{"id":395,"date":"2025-03-16T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/?p=395"},"modified":"2025-04-16T01:23:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T01:23:51","slug":"i-went-to-costco-for-the-first-time-it-isnt-for-the-weak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/16\/i-went-to-costco-for-the-first-time-it-isnt-for-the-weak\/","title":{"rendered":"I went to Costco for the first time \u2014 it isn\u2019t for the weak"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Courtney\t<\/div>
Safe to say my first Costco trip was a real experience… (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Call me boring if you want, but I love a good supermarket<\/a> shop. <\/p>\n

Take me to big Tesco<\/a> or Sainsbury\u2019s<\/a> and I\u2019ll be in my element looking at homeware<\/a> and cute pyjamas<\/a> that I don’t really need, before stocking up on my favourite snacks. Simple pleasures and all that. <\/p>\n

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise then, that going to Costco<\/a> for the first time ever would be a big deal for me.<\/p>\n

Standing outside the warehouse in Hayes, I was giddy with excitement. It wasn\u2019t quite on par with the way a child feels at Disneyland<\/a> for the first time, but it was up there. <\/p>\n

The wholesale chain has pretty strict membership criteria and I\u2019d never previously met the requirements to get in. But thanks to my husband switching jobs, that had all changed.<\/p>\n

Finally armed with my very own Costco card I headed inside the store\u2026 and was met with utter chaos.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Courtney\t<\/div>
I never knew what I was going to find… (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019ve never been to Costco before, it\u2019s my duty to warn you never to go on a weekend – it\u2019s akin to being in London when the Christmas lights are switched on, or at a UK beach in the height of summer. There were people absolutely everywhere and endless queues, both to get into the store and for the checkouts. It isn’t for the weak.<\/p>\n

The layout of the shop itself was also rather chaotic, although this is definitely part of the experience. I never knew what I was going to find from one moment to the next – there were sports bras on a shelf next to blenders, and children\u2019s toys near power tools. <\/p>\n

While I was busy adapting all of this, my husband, who usually hates any form of grocery shopping<\/a>, was having a blast. According to him it\u2019s because the warehouse set up feels remarkably like being in a B&Q, thanks to the really tall shelving, as well as the drills and furniture for sale.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
The warehouse layout reminded my husband of B&Q or Homebase (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We quickly realised we\u2019d never be able to do a proper grocery shop here. Everything is sold in bulk, which is ideal if you\u2019re running a business or feeding a large family, but rather unnecessary for just the two of us, as there\u2019d be too much waste. <\/p>\n

That said, there were some store cupboard essentials, that would not only last for ages, but proved to be better value when bought this way.<\/p>\n

For instance, a 600g tub of Marmite<\/a> cost us \u00a35.99 at Costco, while a 250g jar is \u00a33 at Sainsbury\u2019s (our nearest shop). Similarly, Twinings English Breakfast Tea Bags are \u00a34.80 for 80 bags at Sainsbury\u2019s, but \u00a37.99 for 300 bags in Costco.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
Store cupboard essentials can be cheaper to buy like this from Costco (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And it\u2019s not just kitchen staples, there were more bargains to be found in the toiletries section, with a 96 pack of Tampax Pearl Compak costing \u00a311.99. In comparison, a 16 pack is \u00a33.25 at Sainsbury\u2019s. You do the math.<\/p>\n

For the Micellar Water girlies, this is also notably cheaper to buy at Costco, with a two-pack of 700ml Garnier bottles costing \u00a38.49 – at Boots, one 700ml bottle is \u00a39.99. <\/p>\n

Not everything was necessarily good value for money though, especially products in the bakery section. A 12 pack of croissants was priced at \u00a35.49, whereas 12 croissants in Sainsbury\u2019s work out at \u00a33.20. <\/p>\n

I also audibly gasped when I saw that a six-pack of chocolate muffins was going for \u00a37.99, but thankfully a kind stranger pointed out the fine print on the label, which said you could get two packs for \u00a37.99. There were a few sneaky offers like this, so definitely worth keeping your eyes peeled to get the most bang for your buck.<\/p>\n

Outside of nabbing a bargain, you can get pretty much everything and anything from Costco, including an eye test for \u00a319.99 at the in-store opticians. Over the course of our two hour exploration of the store we also found a \u00a373,000 diamond ring (who is buying this from Costco?!), smutty fantasy books<\/a>, and salvage palettes which contained everything from clothing, to nappies and washing machines.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Diamond\t<\/div>
Who is spending \u00a373,000 on a ring at Costco?! (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were two things that really surprised me during our visit though – one positive, the other not so much. We\u2019ll start with the negative.<\/p>\n

I was gobsmacked by how much money we spent, despite shopping pretty carefully. Our haul was mostly practical purchases like cereal, spaghetti, cheese, vegetables, condiments, and butter. <\/p>\n

We\u2019d tried to limit the number of \u2018rogue\u2019 items we added in for the hell of it, although we did also take home a tub of pretzels bigger than my head, a pack of 36 Babybels and a tray of 24 of the viral cookies (sadly not worth the hype, too artificial tasting).<\/p>\n

Our total spend came to over \u00a3100, which is more than our weekly shop, and we had much less food to show for it. I was flabbergasted, and had immediate buyer\u2019s remorse. I pushed the trolley from the till to the food court<\/a> by the exit in a bit of a daze. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
We ended up spending over \u00a3100, and while most of it was practical, we couldn’t resist a few impulse purchases (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After all that shopping, we\u2019d definitely worked up an appetite so we ordered a slice of pepperoni pizza, a hot dog and soda. <\/p>\n

Little did we know that this pit stop at the back of the store would be the highlight of the whole visit.<\/p>\n

I was sceptical about the kind of food we\u2019d receive from what was essentially a hatch at the back of a warehouse, especially given that it was so cheap – \u00a31.50 for a hot dog and drink and \u00a31.99 for a slice of pizza – but the food really blew me away.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"The\t<\/div>
The food court was an unexpected surprise (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The pepperoni pizza was better than the likes of Domino\u2019s, Pizza Hut or Papa John\u2019s. That\u2019s fighting talk, I know, but I\u2019m not the only one who thinks it. Reddit users agree<\/a>, even going as far as to proclaim it the \u2018best takeaway pizza in the whole of the UK\u2019.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed it so much, I was already chomping away before I remembered to snap a quick pic for this article, hence the giant bite mark. <\/p>\n

My husband felt similarly about the beef hot dog, which can be ordered with or without onions, and along with a soda of your choosing for less than \u00a32. He could have added in an ice cream as well and the price would still have put supermarket meal deals to shame. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty more on the menu, including a chicken sandwich, jacket potato, chicken and bacon bake, gelato, plus those famous cookies, which can be bought individually – something I wish I\u2019d known before buying 24 of them. <\/p>\n

Everything was under \u00a35, except for whole pizzas which cost \u00a39.99, but in today\u2019s climate, that\u2019s still felt like a steal.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
A slice of pizza cost \u00a31.99 (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Have you ever shopped at Costco? Share your experiences in the comments below.<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The only downside was that there were only a handful of seats in the food court, and like the rest of the store it was heaving with people. Being too hungry to wait for a table, we tucked in there and then slumped over the handlebar of our trolley. <\/p>\n<p>The pizza was messy and theawkward standing position made for one of the most undignified eating experiences of my life, but I enjoyed the meal none the less. <\/p>\n<p>Will I be going back to Costco again any time soon?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d go back for another slice of the pizza in a heartbeat, but I’m no longer feeling the same levels of excitement about shopping there. But that\u2019s ok, because it\u2019s not really meant for me.<\/p>\n<p>If I’m ever planning a big dinner party it could be worth another visit, but otherwise I think I\u2019ll be sticking with Sainsbury\u2019s and Tesco for now. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk\">MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Safe to say my first Costco trip was a real […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cost-of-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395\/revisions\/406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}