North of the border, Costco Wholesale members say vive la difference

Two 3-liter bottles of extra-virgin olive oil from Greece are part of an extensive selection at the Costco Wholesale on Bridge Street in Montreal, above and below. I bought the Elara brand from the island of Crete, right, which is a great deal at $18.99 Canadian or $13.30 in U.S. dollars -- less than $4.50 a liter. I can't find an unblended EVOO for that price in New Jersey.

Avocado Oil and olive oils from Greece, Italy and other countries stretch all the way to the end of the aisle. Although they aren't marked, olive oils for cooking and salads don't contain genetically modified ingredients.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

MONTREAL -- Costco Wholesale warehouses in Canada look exactly like the ones in New Jersey, but sell a few items I can't find close to home.

And with a strong U.S. dollar, there are some great deals to be had. 

I have a minor complaint: 

Costco warehouses in Montreal, where we were vacationing, take only MasterCard, and won't accept the new Costco Visa I use in New Jersey or even a Visa-branded debit card.

The MasterCard credit card I used to make purchases totaling $133 Canadian dollars charges a small foreign-currency transaction fee, but that was offset by the card's 2% cash rebate.

And my actual cost for the items was about $93 in U.S. dollars.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto is one of my favorite items from Costco. In Montreal, the price is $10.99 Canadian or about $7.70 U.S., compared to $7.99 in New Jersey.

Three large Canada-grown cucumbers are only $2.99 Canadian or about $2.09 U.S., compared to $3.49 to $3.99 in New Jersey.

I haven't seen shallots like these in the Costco Wholesale warehouse in Teterboro, N.J., or the Costco Wholesale Business Center in Hackensack, N.J.

Three pounds of shallots -- a type of onion with a hint of garlic -- were $4.99 Canadian or $2.80 in U.S. dollars.

When you figure in the strong U.S. dollar, fillets of fresh wild salmon, haddock and cod, above and photos below, cost about the same in Montreal and Teterboro, N.J. In Canada, fish is priced by the kilo (2.2 pounds).

If I ran out of Stanfield's Men's Briefs, which are made in Canada, I would drive the 350 miles to Montreal just to get more. They are the most comfortable I've found because they are cut generously, and come in black, gray or white. I bought two packages of five briefs for $21.99 Canadian each or about $15.40 U.S. I have a 38-inch waist, and buy Extra Large to allow for some shrinkage in the wash.

Two things to avoid buying at the Montreal Costco are gasoline and wine. The warehouse doesn't sell the inexpensive Kirkland Signature house brand wines and sparkling prosecco from Italy you can find at the Costco warehouse in Wayne, N.J. On July 4, Costco members paid $3.94.8 Canadian for a gallon of regular gas or about $2.77 U.S. The sign shows the price per liter.

Costco Wholesale, 300 Rue Bridge, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 1-514-938-5170. No pharmacy.

A second, larger Costco warehouse at 105 Marche Central, Montreal, has a pharmacy; 1-514-381-1251.

Costco's low-quality rotisserie bird costs more in Canada

Costco Wholesale's heavily seasoned rotisserie chicken carries the Kirkland Signature label, but that doesn't guarantee high quality, as it does with wine and many other food and non-food items. At the warehouse store in Montreal, above, the antibiotic-raised bird sells for $7.99 Canadian, compared to $4.99 at the Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

A box of California peaches sells for $11.99 Canadian in Montreal, compared to $9.99 at my Hackensack warehouse store.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Not long after we drove across the New York State-Quebec border on June 26, we saw our first Canadian Costco Wholesale.

We didn't know it at the time, but we were entering a sort of Costco heaven -- five warehouse stores within 6.5 miles of each other -- including three on the French-speaking island of Montreal, where my wife and I enjoyed the 35th annual International Jazz Festival. 

We visited the Costco on Bridge Street in Montreal twice, purchasing bottled spring water, men's briefs, unsalted mixed nuts, salad dressing and other non-perishables.

But most of the food at Costco in Canada costs more than the same or similar items in northern New Jersey, where we live and shop in the Hackensack, Wayne and Clifton warehouse stores.

For example, the low-quality Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken, which is raised on antibiotics and seasoned heavily before roasting, is $7.99 Canadian, compared to $4.99 in the United States.

(A Canadian dollar is worth about 95 U.S. cents.)

Of course, that poulet de rotisserie is no bargain nutritionally in either country.

See:

Costco rotisserie chicken makes great dog food

Kirkland Signature Egg Whites or Blancs D'Oeufs.

A 32-ounce package of fresh blueberries from Georgia was $4.79 in Montreal, a lower price than the last time I bought them in Hackensack.

In Montreal, you won't find the 1-pound plastic tub of Earthbound Farms Organic Spring Mix, but there are plenty of salad greens from Mirabel, a Canadian company, though none of them appears to be organically grown. Packages are 11 ounces.

Plenty of wine

Like the Wayne Costco, the Montreal store sells wine and beer, but none of the wine bottles carry the Kirkland Signature label.

I didn't see any wine for under $10 Canadian a bottle.

In Wayne, I've purchased 1.5 liter bottles of Kirkland Signature's smooth Cabernet Sauvignon from California for the equivalent of $4.49 a bottle.

Briefs, nuts and water

I bought three packages of Stanfield's-brand Men's Briefs, which are 100% cotton and made in Canada (they are called "Calecons" in French).

Each package of five briefs was $19.99 Canadian.

I also purchased a 1.13-kilogram jar of Kirkland Signature Unsalted Mixed Nuts (Noix Melange) for $17.99 Canadian; and 35 500-milliliter bottles of Kirkland Signature Spring Water for $3.99 Canadian.

Taxes on these and other purchases totaled 14.975%, compared to 7% in New Jersey.

We stayed eight nights in Montreal, and the weather was unusually warm and humid, prompting us to shower twice a day.

Costco came through with water to keep us hydrated, unsalted mixed nuts for snacking and the extra briefs I needed -- all at great prices. 

Wild sockeye salmon fillet, above, and farmed salmon steaks and fillets, below. Prices for fish and chicken are per kilogram or 2.2 pounds. The wild salmon fillets were about $12.58 a pound, comparable to the price in the Hackensack Costco.

At the Montreal Costco, gasoline was $5.34.6 per gallon for regular and $5.68.8 for premium. Prices shown are per liter in Canadian dollars. Costco members save about 20 cents Canadian per gallon, compared to other gas stations. Before we crossed the border, I filled up in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and paid $3.92.9 for regular.

I purchased this salad dressing, which I haven't seen in the Hackensack Costco. Kirkland Signature Balsamic Vinaigrette is made with canola and extra-virgin olive oils, and fresh garlic, but also contains fancy molasses, and it has to be refrigerated after opening.

In Montreal, Costco shopping carts and members are sheltered from the elements, a great idea that would be welcomed in northern New Jersey.

Costco Wholesale, 300 Rue Bridge, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 1-514-938-5170.



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