How to avoid a big bill at Costco

Everyone who shops at Costco knows one of the biggest challenges is walking out with just what you went there for. This article contains some great advice on how to keep your Costco shopping visits under control.

Here are some of my tips:

• Only go to Costco if you have a shopping list.
• Go straight to those items and get them first before you buy anything else.
• Don't buy stuff just because it "seems interesting."
• Watch the quantities unless it has an unlimited shelf life.
• On food items always check the expiration date and then ask yourself if you will use all that by the date. If not, don't buy it.
• Fresh produce can be the worst. That crate of peaches may look wonderful, but if you can't eat them all in a week, don't buy them.
• Remember, Costco has a super liberal return policy. If you change your mind, just take it back.
• Costco has some great deals on clothing. But, just because the price is amazing, you may not need it. This is one of the reasons why I have way too many casual jackets.
• Costco's coupons can be attractive, but Costco now shows volume pricing and often the coupon item isn't the cheapest product. The Kirkland version will usually beat the coupon item.

Happy shopping.

Time to crank this puppy up again

It's been well over a year since my last post to this space. And, after several frustrating attempts to recover my password (I really have to hand it to Google as they do focus on making it hard for people to break into your stuff), I finally had a brain fart and figured it out with some help from Google.

So, I hope to be posting regularly to this site with my discoveries, updates and reviews of all that's going on at my local Costco stores. Warning: This may not be representative of what's happening in your region or store as there definitely are differences.

Since I last posted, one thing I've noticed is the steady increase in the number of products bearing Costco's own Kirkland house brand. To me, this is a good thing. I've consistently found the Kirkland brand to be not only of high quality, but incredible value. I'm currently doing a test of men's blue jeans between Kirkland, GAP, Land's End and Eddie Bauer. Not completely finished, but so far the Kirkland blue jeans ($12) are running ahead on value and comfort.

I'm hoping to post two to three times per week as a service to fellow Costco Shoppers.

New Costco discoveries

After being missing from the shelves for a month or more, Costco finally has Purell hand sanitizer back in stock. This is the waterless hand wash that is so wonderful when you can’t get to a bathroom or the one you can get to is so disgusting you refuse to use it. For $10.99 you get three pump containers and three small personal sizes to fit in a purse or briefcase.

My guess is that there was a huge run on Purell during the Swine Flu panic. Now, Purell seem to have caught up with demand. This stuff works great and is a must for traveling.

With Fathers Day, anniversaries and graduations cramming the calendar this month, don’t forget about Costco’s restaurant gift cards. They’ve got a bunch, but I picked up two $50 certificates for McCormick & Schmick’s for $80.

Costco also has a nice selection of designer ties and ballistic pinpoint button-down dress shirts for $16.99. This is another Kirkland brand item that simply can’t be beat for quality and value at a great price. Everybody should have a blue one and a white one. They are classic in any wardrobe.

Also, look for Kirkland Napa Chardonnay. I’ve tried this before and it was what I call interesting and worth every penny at $8.99. I’ll report back after trying again.

Finally, the shelves were nearly bare of notebook computers, very unusual for Costco. So, I asked the salesman why and he said they will be fully stocked on June 26 when new computers arrive with Windows 7 upgrade coupons. They will come with Windows Vista installed, but you’ll get a free copy of Windows 7, Microsoft’s new operating system, when it’s available in October. This may finally be the “buy” sign new computer purchasers have been waiting for. I’ve been using Win7 for about a month now and can vouch for what a solid product it is. If you’ve been holding back on a new computer, now is the time to buy.

Generics versus brand name

I'm a big fan of the Kirkland label at Costco. I've bought enough Kirkland stuff to be able to validate that it is not only good, but often better than the brand name equivalent and usually at a much, much cheaper price. You just don't pay for the brand and the logo cache.

And the good news is that Kirkland seems to be expanding its reach into new product categories. I recently picked up some shampoo that I think is great. Might not be good enough for my wife, but I think she uses it, too. I posted the other day about a positive review of Kirkland vodka which we can't buy in the Northwest because of the weird liquor laws here. I've also written about the pique polo shirts that are fantastic, though a friend told me recently that he went to buy one and they were all out. There you go!

I have tried Kirkland Napa Chardonnay and thought it was interesting. They are also selling a Shiraz. Depending on the product, you can probably count on paying as little has half or even less of what the brand name will cost.

Kirkland vodka

We can't get liquor at our Costco stores in Oregon because of the state's arcane liquor laws. Only beer and wine in this state. My dream is that this will be fixed in my lifetime. At any rate, other states don't have these stupid restrictions on the distribution of liquor. Costco has begun to roll out wine and liquor under its Kirkland label. If the vodka, which you can get in California and other states, is as good as this review then Costco has another winner on its hands.

The Costco crime report

Visualize this: The Costco in Burnaby, BC, was robbed by two men with a hammer and pepper spray. One escaped and the other was caught while trying to leave the store when he ran into shopping carts.

A Long Island woman was arrested after she left her 2-year-old twins in the car while shopping at Costco.

Costco wine kicks . . .

I rarely make a visit to Costco without cruising the wine section. Nowadays, that includes the binx and the boxes. I found a wonder French red there recently (Mouton Noir) for only $6.99. That's almost impossible to beat. Still, the bins are where you'll find the best stuff and all at reasonable prices. There is no case discount, but with Costco's everyday low prices, who needs case discounts?

All Costcos aren't going to carry the same wine inventory. And the other rule of thumb, of course, is that there's no guarantee you'll be able to find the same wine on your next visit. I like to pick up a sampling of wines and then taste them over a few days. If I really like one, then I'll go back and see if I can get more. I especially like how Costco supports regional wines, or at least they do in their stores in the Northwest. This is not only good for the local wine producers, but great for consumers as well.

I came across this review of some Costco wines that you might want to keep an eye out for.