I shopped at Costco for the first time ever but I found one major issue

Costco is a place I never thought I'd go - and not through lack of wanting. But the membership-only warehouse is welcoming only to those with certain professions, and sadly, the reporter does not make the list.

However, when my brother — who works in education — announced that he had secured himself an enviable Costco card, I immediately requested to accompany him to the store. Each member is allowed up to two guests with them at any one time, and I was happy to take my place as such.

Stepping into the shop in Nechells, Birmingham, is like stepping into America, where the chain originates. Everything is bigger - much bigger - than your average supermarket and buying in bulk is the main appeal.

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But despite the allure of this, as a person who lives alone, I felt unable to indulge in all of the treats I wanted to. These include a pack of six huge red velvet cupcakes for £6.99.

There was no way I could eat them all before they went off without making myself rather ill. And this went for other stables, too, like tortilla wraps and bread rolls.

Unless you have a huge freezer, it is not necessarily worth buying the huge packs. The cleaning products were not a major issue, however.

Many of these are easy to store, so I stocked up on almost 150 dishwasher tablets to see me through the vast majority of 2025. It would be easy to get sucked into the idea that everything is cheaper as it is in bulk, but this is only the case if you are absolutely sure you will use all the items or be able to store them safely.

I did, however, enjoy a variety of samples, including rum and blackberries, which made for an interesting mid-morning snack. Costco lived up to my expectations, but I'm not sure I will hurry back to the aisles again unless I decide to invite 30 people over to help me eat my purchases.