Things to buy at Costco

I have been known to shop at Costco, perhaps my favorite of the big box warehouse stores, because you never know what you're going to find. And if you need stuff like kitty litter and paper towels, and have room to store it, buying it in bulk there seems smart.

Recently my opthamologist told me to go there for some eye glasses, and I did and was pleased with the service. CBS MoneyWatch mentions glasses and other things in a list of things to buy there.

Eyeglasses
One-stop shopping at low prices has endeared Costco Optical to tens of thousands of vision-challenged shoppers. For $49, a licensed optician will perform a vision and eye health exam in an in-store exam room. A week later, you can pick up your specs. In a survey released this month by Consumer Reports, 30,000 lens-wearers chose Costco as their favorite optical retailer over vision store chains, independent optical shops, and private doctors' offices. Costco Optical earned the highest scores for overall satisfaction as well as for price, with its $157 median price for glasses. Compare that price with an average of $211 at independent optical shops, $212 at private eye doctors' offices, and $228 at Pearle Vision. Costco also stood out for lack of problems, such as loose lenses, distorted vision, or damaged frames in the first weeks after purchase.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Costco's Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil may be the best-kept secret in the store. At $9.99 for 1.5 liters, it is roughly half the cost of the well-known Bertolli brand, and yet, according to at least one independent study, it's much better. In a recent comparison of 19 olive oils on the market, The Olive Center, a research group at the University of California-Davis, found that Kirkland Organic was one of only five in the study not mixed with cheaper refined olive oil that can spoil the taste. The other four at the top of the list were all high-end brands that cost as much as five times Costco's. Make sure you buy the Costco version that's labeled organic, though, as opposed to the one that's simply called "extra virgin olive oil." It'll cost a little bit more, but it's worth it.

Laptops
Costco's prices on notebook PCs are already a good deal, but there's a further benefit to buying one at Costco: A two-year warranty policy (most manufacturers provide just one year), a 90-day return policy, and Costco Concierge Services, which is free to members and gives buyers access to technicians for set-up questions, product use, and trouble-shooting. Model numbers and configurations are often unique to Costco, but a perusal of specs will let you compare it to similar models sold elsewhere. Among current laptops on sale at Costco, PC Magazine Online gives high marks to the 14-inch HP Pavilion dm4-1173cl ($800 list price at Costco vs. $849 elsewhere for a comparable model).

I'll throw one in the list: Kirkland multivitamins. That's the Costco brand, and Consumer Reports found them to be tops for quality and price. And to reward yourself for being a good shopper:

Chocolate Truffles
They're real and they're spectacular: Costco sells authentic French chocolate truffles from Chocmod, a high-end French confectionery company. Complete with a dusting of cocoa, these truffles come but once a year and they are in stores now (and only in stores -- you won't find them online). They cost $10.89 for two two-pound boxes, compared with $29 on Amazon. That's 240 truffles, but who's counting? After your dinner party, put what's left in nice boxes and give them to colleagues at the office as a holiday gift.