This Opinion article is part of a Narcity content series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Costco is known for oversized items with prices that are cheaper than grocery stores in Canada.
But when I shop at the wholesaler, there are products I won't buy even if the Costco items are cheaper and I have to pay more to get them at grocery stores.
I don't like shopping at Costco for a bunch of reasons including the oversized products, the vastness of warehouses, the other shoppers, and more.
While there are Costco products I'll always buy at the wholesaler instead of grocery stores, there are also a few items I don't buy at Costco.
Let's get into it!
Tomatoes
Packs of tomatoes at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
You'll never see me putting tomatoes, or really any fresh vegetables and fruits, into my cart at Costco.
But it's not because I don't like tomatoes or don't know what to cook with them. I definitely like tomatoes and know a bunch of recipes that include tomatoes — I'm Italian, after all.
It's because the product is just too big.
These on-the-vine tomatoes are available in a three-pound pack for $6.99.
With most fresh vegetables and fruits I come across at Costco, they're so oversized that I wouldn't be able to use them before they get mouldy or start breaking down in the fridge.
So, I'd rather get a smaller size at a grocery store even if it's more expensive because I won't end up having to throw it out.
Cheese
Balderson and Bellavitano cheeses at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
Costco has a lot of variety when it comes to cheese which is a plus if you're making a charcuterie board.
But when you're buying for just one person, it's not really worth it to get a huge one-kilogram or even two-kilogram chunk of cheese.
That's why cheese is a product I avoid when shopping at Costco.
Laundry detergent
Tide laundry detergent at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
You might get your laundry detergent at Costco because it's cheaper and you get more bang for your buck because the product is bigger.
But I'd rather get laundry detergent at the grocery store.
Whether it's Tide that's $29.99 for a 4.82-litre bottle or Kirkland Signature that's $18.99 for a 5.73-litre bottle, I won't add it to my shopping cart.
Partly because it's difficult to get into the cart — I don't have much arm strength — and partly because I just don't go through that much detergent to make it worth it.
Water
Cases of San Pellegrino water at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
These San Pellegrino carbonated water cases have 15 bottles that are each 750 millilitres.
Despite the price breaking down to just $0.22 per 100 millilitres, I won't buy this item.
The same goes for other cases of water that are available at the wholesaler.
I don't want to be lugging it around a massive Costco warehouse or have it in the shopping cart making it more difficult to push.
So, I'd rather get a smaller case at the grocery store or even get a Brita or Kirkland Signature water pitcher at Costco and use that instead.
Hazelnut spread
Packs of Costco's Kirkland hazelnut spread.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
Kirkland hazelnut spread is always a no-go for me.
If I can't find the name-brand item at Costco, I'll gladly pay more for one jar of Nutella at a grocery store instead of two jars of Costco Kirkland hazelnut spread.
That's because the Kirkland item doesn't taste better for cheaper so there's no real reason for me not to pay more for Nutella.
Honey
Bottles of Kirkland honey at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
You've probably seen those bear-shaped bottles of Kirkland honey at Costco.
Earlier in the year, I compared this to name-brand honey from the grocery store and thought the Kirkland product tasted similar.
Since it was cheaper and you get more bang for your buck (just $0.88 per 100 grams!), it got my pick as being the better choice.
But I'd still rather get honey at the grocery store because I don't like honey and I can get a small bottle for whatever I need instead of a pack of three big bottles at Costco.
Peanut butter
Kraft peanut butter at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
You can get a two-kilogram jar of Kraft peanut butter at Costco for $10.49, which is cheaper than most grocery stores.
But I don't buy it when I shop at the wholesale retailer unless I'm baking a dessert or snack that needs a lot of peanut butter.
It's another example of how even though it's cheaper and you get more, I'd rather buy it at the grocery store because it's an amount I'll actually use.
Otherwise, that two-kilogram jar would just sit half-empty in my pantry for months.
Cereal
Boxes of Frosted Flakes cereal at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
Most boxes of cereal at Costco, like this 1.41-kilogram box of Frosted Flakes that costs $9.79, are oversized and basically two regular boxes in one.
You'd probably have to eat cereal multiple times a day to get through a big box like this before it goes stale.
Once I bought a jumbo box of Tim Hortons Apple Fritter cereal and I thought it was tasty but I still couldn't manage to finish the entire box.
I only got through one of the bags in the jumbo box.
So, it's a waste of money in my opinion.
Olive oil
Costco's Kirkland extra virgin olive oil.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
Olive oil can be pretty expensive these days whether you're shopping at a grocery store or a discount retailer like Costco.
Costco Kirkland olive oil isn't on my shopping list even though I use olive oil often when cooking.
It just doesn't have a great taste, in my opinion.
If I find a well-known brand of olive oil at a cheaper price, that's when I would get it at Costco rather than a grocery store.
But the only olive oil that I consistently find at Costco is the Kirkland Signature olive oil so it's a no-go.
Ibuprofen
Kirkland Signature ibuprofen at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
Costco has both name-brand and generic versions of over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen.
I never take the Kirkland ibuprofen off the shelf and put it into my cart even though it's much cheaper.
Maybe I've been brainwashed by marketing to get a name brand over a generic version of the drug but I'd still prefer Advil over Kirkland Signature ibuprofen.
Shampoo
Dove shampoo at Costco.
Lisa Belmonte | Narcity
When I think of Costco, hair care and beauty products just don't fit.
So, that's why I always get shampoo — along with conditioner, body wash, face wash and other items — from the health and beauty aisle at the grocery store.
You might think I'm wasting money since the products are bulk-sized at Costco and it's cheaper when you break down the price by how much you get.
But I'd still rather pay just over $5 for shampoo (a little more than $10 with conditioner too) at the grocery store than almost $10 for it (or almost $20 for both shampoo and conditioner) at Costco even if I get less product.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
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