Then wheel your oversized cart down the hall and try not to immediately buy a pair of 1.64-carat diamond earrings for $4,479.99, or the adjacent 4 bottle of laundry detergent, 43 liters for $31.99 because: a) how weird is it that they sell diamonds? and b) Coles often sells 2 liter bottles of detergent for $10, and it’s cheaper.
Take a brief—somewhat outdated—break in the shade of the shelves of a three-story warehouse that stores everything from hearing aids to coffee machines to tents. Then pull yourself together and head to the back of the store to buy some fresh food.
At least, that’s how it happened for me.
I ended up spending $421.60 on food and household items (not including membership fees).
It’s a big store for me.
When I got home I created an Excel spreadsheet listing everything I had bought and started scouring the Woolworths website to find comparable prices for comparable quantities.
I did two scans. The first compared the Costco items I had purchased to their same or equivalent brand product at Woolworths. I couldn’t find up-to-date prices for Brussels sprouts and minced pork, so I just gave Woolworths the benefit of the doubt and entered the same Costco price.
Just like the food you eat, a little variety in your in-store shopping habits can be a very good thing.
My Woolworths cart came out much more expensive at $541.92, implying a Costco “saving” of $120.32.
But unlike Costco, Woolworths and Coles usually offer a choice of brands in addition to their ‘house brand’ alternatives, which are usually of good quality and at a good price.
So, in my second analysis, I compared my Costco prices to Woolworths house brand substitutes.
Woolworths still came out higher, but cheaper, at $488.24. Since I actually lost $476.60 in total shopping at Costco (including membership), it’s not clear that I was this much better (although future Costco trips would reduce the cost per membership visit).
So yeah, overall Costco came out cheaper. But there are several important caveats to this.
First of all, there is no guarantee that Costco will be cheaper on every item. Costco’s fresh salmon, at $31.99 per kilogram, is more expensive than Woolworth’s $27 per kilogram.
The one kilogram jar of salted pretzels I bought because I was Of course it would be cheaper at $11.39 actually more expensive than if I had bought five 200 gram bags for $2 each at Woolworths.
And I paid over $19.99 for a 1.2kg pack of strawberries at Costco, when I could have paid $18.72 for the same amount at Woolworths. Above all, I could also have bought a smaller tray.
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There were, however, substantial savings at Costco. I only paid $7 a kilo for pork sausage specials, compared to $10 at Woolworths. A 620 gram jar of “all purpose” seasoning only cost me $11.99, compared to $18.91 for the same amount at Woolworths. Popcorn, toilet paper, chicken thighs, blueberries, peppers and carrots were all significantly cheaper.
The only problem is that you have to buy them all in bulk, which can be difficult for a single person or for small households, like mine.
Bottom line, I’d say Costco is great for sourcing long-life items in bulk and there’s definitely some savings on fruits and veggies for large families who can buy in bulk and make sure not to waste them first. turns off.
But you also need to consider your time, your proximity to a Costco, and your personal preferences for organic or low-plastic packaged foods.
Everyone should keep an eye out for half price promotions at Coles and Woolworths and stock up on commonly used items.
And also check out Aldi, as their counterfeit brands are often the cheapest of them all. Their “Teddy Tots” version of Tiny Teddies, for example, would have cost me $10.46 for 42 mini-packs, compared to $11.48 at Costco and $14 at Woolworth.
Just like the food you eat, a little variety in your in-store shopping habits can be a very good thing.
But if you’ll excuse me, I have a kilo of strawberries left to eat…
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