With over two million members and 29 seats in the UK, Costco is often considered a destination for bulk purchases.

But with membership prices that will go up for weeks, their offers still save money? And is it still worth registering?

4

The American wholesale store chain has collected a cult that followed since it was first opened here in 1993.

But now The price of its annual membership will rise with up to 42 percent.

From March 1, the fee to register to Costco Will go from £ 28 to £ 35 for individual members.

We have examined the new membership terms as well as the price of top objects to see about its fees and bargain are valuable, like who gets their money worth and who is not.

4

4

4

What happens to membership fees?

Like the membership price increase, Adding an extra card holder On that policy will now cost £ 20 up from £ 14 – an increase of 42 percent.

Trade customers will pay £ 25 for membership from next month – up from £ 22 now.

Individual membership fees have VAT Added at checkout, which means that the total cost of annual Costco membership will be £ 42 – up from £ 33.60.

Buyers have to make sure their bulk purchases really save money

Richard PriceGrocery store

Business Customers will pay £ 30 including VAT – although companies may require this tax back on both membership and any purchases in the store.

There is one hedge To avoid the hike this year.

If you renew your membership before March 1, you will pay the current price and membership can be renewed up to 90 days before the end of your card.

Is Costco worth it?

Experts warn the new, more expensive, the cost of being Costco member will not be worth it to any.

“Buyers have to make sure their bulk purchases really save money,” says Richard Price, Food Expert and owner of the online supermarket, Briterstore.

“To make the individual annual membership of £ 35, a shopper should save at least £ 3 per month (or about 70p per week) compared to supermarket Prices.

“Those who regularly buy household essentials, cleaning deliveries and non-delicious foods In bulk is likely to see these savings quickly posted.

“But rare shoppers may discover that the membership fee is outweigrating the benefits.”

Budgeting Experts used to recommend smaller households that share the cost of a costco membership with a friend to lower the price while still favored by access to Bulk savings.

But in addition to the price increase, Costco has announced that new rules saying that shoppers can only add an extra “Gold Star card holder” if they are a partner or husband who lives in the same household.

So in order for each household to break evenly on the extra £ 7 added to membership, you must save at least £ 7 more per year compared to regularly Shopping at supermarket.

“If bulk toilet paper at Costco offers one savings per package of £ 3, would buy three packs per year motivate the extra cost,” adds Richard.

Bog Roll negotiation, or just Bog standard?

Here we compared the price of four popular objects that are often found in the shops’ baskets to take a snapshot of who comes out in top price.

Costco sold a 32 package Cushelle Loo Roll for £ 26.89, or 85p per roll – and there is a minimum purchase with two packs, so you would get an output of £ 53.78 for 64 Loo rolls.

But ASDA Sells Cushelle Loo Roll for £ 4.68 for six rolls, or 78p per roll – and its rolls contain an average of 252 sheets per roll, compared to Costco Packs 236 sheets.

And it is without taking into account the VAT and membership fee, which means that ASDA works cheaper.

If you are not careful about brands, it is worth looking at your own brand offers.

Online, Costco -shopers can buy a package with a huge 1,440 Kirkland Loo rolls of just 55p per roll -but the average British home would fight to find a place to hide over 1,000 toilet rolls!

Business or no business

How about other items? We looked at popular basket filler.

We found Costco, which sells 16 Activia 0% fat mixed fruit yogurt for £ 3.99 thanks to a special offer that runs on its warehouses.

But on the same day, ASDA sold an eight-pack of the same yogurt for £ 3.97.

This works on 25p per yogurt at Costco versus 50p on ASDA – but how much of a find that is of course depends on whether you need and can consume 16 perishable yogurt before the use of dates.

Costco sold a 3 kg box with Scott’s porridge oats for £ 4.39 but the same package is available from Big Foods for only £ 3.50.

If you don’t care about the brand, supermarkets are much cheaper. Tesco’s Pornid is £ 2.70 for 3 kg.

With prices that change daily and sometimes every hour thanks to dynamic pricing, find Best deal May be anything but simple.

It does not help that the articles are slightly different in size as well, so it is difficult to compare similar baskets.

And you have to make sure you will use the items before they perish or you have enough space to store them.

I am a bulk buy expert, here are my best tips

Hayley Merrick started bulk -buying toiletries when she realized how much she could save by filling in large quantities.

The 38-year-old from Staffordshire shared his best tips.

Think outside the box
She appreciates having saved hundreds – if not thousands of pounds – by purchasing Staple Bealy Products.

She explains: “My current moisturizer is an unmatched and unburned base cream in a 2.5 liter Jerry can.

“It’s been a while since I bought it when it lasts aged and when it ends I tend to shop to get the best offer.”

Think about your space
It can be difficult to buy bulk if you live in a smaller cushion – but not impossible.

Hayley says: “The only downside is storage space, but even though I often fill things for months or even years, I do not buy large objects in huge enough quantities for this to be a problem.

“I have different cabinets that I use – some in the kitchen, the bottom of the bathroom cabinet and in the spare room.

“I then tend to decant things like porridge oats in large glass storage jars.”

Start small
Do you want to give it once, but not sure where to start?

Hayley says: “Start with products that you love and need to be replaced frequently, such as shower gels, soaps and other consumables.

“Look online and find bulk agreements.

“Amazon usually has them, or if you want a change check out natural and organic skin care ingredients.

“They often have bulk base creams, shower gels and shampoos.”

So who really benefits?

But there are offers that can make it worth it for you.

Costco members always rave about their offers on gasoline – which can often be cheaper than local predictions – as well as clothing and technology.

Ashley Bailey, founder of AI Online Shopping Assistant, dig this business, is a Costco member.

He says: “Costco feels tailor -made against those who work in the food industry, who buy bulk and can claim VAT on the articles they buy.

“For a normal consumer, when you take in hiking costs and the cheaper or equivalent options online, it does not make sense.

“I have seen a good sale of products that Apple Airpods, Smartur and Vacuum at Costco, but the store is usually comparable to what you can find on EbayAmazon or other online dealers. “

The main rule to weigh up the pros and cons of Costco membership is to find out how often you visit the stores and your average savings.

When you visit a Costco store personally, it is so tempting to fill your trolley with exciting pieces and Bobs – but these can really add.

Calculate which items you can buy and see if you would receive an average savings of at least £ 7 per month to see if you can justify membership.

If not, it may be time to consider differing with the giant of the bulk purchase.

How do I go with Costco?

You must own or manage a VAT -registered business to join as a trading member.

For individual membership, you must work in (or have retired from) a profession such as accounting, teaching, chartered measurement or medicine.

Front line workers as NHS staffPolice and members of the armed forces may also have access to individual membership.

Some members of organizations such as the National Trust and AA say they have been able to access Costco membership through these systems as well.

A list of accepted jobs and qualifications is found at Costco website.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be sorted? Contact by emailing [email protected].

In addition, you can join our Sun money chatting and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories