Eff Off Costco. I'm Not Paying $75 for Thee Steaks!

[joestein]

I’ve seen those at the store and keep thinking of doing that, but never do. Thanks for the reminder! I should buy one next time I’m there.


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The problem is when you freeze meat, you dry it out. Which is why I only buy enough to eat before expiration. Or sometimes I just stop at the market on the way home - it is only 5 or 10 mins extra at most.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

There is a store called Grocery Outlet by me. They sell those pieces for $8.99/lb. Plus there is very little to trim. Usually spend about $35 and get 10 Filets or so. Then thin tail gets chopped up and used for fried rice or some other dish.

I so wish there was a Grocery Outlet by me in MIchigan. As I get closer to retirement, I have been fine tuning my budget and shopping at Aldi and Trader Joes more often to save money. I love shopping at Publix when they have their BOGO deals and I try to stock up on everyday items I use

 

[1Kflyerguy]

The problem is when you freeze meat, you dry it out. Which is why I only buy enough to eat before expiration. Or sometimes I just stop at the market on the way home - it is only 5 or 10 mins extra at most.

I find the vac sealer minimizes the drying out of the meat. Its not quite as good as fresh, but much better than if you just use a zip lock bag or similar.

 

[bizaro86]

Can you take these steak to a local butcher and asked them to cut the steak in half?

I guess you could, but personally I think that seems sort of rude, since you didn't buy it from them.

 

[davidvel]

Actually, I think the Omaha Steaks tasted pretty good. Not $40 a pound good, imo. Supposedly, these steaks are dry aged for about a month. The cows are grass fed grain finished. I think most steaks tasted good when cooked properly.

Bill

They do not list the USDA grading, so they are probably the lowest: select. This grade is generally not even sold in most grocery stores, which usually have choice. Select steak should never be $20 a pound much less $40+.

 

[easyrider]

They do not list the USDA grading, so they are probably the lowest: select. This grade is generally not even sold in most grocery stores, which usually have choice. Select steak should never be $20 a pound much less $40+.

All I have to say about the Omaha Steaks is they were popular gifts of appreciation for Christmas and they taste pretty good, imo.

Bill

 

[davidvel]

All I have to say about the Omaha Steaks is they were popular gifts of appreciation for Christmas and they taste pretty good, imo.

Bill

My guess is they taste better when you aren't paying for them. We tried them and threw most of them out. \

Most of the online holiday gifts are grossly overpriced (cherries, chocolates, wine, baskets, etc.) But people feel good giving them so . . .

 

[easyrider]

My guess is they taste better when you aren't paying for them. We tried them and threw most of them out. \

Most of the online holiday gifts are grossly overpriced (cherries, chocolates, wine, baskets, etc.) But people feel good giving them so . . .

Really ? You threw them out ? I have a hard time believing that but ok then.

I think the main reason that companies give out gifts is to be remembered when it's time for a project. The steaks were probably an easy gift to order and way better than a Hickory Farms sausage & cheese basket. We use to get those too.

Bill

 

[dioxide45]

I guess you could, but personally I think that seems sort of rude, since you didn't buy it from them.

Kind of like taking NAPA car parts to the dealer and asking them to install them. They may do it, but they want the markup on the product too.

 

[davidvel]

Really ? You threw them out ? I have a hard time believing that but ok then.

I think the main reason that companies give out gifts is to be remembered when it's time for a project. The steaks were probably an easy gift to order and way better than a Hickory Farms sausage & cheese basket. We use to get those too.

Bill

Yep they were filets (sorry dioxide45). We grilled them medium rare but they were worse than top sirloin from Costco. Tough and dry.

 

[geist1223]

Can you take these steak to a local butcher and asked them to cut the steak in half?

How much of a "corkage fee" are you willing to pay for this privilege?

 

[1Kflyerguy]

All I have to say about the Omaha Steaks is they were popular gifts of appreciation for Christmas and they taste pretty good, imo.

Bill

I received some of these as a corporate gift one year. Its been a long time, but I also thought they were nice. Its been so long i don't recall what cuts of meat were included.

 

[Tia]

My guess is they taste better when you aren't paying for them. We tried them and threw most of them out. \

Most of the online holiday gifts are grossly overpriced (cherries, chocolates, wine, baskets, etc.) But people feel good giving them so . . .

My mother used to get things from Omaha Steaks, she liked them. I have a couple of her big Styrofoam coolers the stuff came in and she kept. They work pretty well when we bring back some meat out of a small meat market in Minnesota to Colorado, just keep them closed.

 

[easyrider]

Yep they were filets (sorry dioxide45). We grilled them medium rare but they were worse than top sirloin from Costco. Tough and dry.

Dave. I'm beginning to recognize that you might be a steak snob. I'm not sure why I didn't see this steak snobbery off the get go. lol

Bill

 

[davidvel]

Dave. I'm beginning to recognize that you might be a steak snob. I'm not sure why I didn't see this steak snobbery off the get go. lol

Bill

If Costco and Stater Brothers are snobbery, then yes.

 

[dioxide45]

Priorities. You are rich enough to travel often!

That is why he is rich. He spends where he sees value for his money and most likely lives under his means.

It does mainly come down to value for the money spent. Sure I could book one less getaway a year and buy prime, but I would rather have the one extra week somewhere. I just don't see the value in prime. We went to one prime steakhouse once and felt completely scammed after our check came.

 

[joestein]

I so wish there was a Grocery Outlet by me in MIchigan. As I get closer to retirement, I have been fine tuning my budget and shopping at Aldi and Trader Joes more often to save money. I love shopping at Publix when they have their BOGO deals and I try to stock up on everyday items I use

That is the way to go. My wife and I generally hit up at least 3 food stores on the weekend. Lidl, Aldi and the Grocery Outlet are located around the same intersection. A block down the road is Costco. Plus on Sunday mornings, I shop only sales at Shoprite - if the sales are worth it.

 

[joestein]

Really ? You threw them out ? I have a hard time believing that but ok then.

I think the main reason that companies give out gifts is to be remembered when it's time for a project. The steaks were probably an easy gift to order and way better than a Hickory Farms sausage & cheese basket. We use to get those too.

Bill

We got a giant gift basket from an insurance company called Mrs. Prindables in 2022. I am not even a fan of candy covered/chocolate covered apples - usually the apple is nasty. But these things were off the chart amazing. I think I must have eaten 2 or 3 of them. I brough them home and cut them up and my whole family loved them.

Sadly, insurance tripled in price last year and they sent us a tiny box of some sort of truffles no one wanted to try.

 

[CPNY]

I’ve seen those at the store and keep thinking of doing that, but never do. Thanks for the reminder! I should buy one next time I’m there.


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It really makes shopping at Costco worth it if you're not going to use all of the meat/fish within a day or two. Plus it works great for marinading the meat as well. I suggest buying the bags on amazon when it's time to refill. It will be much cheaper.

 

[joestein]

It really makes shopping at Costco worth it if you're not going to use all of the meat/fish within a day or two. Plus it works great for marinading the meat as well. I suggest buying the bags on amazon when it's time to refill. It will be much cheaper.

I still think the meat prices are VERY expensive at Costco. I shop there and look at the prices. $4.99 for chop meat. The prices for the ribeyes, chicken,etc. I look and if I thought there was a deal - I would be the first to buy.

 

[CPNY]

I still think the meat prices are VERY expensive at Costco. I shop there and look at the prices. $4.99 for chop meat. The prices for the ribeyes, chicken,etc. I look and if I thought there was a deal - I would be the first to buy.

I can see the Costco may be in line with other super markets but for me, where I shop in Manhattan, Costco is a much better value. When they get the Halibut in, I make sure to buy a few pounds and vacuum seal the steaks. They have it for 28.99 a pound and the fish market by my apartment has it for 44.99 a pound. Skirt steak at Costco is also half the price. I usually only buy that when I'm cooking for people. I do buy their bags of jumbo shrimp. That is a great value.

 

[jwalk03]

I still think the meat prices are VERY expensive at Costco. I shop there and look at the prices. $4.99 for chop meat. The prices for the ribeyes, chicken,etc. I look and if I thought there was a deal - I would be the first to buy.

Yes some things at Costco are a very bad deal. Anything they have had to do prep work on it seems the prices go up quickly!

Its like my local super market- they sell plain chicken breasts at the meat counter for $3/lb. Or they sell "fajita chicken breasts" for $5/lb. Its the exact same chicken they have just marinated it- and sell it for $2 more per lb! Makes no sense to me why anyone pays the extra when its really darn easy to just marinate it yourself at home- but someone must buy it?!

 

[VacationForever]

I still think the meat prices are VERY expensive at Costco. I shop there and look at the prices. $4.99 for chop meat. The prices for the ribeyes, chicken,etc. I look and if I thought there was a deal - I would be the first to buy.

We buy meat at Costco for good quality meat at a reasonable price. Our neighbourhood Albertsons sells $5 packets of steaks every Friday. Our friends buy them regularly and served them to us one time for dinner at their home and they were inedible to us. It was just a piece of leather. Yuck.

 

[clifffaith]

We buy meat at Costco for good quality meat at a reasonable price. Our neighbourhood Albertsons sells $5 packets of steaks every Friday. Our friends buy them regularly and served them to us one time for dinner at their home and they were inedible to us. It was just a piece of leather.

My instructions to the waitstaff when ordering steak (or a sit down hamburger) are “VERY well done. I will not send it back if it’s like shoe leather. I will send it back if I see any pink”.

 

[VacationForever]

My instructions to the waitstaff when ordering steak (or a sit down hamburger) are “VERY well done. I will not send it back if it’s like shoe leather. I will send it back if I see any pink”.

We like ours medium well or medium plus. We could not tell our friends that that their steaks were shoe leather but we pretty much left them on the plate after taking a bite or two.