Costco is a mecca for bulk buyers. The warehouse behemoth is packed with value across groceries, household items and health and beauty supplies — if you don’t mind purchasing in large volumes.
I pick up my ground beef there for roughly half the cost I’d pay at neighborhood supermarkets — I just buy it in 6-pound increments. It’s simple to divide into freezer bags and appreciate having a bargain supply on hand.
What’s the catch? To shop at Costco you need a membership, and a standard Costco Gold Star membership runs $60 per year. That’s a reasonable fee for twelve months of savings. (I probably recoup that on ground beef alone. Don’t judge.)
But thanks to LivingSocial and Groupon, you can score your membership plus about $145 in complimentary items and discounts.
Is This Actually a Bargain?
You’ve likely seen promotional bundles aimed at selling memberships before, and sometimes they’re not worth the hype. At Savinly, we only spotlight deals we think are solid, but I’ll let you decide. Here’s what the package includes:
For $60 you receive:
- A one-year Costco Gold Star membership with two cards (one for the primary member and one additional household member).
- A $20 Costco cash card — free spending power!
- Coupons for Kirkland Signature products: a free 72-count pack of Kirkland Signature AA batteries (valued at $19.99) and a free variety 4-pack of Kirkland Signature disinfecting wipes (valued at $9.99).
- $10 off a meat purchase, including beef, chicken, pork or fish (deli items excluded).
- $25 off an order of $250 or more on Costco.com.
Bear in mind coupon item values might differ depending on your local Costco.
So even if you don’t use the online coupon, you still walk away with a fresh membership plus about $60 in merchandise and store credit. Not bad, in my opinion.
Plus, you can sample roughly 25 different items while shopping. On a recent run, Costco was handing out bacon samples. Bacon!
What’s the Downside?
Of course, no promotion is flawless. (And yes, I said “of course.”)
Costco won’t deliver the coupons and gift cards instantly via email or other quick methods. After you redeem your voucher online, the warehouse club will mail your goodies, which can take up to six weeks.
It appears Costco designed this deal to attract new shoppers or to win back customers who might have lapsed recently. So, it isn’t geared toward everyone.
The fine print notes that you may not participate if you are a current member seeking renewal or if your membership expired after Feb. 1, 2018. In short, it’s not intended for current members or those with only slightly lapsed memberships — it’s aimed at people considering joining.
However, if you’ve never had a Costco membership and have been debating it, or if your membership expired more than four months ago and you’ve been thinking of rejoining, this offer could be worth your attention.
Groupon and LivingSocial don’t list an explicit expiration date for the deal — but the promotion value expires Sept. 29, 2018 — so we recommend acting sooner rather than later.
Now go snag the deal — there’s a 3-pound box of Cheez-It Cheddar Crackers with your name on it!
Evan Mercer is a senior writer at Savinly who enjoys sunshine and finding practical ways to help readers save. Catch him on Twitter at @EvanMerc.
