Costco madness: Some predict weekend will be bigger than opening day

The tills have hardly stopped ringing at Costco's first New Zealand store with some Kiwis spending thousands just on groceries during their first shop at the new megastore.

This weekend and the school holidays are expected to draw even bigger crowds than the ones on opening day.

Yesterday hundreds queued in the rain for more than two hours but there were still parking spots available at the 800-space carpark on the rooftop of the Gunton Drive, Westgate warehouse.

"The weekend will be hectic and next week is expected to be even busier with school holidays," one shopper said.

"I know of people who are holidaying in Auckland just so they can plan a visit to Costco."

This week shoppers shared their hauls on social media, adding to the excitement.

And those who camped overnight and queued to get through the doors made it worth the wait with receipts revealing plenty spent upward of $2000 on grocery items, bulk meat, and cleaning products alone.

The store also has aisles of homewares, Halloween and Christmas decorations, jewellery, coffins, appliances, and toiletries.

Costco fans had been holding out for the store to open on Wednesday to buy the supersized products, multi-packs, and specialty items the big-box retailer is famous for.

It's one of the only membership-only style retailers in New Zealand but the $60 annual membership has not put New Zealanders off.

In the past three days, thousands have walked through the doors of the 14,800 square metre warehouse ready to spend.

Illustration / Rod Emmerson

The membership fee includes an extra card for another householder and members are able to bring their children and up to two guests into the warehouse.

Only Costco members can purchase items.

So is the big hype around the American retailer worth it or will we end up throwing half the bulk-bought food out by the end of next week?

The Herald visited the store this week for a look at what was on offer and a price comparison shop of popular grocery items.

Here's what we found:

Cleaning products:

If you have the pantry, freezer and storage space - or a friend to split goods with - Costco has some great buys.

There is a wide variety of well-known cleaning products, laundry powder, and dishwashing tablets, and most were cheaper at Costco than at other retailers.

This week Costco had three four-kilo boxes of Persil Sensitive for $54.99.

Or, as shown on the price ticket, $4.48 per kilo. The same product is on sale for $6/kg at Countdown this week.

Finish Powerball dishwashing tablets were cheaper at Costco than at the competitors this week. Photo / NZ Herald

You could also pick up multi-packs of cleaning sprays.

A pack of four 500ml bottles of Ajax glass cleaner for $12.98 works out at $3.25 a bottle. The same product is $4.09 at New World.

Depending on your household circumstance and shopping habits the supersized products can be tricky to get your head around.

It's hard to justify spending $55 on six months worth of laundry powder for the many households living week to week - despite the sizable saving in the long run.

The other issue is often there is only one fragrance or product on offer - if lemon spray and wipe isn't your fave then the multi-buy deal might not appeal.

Pet food:

It's the same problem if cat food is on your shopping list. This week Whiskas wet food was on offer with 60 pouches priced at $49.99. But if your cat doesn't like the fishy flavour you are out of luck. The same item was $14 for 15 pouches on sale at Countdown.

Tins of Dine were also on offer but packs include two flavours. If your fussy feline loves lamb with gravy but isn't keen on tuna morsels you might have to find a friend with a fish-loving cat or stick to the supermarket range.

Because suppliers to Costco have to supersize their offering and redesign packaging to sit well on the pallet they often only offer one flavour or product from their range.

Snacks:

Giant bags of New Zealand-made Ruffles chips are only available in sour cream and chives, Pringles in multipacks but only in Masala flavour, and huge sharing bags of Doritos are only in cheese supreme.

Six-packs of Pringles are on offer for $14.98 - but only in Masala flavour. Photo / NZ Herald

If you can resist the temptation of having bulk snacks and treat-type food in your house you can save on biscuits, muesli bars and chips. Oreos, Tim Tams and Natures Valley bars were all cheaper at Costco.

Staples:

White sugar was $4.89 for a 3kg pack at Costco this week. This week Countdown had it on special for $4.90 - down $3.60 from its usual price of $8.50.

A tray of 12 cans of Mutti peeled tomatoes was $17.99 or $1.49 a can compared to $2.79 at New World.

Fresh produce:

Fresh fruit and vegetables on offer at the superstore was around the same price as elsewhere with a 1kg box of gourmet tomatoes $19.99 and a bunch of bananas priced at $2.99.

Big 800g bags of fresh green beans were $14.98 which is $2 cheaper than 800g at New World and a four pack of Cos lettuce was $5.99.

Meat and Seafood:

Meat, chicken and seafood were also available in bulk packs with 1.5kg packs of top quality Black Angus steaks for around $50 and large lamb packs for $164 - or around $19 a kg.

A large pack of six cage-free chicken breasts was $19.99.

Boxes of the American snack Goldfish were a popular trolley item in the opening week. Photo / NZ Herald

Kirkland-brand rotisserie chickens at $7.99 are a big drawcard to get people in the door and sold out numerous times this week.

The big ovens can cook 32 chickens at a time so are constantly being restocked.

The seafood section is well stocked with lobsters, crab legs, octopus and New Zealand wild-caught paua - an unusual find in a supermarket chiller.

A four pack of the delicacy is $119 - or $89.99 a kg - the same price as specialty online prices.

Freezer snacks:

There is also a vast range of freezer snacks such as curry puffs, corn fritters, samosas, chicken tenders, cauliflower bites and prawn dumplings.

The bulk-sized offerings are a lot less expensive than the usual supermarket packs.

A 30-piece 1.2kg box of King of King's curry puffs was $21.99 - or $3.66 for 200 grams.

A similar style curry puff currently retails for $8 for a 200-gram pack.

Curry Puffs worked out at $3.66 for 200 grams compared to $8 at Countdown. Photo / NZ Herald

Bakery items are also well-priced but big bags of hot dogs and dinner rolls may not suit all families - unless there is plenty of space in the freezer.

If you need a bit of energy for your next Costco shop, a 24-can box of V energy drink will set you back $31.99 - or around $1.30 a can.

Costco will change the way we shop

Auckland woman Michelle Johnson spent $2300 on two trolley-loads of groceries this week but said it will save her money in the long run and keep her out of the supermarkets until her next big shop in a month.

She has a large family with her husband, three older kids, three under 12, and a grand-daughter.

She said Costco will give Kiwis the opportunity to change the way we shop and move from a week-to-week style of buying.

"It was my first time in a Costco so it was amazing but overwhelming," Johnson said.

"I had watched YouTube videos and researched what to expect so I was well prepared and I stuck to a list."

Johnson drove from her farm an hour and a half from Auckland for the big shop which included cleaning products, lunchbox snacks, and meat.

"I got home and split the meat up into meals - $135 lamb pack broke down into seven meals for my family of five so I was pretty happy with that.

"I vacuum-packed all of the meat and put it in the freezer."

Michelle Johnson spent $2300 and filled two trolleys on her first visit to Costco NZ. Photo / Supplied

Johnson said she had enough food to last a month.

"Now I have been there and know what to expect, my next shop will be more organised."

Johnson has a large storage area so said bulk buying always appealed. She had the area rat- and mouse-proofed and her children could not access the school-lunch snacks until they were in the house.

"It works for us because we have the freezer and storage space, but it might not work for all families."

Shopping tips from Costco fan Sam Ey

For those on a budget head to the back for the staples, dairy, kitchen/bathroom supplies, produce, and bakery.

The aisles have some awesome household products, at substantially cheaper prices than seen at competitors, but tread carefully if you are trying to minimise spending.

Maximise bang for your buck, start a co-op with your local neighbours, family and friends.
Split the items, especially the massive meat packages, to truly save some big dollars.

Per unit, per item, Costco's value cannot be beaten, however many will struggle with the size and/or quantity in which certain items are sold in the warehouse.

Besides the bulk purchasing of food, cleaning products etc, there are plenty of items you can purchase in a single pack.

Electronics, clothing, accessories, kitchen products, household items etc can all be purchased as single items.

Ensure you are subscribed at the membership desk to receive the fortnightly coupons for discounts on items available in the warehouse, as well as promos for the services available such as Optical and Hearing etc.

Costco isn't for everyone so remember there is a money-back guarantee on any product, as well as on the membership itself.