When I heard CostCo had opened a few branches in the UK, I nearly lost it ! It brought back…read morememories of the USA .. Sweet sweet memories ! CostCo is a large retail store selling items mostly in bulk from toothpaste, drinks, crisp, cereal to singular items such as perfumes/colognes, clothes, TV, jewellery etc. If you want to waste money, go to CostCo! I went to the one in Derby and although it had many items and it was a reasonably humongous store, it's nothing compared to the USA especially the free samples! There is also a Pizza Parlour where one can have freshly made pizza made by CostCo staff. I've heard they're good but never tried any so when you do , let me know! There are too many good things to say about CostCo but that'll fill a few pages. However, the negative is that it's members only and one has to be one of the following as far as I can remember : Occupation: Bank/Finance Education Local government / police force / fire and rescue service Civil service / armed forces Post office Medical health service such as the NHS Airline Insurance Qualified as : Certified or chartered Accountant Doctors / opticians / dentist / pharmacist Chartered architect Chartered engineer / civil etc Chartered surveyor Individual membership costs around £30 including VAT whilst Trade costs £24 a year. The CostCo Gold card would be double the prices at a slight discount. Note: * Be wary of the VAT as it's not included in the prices however, the total sum is always summarised near the product. * The owner and primary user of the membership card can take two people in with them when shopping at a time. If it's children, they have to be under 16 and can go in as two pairs.

Costco is great, and Costco Derby is probably my favourite. It's got everything you would except…read morefrom a Costco but because it seems to get less busy, it's a much less stressful experience than say, Costco Glasgow! Don't forget your hot dog when you leave!

Large, warehouse-style buying in bulk shopping trips are de rigeur in suburban America, especially…read morewhen you have 5 children, like my mother. So Costco and Sam's Club (Costco's arch-rival in the US) shopping trips were a fond part of my childhood; mainly for the food samples and 10-packs of chocolate bars. Costco is the first of its type in Birmingham, if you disclude "cash and carry" stores, which are really another thing all together. It works like this, yo: You go into the store. You fill out a membership application. You can join (often for free) through an employer or union, or on your own. The annual fee is £25 for individuals, and slightly more for businesses. Then you grab an enormous trolley and start shopping. Costco carries an assortment of goods, ranging from electronics to lighting, tobacco to food to 125 paper plates for £2. I would imagine people with large familes could do their weekly shop in Costco, only getting a few miscellaneous items from a smaller shop. My husband and I typically buy things like wine, bread, washing up liquid, loo roll and kitchen roll from Costco. On these items, the prices tend to be very reasonable, and cheaper than buying individually in a grocery store. Bulk buying can go to a shopper's head, however. Who doesn't need a three-pack of curry seasoning?? So as a veteran bulk shopper, I encourage people to do their research, or at least have a think before you buy. If you need a lot of something, Costco is a no-brainer, especially if you can't find it cheaper locally. But not all products bought in bulk are more economical than their individual counterparts. Costco provides labels with price-per-unit and price-per-weight, which should be perused carefully. All the staff at Costco are very helpful, from the fresh deli and bakery counters to the checkouts. It's a really fun shopping experience -- much more enjoyable than getting one's ankles rammed by a hyper child wielding a trolley in Morrison's.

Costco is simply mahooosive!, Its basically a very large wholesale store that sells an enormous…read morerange of goods, from car tyres to TVs to bulk food items and drink cases. There is even a small cafe beyond the tills where you can get a coffee or a slice of pizza, a full pizza and lots of yummy 'american' treats when your shopping is done. It's especially good if you want to buy food and drink for a party or an event where you have a lot of guests. the cakes are huge and very good value, and the drink is cheaper than you'd find elsewhere. If you're lucky and go at the right time, they often have little taster counters set around the store where you can sample different products before you buy. It is a case of buying in bulk, and i understand that not everyone wants to buy a catering-sized jar of mayonnaise or 48 toilet rolls all at once! But if you can share with a friend then it is extremely good value for money. A warning about the prices though the main price you see on the labels doesn't include VAT, so make sure you check the price further down in smaller print, or you could be in for a shock at the checkout. But if you an exclusive business member like me you can claim back you VAT Expenses. and i also get a 2% return on all my spend annually. Yes you do have become a member before you can enter the store its £25 for the cheapest individual membership but a member is allowed to add a second person to their card for half price, so if you know someone who already has a card or can team up to join with a friend then it will work out cheaper. Great Tip is that as long as your a member they have record of all your purchases from the past 5 years. you can walk in with a product u brought years ago and get a full refund.

I think it's just fantastic that Milton Keynes has a Costco! I would never expect it in such a…read moretown. CostCo in England is one of the few places you can get many American foods which is great for a yank like myself while working overseas. On top of the American products, they naturally have many British products in bulk, as well Word on my street is they only sell to businesses in the UK so thank goodness for my American CostCo card, woohoo! They have the signature beef hot dog (American hot dogs are hard to find in the UK) for the super cheap price of just 1.50 pounds and it comes with a pop. Fantastic deal and reminded me of being at home.

I'm with Sarah S. on this one - most of the appeal of Costco to me is that IT FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN…read moreTELEPORTED HOME. That said, I also love looking around at Costco in the UK as people purchase flats of scones and gargantuan boxes of tea. There's a happy commentary about international relations in that visual, I think. Or maybe people the world over just like to shop. Whichever whatever. Prices are good, but not always a mega-deal (if you're a die-hard bargain shopper). However, there is a great range of American products, which end up being _much_ more affordable than purchasing them (plus shipping) on "US product" sites or special ordering them. Multi-pound tub of Red Vines? Yeah, I'm looking at you. To round out the experience I'd also like to note: hotdogs, like back in 'Murrica, are also 1.50. Slices of pizza (cheese, pepperoni, BBQ chicken) are 1.60 or so. Full pizzas also available for impromptu pizza parties (or, like, you and your bestie watching True Blood). To cater to British tastes the chicken caesar has been swapped out for jacket potatoes, but all else is in order. It's a great place to cheaply grab a bite of simple carbs and saturated fats. Yum dash oh. Beware weekends, and avoid Christmas times. Trust. Yelp note: note the opening hours: hours for those with "business" cards are different than for those, like lil' ol' me, with standard issue cards. Double-note: cash, no credit.

Whilst the sign says it's a cash and carry, don't worry it's open to everyone and so there is no…read moreneed to fret that you aren't a business owner. Based in an old Victorian building you enter through an old wooden gateway into what can only be described as a two bay parking space. To get into the shop you clamber a few high stone steps and traverse a rickety parquet floor that makes you sad it isn't fixed and set in place. You will be surrounded by old metal racking that is sadly not for sale and decommissioned shop fridges but when you finally get inside you'll be surrounded by an array of organised boxes of stock for a good rummage. From DIY necessities, kitchen equipment, a tupperware aisle, stationery and toys it at times is a time capsule of days gone by with the stock they have. Behind the counter are all the electrical goods and they even have a boxed walkmen. When bonfire night approaches this is the place to get your fireworks from. It's a bit of a treasure trove and I dar you to not buy at least one thing every time you visit. You'll discover all sorts of things you didn't know you needed in here.

Warley's is a bit of a crazy find. You have to walk through a haphazard parquet floored parking…read morearea just to get to the front door, and then once inside it is like a weird rabbit warren of amazing tat. That's not to say the stuff in here is junk - it's not - it's just you couldn't come here with a shopping list, you just have to trust they might have something you need and then wander. Things you can definitely rely on finding here: - Whitefurze storage containers in all sizes, and a range of other storage tubs and jars - GIANT (and I mean *massive*) pans and steel cooking implements - Clocks. Lots of clocks. And random picture frames all jumbled up in a giant cardboard box. - Walkman cassette players - still boxed. (!!!) - Household stuff - appliances (hairdryers, lamps etc.) and plug extension leads and laundry baskets and other miscellaneous domestic items. - Weird multipacks of stationery, like chalks and biros, and notepads and tape.