How Costco Runs & Bulk Buying Could Be Killing Your Budget
It's no secret. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE big bulk stores like Costco. I love the brands. I love the price tags. I love that I can get virtually everything there. But I'll tell you something that you might not want to hear (cringe). They are masters at getting you to spend more money than you want—every single time. Think back. When was the last time you came out of Costco on budget or under? Ummmm... that's right.... never!!! Let me explain why they are the geniuses of the up-sell and why you are actually spending more money when you think you are saving.
Costco are experts in advertising. How often do you ever get out of that store staying on budget? The products are so damn good. Price/lb or price/unit seems too good to be true on certain items. Their displays and samples are specifically designed to get you to throw things in the cart. This is where they get you. You THINK you are saving in one area, so you have the extra cash to spend it in another—the old bait and switch. "OMG... I just saved like $5.00 on this 10-pack of chicken breasts... oh honey, look! They have swing sets!" Sound familiar yet? No?... Let me go on. Even if you get the majority of stuff here, you are still probably making another grocery run to a smaller grocery store anyway, which in turn costs you more time, energy, and money. And even after you pick up your jaw after the cashier rings you through at checkout, you don't feel so bad because you tell yourself that you are getting a $2 hotdog for lunch... so it all balances out in the end.... right?
Most families don't need to buy bulk-sized anything. Too often, we get sucked in often by the illusion of the “price/unit”, because on paper, it seems like the perfect budget-saving tactic. But, the average family of four rarely gets through the massive bulk food item before it expires. These bulk items often take up a tonne of room in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, which in itself can cause you major issues. Crammed spaces will cause food to get shoved in the back, only to get forgotten about and expire, where you will most likely have to throw in the garbage or you end up buying duplicates because you didn't see them before your next grocery haul.
Back-stock is not necessary!!! Repeat after me: I DO NOT NEED TO CARRY BACK-STOCK. With the exception of those that live out of the city…I see all ya small town peeps! Even, during the worst of the Covid lockdown, items were still readily available and could be bought on a weekly basis. Heck, you could buy most of it on Amazon, and it would be on your doorstep within a few days. Why are we always buying like it's the apocalypse? Why do we have storage closets, extra freezers, and garages stocked like we are preparing to stay in an atom bomb bunker for months on end? Why are we buying double or triple the amount that we need at one time? There's a lot to unpack here. It could be financial trauma, habit, how you were brought up, or just the shot of dopamine we get when we buy something that feels good for the short term. (We'll chat about this heavy stuff in another blog).
Sure, you can also think that buying in bulk actually makes your pantry look aesthetically gorgeous and makes you want to snack on the right kind of foods. But decanting is not always a good thing either. Sure. You see these pretty pantries on Instagram, and home organization shows, with their beautiful clear cans and bins of food, symmetrically spaced out and perfectly labeled, but that's not reality. The truth is, though these spaces do look amazing, decanting only really works well if a) you only use it for food items that are used regularly and don't go bad, and b) if you have a walk-in pantry vs. a cabinet pantry. You'd be surprised how much food goes stale and needs to get tossed if you take everything out of their original containers, especially those that have been stuffed in the back of the top shelf that only sees daylight once a year. And let's face it... most of the time, your food doesn't always fit, and you end up having two sets of the same food stored somewhere anyway, ultimately defeating the purpose and forgotten about.
I had to finally admit to myself that Costco is a trigger store for me. It was never a place that I could confidently walk into and come out staying on a monthly food budget, which is incredibly important to me. This doesn't mean that I don't ever go there. I just don't go there on a regular basis anymore because after honestly checking in with myself and my family's eating habits, it just wasn't necessary for me to go there. It actually cost me more time, money, and energy than I care to expend. Even now, I opt to use their Instacart option that delivers right to my door so I'm not tempted to spend on crap we don't need.
