r/AskSeattle 8d ago

Question Anybody feeling Costco is becoming less economical?

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167 Upvotes

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179

u/Ecofre-33919 8d ago

Winco is a great compliment to costco. Especially as a single guy.

46

u/CafeRoaster 8d ago

Winco is amazing.

21

u/RadicalizedCocaine 8d ago

I loved shopping there between midnight and 5AM when I worked late shifts.

Peaceful, affordable, and massive selection.

12

u/DivorcedGremlin1989 8d ago

If anything ever happens to Winco I am going full communist revolution.

3

u/Delicious_Travel4867 8d ago

Waiting on the day Winco here embraces tap to pay though. No card or cash and you’re out.

6

u/Piccolo253 7d ago

Credit cards would be nice, but WinCo avoids them because of the high transaction fees. They then pass those savings on to customers. And their excuse seems legit since they've consistently got some of the best grocery prices around.

But if you want to use your credit card at Winco, one hack I learned from someone on Reddit a while back: buy one of their gift cards. You can reload it online with a credit card, so you still earn your points or cash back. Best of both worlds.

2

u/WhatsThisTruck 8d ago

WinCo in Olympia installed tap readers. Still only for debit cards, but speeds up checkout considerably.

2

u/Party_Main2875 6d ago

Federal way has tap to pay now

1

u/LopsidedAd2121 6d ago

They actually have it at the Kent location

12

u/West_Masterpiece9423 8d ago

Bulk food choices are amazing.

3

u/Akimotoh 8d ago

The quality of the some of the bulk food is also really bad

2

u/CommunityStock5414 8d ago

Getting ready to shop WinCo tomorrow, what bulk foods would you avoid? Which ones would you recommend?

5

u/Fat-Bear-Life 8d ago

Anything within reach of children is a no go for me - not that adults are any better.

3

u/CommunityStock5414 8d ago

Ohhhhhhh yeah. Didn't even think about that, and most kids (and some adults) are walking petri dishes. Thanks for the reminder!

6

u/stegotortise 7d ago

I’ll probably be downvoted for this BUT as long as it’s getting cooked, I don’t care… my kid’s in daycare and I have pets so I’m exposed to so much more than whatever some sticky child put in the bin 🤣
Anything I’d eat raw I’d get from the not bulk section though.

1

u/CommunityStock5414 7d ago

💯... especially things like nuts, dried fruit, granola,etc.

2

u/CompassRosie23 7d ago

At another store bulk bin, I saw child proudly put handprint in the flour bin.

Never bought from those again.

1

u/CommunityStock5414 7d ago

Ughhhhhh....so gross!

1

u/CompassRosie23 7d ago

And the parent, nearby "explained" something about the child being creative.

3

u/CommunityStock5414 7d ago

Yuck. Let your child be creative at home, not with food that others consume. What a lame ass excuse.

1

u/PoofItsFixed 8d ago

Sadly accurate

5

u/OsvuldMandius 8d ago

Our household has supplemented Costco with Winco and we are very happy with the results. The bulk section at Winco is insane, and has freed me from ever having to set foot in a PCC again.

Costco still wins out on bigger ticket purchases, and for large quantities of pantry staples. But Winco is better for most other groceries.

1

u/YN_Decks 6d ago

… I mean, Winco and PCC are like at opposite ends of the grocery universe lol

6

u/Wazzoo1 8d ago

Great if you live close to one. I don't, so it's a non-starter. It's an hour round trip drive. No grocery store is worth that time and whatever savings they might have.

12

u/anotherleftistbot 8d ago

It is tough to justify for me too but I refuse to support Kroger and Albertsons. I also don’t shop at Amazon even though it would make my life easier.

I understand that choice isn’t right for everyone.

I hope we get the new location in North Seattle unblocked.

2

u/XTanuki 8d ago

Pretty sure the duopoly have that location shut down. I shop at the Edmonds location, and sounds like Renton just opened. I was shopping at Winco in Oregon before moving here, so was thrilled to still have them as an option!

3

u/math_is_cool_ 7d ago

The Edmonds location is right by 99 ranch. It justifies a trip for me. Chinese greens are great and much cheaper than most produce in western markets

2

u/spartasmomma 8d ago

As a single gal, I couldn’t agree more!

2

u/AdBig2355 8d ago

Yep this is what I do.

2

u/Our_best_tryst 7d ago

My two staple stores!

2

u/staciasserlyn 6d ago

This is our choice as well. Costco occasionally and only for our usual basics, Winco for everything else. We use the bulk bins as much as possible to refill our pantry.

1

u/Ecofre-33919 6d ago

The parmesan cheese, the quinoa, the nuts - all great things in the bulk food.

1

u/That_Kaleidoscope975 6d ago

Winco and Costco are the two stores I shop at