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Costco - I'm blaming TUG

Beachclubmum

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The best times to shop at Costco are at the dinner hour :)

Shhhhhh!!!! The evening dinner time period of 7:30-8:30 is my super secret time to shop at Costco. Very few people, you can see all the merchandise, no carts blocking the aisles, quick check out; it's like Costco heaven. And when you're done you still have time to get gas with....(gasp, dare I say it).....NO LINES!
 

bluehende

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Costco is a different story. Their bakery, seafood and meat selection is superior to the nicest grocery/meat markets around. Great selection and cuts you just won’t find elsewhere, at least in the area we live. The last time we were there my wife had to literally pull me away from a cold section that had nothing but Pork Belly in it!
.


For me it is those prime steaks. I usually only pull the trigger for special occasions, but I do linger and pine over them every time. I was lucky enough one time to get a sale on strips that were not prime, but man I beleive the butcher grabbed the wrong cryovac and cut up some. I took almost 20 lbs and enjoyed every one.
 

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For me it is those prime steaks. I usually only pull the trigger for special occasions, but I do linger and pine over them every time. I was lucky enough one time to get a sale on strips that were not prime, but man I beleive the butcher grabbed the wrong cryovac and cut up some. I took almost 20 lbs and enjoyed every one.

Watch for the coupon booklet. They often have sale prices on excellent cuts of meat. When they do, we stock up. The Seal-a-Meal machine and little chest freezer in the garage that I was hassled about buying all those years ago have more than paid for themselves. :)

Dave
 

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For me it is those prime steaks. I usually only pull the trigger for special occasions, but I do linger and pine over them every time. I was lucky enough one time to get a sale on strips that were not prime, but man I beleive the butcher grabbed the wrong cryovac and cut up some. I took almost 20 lbs and enjoyed every one.
While we are not fortunate enough to have a Costco close by, our local Sam's has been consistently the best source in these parts for meats.
I mention this because I wonder if Costco and Sam's are using their meat departments as yet another attraction to lure in shoppers.
Whatever the explanation is, good meat makes for happy customers.
Like Grogg...
 

VacationForever

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Our favorite meats are:
- Prime grade ribeye caps. We cook these in our air fryer and the oil drips away while the outside is nice and crispy. Full of flavor.
- Pork belly. I use it for cooking sisig pork. It is a Filippino recipe which I learned from a restaurant chef here. I cut off most of the fats on the outside of each strip first before boiling in water for an hour with black peppercorn, garlic powder and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Cut into bite size and put them into an air fryer which drains off alot of the oil. Lastly stir fry into a pot with diced onions, lime juice, freshly ground black pepper and a little white wine. Yum.
- Jumbo crab meat. I make these into crab cakes with hardly any fillers. Any fillers is just to gel the crab meat together. 1 pound makes 4 crab cakes. We bought 12 cans/lbs of these about a month ago. Their expiration is a year out and we have a super cold meat drawer (32 degrees) where these go into. I have already cooked 6 tubs of these. I am visiting my son this week and we are headed out to Costco tomorrow to buy crab meat to make crab cakes and he is going to pick up beef to make beef chow fun.

We did not use to be Costco shoppers but now you cannot peel our membership cards off our hands.
 

Sandy VDH

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I have to give Costco credit. I purchased a Dell through them 22 months ago. It was still covered by the extended warranty that Costco has (when just paying for it on your Costco Citibank card), but is not longer covered by Dell's 1 year warranty. Well the screen stopped working 95% of the time. It works as soon as you turn it on, but it gets hot and it stops working.

Costco is completely refunding me my money. They will treat it like I returned it within 90 days. Their concierge center declared it unfixable and thus they are refunding me my money.

Thank goodness for Costco. At least I am getting my $800 back to buy a brand new one. Not getting a Dell. I am 0 for 3 on them. Trying something else. Hopefully I will have better luck with that then with Dell.
 

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Thank goodness for Costco. At least I am getting my $800 back to buy a brand new one. Not getting a Dell. I am 0 for 3 on them. Trying something else. Hopefully I will have better luck with that then with Dell.


Good for them, and for you. They want you to be happy, and in this case, the best thing is to let you buy something else. Hope you find the right machine. Good luck!

Dave
 

VacationForever

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I have to give Costco credit. I purchased a Dell through them 22 months ago. It was still covered by the extended warranty that Costco has (when just paying for it on your Costco Citibank card), but is not longer covered by Dell's 1 year warranty. Well the screen stopped working 95% of the time. It works as soon as you turn it on, but it gets hot and it stops working.

Costco is completely refunding me my money. They will treat it like I returned it within 90 days. Their concierge center declared it unfixable and thus they are refunding me my money.

Thank goodness for Costco. At least I am getting my $800 back to buy a brand new one. Not getting a Dell. I am 0 for 3 on them. Trying something else. Hopefully I will have better luck with that then with Dell.

Talking about Dell. I have not had good luck with Dell and somewhat better success with HP. Similarly, my 1 year Dell warranty was up on my laptop but within 2 years with Costco when I had a hardware problem. The Costco's tech person on the phone to walk me through testing my laptop, which was really quite stupid to someone who has been in IT forever, leading teams including IT operations, and knew what I was talking when I called with the problem. I did try to talk them out of trying to make me do stuff and put me directly to Dell instead. The Costco support person finally did and I got to put through to Dell. Dell person wanted me to do the same checks all over again. Sigh. Finally Dell sent me a box and had me send the laptop back in it. Well, Dell did not solve the problem when it came back. I limped along for another 2 months before going through the same process of calling Costco. This time Costco did not give me grief and put me directly to Dell. Dell similarly just skipped the step of asking me to check and asked me to mail it back to them again. Fortunately I retained the cardboard box and mailed it back to them. This time they fixed it when it returned to me but the problem came back within a month. I unscrewed the laptop, put super glue on the power adapter receptor and it worked again. I have to go through this every 2 months or so. It is a basic Dell design flaw. I won't buy another Dell laptop again.
 
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DaveNV

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Hi, I’m Amycurl, and I’m a Costco addict. It has been three days since my last visit.

Oh, I’m sorry....this isn’t the support group meeting? ;)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Amy. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, but there is no problem with being a Costco addict. :)

Dave
 

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I am proud to say I learned from TUG again! Today we went to Costco to pick up a few things, including a motion sensor trash can which we love. We own one from a year ago and it is still going strong without a battery change yet. We missed the sale last month and it was sold out, but we really want another one so we picked one up. Before long, our bill was running up to around $300. I had 2 vouchers, one from Visa rebate and the other for Costco Executive membership rebate. I bought a box of Vietnamese Pho bowls (pack of 6) - first time trying it, and paid for it with our $239 Costco Executive membership certificate and got $230+ in change. My husband said "You told me that TUG told you that you can get the Visa rebate in cash. Do you want me to put the rest of the shopping on the Visa card?" You see, my husband has no patience in queueing up or for anything that takes time so I just wanted him to use the Visa certificate and then top up with his Visa card. I was surprised he asked and I said "YES!" We got the $120 in cash from membership services. Score!
 
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Jan M.

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Okay Dave here we go. My last trip to Costco with my husband almost had me keeling over from shock when he reminded me that we get 4% back while I was looking at the outfits for our 2 year old granddaughter who will be here next month. One time, just one time, I read him the posts in this thread about how we get those discounts and now he is the one telling me! And on the way out of the store he jokingly said that maybe he should have come on his own as we spend a whole lot more when I come with him. Of course we do because I only go with him about once a month and load us when I go up whereas he goes to Costco twice a week and may only come home with a few things. Yes the man who can't find a decent parking spot to save himself and when he does it is a newsworthy event goes willingly to Costco twice a week!

That trip I wanted to buy an apple pie because some of you said how good they are but they were out of them. He remembered to look at the pies the next time he was there and called to ask me if I still wanted one. It was so good. Because they are so big and there is only the two of us we gave some to our neighbors and he took some to his small group at Church that night. I told him I would ask on TUG if anyone has done it or knows if you can freeze part of a pie?

So yesterday he went to Costco to pick up a prescription. It was $12.84. He also had to stop at Walmart for something so while he was there he took the prescription papers in with him and asked how much it would be there. It was over twice what Costco charged!

We each had check ups and blood work done recently and had a doctor's visit on Thursday to go over the results. His vitamin D was very low which really surprised both of us. If I had his numbers it would have come as no surprise to either one of us. We live in Florida and he has a beautiful tan everywhere his swimsuit doesn't cover from walking in the pool for an hour every day. It isn't often that he misses a day. I am glow in the dark white and shun the sun except in small doses because I burn. Plus he usually takes a multivitamin every day and I have been really bad for a while now about remembering to take mine. If any of you haven't had your vitamin D level checked don't assume it's fine because you get your daily dose of sunshine and take a multivitamin. Getting adequate vitamin D is really important to your health.

You may remember me saying how good the corned beef was that we got at Costco for St. Patrick's Day and that we wanted to get another one while they still had them. He didn't come home with just one corned beef yesterday, he bought two. Why two? They were $5 off. So Alien Jim, aka my husband, looked for two smaller ones in the 4 pound range and got $5 off each. And don't forget that 4%! Not quite 5 months of being a Costco shopper has done what I never would have believed was even possible after being married to him for 41 years.
 

amycurl

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Freezing a pie depends on the pie, but apple should freeze well. The key lime? Maybe not so much...

Also, the only underlying condition they found when I inexplicably broke my hip last year was a vitamin D deficiency. So now I take mega doses...from Costco, of course!

Costco is a magical, wonderful place...my new fave is the local honey!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

pedro47

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To the OP, we just received our Costco cash card from our last cruise on the Celebrity Edge Cruise.

It was only $400 dollars. Loved those Costco Travel Rewards Dollars.:thumbup:
 

bluehende

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We freeze apple pie all the time. Is it as good as fresh.....absolutely not. It is however still good. The crust gets soggy.
 

bbodb1

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Idle thought: Is Dave Guillermo?
 

DaveNV

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Okay Dave here we go.

Jan, admit it, that Kool-Aid doesn't taste too bad, does it? :D

I am really pleased to hear you're growing in your awareness of the good Costco brings to your life. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the choices, and (of course) Costco would love for you to spend every penny you have at their warehouses. But truth be told, sometimes other stores may have better pricing on things. On a day to day basis, however, Costco usually wins - for the things they sell. In my world, Costco is the first stop when I'm on the lookout for some specific thing I know I need. I'll buy from other stores, too, if the same item is cheaper elsewhere. But it's not always just about price. By and large, Costco's version is usually bigger, better, has better features, or in some way is a better value than the same thing sold elsewhere. Many times as part of a Costco pitch, a manufacturer will include an extra item in the package, that doesn't come with it at other stores. This is quite often the case with electronics, where the Costco bundle may have a carrying case, or a memory card, or a better camera lense, or some extra RAM, or something that makes it a better deal. To add that extra item into a purchase elsewhere might end up driving up the cost even more, making the Costco purchase an even better deal. And don't forget that return policy - if you don't like it, change your mind, or outright hate the product, you can return it for a full refund. Other stores just don't do that.

The Costco apple pie is really good, isn't it? And for $9 you can't really go wrong. Yes, it will freeze well. You might try cutting one into individual serving sizes for the two of you, and freezing it into packages that could be used when you want pie for dessert. It's a nice way to stretch it over time, so you're not eating more pie than you want because it is sitting there. (So if a pie cuts into eight slices, make four packages of two slices. Freeze three of the packages, and thaw them whenever you feel like apple pie for dessert.) You can do the same with the Chicken Pot Pie from the Costco deli, too. Same size as the apple pie. Way too much for two people, but baked, cooled, cut, and frozen into portions, it makes a great quick meal later on.

The Costco Pharmacy is one of the better bargains they offer. I receive my regular prescriptions in the mail, but any "on the day" prescriptions I get I have sent to Costco for pickup later. The only caveat to that is sometimes Costco may not have odd medicines in stock, or it may take time for them to get insurance authorization for things. I try and wait a day to make sure things are ready for pickup before waiting to get it right then and there.

I agree about Vitamin D. Mine was also low last year, (no surprise, living in the Pacific Northwest.) My doctor wanted me to take 10,000iu a day for awhile, to bring things up. Hard to do without taking several Vitamin D pills, which is hard for me. I opted for liquid Vitamin D drops from GNC. It comes in 4000iu per drop. So I take three drops one day, and two drops the next, which averages out to 10000 per day. (Sounds odd, but I just sprinkle them on the back of my hand, then lick it off, and it's done. It's tasteless, so goes easy. Weird method, but works.) My Vitamin D numbers have improved greatly.

Not quite 5 months of being a Costco shopper has done what I never would have believed was even possible after being married to him for 41 years.

I'm very proud of Jim. He's proving by example exactly what Costco wants a happy member to look and act like. Not every shopping trip has to be a cart full. Sometimes you just need a few items. I do that all the time, and I'm in Costco several days a week. My latest find is frozen fish sticks, a big bag currently on sale for $7.99. We tend to eat a lot of fish, and like varieties we can do easily. I got a bag to try out, we liked them quite a bit. I went back and got three more bags, currently in the freezer. So we're set for having fish and chips for quite awhile. (Have we talked about the magic of an Air Fryer? Frozen fish sticks and frozen french fries come out perfectly, and they're done in a fraction of the time of trying to do them in the oven. Bonus - you don't heat up the kitchen by using the stove.)

This reminds me, I need to go to Costco today. My car needs gas, and it's the cheapest prices in town. You know you get a rebate on gas, too, right? :)

Dave
 
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DaveNV

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VacationForever

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We freeze apple pie all the time. Is it as good as fresh.....absolutely not. It is however still good. The crust gets soggy.
You can rebake them. I freeze everything... and if it is something that was crispy before it went into the freezer, I re-bake it in the oven to make it crispy before eating it.
 

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We have never liked Costco Apple Pie. Too sweet for our taste. Because of that we have only bought pumpkin pie from Costco. Today they had a Sour Cherry Pie. It was not sweet. Not as sour as the ones I make. But I can not make one for the price Costco charges. I just wish it had more cherries and less filling cherry sauce.
 

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The Issaquah Costco, i.e. the mothership, put the self checkout lanes in last fall, I think. The new Costco in Redmond, the next closest one, does not have them. They do speed things up a lot, especially since we usually only get a few items. However, the Issaquah store is the most crowded one around and I will only go in there weekday, mid-morning. The Redmond store is much less crowded and I will even get gas there on a weekend, something I wouldn't even think about in Issaquah.

Sue

I went into the 'mothership' today on a Saturday morning; something I avoid at all costs. My mother found a pair of jeans there yesterday, loved them and wanted another pair before they were gone. We got there at 10am, a half hour after opening, and the lines were already massive. However, the self checkout lanes were open with no waiting. We grabbed the jeans and checked out in 5 minutes. The jeans were $15.

Sue
 

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I just got back from my own trip to our local Costco. NOT the Mothership. But slammin' busy on a Saturday afternoon. I found a parking place as close to the door as I ever have, just waiting for me to drive right into the space. Guy was wheeling carts up near the door, so I snagged the one in front without missing a step. The person on the Front Door who checks to make sure you have your card knew me, and we said Hi to each other as I walked in - no card flashing required. I wandered around the warehouse for awhile, picking up the few items I knew I needed, and I wandered through the clothing tables to see if there was something I couldn't live without. I found a pair of Kirkland-branded swim shorts at a great price, so I snagged a pair. Held them up and they looked a bit oversized, so I bought the next size smaller. (Tried them on at home and they fit perfectly. I'll be "representing" during my Mexico cruise in May. :)) Wandered through the live plants, but selected none - they're not what I wanted. Meandered past the frozen foods, deli foods, and refrigerated foods, dodging the hordes waiting for free samples of things I didn't want. I cruised along the fresh deli case to see if there was anything in there I could throw in the oven for dinner. Found a Mac and Cheese thing I've had before and liked, so I grabbed it. (It'll go well with the marinated chicken I've got soaking in the fridge.) I went through the pet food aisle, hoping they'd have my dog's favorite treats - they didn't. Made my way along the outer wall to the front end, and walked right up to a Cashier who had no line. Handed over my card, watched as he scanned my six items, and I was out the door. The entire trip took maybe fifteen minutes, and I spent less than $75. Sometimes Costco is really easy. Other times, not so much. :)

Dave
 
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