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.

[mu_hilltopper]

I need more food suggestions of stuff you heat and eat.   

We like the frozen lasagna and chicken tortilla soup  .. and a friend turned us on to the Chicken Tikka Masala, but damnit, that seems to have disappeared from their shelves last month.   

[MU82]

I need more food suggestions of stuff you heat and eat.   

We like the frozen lasagna and chicken tortilla soup  .. and a friend turned us on to the Chicken Tikka Masala, but damnit, that seems to have disappeared from their shelves last month.

They have great frozen wild salmon filets. We love the bean burgers we buy there. Cheese-filled ravioli.

[real chili 83]

Sams v Costco.

We've been Sams member for years. Just now building a Costco in our community.

What's the difference?

Which is better?  That question would be simple if one of them carried Sonoran Salsa.

We have a Total Wine, so booze shopping is not relevant?

[rocket surgeon]

I need more food suggestions of stuff you heat and eat.   

We like the frozen lasagna and chicken tortilla soup  .. and a friend turned us on to the Chicken Tikka Masala, but damnit, that seems to have disappeared from their shelves last month.

their big packs of pre-cooked kielbasa, smoked sausage, brat-like sausages, not hot dogs so probably less chicken lip-pork innerd contents.  i've bought some nice pre-cooked andouille etc from costco

[4everwarriors]

I need more food suggestions of stuff you heat and eat.   

We like the frozen lasagna and chicken tortilla soup  .. and a friend turned us on to the Chicken Tikka Masala, but damnit, that seems to have disappeared from their shelves last month.

Dude, just walk over ta Trader Joe's. It's a short hike for ya over by Bayshore, hey?

[4everwarriors]

Sams v Costco.

We've been Sams member for years. Just now building a Costco in our community.

What's the difference?

Which is better?  That question would be simple if one of them carried Sonoran Salsa.

We have a Total Wine, so booze shopping is not relevant?

Think K-Mart vs Macy's, hey?

[real chili 83]

Think K-Mart vs Macy's, hey?

Macy's?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Dude, just walk over ta Trader Joe's. It's a short hike for ya over by Bayshore, hey?

Ya mean Aldi Joe's,  a'ina?

[4everwarriors]

Watt daze duz yo water truck deliver der now, hey?

[Herman Cain]

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.

The Kirkland Greek Yogurt is a tremendous Value. The Non refrigatored Kirkland Vanilla Almond is also exceptional for smoothies .  The 72 count eggs and Whey Protein prices can't be beat.

[MU82]

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

Ummm ... because she thinks it says "orgasmic" instead of "organic"?

[real chili 83]

Just went to the Sams in Countryside. What a zoo and pig pen. 

[Jay Bee]

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

You're just one of the many undesirables, bud.

PS - you and chick owe me a drink at Hoopla for this, meanies.

[GooooMarquette]

Sams v Costco.

We've been Sams member for years. Just now building a Costco in our community.

What's the difference?

Which is better?  That question would be simple if one of them carried Sonoran Salsa.

We have a Total Wine, so booze shopping is not relevant?

Better is subjective.  On brand name items, we have found that our stores typically don't stock identical items.  As an example, Sams used to stock Stacy's pita chips, but when Costco came to town and carried them, they disappeared from Sams.  Plenty of other examples, and it seems to be variable from place to place.  YMMV.

The place where Costco wins for me is the store-branded stuff.  Kirkland products frequently are as good as (sometimes better than) similar brand name products.  One example is their organic white corn tortilla chips.  Excellent.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

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).

Was just going to say the same!

[LloydsLegs]

Same as many here already.  Prime, Netflix and Costco. 

Costco 8 minutes away so makes sense for gas.  Amazon great for sending stuff to kids in college too.

Using Costco less frequently now (but we just have regular membership, so nbd).  Also support it b/c it gave my dad the 8 most lucrative years (up until retiring 2 years ago at 79) of his sales career - hit a home run with a granola mix and selling them pecans in bulk.

[mu03eng]

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.

Do you have cable? Why Hulu and Netflix? I find much more interesting content on Netflix than Hulu, plus I have Direct so I get my "live" content that way.

[jesmu84]

For those that have Prime and Costco, and find them both necessary...

Are you buying consistent products on Prime? Or is it more "as needed"/convenience use?

For myself, I'm trying to decide between food/pantry/dry goods staples. Adding a Costco membership would add in things like gas/travel/appliances and whatever other produce/frozen/fresh food they have. But I would lose the Prime music/video.

If you have a Costco membership, is it better for the gold, executive or Costco Visa membership?

Yes, I do realize everyone is going to have a slightly different preference/situation

[Jay Bee]

^^^ Cheapskate alert, ainner?

[jesmu84]

^^^ Cheapskate alert, ainner?

And?

[Benny B]

Do you have cable? Why Hulu and Netflix? I find much more interesting content on Netflix than Hulu, plus I have Direct so I get my "live" content that way.

Cut the cord in 2009.  Hulu has two primary benefits for us:

1) "DVR-in-the-cloud" -- 80% of Hulu to us is watching network (and some cable) shows "in-season."  We do have a DVR on our HTPC that would do the same thing for us, but a DVR sitting in our family room doesn't do us any good if we're watching from the bedroom (via Apple TV) or from a device.   Also, there are a lot of shows we don't watch regularly watch, but from word-of-mouth, we will occasionally seek out certain episodes from time-to-time (e.g. SNL), and Hulu keeps us from having to pack our HTPC's HDD full of entire series when we only want one or two episodes.

2) South Park... Hulu has not just the entire catalog, but also the entire catalog of 'South Park en Espanol,' which is a whole new level of Matt and Trey.

[The Lens]

Cut the cord in 2009.  Hulu has two primary benefits for us:

1) "DVR-in-the-cloud" -- 80% of Hulu to us is watching network (and some cable) shows "in-season."  We do have a DVR on our HTPC that would do the same thing for us, but a DVR sitting in our family room doesn't do us any good if we're watching from the bedroom (via Apple TV) or from a device.   Also, there are a lot of shows we don't watch regularly watch, but from word-of-mouth, we will occasionally seek out certain episodes from time-to-time (e.g. SNL), and Hulu keeps us from having to pack our HTPC's HDD full of entire series when we only want one or two episodes.

2) South Park... Hulu has not just the entire catalog, but also the entire catalog of 'South Park en Espanol,' which is a whole new level of Matt and Trey.

How do you consume sports? 

[#UnleashSean]

2) South Park... Hulu has not just the entire catalog, but also the entire catalog of 'South Park en Espanol,' which is a whole new level of Matt and Trey.

Rip Southparkstudios. Best Internet service.

[MU82]

How do you consume sports?

With some fava beans and a nice chianti, of course!

[Benny B]

How do you consume sports?

The old fashioned way: I either buy a ticket or go to a bar showing the game and order an old fashioned.

[Dr. Blackheart]

BevMo. Buy at bottle of vino, get the second for 5 cents.

[mu03eng]

For those that have Prime and Costco, and find them both necessary...

Are you buying consistent products on Prime? Or is it more "as needed"/convenience use?

For myself, I'm trying to decide between food/pantry/dry goods staples. Adding a Costco membership would add in things like gas/travel/appliances and whatever other produce/frozen/fresh food they have. But I would lose the Prime music/video.

If you have a Costco membership, is it better for the gold, executive or Costco Visa membership?

Yes, I do realize everyone is going to have a slightly different preference/situation

Prime is adhoc purchasing, things like the raspberry pi I just bought to make a NAS, or some other thing I know I want and can get it cheapest/easiest on Amazon. Costco is for staples like snacks, milk, meat, fruits, and the like.

We do Costco exec, I've heard nothing but good things about the Costco Visa but we have our USAA CC which is a better deal for us especially when bundling with insurance, etc. so more than likely wouldn't switch.

[jesmu84]

Prime is adhoc purchasing, things like the raspberry pi I just bought to make a NAS, or some other thing I know I want and can get it cheapest/easiest on Amazon. Costco is for staples like snacks, milk, meat, fruits, and the like.

We do Costco exec, I've heard nothing but good things about the Costco Visa but we have our USAA CC which is a better deal for us especially when bundling with insurance, etc. so more than likely wouldn't switch.

Thanks for the response

[mr.MUskie]

Costco has the biggest and best rotisserie chicken on the planet.

[reinko]

CostCo Staples
Chicken Breasts, ground turkey, coffee, Einstein bagels, granola bars, baby formula, roterssiere chicken, guacamole, ready-made pizzas or flatbreads, kid foods (mac n cheese, chicken nuggets), tires!, got a nice pair of sunglasses there once, Kirkland brand shirts, socks, T's..., don't have booze in our CostCo but a Total Value next door, frozen fruit, yogurt, milk, cheese...

Amazon Benefits
Diapers, wipes, Amazon streaming TV & music, 2 day shipping, just about anything you would buy from Target or Walmart, but you don't need ASAP

As for a credit card, I went with the Amazon Prime chase card (no annual fee), 5% back on all Amazon purchases, 2% on restaurants gas, and 1% back on everything else...we don't travel a lot, but Mrs. Reinko has a Southwest card since that is the only airline we fly

[mu_hilltopper]

Anyone do CostCo vision stuff?  My wife recently 'graduated' to bi-focal contacts and the quoted price was 3x her usual cost.   

The brand she sampled is sold at CostCo .. although it's still pricey and there are others to try.   Do they hand out contact samples like they do for cheese?

[jsglow]

Anyone do CostCo vision stuff?  My wife recently 'graduated' to bi-focal contacts and the quoted price was 3x her usual cost.   

The brand she sampled is sold at CostCo .. although it's still pricey and there are others to try.   Do they hand out contact samples like they do for cheese?

We do the Costco vision center, particularly for chick's readers and my son's contacts.  Sorry, no samples!

[muwarrior69]

Costco has the biggest and best rotisserie chicken on the planet.

Sams Club here in Jersey has a 6-7 pound rotisserie chicken for 4.99.

[warriorchick]

Costco has the biggest and best rotisserie chicken on the planet.

And cheap!  4 bucks for an entire rotisserie chicken! I have actually witnessed a family buy one, and then take it to the snackbar area to eat it  with their 50-cent unlimited refill sodas.

[Benny B]

We do the Costco vision center, particularly for chick's readers and my son's contacts.  Sorry, no samples!

1. Assuming your store has an optodoc on-site, you should get a trial pair of whatever brand is prescribed if you have your screening w/contact fitting done at Costco.  If you had your screening/fitting done elsewhere, it doesn't hurt to ask... it all depends on the store and - more importantly - who's working behind the counter that day.

2. Don't forget that you can "sample" virtually everything at Costco... they call it their "satisfaction guarantee," i.e. if you don't like it, take it back for a refund.  While some things like electronics have exceptions, AFAIK, there is no exception for contact lenses.  So provided you're not obviously trying to abuse the policy (if you've only used one from the box), you should get a full refund; otherwise, worst case is you get a pro-rata refund for what you didn't use.

[Herman Cain]

Anyone do CostCo vision stuff?  My wife recently 'graduated' to bi-focal contacts and the quoted price was 3x her usual cost.   

The brand she sampled is sold at CostCo .. although it's still pricey and there are others to try.   Do they hand out contact samples like they do for cheese?

Contacts are cheaper than vision insurance . A good deal.

[Eldon]

Re: Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods

The online retail boom has been devastating for brick-and-mortar sellers of electronics, clothes, books, and many other goods where price and convenience are priorities for consumers. While online grocery shopping has been around for a while, it was never considered a major threat to traditional grocers like Kroger and Safeway. That is, until now.

“The acquisition says as you look toward the future, you can’t just do brick and mortar groceries and you can’t just do online groceries,” according to Needham’s Kerry Rice. “A big piece of this is logistics, where the grocery stores haven’t been able to do well—Getting it to you quickly and building out a network.”

Barclays’ Karen Short called the deal “Darwinism at its best.”

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/amazon-buying-whole-foods-ramifications-retail-seismic-185901537.html