Costco Not So Much

Michael from Trentham

So Costco opened its doors in Auckland a few days ago and the huge store chain is expected to have a presence in Wellington in the near future. Could be allocated to the Hutt Valley.

KMart has its one and only store in the Wellington region (outside of Porirua) in Petone and in many ways is Costco without the general food.

I have visited Kmart three times in the five years its been open and in that time have purchased some dog treats made in Australia and a couple of leather belts.

Kmart has largely second rate stuff. And I believe Costco will be no different, food excluded.

Would I be attracted to a Costco to buy groceries even if it was sited in the Hutt Valley?

The short answer is not if what the food comparisons stay true to where they are right now.

Compared with PakNSave in Upper Hutt, Costco In Auckland comes off second best in almost every food price quoted.

The big savings was in mince beef and you need to buy in bulk at Costco otherwise PaknSave came out better or near enough in every commodity quoted.

So for a membership fee of $60 (is that per person or per household?) and travelling expenses on the assumption a Costco store will not be where I live, the local PaknSave together with the big stores like Briscoes (and its endless sales) and Mitre10 will hold my sway.