Outdoors & travel · warehouse club membership
Costco membership
Hacker Approved
People recommend it for low prices on bulk groceries and big-ticket items, and the Executive tier's 2% rebate often pays the fee back. The most common caveat is crowding at the warehouses.
Summarized from 65 comments.
People recommend it for low prices on bulk groceries and big-ticket items, and the Executive tier's 2% rebate often pays the fee back. The most common caveat is crowding at the warehouses.
- recommend
- 44
- criticize
- 18
- months recommended
- 7 of 13
- median owned, 4 owners said
- 10 years
Why people love it
Executive 2% rebate covers the fee · 7
you can get the executive membership which gives you 2% cash back on everything at the end of the year which for me makes the membership completely free
May 2026 · commentMost people can do even better with the executive membership if you spend ~$550 a month you'll get the $130 fee back in your rebate.
May 2026 · commentthe 2% rebate on the executive membership always covers my membership renewal price plus $50-$100 off a shop
Apr 2026 · commentCheaper groceries and everyday staples · 5
I literally make up the cost of my yearly membership in 2 months of shopping there compared to any other grocery store.
Apr 2026 · commentPersonally I save over $5/month just buying butter there vs buying from my local supermarket.
May 2026 · commentwe saved more money shopping at Costco than the membership cost by a long shot
May 2026 · commentTrusted business model and leadership · 5
It's a great model. We get the benefit of low prices, they get sustaining revenue that allows us to get those low prices.
May 2026 · commentCostco's genius is in building and maintaining trust with their members.
Mar 2026 · commentadmires their business model and how they treat customers & employees
Dec 2025 · comment
What people warn about
Crowded stores and aisles · 4
Too crowded. Too many people who have no common decency of not blocking the lane.
May 2026 · commentThey've oversold the memberships (which were being abused anyway) and now the stores are always crowded
May 2026 · commentit's so incredibly crowded at all times that the savings are only worth it for more expensive items
May 2026 · commentUpfront fee deters some shoppers · 2
Membership is an up-front cost. That excludes those who can't part with the cash for no immediate benefit.
May 2026 · commentBecause simply asking to see what it sells requires me to subscribe upfront.
May 2026 · commentEncourages overconsumption and oversized quantities · 3
I think one danger with Costco is that it encourages overconsumption.
May 2026 · commentThe quantities for certain things are just a bit much.
May 2026 · commentthey just made a killing off of me filling my cart with arbitrary bullshit stuff
Jul 2026 · comment
Every quote
The 40 most detailed of 65 comments. Each links to the original.
you can get the executive membership which gives you 2% cash back on everything at the end of the year which for me makes the membership completely free
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
Most people can do even better with the executive membership if you spend ~$550 a month you'll get the $130 fee back in your rebate.
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
It's a great model. We get the benefit of low prices, they get sustaining revenue that allows us to get those low prices.
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
I literally make up the cost of my yearly membership in 2 months of shopping there compared to any other grocery store.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “How Costco Won in Japan”
the 2% rebate on the executive membership always covers my membership renewal price plus $50-$100 off a shop
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “How Costco Won in Japan”
Membership is an up-front cost. That excludes those who can't part with the cash for no immediate benefit.
Mixed · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
Personally I save over $5/month just buying butter there vs buying from my local supermarket.
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
the fact that having the membership lets me pocket something in the neighborhood of $120/yr
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
Too crowded. Too many people who have no common decency of not blocking the lane.
Mixed · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
we saved more money shopping at Costco than the membership cost by a long shot
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
it's a good source of western food at a cheaper price than most import shops
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
My membership pays for itself just for the savings on string cheese alone.
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Costco Is the Anti-Amazon”
Costco's genius is in building and maintaining trust with their members.
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “The Cult of Costco”
in return I get back the equivalent of a month's worth of free groceries
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
admires their business model and how they treat customers & employees
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices”
I think one danger with Costco is that it encourages overconsumption.
Mixed · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
we get like 5x our membership dues back in rewards every year
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
I'd actually trust the leadership more than most companies.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Costco sued for seeking refunds on tariffs customers paid”
The quantities for certain things are just a bit much.
Mixed · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
chances are that will already pay for the membership
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
Costco is a case study in how to run a business
Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “CBP says it can't comply with refund order”
They've oversold the memberships (which were being abused anyway) and now the stores are always crowded
Criticizes · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
it's so incredibly crowded at all times that the savings are only worth it for more expensive items
Criticizes · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
People racing around, lining up and jockeying for spots, enormous carts careening around
Criticizes · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
they just made a killing off of me filling my cart with arbitrary bullshit stuff
Criticizes · Jul 2026 · in “Costco Is the Anti-Amazon”
Because simply asking to see what it sells requires me to subscribe upfront.
Criticizes · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
the real savings of a Costco membership is that they regularly have high-end electronics, appliances, and home furnishings at $50-100 or more off retail
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
Costco has established transparency for the consumer so pocketing the money is an egregious offense for most customers.
Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “Costco sued for seeking refunds on tariffs customers paid”
A major upside to Costco is you can actually see stuff and you also can walk out of the store same-day.
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Costco Is the Anti-Amazon”
What I save on glasses pays for my membership. I don't go all that often but it's still worthwhile.
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices”
fixed fee membership also means a very stable revenue stream and they can take the time to do this
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Read This Before You Buy That TV Streaming Stick”
Costco was the basis of the best choices of their poverty finance even when living out of a car.
Mixed · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
With Instacart & Costco memberships and also ordering from the local discount grocers
Mixed · Dec 2025 · in “Kroger acknowledges that its bet on robotics went too far”
Sales clubs like Costco and BJs are absolutely affordable even to the working poor.
Recommends · May 2026 · in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
You can use your membership to get same day delivery shopping on costco's website
Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “Costco Is the Anti-Amazon”
highly recommend for the products they carry. I pay for the executive membership
Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “The Amazon Tax”
I really can't use it for most of my shopping because it's just me and my wife
Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “How Costco Won in Japan”
The gas price savings easily pays for the annnual standard costco membership.
Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Tracking Costco gas prices”
which also gives me Instacart for cheap, so I put those savings into the tip
Recommends · Dec 2025 · in “Kroger acknowledges that its bet on robotics went too far”
The one thing I had going for me in college was a Costco membership.
Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “The Hunt for Dark Breakfast – Can we derive breakfasts we have never observed?”
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