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DESPITE THE STRICT ENTRY REQUIREMENTS, THERE ARE A FEW WAYS TO GET YOUR SUMMER SHOPPING IN BULK 18:36, 03 Jun 2025 Costco is the bulk-buyers dream. As meal prepping becomes more and more

common, having access to a bulk shop like Costco is a dream come true for many. And no-one can deny the bulk buy bargains. But accessing it can be a tricky matter. Getting a personal

membership depends massively on your job. Don't work in one of the qualifying professions? Tough luck. But there's a hidden way you can maximise your chances of taking advantage of

the great deals on offer through Costco without sending a friend in with a shopping list. With Costco, there is a "Pre-Approved Business List". This means you have to be a current

or retired employee of an approved company that has been pre-approved and which has made an agreement between the company and Costco UK. That means you may already qualify through your job

and not even know it. Thousands of private companies have approved access for their workers, but don't always state it when you join. Companies such as Nissan Motor Group, Newcastle

United Football Co, Sage and Go North East are all listed. In addition, you qualify if you work in any of the following sectors: Article continues below * Banking / Finance * Local

government * Fire and Rescue Service * Post Office * Airlines * Education * Police force * Civil service * Armed forces * Medical / Health service * Insurance You can also access it if

you're qualified as an accountant, architect, doctor (MD), dentist, optician, pharmacist, surveyor, solicitor, barrister, magistrate, advocate or engineer. All you need to do is type in

the name of the company you work for into their checker, and you'll be able to find out if you can jump the red tape and get straight to the bargains. If the name isn't on there,

it's worthwhile checking with your company's HR department just in case. There's no official list, rather you'll have to work through the tracker to see if your company

qualifies, but with many of the region's largest companies on it, there's a high chance yours could be on there too. If you want to get membership through this method, you'll

need to provide one piece of photographic identification along with the following: * Employee ID Card * Employee Payslip/Pension Statement * Qualification Certificate MAKE SURE IT'S

WORTHWHILE FOR YOU Membership to Costco costs a pretty penny these days. Costco has announced price increases as a result of "rising costs", so it's worthwhile knowing what

you'll be in for before jumping in. Costco informed thousands of shoppers earlier this year about a price increase through renewal letters. Individual membership, known as gold star,

increased from £28 to £35, representing a £7 or 25% increase. Adding an extra gold star cardholder now costs £20, up from £14, marking a £6 or 42% rise. Business membership for trade

customers rose from £22 to £25, an increase of £3 or nearly 14%. Article continues below Executive business membership increased from £56 to £65, representing a £9 or 16% hike. Executive

gold star membership went up from £62 to £70, up £8 or 13%. The best thing to do is to browse online (which you can do without a membership) and take note of the things you see that you

would buy, and make sure there's enough to warrant the membership.