Costco

A slice of Americana in the depths of Croydon, however I don’t feel that it works as well here as it does on the other side of the pond. The set up is eerily similar i.e. a big warehouse with products stacked floor to ceiling. However going around and totting up the totals in my head compared with other retailers, the products weren’t actually that cheap. Add to that the nightmare wait at the tills (why were only half of them open on a Sunday), Costco in Croydon is not an experience that I would like to repeat.

We hit this Costco en route back to Belgium at around noon and wow — it was packed! Waited in line a massive amount of time while 4 counters remained unopened despite plenty of staff who were on the floor.
Also didn’t like the layout of this store — the snacks like chips, nuts etc were in rows near the checkout, similar to a grocery store. So I found myself weaving in and out of the check-​out lines looking unsuccessfully for the sampler pack of Tyrell’s chips. Couldn’t find swiffer packs either, so assuming Costco UK is no longer getting products from those companies.
On the plus side found some awesome bargains including smoked trout and a paella in the freezer section. Also staff were super friendly and both Costco employees I spoke to absolutely knew where products were and guided me to the correct aisles.

COSTCO.
GAH. I’ve spent many a weekend back home perusing their aisle for bulk food that I would probably never finish eating but I mean, who doesn’t want a 3 lb bag of chocolate chips?
Costco is the Alice and Wonderland of grocery stores. You fall down the rabbit hole and well… you never really actually want to leave because where else are you going to be able to buy 12 bagels the size of dinner plates for £2.99? Not into bagels? Well how about a food processor called something ridiculous like «The Terminatrix» that can blend a handful of steel nuts and bolts into a smoothie for £24.99? Honestly, Costco sells all these things (though, disappointingly, not «The Terminatrix») and more for ridiculously absurd (ly low) prices. Even though it’s just me and my boyfriend… and there’s no physical way of two of us consuming 5 kg of pork ribs without suffering some serious physical or mental damage, I find Costco a great fit for certain things. I can’t imagine how worthwhile it must be for a family. It does require you to pay an annual fee which is something like £30 for a whole year so… it’s not really unreasonable.
But why even bother talking about Costco if I’m not going to mention their food court. A beef hotdog and a drink for £1.50, a cooked pizza the size of a cricket pitch for £7.99… the food court is where the party is.
Just a forewarning: Costco only accepts American Express or Debit Cards. Let’s be fair though, that little hitch isn’t stopping me from coming here regularly, though my bank account might.

a huge american warehouse and you buy in bulk. You need to be a member (annual fee) but you get great deals and discounts so its worth it.
I love their food shopping here from catering pack size cottage pie to platters of muffins and cookies. You can buy a 4k diamond ring to a big bottle of bleach, It really does cater for everyone. they regularly have sampling down the aisles so its a good chance to try before you buy.
They also have a café section where you can get a ¼ beef hotdog with a refillable drinks cup. fresh hot pizzas and jacket potatoes.
Well worth a visit but be warned once your bitten by the bug you will return!!!

Love it love it! You need a membership to join but the prices available are fantastic. Reminds me of many home products as they have man North American brands.
Every available in good quality bulk buy from food to clothes to jewelry to leisure. Recommend the shrimps and BBQ ribs! Oh, do not forget after you check out the amazing value massive hotdog (beef) with bottomless drink after a busy shopping session.

Since the Unilocaling public has voted and made it quite clear that I am decidedly much funnier than I am cool, I’ll cut my cool losses and shoot myself in the ‘ever-​being-​cooler-​than-​funny’ foot with another review of the mega-​chain (and the mega-​awesome) Costco.
Becuase even though you’re judging me, you’re also jealous that I was there and didn’t pick *you* up 30 toilet rolls for a tenner or 3 boxes of Crunchy Nut for £7. Or that amazing Kirkland brand trail mix with the fake M&Ms. Or eleventy billion vitamins.
But what I would like to add to this seeming useless, uncool review is that they’ve translated the £1.50 hot dog + soda deal into «English» with the ability to opt for the .50p tea + bakewell tart offer. Keepin’ it classy, Costo! Raaaaather!
I opted for the beef, as per usual.

Flippin’ huge warehouse of cash & carry stuff that carries an impressively wide range of goods, with varying discounts on the prices you would see on the high street (or even online). You need to sign up (and pay) to be a member to shop here — you qualify for membership if you run or manage a business, or if you work in a certain profession, e.g. bean-​counting.
Check out the Costco website to see the full list of types of stuff they sell, but suffice to say you could drive up here and leave your car to get its tyres changed, then go inside to get your photos developed while you take your massive trolley round the store, filling it with a MacBook Pro, an electronic piano, a vacuum cleaner, a platter of sushi, and a rump of lamb. If the car’s not quite done, sit down and get yourself a pizza or pie at the in-​store café.
While the variety of stuff available is impressive, the range on offer can be limited, so don’t expect to find absolutely everything here. For example, there were only a couple of Wii games on offer during my visit — Mario Kart and Guitar Hero World Tour.
Probably the best discounts on offer are in the fresh meat department. The beef and lamb are British, although Costco could probably do more to provide more information on the provenance of the meat, since the initial assumption is that cheap meat can only have come from badly treated livestock.