Costco: Is it Worth the Clutter?

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Costco is a love/hate relationship with me. I love going there to taste the food samples. Why do they always taste great in the store but sometimes only so-so when you make it at home for the family? In the last few years I've noticed that the Costco supply buyers are really doing a great job providing consumers with healthy organic, vegan and good for you choices. I'm just not a fan of buying 12 cans of tomato paste, or 5 lb. bag of coffee. I'm sure there is a better value in buying in bulk, but unless you have a hotel sized pantry, where is all of that going to go? According to an article on reddit.com I rationalized with myself that the time it takes me to drive to Costco, the gas my car will eat up and the mileage, it might be better to buy my goods at the local grocery store. Yes, you might pay more ounce per ounce, but your time is worth money also. If you must buy that bag of 25 lemons because it's a screaming deal (let's face it, the cost of lemons is sky high) please don't let them go to waste or get rotten. Make some lemonade or share them with a neighbor. It's so sad to through food away just because you couldn't get to it to eat it on time. Of course, I like to suggest to my clients to be selective when they buy goods from Costco.

Here are some suggestions to consider before you fill up your trunk at Costco:

1. Go through your house before you shop at Costco. Take a good inventory of the items you have. The storage areas in your home is prime real estate. Don't put unnecessary overage of food where you can put something that you need access into a prime cupboard.

2. What ever the item in question is, for example: Ask yourself, "Do I really need three bottles of Windex"? Probably not. Unless you are the Greek father in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you don't go through Windex bottles fast enough to buy them in bulk. My point is, those extra bottles take up a lot of space. That space could be used for the over flow of other cleaning items that you use once a day or once a week. All of those extras really do way down on you when you look inside that cupboard and see too much. It can also cause frustration because all of the sudden your house and storage space seems too small.

3. If you decide to buy meat in bulk, take it out of the store packaging and split it up and freeze the portion that you are going to use on a later day. You can do the same with bread as well.

4. Consider the size of your family and how quickly you are going through perishable items. If you have a growing family with a good appetite, then yes, it is probably worth it to pay for the annual membership and to buy in bulk. Your storage issues might not be that tough since you are eating through your supplies at a quick rate. But, if you are an empty nester or living with just your significant other, you might want to consider the time of the trip to Costco and your storage area.

5. It is easy to over shop at Costco. You are saving money in the end to shop in bulk, but your grand total at the end is higher than you can pay off at the end of the month. We all can get sucked into spending too much money on things that we don't need. Costco REALLY knows how to tempt you. The impulse buys are beautifully placed.

6. Frustration to find what you have just run in to buy, even if it's only one or two things. I was so frustrated one day while shopping at Costco. My kids were asking for one thing after another and I just want to buy my Kombucha and sliced cheese. These items were not in there usual spot. After searching and searching I found a Costco employe to help me with some direction. I asked him why do my favorite items move from week to week. Well, here is the brilliant answer that I received... the founders Jeffrey Brotman and James Sinegal are excellent at product placement. The purposefully move items around to make a "scavenger hunt" for the shoppers. It is to take the consumer on a journey around the store so you will see more items and new items that they have to sell. You are then in the trap of coming in to the store and purchasing more than you anticipated. Well, kudos to them! It works. I have NEVER left Costco with spending less than $75! My suggestion is, have a list and stick to it!

Keep it Sweet and Neat,

Stephanie

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