Not being a driver, Costco is a bit difficult for me. I do wonder if it could still be worth it paying the fee and getting a cab back, but recently Superstore has started to promote "club packs" comparing the price to what's in Costco, suggesting you can pay the same prices without the membership fee.
Obviously it's not going to be the full range, but what I did notice was the prices of these things weren't actually less than I pay anyway.
I've got so used to shopping by flyer that I find I rarely pay the "normal" price for much anyway.
Maybe one week in four there is something we'd like that we don't actually have, but the knowledge that last week it was at least a third off this week's price and it will be again next week usually means we'll wait or we'll make do with an alternative that is on offer this week.
For example, our favourite Ice Cream is Chapmans. It's usually around the $6 which is silly but almost every other week it's available for $3 somewhere.
However, almost every week one of the other brands is the same $3 somewhere. Rarely is no Ice Cream on offer. When that happens, the Sobeys/Compliments brand is only a bit more or we could buy the No Name brand at Superstore in the 4 litre size and it works out even less...just not that good a selection.
But then we're just as likely to be buying water melon from whichever store has them at $3 off and having that instead.
I buy much of the stuff that's on offer by bike. It's surprising how much I can carry. I do need to make a couple of trips a week...sometimes 3...but I do have the advantage of free time.
Prices have certainly risen over the last year but I still find I spend around $70 for every $100 of normal prices with the aid of the flyers.
Like I say, I do have plenty of free time, but I find that while I might take in two stores instead of one, the time isn't hugely different. Just 30 minutes in each of two stores instead of 45 in one. And the stores are so close together that it's only a few minutes detour as well.
