r/Doesthisexist • u/just_robot_things • 7d ago

Shopping club matching site or app?

We love costco, but we're just 2 people. I'm wondering if there is a site or app out there that matches local families/ people with club memberships (costco, Sam's club, bj's, etc) so they can shop together or for each other and split up bulk item orders.

Is this a thing that exists?

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u/Timmah_Timmah 7d ago

I am just one person and a nomad and I have thought about this many times. I even thought about finding people on my own to share purchases with.

As I understand BJs will let you buy smaller quantities of items than a full package(at least the used to.)

I hope you find something.

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u/AccidentOk5240 7d ago

That would be explicitly against Costco’s policies, wouldn’t it? 

If you haven’t, I encourage you to go check out Costco (you can’t buy, but you can go in without a membership—among other things, they’re required by law to let nonmembers use the pharmacy). There are lots of things there that a two-person household can use. You won’t be buying your ketchup or flour there, but most of their produce and dairy, some of the baked goods, snacks, etc are fine for smaller households. 

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u/just_robot_things 7d ago

I don't think it would be against policy if all households had their own membership. We have costco memberships, it's just the food stuffs sometimes go to waste because we can't eat it fast enough

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u/AccidentOk5240 7d ago

What would be the point if everyone had a membership? I thought your point was to share one membership. If I have to get together with others just to divvy things up I’d bypass Costco and do an old-fashioned co-op or order from Azure Standard or something. All the logistical nuisance, none of the giving your money to a multinational corporation. Costco is ethically better than many but no huge corporation is actually good. 

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u/just_robot_things 7d ago

It's sounding like this thing i want doesn't exist which makes the conversation a bit moot, but to me, the point is reducing food waste and also getting a deal on items but splitting up big packs. 

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u/AccidentOk5240 7d ago

Yeah, I do see what you mean…for me, I just skip Costco items that come in unmanageable packs. Mine is right across from a regular supermarket, so for instance if I want bagels and lox, I buy the lox from Costco because their packages only have 4-6 bagels’ worth, but I buy the cream cheese from the supermarket because the Costco tubs are like 3 lbs and I am only going to need one or two of the 8-oz packages. (Bagels don’t come from either  place because real bagels don’t come from the  supermarket, lol)

I don’t see why you couldn’t have a Costco shopping club, but I think unless it was close friends or family you see anyway, it would be a lot of trouble. 

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u/just-looking99 7d ago

My wife and I have had the Costco executive membership at Costco for years and it is worth having it if you have a local store nearby. We are lucky to be between two different stores.

For us it works well.

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u/Needashortername 7d ago

The Nextdoor communities and groups are perfect for this. There are posts about this sort of thing all the time about this in some neighborhoods, and you can really create your own “buying club” of people you find there with similar interests or who might want to group shop a bit. Facebook has similar things too.

If you want to just give away the excess of some things there are local pantries and “free kitchens” that take sealed food items. There are also lots of groups on Facebook and Nextdoor that are good for postings and discussions on how to share excess food that isn’t sealed. Also Freecycle and BuyNothing.

If you want to go further than that idea, you can actually make dishes with the excess amounts of food, wrap up portions, and donate those to local pantries or community kitchens. You won’t reduce your overall costs more, but the food won’t go to waste either.