A lot of Philadelphia residents frequent the Costco in Delaware, which is located about 40 minutes south of downtown Philadelphia. The reason for this is simple economics; for unlike Philadelphia, which has a 7 percent sales tax, all sales in Delaware are tax free. So if you purchase an expensive piece of electronics, such as a HD television set worth 3,000 dollars, you can save 210 dollars instantly, and that is not counting Costco’s already low prices to begin with. Considering this crappy economy we are in, that is quite a substantial saving!
To get maximum savings out of your Costco visit, line up all your friends and family members and go as a group. When you go by yourself, you are restricted to small sales because you will be hesitant to buy large quantities of perishable items such as meat, fruits, or vegetables. But go as a group, and you can buy in large quantities and split amongst yourself when you get home; not to mention you will have more people to help carry the bags, split the cost of gas, and keep you company on the road. And don't forget to check www.costco.com before you go for last minute discount coupons and vouchers.
If you do decide to go alone, you can still have a great time without spending a lot of money. When in Costco, make sure you take part in the sacred Costco ritual – otherwise known as the “how many free samples can you eat” contest. Go from aisle to aisle, and try as many samples as you can. Not only do the samples change from day to day, they even change from hour to hour; with some samples only lasting for minutes before they ran out. Today I managed to sample 7 items; salmon spread, sweet and sour chicken, seafood pasta, honey cured ham, garlic and herb cheese, freeze dried mango slices, and strawberry cake. The cheese, salmon spread and ham makes for a great appetizer platter, the pasta and chicken can be the entrée, throw in the cake as desert, and all that is lacking from the table today is a glass of wine!
In the end, I spent 425 dollars today, and saved about 30 dollars in tax. Cost of driving to Costco is about 7 dollars in gas, for a net saving of 23 dollars. Not exactly enough to retire upon, but still better than nothing.
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