Name of market or shop: Costco

Location: 100 South Oak Way,Reading, RG2 6UE

Public transport/parking: Green Park bus, ample parking

Web site: http://www.costco.co.uk/Locations_home/locations/Reading/reading_x.html

Telephone number: 1189207105

Date of visit: 11 October 2009

Review:
Costco? Isn’t it just a cash and carry for members and businesses. Yip, is the answer.

They are a nationwide chain. You will need to be a business or someone who works for medical, local goverment etc to qualify. Check their web site for membership qualifications and locations.

Costco is very cheap – if you buy in bulk.They are especially good on beer and wines. For example, you can buy Krug champagne (you get change from £100 for a bottle)……and Asahi beer…. etc. I rate their booze division as one of the best around. Supermarkets are going down market all the time in order to keep prices low re wine – some of the Oz wines on sale are so immature and acid that they are great at curing athlete foot – wash your feet in it.

The food side majors at the convience end (£5 for a tray of pazza, enough to feed 10) but you can alsoget a kilo of organic carrots for £2 and 6 figs for £3.50. The meat counter is priced very cheaply – a whole fillet (steak) for £70 (weight dependent). They also have lots of deli meats and cheese but its bulk rather than taste.

The frozen food cabinets are full of convience food of the more interesting type – mainly deep and oven fried. For example, they do crab cakes and shoft shell crabs.

Nuts, crisps and chocolates all come by the kilo (or thereabout).

Besides all this, you can get domestic appliances, tyres, DVDs, clothes etc. There is even an optician!

Is it a good shopping expierence? No, it’s big, confusing with trollies left all over the place because it attracts that sort of customers but at the price they charge, its a small price to pay.

Note: they take only debit cards and you need to be a member – you can join and start shopping on the same day.

Eddie – eddie@bottlesandcooks.com