CostcoBest buys and how membership works

Costco is a wholesale club: big packages, a low price per unit, and its own Kirkland Signature brand. The things people buy most here are vitamins and supplements (Kirkland, Nature Made), body care, razors, coffee, nuts and sweets, as well as basic clothing and seasonal items.

How it works: Costco is a closed club. You pay for a membership once a year and get a card; without it, you won't be let into the warehouse. The store is a big warehouse with tall racks, goods stand right on pallets, and clothing lies in stacks on tables. Prices are low thanks to big packages and a small markup, and the club earns money, among other things, from membership fees.

• There are permanent items that are always there, and temporary ones - they arrive in a batch, and when the batch runs out, they may not come back.
• Seasonality: themed items appear early, long before the holiday - for Halloween, Christmas, Independence Day on July 4. Each holiday has its own theme.

Photo: At Costco, clothing from well-known brands sits on tables, not on hangers.

I found a huge amount at Costco. When the store is selling off a collection, the price tag has a star: that means the item won't be restocked, and it gets marked down every day. That's how you can get a T-shirt or sweatshirt for $5, and a Hunter jacket for $5 too, and Levi's belts for $5, and Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirts. It all depends on the specific Costco and city - if you're hunting for the maximum discounts, check every store.

Photo: From my shopping trips at Costco: a Levi's belt for $5, a Calvin Klein sweatshirt and a Tommy Hilfiger top for $7 each.

Photo: Tommy Hilfiger on sale at Costco.

Costco is one of the most frequent stores in our shopping trips, with more than a hundred of them. Almost nine items out of ten in them cost $6-30. Most of what's in them is vitamins and supplements (Nature Made, Nature's Bounty) and brand-name clothing and shoes: for example, Ted Baker sneakers for $20 instead of $80, and a DKNY sweater went for $10 instead of $100.

Photo: Ted Baker sneakers for $20 instead of $80 - from our shopping trips