Costco Wholesale Kobe Warehouse — Restaurant in Kobe

Is it really worth paying to be a member when most things sold are Japanese products that can be bought cheaper at other stores? Even some foreign items can be found in greater variety and possibly cheaper in other import stores. I recently see my most anticipated items (tomato paste and popcorn kernels) go out of stock indefinitely.

It is good for bagels, cheese, V8, some juices, and various other items. I wish they had American toothpaste and razor refills (like they used to). I wouldn't buy the produce though.

However, I am still a member... but...

It's great for good deals on certain products in bulk like detergent, meat, toilet paper, etc. Avoid going on weekends if you can. The traffic just getting to the store is a lot! I'm docking one point for only allowing Mastercard. Only allowing one brand of credit card feels like going back in time 20 years (I know it's typical of Costco, but still unnecessary). Getting cash from the ATM is possible within the store, but the amount of money one often spends at Costco can exceed the ATM...

There are 2 Costco Warehouses in Hyogo Prefecture, one is located in Amagasaki City and the other is in Gakuentoshi (reachable via Kobe City subway Seishin Chuo line) Kobe City. The one in Amagasaki is the bigger one and has very big selections of everything I.e. confectioners, foodstuffs, electronics products etc., customers services are very good at both...