So, to figure that out, Narcity put up a post on Facebook that asked people to explain why or why not paying for a Costco membership is worthwhile to them.
There have been almost 200 comments from shoppers that reveal all the pros and cons of a membership, including a bunch of products that have big payoffs.
Before we get into that, here's a breakdown of the two Costco memberships that are available in Canada.
The Executive membership, which has a $120 annual fee, gets you:
- access to online shopping and all Costco locations worldwide
- an annual 2% reward on warehouse, online and Costco Travel purchases
- exclusive offers and discounts
- Costco Connection magazine
Then, the cheaper Gold Star membership — with an annual $60 fee — gets you:
- access to all Costco locations worldwide and online shopping
If you're wondering why shoppers have to pay money just to get into a Costco location and then pay money to actually buy products, an executive with the wholesaler recently gave some insight.
Costco's business model allows it to "offer a direct benefit" to people who have a Costco membership through low prices, according to Pierre Riel, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Costco Wholesale International.
He also said that because of this, the wholesale retailer is "a different option" for grocery shopping in Canada.
Now, let's get into everything people had to say about whether a Costco membership is worth it or not, including which products make it feel like a reward and the downsides to shopping wholesale.
Why is a Costco membership worth it?
When asked if paying for a Costco membership is worth it, people gave a lot of reasons as to why it's rewarding for them.
"It's worth it for me, but I have a rule," Chris Workun commented. "No shopping cart allowed, I go in for what I need at that time and that's about it."
Costco shopper Samantha Dawn said that if you can handle long lines, figure out which products are discounted and will actually use what you buy, then a membership is worth it.
Also, Rob Markwart shared a pretty incredible reason as to why a membership is worth it: their in-law buys them an executive membership for Christmas every time so they haven't paid for it in years!
Other shoppers got specific about what Costco products make a membership worthwhile and the most commented items were gas, paper towels, toilet paper, diapers, formula and snacks, to name a few.
So many people said that paying for a membership is worth it just for gas, not even for shopping!
Aaron Cohen noted that food is better at Costco and you get a "better value" if you need a larger quantity.
For Costco shopper Drea Conrad, the membership is worth it especially when you need to buy certain products in bulk — like soap, paper towels, diapers and wipes — if you have a big family.
While you might think a membership isn't worth the annual fee if you're not shopping for a family, Britt Fazeli said it's worthwhile even with only two people in their household.
"Even as [an] empty nester the saving alone is worth it," Nichole Warner shared, both online and in-store.
According to Nick Fulcher, discounts on essential items save them three to five times the annual fee of a membership.
If you're a savvy shopper, a Costco membership is "totally worth it," Darren Humphrey said.
"I've never looked back in hindsight thinking I was screwed," they continued. "Never."
Claudia Lucia Gee noted that not just Costco gas prices make the membership worth it but the travel insurance as well.
Mark Westfall listed free samples and food court hotdogs as pros for the membership.
"The amount you can eat in-store alone is worth the price of admission," they commented.
Then, one of the biggest reasons why people said paying to get into Costco is worth it is that you get cash back with the executive membership.
"Teenagers and food. Need I say more? My annual rebate pays for my membership and more, so it's worth my while," Marsha Ball said.
Paul Bryan Mendez also noted that their executive membership pays for itself with how they shop.
"We save a lot on food and groceries by buying bulk. We also save a lot on gas," Mendez said.
"If you're close to one it's 100% worth it," Celina London commented. "We get the cashback membership and always get way over the amount of the membership back."
Why is a Costco membership not worth it?
Even though a lot of people said paying to shop at the wholesale retailer is worth it, others shared their feelings about why a Costco membership is not worth it.
Most of those who said it's not worthwhile to pay for a membership noted that if you're single or in a household with just a couple of people, it's a waste of money.
Also, Jane Bartlet Hessdorfer mentioned that in a smaller household, the bulk-sized items are too large to be worth the money spent on a membership.
Junko Lactao Ota commented that they love Costco and have a membership but it's not worth having because they have to drive four hours to get there so they only go a couple of times each year.
"Why should we pay a membership? Ridiculous," Asma Shah said.
Alana West shared that they stopped their membership because they never made enough back to cover the annual fee.
Merve Arac commented that even with a family of three, a membership wasn't worth it because every time they went to Costco they would "unnecessarily spend money."
"I cancelled mine because I go in for a few things and come out with a buggy's full," Bruce Waters said.
"It's more expensive than most places," Kristin Kohl commented. "I don't like the quality of Kirkland food products for the most part. I don't see the point of paying money to spend more money than I normally would at a grocery store."
Jackie Swayne said a Costco membership isn't worth it because "everything's overpriced" and since most items are bulk-sized, you might not be saving a lot of money in the long run.
A few people were more ambivalent about the question.
Janelle Deveaux said that gas along with baby wipes and diapers are worth it but nothing else is.
"I feel like we don't go often enough and hardly buy the too-massive food," Deveaux continued.
Gas, food court items, toilet paper and paper towels are worth the membership but "almost everything else" is only okay, Jill Gilker shared.
Barb Hanley said they like some of the products that are available at Costco and go there specifically to buy those items but the large product sizes don't work for their family of two.
While Peter Goetz has a membership and makes the annual fee for it back through the executive membership, they said you "still have to watch" the prices when shopping because not every product is a deal.
While people are pretty split on if a Costco membership is worth it or not, there are some very clear pros and cons that are the deciding factors!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
Renderings of the proposed new Costco store in Calgary.Courtesy of Rocky View County