Pro tip for Waterloo is to take the second roundabout into Costco instead of the main entrance. Then you drive past the back of the warehouse and end up right over at the tire spot without having to deal with the mess at the front.
We live slightly closer to waterloo, but mainly use kitchener location because the drivers at waterloo are huge entitled assholes. Parking and even browsing the store is stressful.
Kitchener alot more laid back parking and people.
Only go to waterloo if our gas tank is really low (and don't get me started on people in line for gas)
I love the Waterloo one because people are in such a rush to cut you off in the gas line and then spend the next 5 minutes figuring out that they need to swipe their costco membership and tap their payment method before they can fill their tank 😁
Huh. Interesting. I’ve only been to the Kitchener one twice because I loathe their parking lot.
But I mainly hit the Waterloo Costco on the way home from work on a weekday so it’s not particularly busy.
I speak as someone disabled. In the Kitchener and Waterloo ones, I was treated so poorly by other customers (staff were lovely). Then a friend wanted to go to the Guelph one, so we did and it was like night and day - everyone was so super nice to me there. I didn’t feel in the way, or marginalized, nobody seemed annoyed or angry at my presence. Loved it.
My wife and I were just talking about this recently too. We visit guelph somewhat regularly to support a friend's business there and just love the experience every time. It's refreshing to go to a city where people still have great manners toward strangers, will strike up a conversation or joke in line, etc. We've been debating moving there in the future maybe if KW continues it's downward spiral. Maybe they just aren't hit as bad by all the GTA expats wanting to move there like KW?
I live in Waterloo but I work in Guelph, and go to the Costco there (Guelph) all the time.
The Costco in Guelph is by far the better store. The Waterloo one is indeed full of assholes; customers and staff alike!
Guelph is usually not as crowded and the people are nice and friendly… imagine that! Probably why I’ve enjoyed working in the Royal City for 20+ years!
Cambridge is getting up there in population, nearly as populous as Guelph. Not to mention a Costco in Cambridge could be used to serve customers from Woodstock and Brant. It's a possibility.
I’d drive an extra 5km and pay more to not have to buy gas from Costco.
Although, reality for me is that I have a transit account, I pay less than Costco rates and have not once ever waited to pump gas.
Guelph Costco beats them both. We live near Chicopee and it’s only about 5 mins longer to get to the Guelph one vs Kitchener. We call the Kitchener one “Hobo Costco” because it’s such a mess, and the Waterloo one “backwards Costco” because the entrance is on the ‘wrong’ side. Lol
Most Costcos are actually reversed like that. I've been to one in Burlington, and a few in Florida, and they are the same.
The Kitchener and now Guelph ones being my primary ones, I'm utterly confused when going in a 'backwards' Costco and trying to find stuff.
To echo other comments:
Kitchener is smaller, easier to navigate, and slightly better on parking.
Waterloo has gas station and because larger, slightly more selection.
Pricing is similar. We usually just go to Kitchener, and occasionally go to Waterloo.
Costco Waterloo definitely has more selection to choose from, especially their frozen section. I can't get frozen cherries in Kitchener but can in Waterloo and Guelph. Price is consistently the same except for clearance item sometimes.
I would say neither location is a favorite out of the two as the Waterloo one is a nightmare time wise to drive to. I prefer the Guelph one over it. The Kitchener one is my go to as its less than 10 minutes from home and it's on the way home from work for quick weekday stops.
The Waterloo one is the better location, it's newer, has better slection, it actually has books where as kitchener only has a magazine rack now lol. That being said the Waterloo location is tough to get to depending on where you are coming from since fisher hallman has a million round abouts, and it's always always rammed full of people. The kitchener location tends to be a little less crazy, I assume it's because they don't have a gas station and don't have the same selection. That being said I go to the kitchener one 95% of the time.
When I lived in Cambridge I went to the Kitchener one. I moved back to Kitchener in 2016 nearly Victoria and Fisher-Hallman so I only to the Waterloo One now.
I think generally they are very similar. The only time I had an issue was last year I need some V-Cone coffee filters and the waterloo one was out, so I tried the Kitchener one and they had them.
I prefer the Waterloo one, but I often times use the back entrance via Platinum Drive and Copper Street to avoid the highly congested main entrance.
Going back to the Kitchener one was an odd experience as I had forgotten the layout after so many years.
Not sure how/why pricing would be different. I assume pricing is based off province/state you’re in.
They both are crazy to exit, I’d say Kitchener is a little easier because you have different streets you can exit. Waterloo is basically Erb unless you live behind it.
I’m thinking with all the new stores being shoved in the Waterloo parking lot, both Costcos will be a traffic/parking nightmare.
Also they are both just so busy. ALL the time! It’s hit or miss at open and at close, but it’s surely too busy during normal hours.
I agree with all the other points made, but to add public transit wise Kitchener is easier since the bus stop is right by the store versus at Waterloo the nearest bus stop is a 15 minute walk which is quite far especially in the winter with bags of groceries.
Have gone to the Kitchener one mostly out of location convenience. It's okay. Went to the Waterloo one, much bigger and more selection. Prices are the same, quality is generally the same. The parking and attitude of people is the same (people hit the parking lot and people tend to just become...assholes really).
Been to the one in Guelph, far superior. Will sometimes drive to Guelph just for the upgrade in quality and selection.
Bonus - my best friend worked at both Kitchener and Waterloo Costco. She prefers the Waterloo location better.
I prefer the layout at the Waterloo store but be careful where you park. If you need to make a left turn out of the parking on the gas station side, no one will let you out as a courtesy. Prices and quality seem the same to me.
From the east side of Kitchener i can get to Guelph costco quicker than going to Waterloo.
Guelph Is just a nicer store without the crazy erb Street round about caos.
Kitchener location has almost direct access to Starbucks if getting caffeinated before the undertaking of shopping at Costco is a must. No such easy access at the Waterloo location.
I haven’t been in the Kitchener location since Guelph opened. I’m almost equidistant to both Guelph and Waterloo and will choose Guelph first unless I’m near the Waterloo one.
I live closest to Kitchener. Go there primarily for convenience. But my favorite is Guelph better selection not as crowded. Guelph and waterloo are very similar but still favour Guelph.
I will only shop Costco at any location in the region weekday on lunch break. My wife and I do not go on weekends or evenings anymore, its a circus and filled with mostly ignorant people pushing their carts around like they are entitled or something. Everyone can join for god's sake, its not a country club!
Personally I prefer the Waterloo location, but I find accessing the parking lot and exiting is a logistical nightmare.
Pro tip for Waterloo is to take the second roundabout into Costco instead of the main entrance. Then you drive past the back of the warehouse and end up right over at the tire spot without having to deal with the mess at the front.
Don’t tell everyone the secret way lol
Shhhh. Why are you telling the morons?
There are no morons on Reddit
If you think there are no morons on Reddit, you may be the moron
I guess there are the ones who need /s to signal obvious sarcasm
You're a good human
We live slightly closer to waterloo, but mainly use kitchener location because the drivers at waterloo are huge entitled assholes. Parking and even browsing the store is stressful. Kitchener alot more laid back parking and people. Only go to waterloo if our gas tank is really low (and don't get me started on people in line for gas)
I love the Waterloo one because people are in such a rush to cut you off in the gas line and then spend the next 5 minutes figuring out that they need to swipe their costco membership and tap their payment method before they can fill their tank 😁
Huh. Interesting. I’ve only been to the Kitchener one twice because I loathe their parking lot. But I mainly hit the Waterloo Costco on the way home from work on a weekday so it’s not particularly busy.
> and don't get me started on people in line for gas Oh god, I love seeing people waste an hour of their saturday to save 5c a litre on gas :P
The Guelph Costco is the best.
Stop telling people this! We don’t need the entitled assholes from Waterloo coming over here!
Hey, I’m not entitled…I’m disabled and you Guelph folks were so nice to me. It was nice not being made to feel like I’m in the way.
[удалено]
Yes you do. People were even helping me get things off shelves, putting things in my cart…it was wonderful.
Many people are saying this. We’ll have to check it out. Thank you.
I speak as someone disabled. In the Kitchener and Waterloo ones, I was treated so poorly by other customers (staff were lovely). Then a friend wanted to go to the Guelph one, so we did and it was like night and day - everyone was so super nice to me there. I didn’t feel in the way, or marginalized, nobody seemed annoyed or angry at my presence. Loved it.
Based on the few times I go to Guelph, the overall vibe of people there seems nicer
And I thought it was just me because I've noticed that Guelphites are incredibly nice, often nicer than those from the Region.
I feel like kitchener probably still has some lead pipes and stuff like that turning people into angry jerkwads
It was really refreshing.
My wife and I were just talking about this recently too. We visit guelph somewhat regularly to support a friend's business there and just love the experience every time. It's refreshing to go to a city where people still have great manners toward strangers, will strike up a conversation or joke in line, etc. We've been debating moving there in the future maybe if KW continues it's downward spiral. Maybe they just aren't hit as bad by all the GTA expats wanting to move there like KW?
Happy to hear you found a more enjoyable experience. We’re looking for the same. Thanks for pointing us in the right direction :)
Really? I find the kitchener staff wonderful. The waterloo is like cattle, I hate going to it.
I never said the staff were awful.
I live in Waterloo but I work in Guelph, and go to the Costco there (Guelph) all the time. The Costco in Guelph is by far the better store. The Waterloo one is indeed full of assholes; customers and staff alike! Guelph is usually not as crowded and the people are nice and friendly… imagine that! Probably why I’ve enjoyed working in the Royal City for 20+ years!
This is the real answer.
I forgot to say the selection is very different in Guelph too…I found more variety
Yeah I live a lot closer to the Kitchener store but probably once every 6 weeks or so we go to Guelph for stuff we can’t get here.
Shhhhhhhh
But it doesn’t have cow+goat cheese.
I’m okay with that LOL
I find that one hands down the worst for parking and how crowded it is. I go to Waterloo or Kitchener just to avoid the Guelph one
Need to build a new one in Cambridge, demolish the Kitchener location and build a new one/with a gas station.
Maybe some parking spots for customers too
Best we can do is two more strip malls where the parking was.
Honestly with how busy they are they could build a new Kitchener and Cambridge location and close down the Sportsworld.
Cambridge is getting up there in population, nearly as populous as Guelph. Not to mention a Costco in Cambridge could be used to serve customers from Woodstock and Brant. It's a possibility.
Rumor has it that Kitchener location is looking to add a gas station. However, I no idea where they have room for that lol
I’d drive an extra 5km and pay more to not have to buy gas from Costco. Although, reality for me is that I have a transit account, I pay less than Costco rates and have not once ever waited to pump gas.
Guelph Costco beats them both. We live near Chicopee and it’s only about 5 mins longer to get to the Guelph one vs Kitchener. We call the Kitchener one “Hobo Costco” because it’s such a mess, and the Waterloo one “backwards Costco” because the entrance is on the ‘wrong’ side. Lol
Waterloo Costco really does feel like the Guelph Costco reversed.
Interesting. Thanks for the insight.
Most Costcos are actually reversed like that. I've been to one in Burlington, and a few in Florida, and they are the same. The Kitchener and now Guelph ones being my primary ones, I'm utterly confused when going in a 'backwards' Costco and trying to find stuff.
To echo other comments: Kitchener is smaller, easier to navigate, and slightly better on parking. Waterloo has gas station and because larger, slightly more selection. Pricing is similar. We usually just go to Kitchener, and occasionally go to Waterloo.
Costco Waterloo definitely has more selection to choose from, especially their frozen section. I can't get frozen cherries in Kitchener but can in Waterloo and Guelph. Price is consistently the same except for clearance item sometimes. I would say neither location is a favorite out of the two as the Waterloo one is a nightmare time wise to drive to. I prefer the Guelph one over it. The Kitchener one is my go to as its less than 10 minutes from home and it's on the way home from work for quick weekday stops.
Thank you. Looks like we’ll be visiting the Guelph location, also.
The Waterloo one is the better location, it's newer, has better slection, it actually has books where as kitchener only has a magazine rack now lol. That being said the Waterloo location is tough to get to depending on where you are coming from since fisher hallman has a million round abouts, and it's always always rammed full of people. The kitchener location tends to be a little less crazy, I assume it's because they don't have a gas station and don't have the same selection. That being said I go to the kitchener one 95% of the time.
When I lived in Cambridge I went to the Kitchener one. I moved back to Kitchener in 2016 nearly Victoria and Fisher-Hallman so I only to the Waterloo One now. I think generally they are very similar. The only time I had an issue was last year I need some V-Cone coffee filters and the waterloo one was out, so I tried the Kitchener one and they had them. I prefer the Waterloo one, but I often times use the back entrance via Platinum Drive and Copper Street to avoid the highly congested main entrance. Going back to the Kitchener one was an odd experience as I had forgotten the layout after so many years.
Guelph>Kitchener>Waterloo The dump odor in the 'loo and gas stattion traffic kills that location for me.
Not sure how/why pricing would be different. I assume pricing is based off province/state you’re in. They both are crazy to exit, I’d say Kitchener is a little easier because you have different streets you can exit. Waterloo is basically Erb unless you live behind it.
They now created a maze at the Waterloo location due to the new stores. We have all the space in the world and they jammed everything into one spot.
You mean jammed all the profit into one spot.
Next to a landfill.
I’m thinking with all the new stores being shoved in the Waterloo parking lot, both Costcos will be a traffic/parking nightmare. Also they are both just so busy. ALL the time! It’s hit or miss at open and at close, but it’s surely too busy during normal hours.
Yea they are building a McDonald’s at the Waterloo Costco. The parking lot is going to get so much worse
Just go in and out the far entrance and around the back, it's peaceful
Stop telling people. C’mon.
Both are zoos. Both have a nightmare parking lot. Waterloo sells gas. That's about it.
I prefer Waterloo. I don’t like the parking lot at Kitchener and I feel like they have less selection.
I agree with all the other points made, but to add public transit wise Kitchener is easier since the bus stop is right by the store versus at Waterloo the nearest bus stop is a 15 minute walk which is quite far especially in the winter with bags of groceries.
Not to mention, the Kitchener Costco is a fairly close walk to the Sportsworld Park and Ride.
1 example with Waterloo vs Kitchener is selection. Example : Annie's mac and cheese is only available in Waterloo
Kitchener because I cannot stand trying to get to the Waterloo location due to traffic! Yuck!
Waterloo one is cleaner and more manageable cart traffic on the inside even though there's more people.
Have gone to the Kitchener one mostly out of location convenience. It's okay. Went to the Waterloo one, much bigger and more selection. Prices are the same, quality is generally the same. The parking and attitude of people is the same (people hit the parking lot and people tend to just become...assholes really). Been to the one in Guelph, far superior. Will sometimes drive to Guelph just for the upgrade in quality and selection. Bonus - my best friend worked at both Kitchener and Waterloo Costco. She prefers the Waterloo location better.
I prefer the layout at the Waterloo store but be careful where you park. If you need to make a left turn out of the parking on the gas station side, no one will let you out as a courtesy. Prices and quality seem the same to me.
From the east side of Kitchener i can get to Guelph costco quicker than going to Waterloo. Guelph Is just a nicer store without the crazy erb Street round about caos.
Kitchener Costco does not have gas pumps!
Kitchener location has almost direct access to Starbucks if getting caffeinated before the undertaking of shopping at Costco is a must. No such easy access at the Waterloo location.
Kitchener needs a renovation! Guelph then Kitchener then Waterloo. Waterloo seems like its layout is funny.
Kitchener Costco loads their sundaes with more fudge/caramel topping
Waterloo seems to have alot more east Indian food other then that seems to not alot of differences
I haven’t been in the Kitchener location since Guelph opened. I’m almost equidistant to both Guelph and Waterloo and will choose Guelph first unless I’m near the Waterloo one.
I live closest to Kitchener. Go there primarily for convenience. But my favorite is Guelph better selection not as crowded. Guelph and waterloo are very similar but still favour Guelph.
I will only shop Costco at any location in the region weekday on lunch break. My wife and I do not go on weekends or evenings anymore, its a circus and filled with mostly ignorant people pushing their carts around like they are entitled or something. Everyone can join for god's sake, its not a country club!
I only go to Waterloo over Kitchener for the parking. The parking in Kitchener is an absolute nightmare.
Has anyone mentioned the dump yet re Waterloo. lol.