Shopping at Costco

Costco opened down the road last month (actually in May as we are now in July), we dropped in on our way down south the day after it opened. After waiting in line for about 30 minutes to join up as a member (costs $60 a year to shop there) we decided to leave and sign up on-line.

Warren signed up on-line a couple of weeks later and one Saturday we called in on our way home to collect our cards. If we both want a card, we both have to go the first time to show that we have the same address and get our photos taken. That time we got to the lights and cars were banked up from there, still about a kilometre or more to the car park so we continued home again, thank goodness we hadnt made a special trip.

I intended to shop on Monday but as I hadn't shopped for a month and there were a few things that we needed, we went Saturday afternoon. It was slow going to get into the car parks and then we were trolling to get a park, luckily we saw someone pulling out not too far away so only had a hundred metres to walk to the entrance.

We saw the line up for new members and felt a bit smug as we had done ours on line, however we had to line up as well to get the phones done, thankfully our line was only half as long, but they were taking alternate from new members and people collecting their cards. It was interesting to watch and see what people were buying and it helps to pass the time as well.

Finally we were at the front of the line and had our phones taken, very attractive of course, in B&W on another plastic and then we could enter the hallowed doors!

It was all white good at first and we took some time to find the food, eggs were the first thing I bought, 30 for $6.59 and usually I pay around $4 for a dozen, I wanted some chicken and mince, got chicken drumsticks, they were packaged  three and then in packs of three so nine in all for $6.99, again pretty good price. Mince was premium at $6.99 and smallest amount to buy was 3 kilos, I cooked some for dinner Saturday night, made tacos and there was very little fat so a bonus.

On my list I did have toilet paper, the cheapest package was about $38 but it held 70 rolls, probably a years supply, as I had several rolls, I crossed them off my list. Toothpaste and soap were in packs of three large and eighteen bars so we are set for them for awhile.

We got out of there with a full trolley and $290 less in the bank account and both freezers are full. There were still a few things on my list that I didn't get, don't know if they didn't have them or we just didn't see them, there were thousands of people there and it was definitely only one way traffic inside the store.

Long life milk and yoghurt pouches are things that we use all the time nd I had to go and pick them up yesterday. On the way home at our little corner store, we got fresh milk but after a day it tasted "on the turn" so using it for cooking. Many many years ago Warren and I both both go sick on off milk and now we are very sensitive to milk and so we tend to use the UHT milk or cardboard milk as Warren calls it, never been sick off that, plus it doesnt need to be refrigerated until opened..