Is a BJ's or Costco membership worth it if you live alone and don't own a car?

Question

I live in NYC and live alone. There's BJ's the just opened up that's a 15 min walk from where I live. And there is a Costco that's not too far either, but need to take the subway to get there. I've been wondering if it's worth joining BJ's or Costco. Was thinking of joining BJ's since there's one that is walking distance. But I don't own a car so it's not like I can buy a lot at once and fill up my car. And since I live alone, I'm not sure if I even need to buy THAT many items in bulk.

So what you do you guys think? Is a BJ's or Costco membership still worth it even if I live alone and don't own a car?

CB · Accepted Answer

I don't think it would be worth it, if you buy food items on sale they are often cheaper and 50-55 usd for membership would need to equate to a lot of savings. What I would recommend is to go through the stores and see if they have items you buy (and want in bulk) and compare the prices to your local store - sale prices. See if it would work out to your favor in a years time. 
I believe you can shop at BJs without a card and just pay 5% more (at least that used to be there policy).

kswck2 · Answer

I gather you did not see the run on TP or paper towels when COVID hit. People were buying 500 rolls at a time.

Anonymous · Answer

I have no clue if it's worth it for you because I have no clue what things you buy and what services you consume.

Here are some things to consider:

Costco offers home delivery (at least in my neck of the woods...not sure about you there in rural NYC...lol).

Costco offers lots of discounts on services...everything from merchant credit card processing to appliances to window covering installation.   Do you own a home or business?

Costco has really good deals on physically small items but that might be expensive such as jewelry, watches, hand-held electronics, medicine, glasses/contacts, alcohol/tobacco, clothing/coats,etc.

Costco sells discounted gift cards/tickets for things like restaurants, local attractions, movie theaters, etc.

I'm probably forgetting a lot of stuff, but the point is Costco ain't just about the 30 rolls of TP.

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Is a BJ's or Costco membership worth it if you live alone and don't own a car?

3 Answers