How is Costco in Rockaway?
How is the Costco in Rockaway?
I actually tried to take a look this afternoon, but the place was a zoo. Is it always this crowded on the weekends? How is it inside?
I am currently a member at Sams at the ITC and like it, but was thinking about possibly changing things up when my membership expires soon.
D-ManPV We belong to Costco and while it is a busy store..the times I've been there, they've had a lot of lines open and it moves pretty fast. I find the variety of what you can get there much better there than at Sam's. We currently have a Sam's membership but are not going to renew this year.
Bessie We have memberships at both Sam's and Costco. For me the Sam's was mostly for the photo printing but since I've moved to digital, I don't use it as much anymore. Sam's is convenient and has some nice stuff but overall, we use Costco way more.
Costco is always busy on the weekends but the lines move quickly because they'll actually open all of the registers. Sam's always has lines even when you have no more than 10 customers. They just don't open enough registers.
Costco has great steaks...some of the best that I've had. They even have prime grade for a very good price. Sam's steaks weren't that great IMO. Their "fresh" seafood used to be much better (when it was available only during major holidays.) We've noticed a fishy smell to it lately and are very weary. It's a shame because it was always good and well priced. The frozen seafood in the freezers is still pretty good.
Clothes-wise, I noticed that Sam's has more name brands (Polo, RL, etc.) Costco doesn't have as much as they used to.
Costco's warranty on electronics is waaaay better. They automatically add a 1 year warranty to stuff like PC's. laptops, TV's, etc. They have a very good 90 days-no questions asked return policy too.
Costco also has a gas station now and the prices are usually 10 to almost 20 cents cheaper than anyone else.
emaxxman 
Mommyof3 Love costco...pharmacy prices are veryow. Also seems like costco has lots of samples.
mammadone Costco is pretty good. Not a big fan of the Rockaway location though. Seems like they jammed it in a property that's too small. I prefer Edison (alcohol !) or Bridgewater. Both are convenient to work. I've had BJ's and Sam's memberships before. Costco is much better in my experience.
emaxx is right on about the steaks. They're very good at a fair price, and they're from the US. Stay away from the ground meat though as it can come from one or all of Brazil, Mexico, Canada, etc. No thank you.
MeisterNJ I like to call it "Hell on earth" lol. Kidding aside I would go during the week rather than the weekend to avoid the crowd. Unfortunately we only have time on the weekend to go.
The produce selection is better at Costco than Sams Club. We have a membership at Sams Club in case we need something quick and don't want to drive to Rockaway.
abaniall Costco will be opening a store down in Flemington near the Walmart and Lowe's. Might be a little more convenient for some of us than Rockaway. Unfortunately opening date isn't scheduled until early next year.
Chris H. Does Costco take coupons and debit cards yet? That was the main reason we chose a BJs membership as they took both.
3wbdwnj COSTCO, is much better than all & a better pharm. Sams wanted alot of money for my blood pressure meds, walgreens is the worst they wanted 67 dollars for 10 pills. I went to costco & got a month supply for 26 bucks, same manufacturer, same color, same everything. Boy, was I getting ROBBED at walgreens. The sad part is when I couldn't afford that price at walgreens I would do without. At COSTCO prices I'm on track & happy. Walgreens, Sams, Cvs, Shoprite, Rite Aide are all hoodwinking you !!!!
tangerine I am also a Costco member. You get great prices on salmon and halibut (halibut when available). The prices on the crab legs are terrific as well. And yes, the steaks and fillet's are great. I've bought eye glasses and sun glasses there as well. If you like Progresso Soups they always have a deal. Plus, their pizza at their cafe is really good. Good luck to you.
singlemaleinnj 
2 ClubsWe have tried Sams, BJ's and Costco over the last few years and prefer Costco by far. However we're currently Costco AND BJ's members. I think BJ's gets the nod over Costco for it's wider selection of baby items (Food, toys, diapers...etc) at least at the BJ's in Ledgewood. Ohh btw, is that BJ's always empty?? Every time I go in there it seems like a ghost town!!
Emaxxman was spot on with his Costco observations above. I'm a Costco junkie myself. Having visited multiple Costco locations over the years (Wharton, Wayne, East Hanover, Hazlet, Marlboro, Clifton, Edison and Bridgewater) I agree with MeisterNJ that Edison is the preferred location. Not only because of the alcohol selection but to me it seems like a bigger warehouse. I believe their Wharton warehouse is one of their older locations having been built in 1991.
Costco has the American Express rewards card that we do very well with. We put most of our expenses on the card throughout the year and watch the rewards add up.
Only complaint with Costco is I wish they would open earlier. Even just one day say 8AM so I can stop off on the way home from work in the morning after doing the regular grocery shopping across the street at Shoprite. However I agree I'm probably in the minority on that one.
Vic I go to BJ's on the weekends and it's not overly crowded but it certainly isn't empty. I really like them now that they carry so many organic and natural options. The were bought out by the parent company of Whole Foods and every time we go we go we find more and more organics. Love it.
jrsemom Also if you get gas at Costco in Wharton they will not take cash. It's AMEX or debit only.
I saw on the news one day that you could get prescriptions filled at COSTCO even if you are NOT a member!
AMY1 FWIW, the Wharton Costco garden center is open now for the last couple weeks. Was in there last week but didn't have the time to go out there and look around.
Anyone have any leads on a good place to buy those planter urns that most people place on either side of their front door? They look like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/1a/1aabd3eb-9be8-4c79-a23c-1c4e50d4fe88_400.jpg
Home Depot wants around $100 each for the ones I was looking at. A little too rich for my blood considering all they are is molded plastic!
I used to be a member of that Costco when I lived in Dover and it had great selections and prices. The lines can be nuts sometimes, especially since the average shopper there probably buys no less than $200 dollars worth of items and has a LOADED cart, but honestly the lines do move.
The worst part would obviously be if you want to grab something small and check out quick, it generally won't happen if you go anytime after work hours as everyone is there together. I wish they had a quick checkout line because sometimes I would go just for their awesome rotisserie chicken and get stuck in a long line.
Other than the line situation and horrid parking lot, it's a nice store.
MikeB 
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