Costco, better than HEB for groceries? (Howe: coupons, house, neighborhood)

[annie_annie]

I have been to Costco a couple of times and each time I can't decide if I should fork over the money for a membership. HEB's prices are pretty hard to beat when they are having a sale. Have any of you found that Costco is a better savings over HEB? It seems that Costco has a really good selection of quality steaks that I don't really see in HEB. Costco's steaks were a lot thicker.

I heard that Costco sends out coupons every month. Do you find that you use these coupons regularly or is it mostly stuff you wouldn't normally buy?

Also, my husband rides in a via van pool. Do you know if he'd be able to fill up the via van they use with a personal membership card? They usually fill up at a gas station near work that's pretty pricey.

We'd mostly use our Costco card for groceries and gas. Any other info you want to throw in about Costco (or Sams for that matter) I'm all ears.

[Paka]

Yes and no. The meat at Costco can't be beat, and if you are shopping in bulk, Costco is WONDERFUL!!! However, the "impulsive buyer" aspect of Costco is MUCH higher for this broad than HEB's is...and that can get expensive.

If there were one closer, I would buy all my meat and produce at Costco...it is that good.

[TXtrkgrl]

I have to agree with every word Paka says. I absolutely love costco. Yes, they send out coupons every month or so, and it is a very broad selection of stuff so I'm sure there would be something you would use. I buy almost all my meat at Costco and just separate it when I get home. I think I just paid $2.79/lb for hamburger with 12% fat. It is very easy to impulse shop there but it's ok, they are very good at returning stuff

As far as the gas. Well, I drive a diesel (which they don't sell) so I don't buy there (of course) but by the looks of the long lines at the pump, I think I would pay the extra few cents at Valero.

[cheermomof4girls]

We are a family of 6, so Costco is almost a must. LOL Milk is less expensive there. It is under $3/gallon. I buy most of my groceries there. Butter comes in a 4 pack package and with the pricing, it comes out to getting one pack for free. That similar scenario is the case for most of the stuff that I purchase from there. Their strawberries have been $2.99 for a 2# package. Not to mention their branded name, Kirkland, gets high praises from a lot of people that do the brand surveys. I purchased a water hose holder that automatically reals itself in and it was $10 cheaper at Costco vs Lowes. My Costco location (Stone Oak) does not have the gas station, so I am bummed about that. I would think you can put gas in any vehicle as long as you have your Costco card.

[cheermomof4girls]

[quote=TXtrkgrl;3899239] It is very easy to impulse shop there but it's ok, they are very good at returning stuff

QUOTE]


So true. And, you don't need your receipt to get your money back because they just look it up in their computer.

[Bo]

I'm a loyal Costco member. I decided to try an experiment for a year by upgrading my membership to Executive ($100/year, instead of $50 - but you get 2% cash back) and doing most of our grocery shopping there to make the cash back offset the cost of the upgrade. I found it was very difficult and time-consuming to do that, because there were too many things my family likes to eat which Costco doesn't carry. The cash back bonus fell short of the difference in membership price, so after that year as an Executive member, we downgraded back to the standard membership.

Maybe Costco would have worked as a primary grocery source for us if we had more than 4 people in the house or if we significantly modified our consumption to only eat what Costco sells.

Even though it didn't work out as a primary source for groceries, I still find Costco invaluable for things to round out grocery shopping. The coupon books are good. I usually use 4-8 coupons every time they send out a book of them. I wouldn't want to give up my membership!

[SnappyBob]

I've never had Costco meat. My wife goes there occasionally but I have never been. Does the meat market have people there cutting and packaging fresh meat or is it packaged, frozen, shipped, thawed and then sold? Is there an ingredients list on the package? If so are any of the ingredients preservatives?

[Paka]

It is FRESH, and WONDERFUL!! You REALLY will be spoiled once you try their meats...CHOICE stuff and there IS a HUGE difference in the taste, quality and cost of Costco meat vs HEB!

[imaterry78259]

What else does Costco beat HEB on other than meat and produce

[Paka]

Really, everything....the only issue is if you have no need to buy in bulk, it is in much greater quanties than we need for most stuff.

I will buy produce, and some others (TP, Paper Towels, Kleenex, laundry soap) there, but don't need 24 cans of greenbeans or soup or a case of sodas. Again, LOVE Costco and spend enough there that the Executive membership pays us, but then again we go there almost every other weekend for the Sea Food Road Show and buy several pounds of King Crab Legs or shrimp or lobster. Now that our youngest is in Bootcamp (and that boy could EAT) we are really trying to watch and buy responsibly...hard to do after feeding a houseful kiddos for so many years...I am still in "cook for the neighborhood" mode.