Costco Perth: The Parent's Guide

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July 2020

Plenty of bulk buys for parents at Costco

Have you been to Costco yet? This wholesale warehouse has been open in Perth since March, and if you are not familiar with the place, it sells items in bulk, along with somewhat random items you won’t find anywhere else in the city.



I love Costco. As a frequent visitor to Victoria (pre-COVID times of course) I have visited a couple of the Melbourne stores and vowed to join up as a member if it ever came to Perth.

Join? Yep. To shop at Costco, you have to be a member. An annual Gold Star membership for the general public is $60, and memberships for businesses are $55. It’s not really a lot at only $5 a month, and you will make that up in savings IF you can make Costco work for you.



How does it work?

Costco charges shoppers the membership fee as a way to offset some of its operating costs. This means they can price their merchandise lower, so you save more money.

Plus, Costco is all about buying in bulk and selling in bulk. Buy up and pay a lower unit price - simple! You really do, however, have to know your unit price of any item to know if it is any cheaper than the supermarkets, especially when the supermarkets have half price specials. For example, Costco sell huge boxes of Huggies nappies but it is always handy to know the cost per nappy and compare to what you would pay at the supermarkets when they have their specials on.

All members are provided with a membership card, which you need to enter, and will need to show it at the checkout and use it to buy petrol.



The advantage of Costco however, is not having to wait for the specials at the supermarket - the price at Costco is fixed and they even have their own specials from time to time - known as rebates - so you might get some items for even cheaper!

The things that I have noticed that are generally cheaper than the supermarkets (unless they have a fantastic special on) are meat, snack foods such as muesli bars, some fruits and vegetables, Milo, Pantene shampoo and conditioner and spices.



What do they stock for parents?

Lots of stuff! They sell nappies, wipes, swim nappies, kids’ snacks, kids’ drink bottles, toys, books, clothing, undies, cakes - great for birthdays and parties - plus fruits and veggies, frozen goods, dairy, bulk cuts of meat, bulk tinned goods, toiletries and so much more! They even sell playgrounds!

It is worth noting, however, that Costco stocks only a very limited range of items. For example, I’ve only ever seen two brands of baby wipes, two types of tinned tuna, two types of sliced bread….so if you like the variety of the supermarkets, Costco may not be for you. Also, if you only need a little bit of one particular ingredient for a meal, get it from the supermarket. You don’t want to get left with 525g of Moroccan seasoning you might never use again.

I have found that I can’t get everything I need or want at Costco, so I still have to go to the supermarket each week. Shopping at Costco, however, has helped lower my grocery bill each week because I buy in bulk what I can and that means less trips to the supermarket and less money spend on the rest of my shopping.



Top tips for shopping at Costco


Costco is located next to the Perth DFO at the Domestic Airport Terminal 3 and 4. My biggest piece of advice is to give it a go - it might just change the way you shop!

Costco Perth

WHERE: Domestic Airport Terminal 3 and 4, Dunreath Drive, Perth Airport

WHEN: Weekdays 10am to 8:30pm, Saturdays 9:30am to 6:30pm, Sunday 10am to 6pm

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#parents

[INTRO Costco is all about bulk buying and saving money!]

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