the quantities​ there are not always ideal for just 2 people.

Great point. Lots of the food at Costco makes no sense for me.

I also like Prime Now. Have utilized it while at the office on busy days... a few clicks... and a dude shows up an hour later with all my stuff.

Amazon has such a wide variety of stuff.. Costco has select items .. if you're looking to buy 19 pounds of nasty pot roast, go with Costco.

Really, there's a place for both of them. In my view, they are quite different.. both are worthwhile if you have the respective needs, AINER!!!!!!!1

[4everwarriors]

a few clicks... and a dude shows up an hour later


Dis is all ya gotta know 'bout BeeJay, ai na?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

a few clicks... and a dude shows up an hour later


Dis is all ya gotta know 'bout BeeJay, ai na?

Yeah, but beejay thought the dude was gonna be a chick, ai'na?

[MU82]

I'm a huge Costco fan.

Cheapest gas anywhere. Cheap prices on stuff some don't think they're known for - a gallon of milk, a quart of half-and-half, etc. Great pharmacy. They also have the best prices I find on rental cars (through Costco Travel).

Use the Costco Visa (which has no annual fee) and you get 4% back on gas, 3% on restaurants and 2% on all Costco purchases. With the Executive Membership, you get a kick-back at the end of the year; with us it always pays the difference between exec and regular memberships.

Best return policy on the planet. Free second year warranty on electronics. They treat their employees well, so they have less turnover than just about anybody in retail and employees are happy and helpful.

I promise ... I am not employed by Costco in any way. It's just a heck of a business model. It's just my wife and I now and we still get decent value - I would have killed for Costco back when the kids were in diapers and formula!!!

We do Amazon Prime, too. Frankly, I could live without it, but my wife likes it and the free 2-day shipping and convenience are nice.

[naginiF]

Both, hey?

+1....AND Netflix

[mu03eng]

Have Costco, Prime, and Netflix.....all differentiated enough that I have no problem subscribing to all 3.

[StillAWarrior]

Don't forget about the music aspect of Amazon Prime, either.  While it's probably not as good as Spotify or Apple Music, there's quite a bit there.  I didn't even look into it for the first couple years we had Prime, but when I finally did, I realized it brings some value (at least for me).

[MUBurrow]

For what its worth, we let our costco membership lapse last year and haven't really missed it.  If you've got the mouths to feed to make the bulk aspect of costco worth it, that's one thing.  But for us, that would take a minimum of a family of 4.  Less than that, and you really can't buy any produce, meat you don't plan to freeze, etc., without it going bad. So as a shopping center, you're pretty much limited to dry goods, which for us isn't worth the pain of fighting the crowds/the space it takes up in the pantry.

Caveat is basically MU82's post, I think. If you live near one so the gas is convenient, or if you utilize the lesser-known bargains they've got on electronics, travel, or gift cards that can be a game changer.

[jsglow]

We're both.  But as empty nesters we find ourselves at Costco far less frequently than when we had teens at home.  Probably get there once an month nowadays. And we certainly maintain a separate 'Costco list' on our shopping app.  But something lands at the front door from Amazon probably once a week, minimum.

[Jay Bee]

The booze at Costco is good and if I need to restock paper towels for the next noine years it's fine, but also... there are a lot of dirty undesirables that shop at Costco - yucky!!

[jsglow]

The booze at Costco is good and if I need to restock paper towels for the next noine years it's fine, but also... there are a lot of dirty undesirables that shop at Costco - yucky!!

Funny, I don't remember running into you there!

[Benny B]

Have Costco, Prime, and Netflix.....all differentiated enough that I have no problem subscribing to all 3.

Add Hulu to that, and you're at my house.

Trying to decide between Costco and Amazon Prime is like trying to decide between a boat and a swimming pool.

[mu_hilltopper]

I have both CostCo and Prime .. but I don't see how they compete against each other much.

Amazon has everything.  CostCo is more dominant in the bulk food area.

[Jockey]

We're both.  But as empty nesters we find ourselves at Costco far less frequently than when we had teens at home.  Probably get there once an month nowadays. And we certainly maintain a separate 'Costco list' on our shopping app.  But something lands at the front door from Amazon probably once a week, minimum.

Same here. don't go to Costco anymore. Also use Amazon shipping a lot, so the Prime membership pays for itself.

[rocket surgeon]

i have both.  buy everything with amazon prime except food.  as stated in our smoking thread, costco has the cheapest pork belly at $2.89/lb.  get a food vacuum sealer and buy their rib roasts and cut your own rib eyes-7.99/lb., pork loins cut into chops 1.69/lb., pork shoulders grow on trees.  you don't have to buy a truck load of meat to get their good prices however and it's fresh as any other.  their produce section is a joke

  got the samsung 70" 4k ultra hd for $1200 w/free delivery from costco

[warriorchick]

Funny, I don't remember running into you there!

[GooooMarquette]

I have both CostCo and Prime .. but I don't see how they compete against each other much.

Amazon has everything.  CostCo is more dominant in the bulk food area.

Yeah, I view them as two totally different things.

[mu_hilltopper]

https://consumerist.com/2017/05/25/costco-is-thriving-because-people-still-dont-buy-their-toilet-paper-or-steak-on-amazon/

[jsglow]

https://consumerist.com/2017/05/25/costco-is-thriving-because-people-still-dont-buy-their-toilet-paper-or-steak-on-amazon/

Booze, paper products, laundry detergent, frozen ground beef, chicken breasts, giant bag o salad and deli pot pies.  Pretty much survive on that indefinitely when supplemented by the daily Amazon box on the front porch.

[MU82]

Our Costco "staples":

Stacy's organic pita chips, Santa Barbara mango salsa, Kirkland Greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, giant 2-pack of Jif or Skippy, milk (always lasts at least a week past date on carton), Land O' Lakes half and half, 6-pack of romaine lettuce, Campari tomatoes, granola, Kirkland detergent, Crystal Light lemonade packets.

Most trips involve at least a half-dozen of those items.

Also treat ourselves to their wings occasionally (on Entourage, Drama said, "Vinny loves their wings!"), peruse the clothing quite regularly, sometimes buy stuff when it's on sale - Bounty, TP, granola bars, etc.

[jsglow]

Our Costco "staples":

Stacy's organic pita chips, Santa Barbara mango salsa, Kirkland Greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, giant 2-pack of Jif or Skippy, milk (always lasts at least a week past date on carton), Land O' Lakes half and half, 6-pack of romaine lettuce, Campari tomatoes, granola, Kirkland detergent, Crystal Light lemonade packets.

Most trips involve at least a half-dozen of those items.

Also treat ourselves to their wings occasionally (on Entourage, Drama said, "Vinny loves their wings!"), peruse the clothing quite regularly, sometimes buy stuff when it's on sale - Bounty, TP, granola bars, etc.

Chick always picks up a bag.  I'll let you figure out why.

[GooooMarquette]

We get the Stacy's chips, and also the Kirkland tortilla chips.  There are also great deals on frozen strawberries and blueberries, cereal, yogurt, maple syrup, honey and stuff like that.  We also buy their grass fed beef for a lot less than at the grocery store.  For people who worry about the huge volumes...the beef (like many other items) comes in three separately sealed 1-pound packages.  So yeah, we buy 3 pounds at a time, but it's easy to freeze two of them.

There are only two of us, and we have no problem with the sizes on the things we buy.