Costco

People like to go on and on about the insanely cheap prices here, but that simply isn’t true. Yes, the specials are worthwhile and you’ll save quite a lot on those select items, but everything here is so huge that you’ll end up spending an arm and a leg anyway. I know what you’re thinking, «You’re buying in bulk! If you work it out, you end up saving 15% per item!». Maybe, but most items can be found cheaper elsewhere, especially the food, and they come in much more manageable sizes.
Really, the only advantages to buying at Costco are: the customer service which is fantastic, buying ridiculously large packages of everyday items (kind of a novelty), and the occasional great deal. The disadvantages from what I can tell are: the security here seems a bit over the top, it’s like getting into the United Nations or something; because everything is so huge, you’ll end up spending way too much; $ 60/​year membership seems a bit much.
Not too bad as long as you know exactly what you want and stick to a fixed budget.

After reading everyone’s reviews I realise that not many people actually know the real reason behind the membership scheme.
Costco has TWO GUARANTEES.
1. On Merchandise:
We guarantee your satisfaction on EVERY product we sell with a FULL refund.
2. On Membership:
We will refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissatisfied.
What this means and I know from experience, is that if you are unhappy with say a set of $ 250 pots and pans after using them for 3 years they will refund you, not store credit, the entire amount no questions asked. (I’ve done this numerous times)
People in the US use this to upgrade TVs every few years, or mobile phones or upgrade anything they like which isn’t a consumable which you can also do here in Australia.
When it comes to consumables well you just have to realise that yes it is bulk! That’s how they can knock %5−20 retail.
If you are overwhelmed by the size of the place Costco is designed like IKEA. Both storage and retail coexist in the same warehouse to save on transport and storage costs but they just don’t care about looking pretty.
Hope that helps!

What’s not to love about cheap booze and 7 foot bears. Absoloutly nothing. Add that to massive quantities and great prices Costco is well worth the membership. Parking is free if you are in and out fast enough but beware of the giant bottleneck getting trolleys down their after your shop. luckily the lift holds about 8 giant trolleys plus people at the same time.

Omg Costco! A place where u can buy in bulk to feed the whole tribe plus random sofa, mattress, jumping castles so your whole tribe can live with you.
Costco often have random stuff so one day you might find a KITCHENAID on sale, the next week it will be gone. I guess it lures you to visit more often cos u always ended up buying more stuff than u need. Like, always.
Membership cost about $ 65 annually but seriously I think we saved that much on our first visit there. For us, the cheapest stuff to buy there are toilet paper, kitchen paper and facial tissues (yes, we obviously use a lot of those!). Carmen’s museli are really cheap there as well as nappies, if you are into those.
Of course those giant tubs of yoghurt/​icecream/​Nutella/​peanut butter/​vegimite a are fantastic too but seriously we don’t have the space for it, so I could only looked at it longingly whilst pushing my giant trolley towards the toilet paper section… Lol

Magical giant land where bulk buying is the thing to do. Plus it is so cheap! There are also lots of tastings. Plus you can get a giant slice of pizza/​froyo/​hot dog. The best supermarket experience ever.

They say a change is as good as a holiday and I think switching to shopping at Costco is probably the closest thing to that phrase ever ringing true. It becomes this fascinating BBQ conversation where everyone is either dying to know what really lies behind the guarded walls, or eager to tell the tales of their own bulk buy experiences and theories on the product quality. «Did you hear that the home-​brand Vodka is the same as Grey Goose?!» they shriek. «Check out this giant bottle of hot sauce!» we reply.
It’s bizarre, but also entertaining.
As a two-​person ‘DINK’ household, there is absolutely zero reason for us to own a Costco membership. We actually have it to bulk buy for work purposes and they give you a free household membership to go with it. As someone who is likely to host a party for 100+ people, it can come in handy… but you really need to be doing massive shops regularly for the outlay of buying in bulk to be worth your while.
The quality of the products is good. We got stuff like nearly half a kilo of jamon serrano for next to nothing and we won’t be buying toilet paper again any time soon. The layout of the store is overwhelming and you’ll probably spend any savings you may have in impulse purchases of novelty sized items. I also spied a lot of items that were actually more expensive than the local supermarket like meat so you would need to do your homework to know what you’re saving on.
The shopping experience itself wasn’t pleasant at all, like any grocery or warehouse style shopping. Watching the flood of enormous overflowing trolleys and hoards of families stampede back to their vehicles from the Costco elevator was almost cartoonish and I would never, ever, ever come here on a weekend.
Ok for the right occasion, but not a place I would visit by choice otherwise!

I heart Costco. It’s exactly like the Costcos you’d find in the US… everything from the massive rolls of kitchen towels to the free samples of jelly beans and instant noodles. Plus, they have a larger selection of American products than Woolies or Coles.
I have a love-​hate relationship with the the quantities on offer. I really don’t need 1 kg of hummus, but then I’m super happy to only have to buy laundry detergent once very few months.
The produce and meats are really good. The steak fillets are top notch… butcher quality for the price you’d find at the supermarkets.
The prices are also fantastic especially for wines and bubbles…$ 52 for Veuve vs $ 90 at BWS. This is where I buy my booze. You can easily «pay» back Costco’s annual membership price just by buying a case of wine.
It’s 5 stars in my book… where else can you buy a $ 5000 cartier watch and a 24 pack of pop-​tarts?!? Just be sure to avoid the weekends when it’s an absolute zoo!

I love Costco, it can be very very costly though if you don’t plan ahead.
Costco has an amazing selection of things to buy from groceries to clothing, books, kitchen goods, whitegoods, TVs, and the list goes on. The stock rotates with some items in regular supply and others only a once off chance.
If you know your prices and check before you head out then there is money to ba saved by buying in bulk at costco. I particularly like the food areas, bulk vegetables and meats mean I can stock up in the fridge and freezer and don’t have to shop as often or I can cook up large amounts of food to freeze for later. In bulk is a lot of food though so you have to be prepared otherwise you will end up throwing it out.
The options for other items are great, I’ve found cheaper than regular store brand name shoes, some great workout clothing. Books which I couldn’t find in any other stores, drink bottles and kitchen appliances.
If you don’t know your prices and just buy on a whim then Costco can be super expensive, FUN, but costly.

By all the things. Big things, little things in big things. But first you must buy membership to buy all the things. Oh you sneaky little bulk warehouse. What a great way to take my money just so I can give you even more later down the track.
Yes this place is interesting to go. It’s almost worth the $$$ for the people watching alone. But the customer service mustn’t be in stock right now. You need to show your card for everything. From access to the car park, to the store and the check out.
No longer will you see the smiling faces of the select few chosen to represent Costco. Especially if you have misplaced your card and don’t have a zillion points of Costco card ID (like the Costco card) to prove that you are a member. They don’t appreciate if you offer your first born children.
Costco is worth the visit if you throwing a big house party or corporate event. For a small household of two we either need to combine with other couples or find friends to eat all the food and use the mass packs of toilet paper.

Alert, Alert!
Costco has some tasty goodies in the middle of the store for the celebration for the year of the horse — Chinese New Year!
Tasty morsels for all!
On another note, great wine prices and by the case! Anyone for a good Cabernet?

It’s huge! Ordered aisles, great bargains and friendly service. We went not on opening day but quite early and we noticed that the amount of demonstration stands was amazing. Nearly every aisle was offering you free samples which created quite a few mini queues… Never the less we did try a few and noticed that some of the samples although yet simple (think cup of noodles) were extremely effective. This is not something that you will experience when visiting the established Costcos like Docklands or Alexandria…
Another huge benefit is the multi level parking… No need to park misles away… You can still park close to the lifts by choosing a lower level and the obvious close vicinity to Eastland is a huge bonus!

There is so much here that it’s a little like a magic eye puzzle. Everything rolls into one big blur and if you stare at it too long you’ll probably feel ill.
But just like all magic eyes, there’s always something to be found. I’ve found ideas here, and while that does not come guaranteed — at the very least you’ll find enough blueberry cobbler to feed a small nation.

I’ve been shopping at Costco for years; initially while living in Canada and then in San Francisco.
It’s unfortunate that there’s only 1 store currently open in Melbourne… they could probably get away with opening at least 6 or 7 here. The Docklands location is always super-​busy, which is a pain if you only want to grab a couple of things.
That being said, what to expect? No frills bulk purchases at discount prices. They stock a couple of things that you typically can’t get elsewhere in Australia that I had become accustomed to living in North America.
They do sell everything from TVs to tyres, chocolate to clothing. There are no signs, no information maps, no roving customer assistance. You will have to (or more to the point, want to) wander down each aisle to find the goodies you are looking for.
$ 55 for a business membership or $ 60 for a family membership, annually. Small price to pay for access to such bargains.

Am I really the first to give 5 stars to this place?
What most people wouldn’t expect from a membership for this place is that it works worldwide. WORLDWIDE.
This place is pristine, and it looks so enormous from the outside. Has the biggest elevator I’ve ever seen in my life.
We went on a weekday, so we missed the madness we’d expect on a weekend. But even for a weekday, it did not seem nearly as crowded as I was used to.
One thing we didn’t expect was that they had samples of moon cake, which are taro pastries Chinese people normally see around Lunar New Year. I actually tried the green tea flavored moon cake, which is almost unheard of.
A difference I noticed was that they didn’t use empty box portions to assist us in transporting our goods.
At this point, it does not seem as if Australians are quite ready for the giant portions of inventory, but things can change. Tough to make a case since this is currently the only location in Melbourne and only 1 of 3 in all of Australia.
Melbourne, say hello to American gluttony.

I’m not sure AsiaPac is ready for Costco.
Being a North American (Canadian who lived in the US for several years) Costco is nothing new to me. It’s a bulk buying warehouse. You either get things in large sizes, or lots of averaged sized things packaged together.
I’ve lived in Melbourne for over three years now, so I’m over the sticker shock of Australian prices. But when I finally decided to renew my membership and join Costco here, it was like a breath of fresh air. On the first trip, I spent $ 400! I bought Tide (they sell tide! and bounce!), dill pickles (oh how I’ved missed you!) real maple syrup, organic salsa, fruit and veggies in massive quantities, and a heap of other stuff in their house brand (Kirkland). It was a trip down memory lane, tho my Australian partner was less than impressed.
My main observation was that because Costco was still rather novel here, the place (other than right when they open) is chockers. That and locals haven’t yet learned the art of navigating the aisles. A trip to Costco should be more like a trip to your local grocer, and not the chaos that it is. I reckon this will get better eventually. I hope. If not, make sure you go within the first hour they open. Or possibly during work hours on a weekday.

Being from the US, I can honestly say I was enthusiastic about there being a Costco here, although I really do hate having to pay an annual membership for a place that I end up going to as often as I want and spending over $ 200 every time I go. I reckon the best time to go is during Christmas. I got my Christmas shopping pretty much done, as well as the wrapping paper and ribbon in one whole trip and spent way less than I expected.
I do love their croissants and would honestly go every week just to get a dozen croissants for $ 9.99 if I knew I wouldn’t end up spending more because they are in the back of the store. I always end up buying all of my cleaning products there because it’s so much easier knowing that I won’t end up running out for another 3 months and it definitely saves on the cheque book.
The meat at Costco is amazing as well. If you’re having a BBQ, go there and get a wonderful cut of meat and BBQ it! There’s nothing better than a great beef BBQ.
I tend to love going there because they have a lot of the products that I could get in America, like A&W Root Beer and good Maple Syrup (in an outrageously huge bottle of course). There’s so many wonderful little snack ideas that I always end up picking up as I walk through there, which is why I try to stay away and only go once a month.
I did end up picking up a pair of shoes for my toddler for $ 15 which is generally unheard of here it seems. If you’re looking for good deals on clothing or shoes and can afford to walk through and buy other stuff you may not need but see and want, then head on into Costco to have a shopping spree. If you can hold back and only buy what you have gone in there for, then I congratulate you because I know when I go in, there’s no way I’m only coming out with what’s on my list.

I used to live in North Melbourne and would frequent Costco every fortnight or so for regular groceries. It’s great if you have space to store items in bulk, you won’t beat Costco prices. Now that I live in Box Hill, I don’t visit as much but will still buy my essentials (toilet paper, paper towel, laundry/​dish detergent etc) there every month or so. We’re only a two person household so we usually buy a lot of the food and freeze most of it (chicken, bread, mince etc), the salmon is a must (again cut in half then freeze some of it for later), the fruit is usually very reasonable and the same price as much less at IGA, Safeway etc. Great thing is, you can use your card anywhere in the world and I’ve definitely saved the $ 60 a year in the first couple of shops.

I’m torn about my review of Costco.
Part of me likes that fact that I only need to go shopping once every three months for the boring essentials like toilet paper, washing powder and cleaning products. Part of me loves that I can (surprisingly) get great quality gourmet goodies like Seranno Jamon, large tubs of Yarra Valley Dairy feta and gigantic salamis.
Then there’s the part of me that baulks at the grotesque amounts of food on display. Really, do I need a kilo bag of corn chips and a pizza so big it won’t even fit in a regular domestic oven? Perhaps it’s the blatant consumerism on display that irks me, but they must be doing something right because I find myself going back every once in a while.
At the right time (say, when you’re running low on cleaning products or about to throw a house party) then Costco is an ideal place to visit. Avoid the weekends and bring plenty of patience — there’s no getting out of there quickly.

Big. Cheap. Can’t find prices online so have to visit.
Instead of writing the rest of this review, check out Clarissa’s — I agree 100%

Typical — the American rushing to defend Costco. But I feel like it’s completely justified. Okay, let’s dissect these arguments against it:
1) «Costco has a lot of things you don’t really need.»
I agree, who needs strange little knick knacks, weird things that don’t really make any sense, etc? But there are actually plenty of Australian stores that also sell things «you don’t need». Figurines never serve any purpose aside from decoration or if someone is just an avid collector. Just because America has the brand of being a hugely consumerist/​capitalist place, doesn’t mean that everything that comes with it is awful.
2) «Costco’s wholesale system’s too odd. Why would you need such huge things?»
There are plenty of people out there with large families, where Costco-​sized options end up being a great deal. Costco is not the place for individual purpose.
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Obviously, Costco isn’t for everybody, but to deny its useful qualities would just be plain intellectually dishonest. Right now I house-​share with a group of people and Costco works wonders.