My shopping experience at Costco Melbourne
I set out this morning excited as I’d ever been about a store opening. Costco Docklands being the first store to open in Australia I had no idea what to expect or just how busy it was going to be.
My first warning sign was when I turned into the Docklands Highway and was met with a 1km long car queue waiting to get into the carpark. I lasted about five minutes before deciding to try my luck entering the carpark from the Harbourtown side. This proved ingenious as there was virtually no queue.
The Costco carpark is prone to filling up and they have instructor guys out the front who continually close it up and open it up again. If the carpark is full you’re redirected to the Harbourtown carpark 20m up the road.
Normally parking here is 1hr free and then $5 but because of the demand they weren’t charging. The Costco carpark was that busy they just gave up and left the boom gates open all day.
There is a ticket system setup at the boomgates for the Costco carpark but I’m not sure if you need to pay anything, I couldn’t see a price sign up so I assume it’s free for customers. Maybe you have to swipe your membership card?
Amazingly after taking on pre-memberships there was still a massive queue for membership signup. Like serious outside-the-store-ridiculous massive. Having prebought my membership ages ago I simply waltzed in, although I couldn’t find a trolley anywhere.
Outside the Costco main entrance there are these really long annoying seat things. I don’t quite know what the design function of them is other then to let fat people have a rest every so often as they walk up the ramp to the entrance. Personally I found them mega annoying as with so many people around they just got in the way.
Once I got into the store, it took all of thirty seconds to realise shopping at Costco with anything less then a sedan was a laughable affair. My mini simply wasn’t going to cut it so I headed home for automotive re-enforcements. Armed with a stationwagon I was now ready for the Costco experience.
Walking into the store you have to present your membership card for a check. It was that busy today that you probably had a good chance of getting in without a card, no chance of buying anything though as they do check.
One guy infront of me tried the ‘no speak english’ routine and was told to go signup even though I think he might have thought he was being told to leave. It was kinda amusing.
The first thing you see is the large tv display, Costco are stocking Samsung, Sony and Sharp. They had Sony LCD’s, Samsung LED, LCD and plasmas and Sharp LCDs (I think? I didn’t pay much attention to the Sharps). They seemed to stock all the different sizes from the thirty something inches right up into the sixties.
From there you’ve got the contact lense dept and then the vastness of the store opens up. The aisles are numbered and go well into the 300′s, although I assume this includes the middle bit.
Be warned, put aside a few hours for your first visit as the experience really is quite enthralling. They have such a massive stock range (not so much in variety of the same thing, but in sheer product variety) that it takes you forever to navigate the entire store.
The whitegoods are all name brand, there were a few chest freezers and one of the items I was after – a fridge only came in large sizes starting off at a grand. There’s all the usual stuff there from microwaves to pots and pans, mixers, stoves etc.
Bedding was a few mattresses around the $1000-$1500 mark, some nonames but also a few Sealys. I’m not sure how successful they will be as I for one won’t buy a mattress without trying it first and they were stacked sideways on a shelf.
Petfood seemed to be pretty cheap. A giant bag of whiskas was like $30 something. They have th upmarket stuff but I wanted to check the prices at my usual store before buying (I feed my cats a 50/50 mix of cheap food and expensive food). Litter comes in a 15kg Catsan box, it’s the clumping clay (?) litter that you buy in the supermarket.
The produce section is massive and cheap. Some stuff is bulk but some is manageable. Watermelon for example were $5 each, onions came in 5kg bags, zucchinis 1.5kg trays, basically only the larger items are sold separately everything else is either trayed or bagged.
Meat was hit and miss. The mince I saw was roughly the same price as a butcher, the chicken breast was $10 (on special) a kg and thighs were $9 which was good, Vic market hovers around $12-13kg, the supermarkets $15-16kg and my local butcher about $11-12kg.
They also had a large fish section but I don’t know anything about fish to comment. It’s there though if you’re keen.
Toilet paper was a big seller, everybody seemed to have it in their trolley. It comes in these gigantic horizontal stacks and the 3ply are 50c a roll (Sorbent I think?), sold in 30 pack lots. In otherwords over a year’s supply for the single male! I’m going to let my current 2-ply supply dwindle before stocking up.
Toilet paper doesn’t go off does it?
The fridge sections at Costco are hilarious, you literally walk into a giant room sized fridge. If you think the fridge aisles at supermarkets are bad BRING A JACKET. Seriously the temp in these rooms is cold and you feel it very quickly.
The grocery aisles are what took the most time for me to navigate, so many different products I was familiar with – but in weird arse size bulk lots. One thing that annoyed me was COSTCO DON’T STOCK MILO!
I was so looking forward to coming home with a few 44 gallon drums of it but alas, while they stock 85 different types of coffee from countries I’ve never heard of – NO MILO. I couldn’t find any chocolate milk stuff so maybe I just wasn’t looking hard enough.
Migoreng made an amusing debut competing with your standard Asian grocery store @ $10 a box. I’ve seen $8 a box but you have to travel to Box Hill for it.
The middle of the store seems to be the random stuff area. There’s camping gear (THEY HAVE CANOES LOL!), some toys, books and a few dvds.
I was interested in the bicycles they had (out of curiosity) and it seems Costco Australia have gone with Schwinn. They had some decent looking commuter bikes for $450 (womens) and mens ($500), a bmx style as well as a dodgy looking dual suspension model.
No race bikes though so that was a bit of a shame. Although at those price points probably a good thing.
Costco alcohol was a bit of a disappointment and not much cheaper then Dan Murphy’s et al. Basically it seems to be the same price DM etc. have when stuff is on special, but at Costco it’s the regular price. I saw a lot of people walking into the alcohol area but not too many walking out with alcohol.
The confectionary section of Costco is something that will test your nerves of steel. You basically walk up and down the aisle trying not to throw every second bulk box you see of chocolates into your trolley. At $30 or so a box you can easily drop $100 without blinking an eye.
They had these awesome 1kg lolly jars for $10 which was OH SO TEMPTING. I managed to walk though, I think it was not having the Milo that got me through it.
Clothing was alright, I probably wouldn’t wear any of the jeans etc (couldn’t see any change rooms to even try on stuff) but I did buy a 6 pack of Champion ankle socks for $17 in black which will make perfect bicycle socks.
The queues in the AM and early afternoon were roughly a two hour wait t get out of the store (I’m not kidding). By the time I’d finished at around 4′ish though it was only a 1-2 trolley wait.
Like Ikea Costco have a food area where we got a meat pie for $2 or something. We were kind of in a rush to get somewhere else so I didn’t take a good look but it seems to be on par with Ikea; cheap quick food.
All up I spent about $150 without even trying. Costco will seriously test your impulse buy urges, its insane. You’ll contemplate buying stuff you’ve never even used before just because the price sounds really good.
MAKE SURE YOU BRING A CALCULATOR! My mobile phone got a workout and a half doubling as a calculator as I tried to work out cost comparisons on tons of stuff between Coles and Woolworths.
Entertainment wise there was some old guy walking around going ‘KMART HAS THAT FOR $8 EACH, WHAT A RIPORF!’ really loudly. I’m not sure if he was a secret undercover mole but he was hilarious to listen to. I think he might have been slightly drunk.
Then there was the trolley fights, later on in the day one of the tire changing guys (we got a spare for the stationwagon $100 fitted) told us that there was an punch on in the morning over a trolley. One guy came into the tire area and said he’d been assaulted. CRAZY!
At the end of the day though I’m a ridiculously happy customer. As stuff runs out here I plan to restock from Costco and enjoy the bulk life, finally a store with decent prices off the shelf.
So long Coles and Woolworths, apart from random minor things I’m never doing a big shop there ever again. Poor Aldi’s probably going to be cut out of the equation too eventually.
Oh well, viva la low prices!
If anyone’s got some more specific queries about something Costco related feel free to ask and I’ll try and answer.
Got Costco membership questions? Why not have a read of Costco Australia membership – all you need to know.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:52 pm Nick(Quote)
10 Dollars per kilo for chicken breast isn’t much of a discount, local Woolies or Coles if you shop towards end of the week it can be had for less. Cosco seems a shop for large families, For lonely single guys (violin music insert here) like myself it seems a total waste of time and effort.
Even though I have the cash I cannot help myself but shop on the cheap, aka Aldi basics for tissues and dunny rolls, travelling and paying to shop (membership) for something designed to suck in shopaholics is an anathema to me.
I’m sure Cosco will fill a niche and the competition for the 2 majors is sorely needed.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:26 am auschick(Quote)
thanks for the write up! i’d been trying to figure out whether they had meat pies on the menu in the food court! as for change rooms, none of the costco’s have change rooms, but they do have a great return policy (no questions asked). keep on the look out for coupon books – i only buy toilet paper and shampoo etc when it comes on sale. (in the US, usually $3 off). i live in the states, and buy all my meat at costco – we don’t have stand alone butchers here, so the quality of the meat in the supermarkets is usually poor compared to costco (costco targets wealthier people, so the quality of everything they sell – esp their kirkland brand – is usually very high).
August 18th, 2009 at 8:26 am Citizen-D(Quote)
I know you’re a big fan of Costco Ozsoapbox, and I’m hoping it does give the supermarket duopoly a real shake up, but I wouldn’t shop at Costco if they paid me $60 a year. Shopping for everything in a giant warehouse is not my idea of fun, and I seriously doubt the cost savings are going to work out in the long term when you consider you have to travel to Docklands and then you have to find storage space for all the bulk items you buy, not to mention the impulse buys while there.
We get our meat, veg and fruit at the Queen Vic market which beats most other places for quality and price. If not there then it is at a local butcher/green grocer or a farmers market. Groceries are purchased at the local IGA which although is more expensive, puts back into the local community. I must admit I do use the big two (Coles and Woolworths) on occasion but again only for groceries or emergencies, mostly because I’m appalled at the price of meat and produce after shopping at the Vic. I’ve never used an Aldi.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:42 am Demos(Quote)
Thanks for the solid review. Will be interesting to see what the prices end up being like here in Sydney when Costco eventually open up here. So far, it seems you Victorians may be being ripped off in terms of prices, both at Costco and elsewhere (the amusing old guy may just be right!). Nevertheless, the bulk buying experience is certainly something else,and as you say, reason is usually suspended while stuffing seeing “bargains” into the trolley.
On a more serious note, Costco is going to have to do better price-wise for more cost-ware shoppers if they really do want to compete against Aldi and specialist wholesale butchers, bakers and candlestick makers.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:54 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Apart from the different experience, generally shopping for staples isn’t fun for me. It’s just something that has to be done.
Once I’ve got a freezer going at home I’ll probably still buy my mince adn beef from VicMarket but buy chicken for example once a month from Costco.
I plan to slowly replace stuff as it runs out and I reckon I’ll be able to do this on the bike. Costco’s about a 15-20 min bike ride from me and I can carry roughly 20-30kg of stuff if I have to.
As for getting stuff better from Coles/Woolworths at certain times well I can’t be arsed hanging out at 11pm on a Friday night… rather just go whenever it suits me and pay somewhere in between inflated supermarket prices and market prices.
I’m a single guy so yeah it’s mostly staples I’ll be getting from there unless something catches my eye, $12 saving on catfood (more when I get a bag of the premium stuff later this week) and getting 6 pairs of cycling ankle socks for $17 (very close to online prices incl shipping)already puts me 1/4 of the way to making back my $60, and that’s after one shop.
I have a pantry for storage and being on my own means I don’t use a whole wide range of stuff, but the stuff I do use I apprecaite being able to buy in bulk and store.
I’m not going to be going there 2-3 times a week but if I’m riding to the CBD to get meat from vic market riding to the docklands on the way home for a few things isn’t really that much of a big deal to me. It’s all excercise in the end (and I need it, freaking chocolate cafes… for the first time in my life I put on 6 kilos last month somehow!)
August 18th, 2009 at 10:38 am dan(Quote)
How big was the whiskas bag? (in kg’s)
August 18th, 2009 at 10:52 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
15kg and it was like $30 or so.
Coles usually have the 1kg boxes for $4 or the 3kg bags for $12-$13.
Costco also have the premium stuff IAMS and science diet or whatever it’s called but I have to check what I pay for that locally to compare (I don’t buy it as often).
August 18th, 2009 at 11:27 am dan(Quote)
Thats a pretty good price then but it’s a LOT of cat food if you only have 1 cat like me. You’re basically buying a years supply in one go. So i’m wondering if it would start to go off before you used it all up.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:29 am dan(Quote)
I’d be also interested if they had the more expensive dry food like royal canin.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:45 am Buckscoop(Quote)
Prices are not easy to find as they don’t publish catalogues or advertise.
Price list at http://www.buckscoop.com.au/forums/deals-bargains-coupons-vouchers-cashback/18228-costco-melbourne-docklands-prices-comparison.html
August 18th, 2009 at 11:46 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Didn’t see any royal canin, just the IAMS and the science diet (which I think are made by the same people?)
As for the years supply just store it. I save my milo tins for stuff like this (I put bulk lots of spices in them). Alternatively you can also use old milk bottles as they seal reasonably well and make it easier to pour out.
With a bit of creativity it’s not too hard, little bit of stuffing around then you don’t have to worry about it for a year.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:10 pm toiletduck(Quote)
the reason there is no change rooms is because they dont have them in america, if you check out the faq on the american costco website it tells you why they dont have them
August 18th, 2009 at 4:44 pm Kelly(Quote)
Thanks for the review, cant wait for the Sydney store to open, lucky for me it will only be 2 minutes down the road.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:56 pm Ty(Quote)
Hey,
Up in Brisbane waiting for costco to come here
I see in your pics that they carry Skippy Peanut Butter, can you comment on what other imported brands of food they are carrying?
I see on:
http://www.insideretailing.com.au/Latest/tabid/53/ID/6045/Costco–the-price-points.aspx
That they are carrying Quaker Oats and Bestfoods mayo. Can you (or any expats reading) comment on what what north american brands they are bringing in, and the pricing compared to Usafoods.com.au
Might be time to dust off my costco black card and make a weekend trip down to Mel!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:05 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Most of the Kirkland stuff seems to be imported. I got a huge jar of organic Kirkland strawberry jam that’s made in the US. I haven’t done a propery grocery run yet but there’s a lot of Kirkland around so it’s probably safe to assume it’s all US based.
Other then that most of the rest of the stuff was recognisable brands we already have.
Given the volume they’re importing compared to USAFoods I’d say it’d be pretty competitive.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:11 pm Ty(Quote)
I found a bunch more pics online..
Looks like other non-food north american products like Tide, Cascade, Bounce etc are at costco WoW! I’m sure other Canadian and American expats will be happy!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8062668@N06/sets/72157621937640317/
and
Insideretailing
Looks like an interesting mix of local and imported products.. Any chance they have Lay’s Fritos??
Now I really can’t wait for them to open up here in Brisbane!!!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:40 pm Ty(Quote)
Found some more pics that might interest people
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aagius/sets/72157621947322853/
Looks like they’ve got French’s Mustard and Tootsie Rolls too!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:47 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Man I don’t know what half this stuff is but I’m glad you sound excited
!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:49 pm Damien(Quote)
do they have dr pepper? i miss it and it costs like $30 for a 24 slab from usafoods
please costco help a brother out.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
I don’t remember seeing any dr. pepper, but I kinda avoided the soft drink area due to temptation.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:11 pm Gail(Quote)
Ah so they have Iams! Thanks for that. I have a very fussy cat and switch between a few brands. Tried a new one Heart something or other about $30 for 2kg bag but she doesn’t like it so was going to buy a bag of Iams this week to mix it in with anyway. I buy it from a local pet “wholesaler” who I doubt is wholesale! I pay $30 for a 2.5/3kg bag? and about the same for the dog’s Eukaneba “light” (she’s a pug lol!). Each bag lasts for weeks so it works out cheaper than buying Whiskas wet food etc.
I have seen our TV in Costco $200 cheaper than we paid for it in Harvey Norman and we got a $100 discount the daily face moisturiser I use is sold in a pack of 3 jars for about what I pay for 1 1/2 jars so will definately get membership back.
thanks for your great review!
August 19th, 2009 at 12:20 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
IAMS was in these boxes, can’t remember the weight but price was about $40 from memory (science diet was around $44) but can’t remember if it was a box/bag. They were quite large sizes so hopefully it’s cheaper $/kg
August 19th, 2009 at 5:04 pm Mark(Quote)
Hey Oz .. is there bikeracks somewhere near the entrance to lock up bikes? I can only see some pretty huge posts in your pics – holding the roof up!
It is hard to compete with the majors big ‘specials’ as the manuf often takes a loss to boost sales and/or clear stock as they need long useby timelines for the majors to accept delivery with normal pricing.. this is also possible at costco.
We are going halves in a membership – and bulk buys – with friends but this means we have to go with them at mutually suitable times etc. But can alternate year about I guess. Would lnly be a monthly better bi-monthly thing I hope.
Well we are on our last couple of dunny roles so time to stock up! haha
August 19th, 2009 at 5:17 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I didn’t see any bike racks anywhere but I wasn’t really looking. Probably going to head out there again on the weekend riding this time so I’ll have a look.
There’s tons of bicycle parking at the docklands so it would surprise me if they didn’t put some up nearby. Now that I think about there was a green fence (was behind me in the photo of the front of the store) that is like the school fences or the fences you see at tramstops. That should be ok to lock a bike up to although is a bit thin security wise.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:37 am JamieD(Quote)
Looks like they’ve UPDATED the price list with more comparisons. A pretty mixed result, really.
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm Andrew(Quote)
Oz, I noticed no Milo as well. Actually there weren’t any Nestle products. Maybe Nestle doesn’t want to upset the duopoly!
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:56 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Maybe, although Aldi sell small tins of the stuff. I didn’t notice the no nestle products but now that you mention it.
Anyway I’m heading out there tommorow. Going to have a good look around for chocolate milk flavouring stuff as I couldn’t find any the first time around.
Half the staff didn’t know where stuff was on opening day so that didn’t help
.
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:41 pm davepoole(Quote)
Went there today, was way way busy. Didnt buy anything because the queues were huge, but would have bought if we wouldnt have to wait for hours. The bakery section looked good, and the seafood. the TVs were about 200-300 bucks cheaper than lcd tvs sold at JBhifi. I think its worth paying the membership fee, though wish i joined when it isnt so busy. Might go in the morning, hopefully on a weekday it will be not so busy.
August 24th, 2009 at 5:18 am Diana(Quote)
Yes I too had been disappointed with not seeing any Milo. I found it very hard to do any price comaprissons because of the sizing. you have to do these long calculations to work out if its worth what they are saying or if its over priced.
so heres the list of what I bought when I went and the sizes and prices:
butter croissants 1 x 8.99 (think there were 9 on the tray)
coral queen blanket 1 x 34.99 (this is for a queen size bed very very soft and thin)
somo run shorts 1 x 15.99 (these looked pretty good on my partner however he doesn’t run so there just shorts for around the house.
coconut milk 1 box x 5.89 (there were 6 cans great in curry’s)
coca cola zero 1×13.99 ( i think there’s about 24 cans and these come as a flat slab)
Calvin Klein woman’s long sleeve black shirt 1 x 24.99 (it looked good I’m so lazy i haven’t even tried it on as yet has nice embroidery on the left side of the shirt that says Calvin Klein jeans in grey )
l/c red liquorice 682grams 1 x 5.89 (my other half said it tasted nice)
frozen prawn wonton 1 x 14.99 (these were in a box in the fridge section they looked good haven’t eaten them as yet but I’ll tell you what they are like when I do)
tnb hawaiian 1 x 14.99 (pizza was huge and barely fit in oven i have about a 600mm oven so any oven smaller then this forget it. I even had to cover my wire rack with silver foil and put the pizza on that and it still hit the back of the over and over hung over the wire rack hitting the door slightly as i closed it. taste wasn’t too bad home made will always rule.)
mother energy drink 500ml x 24 42.99 (this wasn’t too bad considering in the supermarket your paying about $10 per 4 cans. so we saved about $17)
all up it was $195.00 i think there was a $2 discount on the pizza too as an opening special … was sure still navigating my way around the receipt.
anyway that’s my commentated shopping list hope it helps out.
oh and we bough khaluha as well and that was about $39.00 for 1litre that was pretty cheap and great for cocktail night at my place with the girls. also you have to pay for alcohol in the alcohol section.
i’ll probably have updated shopping lists when i go next.
August 24th, 2009 at 1:15 pm davepoole(Quote)
Went in this morning and it was almost as hideous as a weekend, it sucks. Also the staff seem to be burning out, the woman on the desk was seriously rude when i was asking about my membership online. forgot to look at her name badge, was thinking about complaining but then I looked around and saw all the holden jackets, people who look like they have just been released from pentridge prison and the ‘me no speakey english’ types then I had plenty of sympathy for her. I walked away and have decided not to go back for 3 or 4 weeks. Hopefully the northern suburbs people would have lost interest.
August 24th, 2009 at 4:29 pm Maria(Quote)
W
Was just wondering do you have children….I like to buy organic but with four children and the increasing food prices Costco is a god-send
August 24th, 2009 at 5:59 pm Axella(Quote)
We went on the first Tuesday, and the queue was as bad as the one when you’re waiting to get in to the Eiffel Tower! We already had a membership card, so asked an employee if the line was only for those waiting to sign up. He said, “No, it’s just to get into the store. Only so many can fit at a time”. I was flabberghasted, given the size of the place. Well, it turned out he was wrong… An employee walking along the line handing out membership apps told us to just go on in. So we did.
First thing we saw upon entry was the Kenwood mixers. I can’t remember the exact price but they were between $500 – $600. I was expecting to see KitchenAid, but I guess KA prefers to sell theirs as a boutique item (they only sell the higher priced “Artisan” series in Australia).
There were employees in virtually every aisle giving out samples (that’s why I bought “Poppycock” popcorn snack).
You can’t help but look around costco and understand why obesity is so rampant in America. The food and variety of it was amazing. There were lots of prepared foods. The things we tasted were fantastic, and how could you not drool over huge slabs of beautiful muffins and croissants? Fresh baguettes flavoured with rosemary? Dips, cheeses, prepared foods? Birthday cakes? Seriously, this will be where everyone shops before having parties.
The Italian peeled tomatoes come in 2.5kg tins, and were “Premium Quality”, just as it said. I am so used to “La Gina” “YLColes”, and “Safeway Select”, with a nice, rotten-looking tomato in every third tin or so. They are like what John West rejects… But these “Amato” tomatoes from Costco were PERFECT. Not a single black spot on any of them. And cheap, too!
We had to go somewhere after Costco so kind of rushed through, but I couldn’t help notice the plastic shed. I don’t know how well that will go over in Australia…
Costco will obviously benefit families the most, more than couples like us. We did stock up on the Kirkland paper towels, though (they fit my PerfectTear paper towel holder from the US). Lots of other trolley had a pack of them, too.
Next time, I hope to take my time because I think I missed a lot.
August 24th, 2009 at 6:22 pm Ben(Quote)
Hey Guys.
I was wondering through the internet looking for some public reviews of Costco to just see how the hype has been.
I am actually an employee of Costco Docklands and have only seen whats been going on in store. As for staff looking like they are burning out.. It’s pretty much true.. I worked 55 hours in the week last week and 72 hours the week before to setup.
We have just been so busy with thousands of members coming in everyday that we are just basically run off our feet..
But anyway. I shall stop complaining. I am willing to answer any questions you guys have (please keep in mind I’m not a machine and can’t remember specific prices of every item in the store).
- Ben
August 24th, 2009 at 6:39 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Ooh a staff member, thanks for stopping by Ben. Not sure about everyone else but I really appreciate what you guys have done and had to cope with over the last few weeks. I hope there hasn’t been too many jerkoffs bugging you.
Any chance you can share some horror stories?
. I know of the trolley assault on opening day and the crazy going on in the carparks, just curious how bad it gets when people go crazy over shopping!
August 24th, 2009 at 7:02 pm Ben(Quote)
Haha..
Well it does get pretty crazy. On opening day we had to close the store for an hour as it was a safety hazard to let more people in. The MFB were the ones to close it. It wasn’t a store decision though I had been begging the managers to close it due to the checkout line being a 3 hour wait.. Yes 3 hours.. :S
There was also some serious trolley rage in store as well. People pushing into the checkout lines. It got to pushing and shoving until staff could step in and separate members. For an hour or two on opening day I was actually just directing traffic near the checkouts. At one stage I thought I was going to cop a punch when I told a man with his wife to go to the back of the line after they pushed in. He wasn’t too impressed and it was quite intimidating but I had the backup of the members already in the line waiting.
I think the craziest thing is the amount of stock and products we have sold. The store looks ok every morning, but that’s because myself and the other staff start at 4am to prepare the store for the day. Filling up products that are low or empty. We are quite low on a lot of product though as the local suppliers can’t keep up with the demand of the Melbourne shoppers. For example, last week we were selling 3 pallets of strawberries a day and over 30 pallets of toilet paper. Just today we had a truck drop off another 100 pallets of toilet paper.
As for jerk offs. There haven’t been that many. Last week we were letting people in without memberships to give people a chance to check it out first. However this let in a few unsavory characters. They thought it was a great idea to take samples from the products directly off the shelf and finish eating or drinking them before they left the store and walk out empty handed. Bust most people have been great to talk to. I try and engage the members in some sort of conversation to gauge their reaction or opinion on the store so far. I’d say it is about 70% positive 30% negative but that’s just what I hear.
I think a lot of people came to the store expecting greater savings than are possible to obtain. I heard a few people expecting the TV’s at $500 – $1000 off :S
Id say once our buyers get a feel of the market we can adjust our prices accordingly. However just so you know, we have already had Woolies, Coles, Havery Norman, and other big shops come in and start price matching.
Sorry for the long post
- Ben
August 24th, 2009 at 7:26 pm dan(Quote)
Hey Ben – do they pay you well? (To start at 4am, you’d want to be). And what was the interview process like?
PS. not looking for a job. Just curious.
August 24th, 2009 at 7:35 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Don’t apologise for the length of the post it was a great read. It’s really interesting to see a staff members perspective and I appreciate you sharing.
The stock movement doesn’t surprise me, those trolleys are huge and person after person leaving with giant trolleyfulls is going to deplete stocks fast I’d imagine. Out of curiosity on some of the bigger ticket items are the brands and models fixed?
I was looking at getting a fridge but the cheaper Westinghouse one was still a bit big for me, other then that there was the double door one which is bigger again. Just wondering if these are permanent models (till they’re discontinued anyway) or if models are rotated as new stock comes in?
I don’t envy you having to deal with the crazies but I’m sure myself and some of the other customers are very happy Costco have come to Australia. You’ll probably find the ‘omg why isn’t this tv FREE?’ brigade are mostly customers who have looked at the US store and expected a 1:1 price transfer to Australia.
Looking forward to the buyers sussing out what Australian’s like to buy and you guys throwing some buying power weight around. I’m glad Coles and Woolworths are taking notice but even if they price match it’s too little too late. I’ll avoid them out of sheer principle.
I know they’re in it to make as much profit as possible but if they were able to match Costco prices before Costco opened then they bloody well should have. Lack of competition isn’t an excuse to go around ripping off the entire country when it comes to groceries. I look forward to seeing massive cuts to their profit statements when earnings are released for the quarter (or year, however they do it).
Thanks again for contributing mate, I really appreciate it.
August 24th, 2009 at 7:55 pm Ben(Quote)
Dan.
It is one of highest (if not the highest) retail paying jobs in Australia. I worked at Coles for 3 years and I can tell you that Partime/Fulltime is $3 an hour more at Costco than at Coles and Woolworths.
At the moment we are quite short staffed due to such massive interest in the store. Basically all you have to do is stop buy with your resume and speak to a manager. They will arrange an interview (which could be either one on one or a group interview) and then if you get the job you do a day of orientation.
Ozsoapbox
A lot of the larger lines in the center of the store or in the hard lines section (The name we call the right side of the store with all the bulky products) depend on the season. If we sell out of something we will most likely try a different brand/product depending on how well it sells. If it is a really good seller we might get that same stock in again. However there is a feedback section at the front of the store where you can request items and products and our buyers will take it seriously and see what sort of deals they can do.
(this post was edited at the request of the Costco HR and marketing dept)
Just a Tip. The Kirkland Signature brand is really good value for money. It isn’t like Coles smart buy or home brand. Kirkland products are made at the brand leading factories or at least using very similar ingredients and techniques. The 1.75 litre vodka for example is bottled in France (either bottled AT the same factory or at least very near to Greygoose, I’m not 100% sure which). Greygoose sells for $60 for 700ml. Kirkland Vodka goes for $98 for 1.7 litres.
August 24th, 2009 at 8:00 pm Ben(Quote)
Haha..
When I reread my comments it makes me sound like some sort of head office / HR employee.
In actual fact I am only a product stocker and just do what I’m told when I’m working. :p
I just enjoy working at Costco and hope it goes well so I can keep my job
August 24th, 2009 at 8:04 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Yeah I noticed you guys had big signs up yesterday advertising work which wasn’t there on opening day. At least they’re treating you well.
Glad to hear about the stock rotation, for now I think I’ll wait and see what happens with the fridges as yeah it’s just a bit too big for one person. Wanting a tv by the end of the year too, keen to see what the buyers come up with over the next 6 months!
Hey anyone from Costco happy to share information is welcome!
August 24th, 2009 at 9:18 pm James(Quote)
Hey Ben I was thinking of heading there on Thursday or Friday this week. Have the crowds started to die down or should I wait longer?
August 24th, 2009 at 11:45 pm Axella(Quote)
This is hilarious – it is from Costco Australia’s “FAQ” section:
Q: “Why am I asked to show my receipts as I exit the warehouse?”
A: “Staffing the doors is our most effective method of maintaining accuracy in inventory control. It benefits both us and our members. This practice assists in checking that you received everything you paid for and were not overcharged or our undercharged for any item.”
How amazing, that the guy at the door in Costco has the entire store’s database in his head as he checked the receipt against the merchandise in our trolley. What an amazing feat for the human brain! So, next time I’m leaving K-Mart and the little old lady at the exit asks to check my bag, I’ll remind myself that they are not checking for theft, but doing stocktake.
I was wondering – did someone at head office in Sydney honestly think that there was a chance that anyone could actually believe that?! I mean, I’ve seen BS before, but that positively takes the cake! I laughed out loud when I read it!
August 25th, 2009 at 12:07 am Chris(Quote)
Are you serious?
Can’t you see that theft affects inventory levels. If it doesn’t go through the checkout then they don’t know its gone out the door.
Makes complete sense to me.
August 25th, 2009 at 1:38 am maria(Quote)
love costco thank good the monopoly of supermakets is gona have a end, very cheap prices at costco well worth the membership , bemm there 4 times to take my friends to have a look all of them made the membershipl. Thanks costco to come to melbourne.
August 25th, 2009 at 2:40 am davepoole(Quote)
Hey Axilla they used to do that at another costco type store back in the UK. Makro staff would stand by the door and check receipts against whats in your trolley, it doesnt bother me at all. Theft increases prices, less theft keeps prices down. The door staff at costco seemed friendly, and professional on the two times I have visited. Still couldnt imagine waiting for 2 hours in a queue. It reminded me of christmas eve in Sainsburys back in the UK. People with trollies right up to the back of the store.
In a couple of months Im off to the US, will be taking my costco card with me to check out how its done in the US. Hope they dont sell mini reese peanut butter chocolate cups, cos if they do 20kg of them will be winging their way to Melbourne.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:26 am Ben(Quote)
Basically we do for two reasons.
#1 We want to make sure that the member has everything they paid for when they leave. We don’t want them coming back angry and disappointed when they find out later that they were charged for something they didn’t buy.
#2 We want to make sure that the TV or other large price ticket items were actually paid for. This (hopefully) stops people trying to hide items and getting out without paying for them. By doing this we are also taking extra steps to help improve the accuracy of out stock take / inventory (In the sense that 6 months done the track we hopefully don’t have many missing items that the computer system says we haven’t sold yet).
August 25th, 2009 at 3:28 am Ben(Quote)
Hi James
I’ve told my family not to come in for another couple of weeks. Even yesterday the wait was long and it was very busy in store. To get a good feel of the store you need to take your time and at the moment it is a little bit frustrating trying to take a good look when you are surrounded by hundreds of people.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:10 am Martin(Quote)
Ben and Chris, I think that you both have missed Axella’s point.
She was commenting on the spin that Costco puts on why they have staff to check customers’ purchased (or otherwise) products when they leave the store.
We all know that they are there solely to prevent shoplifting or theft if that’s how you wish to refer to it. Just don’t try to bamboozle us with lines like “maintaining inventory control”. That is what barcode reader systems do.
As for “hiding” a stolen plasma I’d love to see someone try that one!
August 25th, 2009 at 12:21 pm Axella(Quote)
Goodness me – I KNOW theft increases prices across the board! I have no problem with them checking that I’ve paid for everything in my trolley!
What I found funny is nowhere were the negative aspects mentioned – it was all “we only do it to ensure we’re giving you everything you’ve paid for” stuff, which you can see with your own two eyes as it’s going through the checkout – nothing about, “we do it to ensure you’re not stealing, which would increase prices for everyone else”.
IT’s about THEFT, period. Nobocy takes inventory by counting at the door, except for security staff at pubs. That’s what those newfangled computers are for! The door guy isn’t there yeling, “Hey Harry, we’ve just sold another bottle of olive oil – better order more!”.
It’s the BS sugarcoating “spin” stuff that I found amusing!
August 25th, 2009 at 12:33 pm Diana(Quote)
that’s funny you should say that cause when we were exiting we had 2 receipts one for the Alcohol and another for the rest of the shopping. We passed the girl on the exit just the one for the alcohol all she did was put a black line on the receipt and that was it. we walked out with our trolly full of goods and didn’t show the receipt for those.
poor exhausted staff i really do feel for them!
August 25th, 2009 at 12:51 pm Axella(Quote)
Perhaps I should have been more clear:
“This practice assists in checking that you received everything you paid for…”
Should perhaps read, “This practice assists in checking that you’ver paid for everything you’ve received”
“and were not overcharged or our undercharged for any item.”
Again, how can the guy at the door possibly keep the price of every single item in his head?
I’m not complaining about showing the receipt, we just thought the wording itself was funny.
August 25th, 2009 at 1:07 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
To be fair to Costco, it’s probably not in their best interests to put ‘HALT AND PRESENT IDENTIFICATION PAPERS, WE THINK YOU’RE ALL STEALING!’ on their website
.
Sure it’s marketing spin but it’s a bit warmer then the above. Having said that with some of the scrubs walking around I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d tried to lift a box of something under a jacket or whatever.
Some of the people you just look at and wonder ‘how the hell did you even afford membership?’, although they’re probably the rich ones!
August 25th, 2009 at 1:45 pm Rob(Quote)
Having lived in the US for a few years and shopped at Costco and Sams Club, When Costco said they were coming to Melbourne, I was excited and a little apprehensive. Excited because it is a really unbelievable shopping experience, and I want to be rewarded by buying in bulk with a discounted price. (I’m sick of going to WoolColes, every week to buy the same crap) Apprehensive because I thought we might get some cut down, second rate version of Costco, tailored for uneducated bulk shopping Aussies. Well…… Costco in Mel is exactly the same as the US. Yippie. Prices are a little higher, thanks to the great Aussies distribution systems, but all in all, its great.
For anybody considering, dont bother with reviews or other peoples comments. Everybody shopping experience is different.Pay the $60 (do it online so you dont have to line up) and go and have a look, and judge for yourself. If you dont like it, get your $60 bucks back on the way out. Simple.
Food for though – Just think how much money was spent there in the last week, divide by 80%, thats how much Wool-Coles have lost in sales, just by them opening. Another amazing fact, Huggies nappies haven’t been on special at Wool-coles for $29.95 for the least the last 9 months. Costco opens, and sell bulk pack (2x) for $59.95 normal price… Ohhh what do you know. Woolies suddenly have them on sale for $29.95, instead of there normal price of $42.00.
August 25th, 2009 at 5:03 pm davepoole(Quote)
I was wondering how much of a loss woolcoles is making over the last couple of weeks. Looks like thousands of people got to costco everyday, must be huge losses. Its great for all of us, some real competition.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:21 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
In case anyone’s wondering why I censored one of Ben’s comments, I was contacted this morning by the marketing and HR manager of Costco.
In the interests of transparency on my part, apparently some of the information posted was commercially sensitive (at least that’s the impression I got) and I offered to edit it out.
I’ve invited the marketing manager to clear things up and give an ‘official statement’ on some of the questions and information in this post, I’ve also contacted Ben and advised him to perhaps look at what Costco’s policies are on sensitive information.
Guess we’ll see what happens.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:07 am davepoole(Quote)
did anyone see today tonight last night, it could have been a current affair(some crappy tabloidy current affairs show). Well they were bashing the Woolies and coles duopoly and were saying that the lack of competition means its more expensive to shope in Australia than the UK. Best of all Aussie products like vegemite are significantly more expenisve here in Australia than the UK.
Wonder if food prices in Melbourne CBD will drop in price because of the costco competition. Wonder how different food prices will be in Melbourne compared to other capital cities that dont have the costco competition.
I understand that the UK has more buying powere because of a bigger population but it also has 4 or 5 major supermarkets. All of them in direct competition. In my home town, much smaller than Melbourne we has a massive Sainsburys, Tesco(two stores), ASDA, Marks and Spencers. All of them competing for customers, worked out good cos they all had different specials on.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:28 am mark(Quote)
It is now 11 business days since I applied for my cards online – nudder! They SAY issued within 5 business days. No apologetic email, easy to do, to all for delay. If another weekend goes by – the third since applying – think I’ll cancel.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:19 pm Phill(Quote)
You can still shop without your card if you have your online application confirmation. That’s what we did. I asked at the Membership counter why it was taking so long and it was because of the sheer number of applications.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:59 pm Rach(Quote)
a couple of costco related questions…
do you guys sell panasonic dvd recorders? specifically the twin tuner ones?
also, i’m thinking of getting a job there… how much is the casual rate of pay per hr? do u get a store discount (how much)
cheers!
August 27th, 2009 at 10:31 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hey Rach, I can’t answer the employment questions but I do know they didn’t have any Panasonic stuff stocked when I was there. I only looked at the tv’s but i imagine it extends to the rest of the home theatre range.
August 27th, 2009 at 11:00 pm Kate(Quote)
I’m American (and Australian now- been here 10 years) and am so happy Costco is here finally!!! I have been twice already and will probably go back tomorrow. I got my membership online the second day it was open (a Tuesday)and went back 4 days later and it was issued to me at the memberships desk.
As far as American brands/products I was disappointed there wasn’t more- where are the Reese’s peanutbutter cups? But the Skippy peanut butter was such a bargain- $6 for well over a kg, I bought three! Tootsie pops $10 for 100! My kids are loving them! Coffee beans were a bargain, I got the Kirkland brand, roasted by Starbucks- I can’t remember the price now but it was cheap and the coffee is good. I want to go back without the kids and the crowds, but I just can’t wait.
There are great finds like a $17 kite that is 3D with 6 ft. wingspan (a dragon) that is unreal. We also got a fantastic blanket/rug for about $23 that is so plush and warm- high quality and attractive. My husband got a gorgeous silk shirt for around $35, very nice find. The napp[ies I was disappionted with because I can find Huggies on sale at the chemist for cheaper on a regular basis- I noticed Safeway had them on sale for the cheapest ever the opening week of Costco… bastards- why not have these low prices all the time? That is the difference.
I just wish Cosco had the big soft pretzels in the take away shop and the delicious American pies in the bakery! They have Australianised it which for the Aussies will be more inviting I suppose but I think Aussies would love American pies and pretzles!
August 27th, 2009 at 11:08 pm dan(Quote)
Anyone know if they’re selling Gillette sensor blades and in what quantity & price?
August 27th, 2009 at 11:14 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I did see Gilette blades there but can’t remember what type, was definately one of the multiblade cartridges though.
Going off extreme memory it was a 4 pack but I can’t remember the price (I only glanced as I walked past).
August 27th, 2009 at 11:32 pm Graeme(Quote)
Well Ben, you might be ‘only a product stocker’ but you’ve given me more insight into Costco in your posts than twenty media stories about it. I really feel like I’ve got a handle on what it’s all about now thanks to you.
Keep enjoying the job and don’t burn out!
August 28th, 2009 at 5:50 am davepoole(Quote)
I think the blades were 53 bucks, they were sensor excel, not sure how many for, maybe 4-6 packs. seemed ok.
I might venture there again today , did say I would give it a miss but want to check out the kites. Might not be a good idea though, its the morning of my last night shift and i like most shift workers get dangerously grumpy on nights. Imagine work place shootings, this is why i couldnt live in America, pulling the trigger would be far to easy. Im silly enough to get up at 1300 hours and make the way to costco.
How is Ben, hope he didnt use his real name and that posting on here hasnt caused him any bother at work. I didnt think anything he said was bad for the company. Funny that costco execs are looking at sites like this eh.
August 28th, 2009 at 7:31 am Rob(Quote)
Kate, Local chemist less than $29.95?.Please share. After having a baby, I feel like the Nappy Police.
August 28th, 2009 at 9:16 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Ben got a bit of a rap on the knuckles at work for his participation here so I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon. As far as I know he kept his job though.
I did extend an invitation to Costco PR to post something official on here and was told they’d have a look and ‘leave a comment’
It’s been a few days so who knows. Very quick to police the internet (<24hrs) but no so quick to interact and engage with their customers when given the opportunity.
August 29th, 2009 at 11:42 pm davepoole(Quote)
Yeah you would think they would be busy doing other stuff like processing peeps cards. Saying that though I did call customer services on Friday and the guy was professional and friendly on the phone.
We did venture back today to pick up the cards, im the second card holder, other half works Mon-Fri so we had to go in together. Even at 1300hrs on a weekend it wasnt that bad. There was still alot of people waiting to get in with trollies but i think this line was for non members trying to sign up. We got in had a look around and bought a few things, all the dragon kites had sold out but we bought the shark one for 17 bucks looks great. Got 3 bam bathroom cleaning sprays for 11 bucks, 3kg of honey for 6 bucks, and the big box of biozet washing powder for 36 bucks. Also 3 boxes of twinings herbal teas for 7 bucks.
Much better with less crowds, but will still only go on a weekday.
August 30th, 2009 at 1:31 am oHsOjOjO(Quote)
Yah Kirkland is from the U.S. It’s like the Costco type brand.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:23 am mark(Quote)
Finally we got a call! Worryingly, it was to pick up our membership from the desk as they had been overrun with applications online … this could only mean a queue! So we decide to be there for Sunday opening 10am .. after all it is the quietest time round town. While this is true of the streets to get there, we only just got a spot in the carpark 5 minutes after opening time. The first hour will be free for Costco members, this is ridiculous as the queues will mean only those popping in to buy a few items will make it in this time. After that it is 1-2 hours $6, 2-3hr $$9, 3-4hr $12, < 5hr $15. Everyone else was pushed into the Harborside carpark across the road First hour free then $5 flat rate. If you will be more than an hour, almost all shoppers, Harborside parking is MUCH better value. Costco parking rates will need to be rethought; a 2 hour free limit for cardholders is the only realistic time. By comparison, almost no one pays to park to do their supermarket shopping close to home. Costco will loose us and many other shoppers with these charges.
We grabbed a trolley … just as well … as they ran out within minutes.
The queue for membership pick up took 25 minutes .. not too bad … but for those arriving 5 minutes after us the queue had tripled in length. For those who had not ordered online the queue was massive.
This is the 3rd weekend after opening … when is it going to quieten down? … Queues will die down to join/collect memberships but I suspect parking will always be a premium and getting through the registers will be busy busy.
The staff could not have been friendlier … even to queue-a-phobics like me.
Finally to SHOPPING!
Photo processing is great value at 12 cents for a 4×6 (it SHOULD say 10x15cm where do they think we are .. the USA?) .. drop in and order before you shop .. pick up on way out.
Apple ipod Touch 16 Gb is $384.99 2 weeks ago we bought one in Big W for $300 incl a $20 Apple iStore card. What is clear is that, with 1 store, Costco will have trouble competing price-wise for items requiring an Australian power point. Oh well! … on to your weekly diamond and gold purchase. Haha.
Thanks to all the comments on the Kirkland brand from the US and Brits, we went for this brand in preference to over advertised and overpriced Oz brands.
Kirkland white Tshirts are top quality Microbe protected, and only $5each .. except we had to buy a 6 pack. Luckily we have few guys the same size to share them with. The smallest size is Medium … don't the Seps at least grow through a Small size? I also bought Kirkland Mens Mid-Rise Briefs 6pr for $17.99. What are Mid-Rise you/we ask? You know those undies Homer Simpson and your Grandpa wears? That's them! Very USA – They are going back!
Kirkland Vintage Jeans are a very good fabric and only $24.99. Problem again is they are Loose-Fit so Sepo fat 'asses' can fill them out – like their undies. Fortunately, I like loose hangy jeans and am very happy with these.
We also bought 2pk Kirkland quality belts for $29.99, great Pringle socks 8prs for $24.99 and Kirkland grey Ts 4 for $26.99.
They have fantastic double thick Kirkland towels for $15.99 even though these are made in Egypt – we doubt they are Egyptian (grown) cotton – a premium high demand product.
**BASICS PRICES**
3l Lite Milk $3.19 (Woolworths $3.59)
2 Wholemeal bread loaves $2.49 (W/worths Home Brand $1.79×2=$3.58)
18 Free Range Eggs 900g $4.49 (We payed $4.99 on special for 12 – 700g last week)
1.36kg Kirkland Columbian Supremo Coffee beans $16.99 A Bargain, if good quality.
Kirkland Triple Satin 3ply 260Sheet (almost double length roll) x 48 rolls Made in UK $29.99 (62c ea)
10kg Bio Zet Wash Powder Bucket $38.79 (Mostly inferior-by-nature washing liquids otherwise)
The wonderful surprise was the fruit and veg:
4kg Large Sweet and Juicy Navel Oranges $$3.49
3kg also L,S&Juicy Pink Ladies $5.49
etcetera .. Even our Vic Market would have trouble coming close in quality and price
Grain fed beef roast (beautiful fat marbling …obviously not desert cattle) $9.99 per kg
We would love to have bought our regular bulk purchases of P&N soft drink, Safcol Tuna pouches and Cambells soup but they are not carried. So we will continue to shop at Woolworths and Coles for specials, but Aldi will suffer as Costco generally competes quite well with them.
It would also be nice to get US prices like we got there in June for things like Pringle Chips at less than AUD$2 a can and Lays are even cheaper!
Finally, Costco is worth the membership to us – but only just – The big worry is we will have to wait and see if Costco enforces it's high parking fees – for then it wont be.
August 31st, 2009 at 11:34 am mark(Quote)
For Dan
Went to Costco Yesterday and got the prices for you while I was there.
Gillette Sensor Excel 25 Cartridge(ct) $46.99
mach3 turbo 20ct $52.99
Man Fusion 16ct $56.99
Fusion Power 16ct $64.99
Boy glad I use electric!
Hope this is useful.
Mark
August 31st, 2009 at 1:38 pm dan(Quote)
Prices don’t look too good. Thanks for that mark.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:01 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Jesus so glad I switched to a double edged razor. I can get a 100 pack of Derby extra blades for $25-$30 which is practically 2 years of shaving 5 days a week!
August 31st, 2009 at 3:45 pm Jay(Quote)
I saw them and remember thinking you save about $20, I think they were a 10 pack.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:14 pm dan(Quote)
Not according to the prices mark posted.
Anyway, I ended up buying off ebay again. Can’t be beat….
unless I was after a years supply of toilet paper then I might think of costco. Lucky for me I only shit once a day.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:49 pm Kate(Quote)
Terry White has bulk boxes for $29.99 ono a regular basis- at least the Knox one does. Costco is worked out to be about $34 a box.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:54 pm Kate(Quote)
I got a call today from a Costco bakery rep about my feedback comments suggesting they get Costco fruit pies and big soft pretzels. I was so excited to hear from Costco and hada long chat to the nice woman discussing ideas of what may work and making suggestions- American pies like chocolate cream pie, blackberry pie, etc. and the pretzels. She said that the bagels were #3 in sales in the bakery despite people thinking they wouldn’t work. Great to see they are trying out ideas and getting suggestions from customers!
August 31st, 2009 at 9:19 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Glad to see not all their PR is being spent chasing down employees!
Hm I’m definately going to leave a ‘OMG get some milo!’ feedback form the next time I’m there.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:17 pm Butchie(Quote)
Hi,just wandering if anyone saw a Downie fabric softener….thay are really good and the american hot dog i mean the real amerian hot dog……..
September 1st, 2009 at 3:57 pm mark(Quote)
The price for razors is accurate Dan. Didn’t see the 10pk Jay mentioned. I took snaps and typed off camera so was easy.
I see an ex-employee listed on another site that says Costco purposely only have the top price competition so the Kirkland product is relatively cheap. The major supermarkets are heading in exactly the same direction pushing out the quality-for-price Oz brands.
PLEASE EVERYONE – on filling out feedback forms in store – mention how excessive the parking charge listed is! Suggest 2 hours free or at least 1 1/2 hours to get around the store in a hurry.
On going to the ‘Bathroom’ :0 Kirkland toilet paper WEIGHS a lot more at up to 9kg than the packs of Kleenex and Sorbent of the same number of rolls. I test-drove the Kirkland this morning and it is stronger than the remaining Kleenex Cottonelle that we are finishing up; however I know many prefer quilted paper as it wipes better but makes the rolls ‘airy’ – that’s gotta be the ‘bottom’ line … boom-boom!
I made a curry of the ‘Tri-tip grain fed beef loin roast’ $9.99/kg last night. There was ZERO fat trimmings (usually 20-50%)- unbelieveable; I could have cut it up with a blunt knife and it was melt in your mouth quality no question. We’ll try the other peice roasted later in the week.
I think their sizing is US size for Kirkland brand underwear and Tshirts – seems about a half size bigger than here – I’ll have to change what we bought for smaller size – though impressed with top lengths for taller men. I now notice that the tops and shirts we bought in the US in June are mens rather than large size.
September 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm mark(Quote)
They have ‘Downy’ Ultra liquid Fabric Softener 3.83l
sorry.
Had a $5 off coupon but expired on 30Aug
I believe US meat is limited due to foot and mouth in the USA? Though is there REALLY any meat in a hotdog? haha
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:57 pm Ryan(Quote)
I think its laughable that Woolcoles are coming out with specials on the exact same items that the news highlighted to all of us how much they are ripping us off. Do they think we are stupid? Good for you Costco – you have won us.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:54 am dan(Quote)
never thought i’d see reviews on toilet paper on ozsoapbox.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hey, if I wasn’t living on my own and only going through a roll a month I’d be tempted to do a fullblown toilet paper review on the back of that comment just because.
Oh, and think of the detail I could go into!
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm Andrea(Quote)
Went to Costco today for my first shopping experience there. Wow!
People are still lining up to get in, but the line was fairly quick moving.
The place is HUGE! I found a lot of things were on par with Safeway & Coles, which was a bit disappointing, but the bargains were great. If you’re not used to bulk shopping then it’s probably a bit daunting to see 3kg cans of tomatoes or 2kg jars of stuffed olives (I now have enough olives to last for at least 12 months, lol).
I think it’s well worth the membership, we have a few big parties coming up so in that respect alone we’ll recoup the membership outlay, but don’t go expecting bargains in the meat or booze departments.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 pm Gazza(Quote)
Just wondering, do they sell American brands of confectionery, more specifically, Peanut Butter M&Ms?
September 4th, 2009 at 12:02 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Gday Gazza, I didn’t look to closely at the confectionary but I don’t remember seeing much american confectionary.
There was some licorice brands I’d never heard of but you’re probably going to luck out with the peanut butter M&M’s. Having said that I’m not 100% sure that they’re not there.
(the confectionary area tends to be full of stupid kids and is kinda annoying to navigate)
September 4th, 2009 at 10:39 am Kunal(Quote)
Can anyone tell me about the front load washing machines? Are they selling them ? Any price suggestions ?
Thanks….
September 4th, 2009 at 10:46 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
I *think* it was whirlpool or westinghouse (might have been Samsung I’m going off extreme memory) but yeah they had one model, it was $500-$700.
I think the top loader was $500′ish and the front $700′ish. I need to go back there to refresh my memory heh.
September 4th, 2009 at 2:17 pm Miriam(Quote)
I’ve had so much fun reading everyone’s comments. I’m an American, married to an Aussie, who’s lived here for 12 years. It was so much fun to go into town last Saturday to see what the Melbourne Costco experience was gonna be like!
I’d purchased my membership online, but my SIL hadn’t, so we waited in the queue for probably only half an hour or so (we got there first thing in the a.m.). SIL did have her trolley nicked while we were in the Photo Dept. — that was a pain. Oh, and the photos… absolutely FANTASTIC! I haven’t seen such quality for digital prints for such a low price… EVER! Only 12 cents a print and matte or white borders is no extra cost. When I asked if I needed to edit them at the monitors, they said that they Quality Control them. That’s unheard of for digital printing! I’m DEFINITELY going back!
I live about an hour away in the eastern suburbs, but as we’re currently feeding a family of 8, I think we’ll be making monthly trips in. Oh, & Hubby only works 10 mins. away under the Westgate. I may ask him to pick up a few things on his way home…
I knew that no matter how much American expats were hoping for more of an American experience that, really, entering the Aussie market, Costco needed to provide products that Aussies are familiar with. I know a few people who were disappointed there wasn’t more American confectionery, but I myself was happy with my 1.3 kg bag of Craisins! My kids are over the moon about the 1.8 kg tub of Animal Crackers (in Disney shapes). Oh & my other favourite were the Cinnamon Raisin bagels! I haven’t tasted such soft, lovely bagels in 5 years! Got a few to freeze… Other great buys were: 2 kg tub of Greek Yogurt for $5.50; 2 kg bag of frozen Bird’s Eye chips for $5.30; 8 boxes of Kleenex tissue for $17; and a 900 g bag of ground coffee for $14.80. (Haven’t tried it yet though). I did buy the kite that everyone’s raving about — got the bug one. Also a number of kid’s books for low prices.
Just a few comments for readers… I got an American apple pie — pretty good. Keep the bagels coming…
For those who are in the nappy department, I get my Baby Loves at Safeway when they’re two jumbo packs for $50. With 2 in nappies, you can mix & match. American women’s sizes are a number size smaller than Aussie sizes, e.g. an Aussie 16 is a U.S. 14.
I can’t wait to head back when there are a few less people and we don’t feel so pushed along by the masses. I was hanging out for Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, but that probably is the same place the Milo is. LOL I also want to compare meat prices a bit more. I hope they bring a Costco location to the Outer East — a lot of large families out here who can’t rationalise a 60-min shopping trip, even monthly. I’m glad we have a van we can take the seats out of…
September 5th, 2009 at
[...] The commenters on the Wisebread article point to diapers as a big saver. OzSoapbox found that premium cat food was good in [...]
September 7th, 2009 at 11:18 pm Andrea(Quote)
Hi all,
A little off topic, but for those of you wanting american lollies, we have a ‘candy’ shop near us in Moonee Ponds that sells things like Butterfingers (which are the best choc bars ever!!!), baby ruths, madison avenue and lots of reeses stuff and m&m’s etc there’s a similar shop over in the eastern burbs, Bayswater, so you can get your fix…
September 8th, 2009 at 2:41 pm davepoole(Quote)
Just got back from costco, its so much better during the week. Still people are dangerous with thoes small car sized trolleys. Bought a few things. Cleaning stuff is cheaper than Woolies.Did get Skippy chunky peanut butter 1.36kg for 5.99 and Jarlsberg cheese 500g for 9.99.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:23 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Yeah I bought the Jarslberg a few weeks back for salads, awesome price considering a few slices can set you back $3-$4 at Coles deli.
Did they still have the parking beams up permanently? I was there on Monday and it was still free parking.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:33 pm davepoole(Quote)
Hey not sure about parking, went by tram. Did find out that they are not taking pictures to put on the cards yet since it has been so busy. They will be doing them in the future. If anyone is visiting other countries that have costco they will need to get the picture put on.
September 10th, 2009 at 12:40 pm jimmy(Quote)
So has it quietened down yet?
September 10th, 2009 at 1:56 pm greedee(Quote)
I bought my membership before they opened. Drove down to check it out and saw the massive traffic queues waiting to get into the carpark. Has it settled down yet? Is it worth going there yet if you hate having to wait in long lines?
September 10th, 2009 at 8:51 pm harvey(Quote)
Could someone take photos and get prices on all there tvs
September 11th, 2009 at 5:02 pm Andrea(Quote)
I was there yesterday and there were no ques, it was heaps easier to do some shopping without the big crowds, and they’ve changed the parking to 2 hours free, which is good.
September 15th, 2009 at 1:38 pm mark(Quote)
first 2 hours free parking is great news Andrea!
When I last visited there was a long queue at the machine and people were furious at the charge as they couldn’t get to the machine in time for their free exit within an hour. It was unreasonable short as you have to wait for lift, queue to exit etc. 2 hours is more than fair. Good for Costco as you can take a little time looking at household goods, clothes etc.
There were plenty of car spaces – it was middle of the day on a Wednesday – though I was on bicycle. There is a big bike parking area near the stairs in the car park – beware though, if it is windy anywhere in Vic – it will be at Docklands!
September 16th, 2009 at 10:57 am davepoole(Quote)
Went on Tuesday at 1715hrs, was almost empty, could get around the store without any problems, was amazing. They now have deccent jelly beans in a tub of 45 flavours, was a must buy.
September 18th, 2009 at 9:45 am mark(Quote)
I am going on Sunday – you will need to say a screen size (in cm) you want at least, as there are many TVs for sale, so I can price for you.
September 18th, 2009 at 9:50 am mark(Quote)
They have a Whirlpool front loader. It is the cheaper Chinese made unit. We have the Italian job – which has been poor due to socks getting past the seal and blocking the outlet. The Chinese unit LOOKS like a MUCH better seal than the italian one.
September 26th, 2009 at 11:06 pm Sam(Quote)
Wow,looks like the Costco folks are listening, There’s lots of Milo today. How about getting us crystal cat litter instead of the clumping clay ones and how about 2L Coke too?
September 26th, 2009 at 11:15 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
NO SHIT OMG THEY HAVE MILO NOW?!?!
Guess where I’m going tommorow!
I too wouldn’t mind the crystal litter. I haven’t used the clumping for years as I find the crystal litter (Catsan $20 something one in a big box) to be way less messy/economic.
September 27th, 2009 at 9:06 am Dan(Quote)
Can you dump the crystal litter in the garden?
September 27th, 2009 at 10:04 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
I wouldn’t be dumping any cat litter in the garden. From memory the smell attracts strays and the concentrated dumping of ammonia and feces isn’t too good for your plants.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:17 am Dan(Quote)
The stuff i’m using now says it bio degradable. I only dump it in a dirt only area away from plants.
btw, isn’t poo suppose to be good for soil?
September 27th, 2009 at 10:23 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
The litter might be biodegradable and the cat stuff is too it just needs time to break down.
My cats go through a box-bag of litter a month and if I dumped it outside it’d start piling up quicker then it could break down.
Poo is good for soil but again needs to break down over time. Worms are good at breaking it down but they don’t usually live on the surface of the soil so it just winds up slowly breaking down and attrcting ferals in the meantime.
September 27th, 2009 at 1:45 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Just got back from Costco. Wtf parking was nuts again today and there was a long membership queue again – I mean what the place has been open for over a month now??
Milo wasn’t as big as I’d have liked but still seems good ok value. Costco have the 900g (750 + 20% free) for $7.79.
From memory Coles usually have the 1.25 (1kg + 25% free?) for about $10-$12 when on sale, otherwise it’s about $14 or so I think.
The 300ml Coke cans were back down to $14 instead of $18 or whatever they peaked at.
I was totally unimpressed by their Kirkland suitcase. It was $279 and seemed quite small for the price point. Looks like I’m going to have to hang out for the pre christmas sales (or boxing day seems to be good for travel gear).
Also I was after two trolley jacks and I swore I saw them there previously but couldn’t see any this time around
.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:25 pm Mitch Peters(Quote)
Looking for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Got back from U.S.
in September. Got the munchies. Reeses are the best!!!
Andrea mentioned some candy store in Bayswater????
Can I get more feedback??? Also Cosco should order
Reeses candies because of all the Reese-a-holics around.
November 19th, 2009 at 8:23 am mary(Quote)
I’m an American living in New Zealand and have a USA Costco membership. I still have to shop at Costco in the States with my USA membership card. If I make a trip to Melbourne Costco will my membership work there? Also, can any of you Americans who have shopped at the Oz Costco tell me if it’s as good as the USA Costco? Do they have Nautica brand shirts for men? Kirkland dress shirts for men? What about fantastic prices on digital cameras and memory cards? How about ziplock bags, Reynolds wrap (aluminum foil) and Kirkland food wrap? Bounty paper towels? Can you get Oneida or Lenox silverware? I got a 65 piece set of Lenox 18/10 for only $89 in the States. Pots and pans? What about Reidel wine glasses? Oxo brand kitchen products?
When will Costco come to New Zealand? Come on Jim, please open one here. I’m having sever Costco withdrawal issues. Hey, do they have OPI nail polish for a 3 pack for $18? What about Ralph Lauren perfume? Cetaphil face wash for $7 instead of $40 (price in NZ)
November 19th, 2009 at 8:49 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Gday Mary, I can’t answer some of your questions specifically (you and me don’t shop for the same items
) but I’ll try…
So long as it’s valid sure. Costco memberships work worldwide.
There’s a fairly large area for shirts, I think Kirkland were stocked there. I don’t really fit the boxy fit most discount shirts have so I didn’t pay too much attention to the clothes section.
There’s a little cabinet with digital cameras and from what I gather with Costco in Australia you generally wind up paying about the same as you would walking into another retailer and haggling for a few hours.
Unfortunately we didn’t get the crazy discounts offered in Costco’s US stores, although some electronics are marginally cheaper.
Not sure on Lenox silverware but there is a kitchen section with most of this stuff. If those are US brands however they might be substituted out with our local brands (Kirkland excluded).
There was silverware in boxes but I can’t recall if it was Lenox or not. Pots and Pans are also available but the range was kinda small from memory.
Not too sure on the rest of the stuff (I was more of a grocery shopper).
December 13th, 2009 at 6:11 am Chris Moore(Quote)
Hi
sending this from the UK were there is a Costco yes there are bargins but you have to buy in bulk Ok if you can get someone to share, but believe me when I say YOU WILL GET BORED with Costco….
There is a massive Tesco about 1klm away and it’s thriving, its really there for people who have either extremely large families or people who have a corner shop and can’t get supplies from normal suppliers because their order quantity is small
best of luck to you Melbornians
by the way prices quoted above are excessive in conparison to RIPOFF Britian. I haven’t been in Costco for a good 6ys to rich for me
Chris Moore expat Aussie
February 9th, 2010 at 6:53 pm Bl@ck Rav3n(Quote)
OMG! the X-Mini Capsule Speakers R SO AWESOME!!!!
SUND BEHOND SIZE!
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 am Fat Lady(Quote)
Strange that with all the queues; I didn`t see one FAT PERSON queueing to sit on the outside benches, perhaps they have special day for us FAY people,
March 5th, 2010 at 8:17 pm gomama(Quote)
Congrats on Australia for getting a Costco! I am from Alberta, Canada and I can tell you I miss my Costco massively!
Now if only they would open one up in Perth (how many times have you heard that?)
BTW, the Costcos in Canada do stock MILO, too funny!
March 26th, 2010 at 10:04 am Proud Canuck(Quote)
Just a gentle reminder: Australia has now surpassed the US in obesity.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/20/australian-obesity-survey-markets-equity-cx_jc_0620markets06.html
Costco rocks! Great deals, but like all stores, some things are cheaper elsewhere
Great addition to Melbourne!
May 8th, 2010 at 11:43 am Larry(Quote)
I’m a manager at a Canadian Costco..it’s very interesting to read some of the comments from people who are new to the ‘whole Coscto scene’….what’s the general feeling about pay wages at Costco compared to other retailers there? just curious – Thanks !
May 8th, 2010 at 12:36 pm Proud Canuck(Quote)
Larry, the Costco in Melbourne is chaos and they’re still getting on their feet. It’s relatively new, so things do not run very smoothly, ie. line to get out/receipt check, tills at the front are very slow (no packers that I saw), not enough tills open and for international costco cards, a manager has to be called to the till to override (this sometimes takes a LONG time).
The parking lot is a nightmare (paid parking) so you can’t come and go like the Costcos at home. Plus side, they have a liqour section (although you have to pay in this section and the whole manager override thing happens again here).
Some people don’t understand the bulk buying yet either, I saw many boxes/packages ripped open and one item taken out of the box.
Sorry, this really has nothing to do with wages. Another difference, if you bring in a guest, they have to pay cash. They can’t use any other form of payment. I saw a few people infront of us that were not impressed about this.
Missing Canadian Costco but thankful that there’s one here!
May 8th, 2010 at 3:51 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hey Larry thanks for stopping by. Wages for Costco Australia seem to be ok, I don’t recall hearing anything negative so I assume Costco are at the least on par with what our other major supermarkets are paying.
@Proud Canuck
Some interesting comments there. It’s almost been a year so you think Costco would have gotten over the bulk of its teething problems!
I had the same thing happen to me in Taiwan so it seems to be a global thing. When I presented my Australian Costco card a manager had to come and put a key in the register. Didn’t take all of ten seconds though so I’m assuming Costco Taiwan is better staffed then Costco Australia.
From memory when I left it was still the first two hours free. Have Costco changed this since?
This sadly is quite common in most supermarkets not just Costco, although I imagine it happens more there due to the bulk lots. Australian shoppers seem to have quite a high percentage of ‘packet openers’.
From what I’ve seen most of the time it’s bratty kids just wanting to pull things apart while mum and dad aren’t looking.
This sounds pretty stupid. When I went with guests we didn’t have any problems with them paying however they wanted.
Even though it’s obvious the goods are for someone else is there some reason you can’t just say I’m paying with this persons card? From memory I didn’t have any problems doing this.
Wonder what the ‘cash only’ reason is. It’s not like Costco don’t still make money off guest sales so it’s not like they’re going to be losing money in Eftpos fees.
May 20th, 2010 at 4:45 pm susan(Quote)
Hi, we went on the weekend and THEY DO HAVE MILO! Not in 44 gallon drums though, just the XL size tin you can get off the shelf at woolworths.
May 22nd, 2010 at 12:37 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Looks like Costco finally worked something out with Nestle then!
May 26th, 2010 at 10:59 pm jamma(Quote)
Theres different items/foods coming in costco every day. And yes i’ve seen Milo there
,, however i recommend instead of Milo try Swiss Miss. Its an american hot chocolate i found in costco that comes in sachets (but it comes in a box of like 50) and trust me you will love it
I really want costco to bring in Twinkies and Poptarts!!!
May 31st, 2010 at 2:22 pm Bec(Quote)
I love Costco, i have been twice in the last month and am going again tonight. There are so many things that i have discovered since going to costco (Swiss Miss hot chocolate – i am addicited to these).
You do need to have a big car or more than one when you go as alot of the products are big that if you take anyone with you someone misses out in getting some of the items that they had wanted. The memebership is worth every cent.
May 31st, 2010 at 2:26 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I used my mum’s stationwagon for my first shop there (bought a lot of staples at once) but after that was just using my mini (car) or bike to cart stuff home.
I think it depends on how much self control you have
. I guess I was also just shopping for one.
June 6th, 2010 at 11:49 pm Pam(Quote)
I LOVE Costco. I head down about once a month and stock up on things.
Some folks reckon the $60 to join isn’t worth it but I can tell you I made that $60 back the first time I shopped there. I spend a lot but I also get a lot more.
I figure I save about $200 a month with Costco. I only buy a bit of fresh fruit and veg, milk and bread for the rest of the month. The Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate sachets are brilliant, I buy them for the girls at work and they go through them so fast…60 hot chocolates for $10….much better deal than heading out to the local coffee shop and paying $4 for one.
The other brilliant buy is the frozen fruit…1kg bags of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries and mixed berries for $5-7 dollars a kilo.
We live on the other side of town so make a day of it to go in and have some fun.
June 22nd, 2010 at 12:45 am Shaz(Quote)
I went for the first time on Sunday and not having read any reviews before hand I was expecting big savings. We waited cos we thought the first few months would be a nightmare, and reading the early reviews, it seems we were right.
I thought I was conservative trying to cost things out and rejecting quite a lot of things. For eg I thought 24.99 for 48 rolls of T paper a bit steep. I can get same amount of rolls for $20.00. Coffee was a good buy @ 2x400g Maccona 33.99 would be around $40 (not on special Coles/Safeway).
Fruit and veg not that cheap, I like to buy fresh not prepackaged. I found the meat to be competitive and bought at least a fortnights worth. I will make sure I leave feed back, as I was sure I’d be able to buy bread mix in bulk, but didn’t see any.
I was also surprised at the lack of stock, although maybe it was a bad day. In the end we spent over $400.00 and only on things we knew were cheaper.
Thanks for putting all the feedback on as it cleared up a few questions I had.
July 5th, 2010 at 11:57 pm johnd320(Quote)
We visited Costco Melbourne for the second time on Tuesday 29th June 2010. The first visit in March 2010 resulted in no purchases. Our impression was that the prices were similiar to what a good special at Coles, would be.
On the second visit we found that the frozen food category had some savings. We bought some one kilogram packs of frozen blueberries for $5.49 each.
When we saw the arrived at the registers a time was noted, due to the two hour car park limit. It took 32 minutes to get through the registers and out of the Costco car park. Most of this 32 minute delay was caused by the chaos in the Costco car park. At about 2.30pm there was only one of two exits operating. There was no sign indicating that anything was out of the ordinary.
In conclusion, we were not impressed.
July 6th, 2010 at 3:54 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
The carpark was still bonkers on a Tuesday?
Saturday and Sunday I can understand but late 2009 Costco was dead quiet during the week, let alone at 2:30pm on a Tuesday.
Business must have really picked up!
September 9th, 2010 at 10:39 pm Jaden(Quote)
Poor report!! man are u from china or something
November 11th, 2010 at 6:30 pm Dana(Quote)
I have been shopping at Costco in the US for around 20 years as I live there for 5 months every year. I cant wait for the Sydney store to open.
Usually I would never consider buying a generic brand but Kirkland is excellent quality. As for the prices they are quite similar to the ones in the US. Im a Costco addict and will be shopping in the Sydney store on a regular basis.
Until it does open we will be driving to Melbourne every few months while in Australia and stocking up. I buy things in the US stores and send them home when Im in LA. Devoted Costco shopper.
November 24th, 2010 at 6:31 pm Mike(Quote)
Hi,
Readers and fans of Costco in the Docklands might want to check out http://www.fairdinks.com.au They sell most items found at Costco on the website and deliver saving you those hellish carparks. Prices are about the same with a $20 fixed delivery for Melbourne.
Mike
November 25th, 2010 at 12:49 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Thanks for the heads up Mike. I was originally going to just flag this as spam but instead decided to do a writeup on Fairdinks.
Cheers.
December 27th, 2010 at 2:30 pm Deane(Quote)
I was wondering if Costco in Melbourne sells a lot of organic fruits and vegetables?
December 28th, 2010 at 2:35 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hi Deane,
I’m going off memory here but I don’t recall seeing organic options available when I was shopping there. If there are any organic vegies and fruits, or if Costco have introduced them since the range would be small I’d imagine as there’s not much demand for bulk organic fruit and veg.
January 26th, 2011 at 6:15 pm Victor C.Pankouken(Quote)
@Dana, November, 11th, 6.30pm:
Hi Dana,
Are you serious ? Where were you, when Mathematics was taught ? Or do you have an oilwell in your backyard in Sydney ? How can your shopping at Costco be profitable, when you travel every few months for ~1700km ? Or is your car solar powered ?
April 11th, 2011 at 7:41 pm Shru(Quote)
Hi there..I’m planning to be in Melbourne next month and am looking forward to shop at costco… I must say that u’ve done a brilliant job OZSOAPBOX..this blog is so very informative and I enjoyed reading each and evry post..
Just out of curiosity, is the waiting part at the queue any better now? Its been almost 2 years since it opened so I guess the excitement must have died down by now..or maybe not?
Also, how much is the membership? and do you have to renew it every year?
Thanks
April 12th, 2011 at 12:54 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Thanks for the kind words Shru, glad you enjoyed it.
I left Australia back in 2009, at that stage the queues were still buggered up on the weekends but fine during the week.
Having said that the weekend queues were nowhere near as bad as when Costco first opened.
$55 for businesses and $60 for the general public and yes you have to renew it annually.
Even as a single person though I was making this back easily within a year and then some (I cooked at home a lot).
April 22nd, 2011 at 7:56 pm jack2004(Quote)
does anyone know how much the Iams cat food is and how many kg’s is it….?
and what other brands do they have and how large are the bags and price thanks…?
April 22nd, 2011 at 11:48 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hey Jack,
I remember picking up a giant bag of whiskas (15kg I think?) and it set me back $30 something dollars.
Iams comes in a slightly smaller bag I think and will no doubt cost more.
Brandwise, there wasn’t much variety being Costco. I remember Whiskas and IAMs and possibly a third brand but that was it.
May 2nd, 2011 at 9:55 pm Margie(Quote)
Ordered my membership today for the new Costco Canberra store due to open in July.
Your posts have all been great reading, will be interesting to compare prices with Aldi and Campbells. I will be happy to get “Science Diet” for the dog at a cheaper rate too.
June 29th, 2011 at 6:59 pm lulu(Quote)
Has anyone ordered a cake from Costco?
Been happy with it?
Thanks!
http://www.costco.com.au/Warehouse/CakeOrders.shtml
June 30th, 2011 at 11:26 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Not personally, but if their cakes are as good as their muffins…
…damnit, now you’ve got me wanting a whole Costco cake for myself.
July 20th, 2011 at 12:23 pm Barb(Quote)
Hey ozsoapbox, loved your writeup of costco very funny!!! Costco opens up in Sydney tomorrow (Thurs 21st July) They’ve put an ad in the paper stating they will have special opening coupons. Did you get these in Melbourne?
Also, what products were they for? Am curious, as I would like to go to the opening but will have my 2 year old with me and don’t fancy queues, trolley wars or nutbags. Cheers B
July 21st, 2011 at 12:34 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Barb
Yeah we got the opening coupons when Costco opened in Melbourne too. Basically it’s about a half a4 sheet of discount coupons instore. About as close to instore specials as Costco gets.
From memory they were random things, I vaguely remember egg coupons being popular but forget exactly what the deal was (buy 1 get 1 free or something).
If your 2 year old is fiesty yeah, you might wanna stay away for a few weeks (or months lol).
August 26th, 2011 at 11:20 am m&m(Quote)
..hi guys! I just wonder if anyone who’d been there already noticed any Kirklands Suppliments/Vitamins? Thanks ozsoapbox and for all the other reviews especially to those who update pet food prices, really appreciate it.
October 8th, 2011 at 3:41 pm Bruce(Quote)
Does Costco in Sydney have Queen size memory foam Matresses Item # 565448
October 8th, 2011 at 5:21 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Bruce
Probably best to call them and find out if you’ve got an item number to go on.
November 16th, 2011 at 4:26 pm Anna(Quote)
Hi! Happened upon your Costco thread and wanted to share. The Kirkland brand Vodka (Costco’s brand) comes in a huge bottle for a great, low price. It’s GREY GOOSE Vodka, just labeled as Kirkland for Costco. I found out about two years ago at a friend’s home. The next time I was in Costco I asked the cashier and she didn’t know. She called over another cashier and that cashier confirmed it! Yes, their vodka “Kirkland” is bottled by Grey Goose. I was thrilled! As a huge fan of Grey Goose, I assure you it’s true. It tastes identical. I even did a side by side taste test and I sure couldn’t tell the difference…identical. You know what’s funny? Costco sells Grey Goose too, for about triple the price I think!
November 16th, 2011 at 4:29 pm Anna(Quote)
@M&M – I’ve shopped at Costco for years now (USA) and re: their pharmacy/vitamin section, I’ve been happy with every Kirkland brand item I’ve purchased from vitamins to pain relievers. If you aren’t happy with anything, even opened, they’ll take it back. They have a great return policy!
November 17th, 2011 at 8:50 pm m&m(Quote)
Thanks for the heads up Anna!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:09 pm mary(Quote)
Davepoole, what do you mean why Northern Suburb people in that paragraph? are we supposed to be incompetent in English or something?
June 3rd, 2012 at 3:42 am ausGeoff(Quote)
There was a less-than-complimentary report about the Docklands Costco in today’s Melbourne AGE. And yes Oz, you were right about there being no changing rooms for trying on clothes. Apparently you have to buy your duds, take ‘em to the dunny outside, try ‘em on, and if they don’t fit, return them for a refund and repeat the whole process. What a wank!
Also they won’t even let you into the store now to have a look around unless you pay your 60 bucks up front. Another wank. Costco alleges they’ve got 100,000 cardholders, which means they’ve ripped off a cool $6 million from the suckers before they even get through the fucking door!
And Coles and Woolies quote weekly customer visits in the millions, so I can’t see Costco making much of a dent in their duopoly.
And there pricing on a lot of gear just isn’t that fabulously low, but they rely on people not having any idea about “street” prices, and simply assuming (wrongly!) that Costco are automatically cheaper than anybody else.
Not exactly. A twin-lens Nikon D5100 camera kit is $900 at Costco and $944 at a Melbourne-based on-liner (with free delivery). Am I really gonna pay 60 bucks to “save” 44 bucks? Duh. (And yes, I’m a Nikon fanboy LOL.)
And seriously… who wants to buy 1½kg of peanut butter or 3 dozen bog rolls or 100kg of dog food? I couldn’t even lift the latter FFS.
June 3rd, 2012 at 12:31 pm Oz(Quote)
I still think Costco has it’s place. As for looking around inside it’s not hard to do some research online and get an idea of whether or not it’s for you.
Personally if I save enough bring on 100kg bags of dog food. With the amount Leela eats it’d only last a few months
. We keep her food in a big airtight bin so expiry isn’t an issue either.
I found Costco were pretty decent for big bags of salad (for work lunches, I made my own) and other non-perishable supplies. I don’t eat peanut butter but could definitely find a use for a 1.5kg jar of Nutella or some such.
At the end of the day there is a market for it. I was living by myself with the cat and managed to save money (initial car trip to stock up on bigger items and then a bicycle trip once a week) so I can see families getting their membership fee worth during the course of a year.
Of course it’s not going to be for everyone though as shopping habits vary as much as anything else. Here in Taiwan for example I’ve got no use for Costco (don’t even use my kitchen) so I let my membership lapse and haven’t looked back.
June 4th, 2012 at 8:38 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Oh my sainted aunt…
If I did, it’d put on at least 25kg if I just looked at it LOL. Nutella has some hidden addictive ingredient which isn’t disclosed on the label.