The season of graduations is upon us and by request from twitter user Sarah here are my tips for celebrating graduations with a little help from Costco!
Graduation Announcements & Graduation Party Invitations
Check out the Photo Center in your Costco warehouse or visit http://www.costcophotocenter.com/Home to order custom graduation announcements and graduation party invitations.
The 6″ x 7.5″ photo cards start at just $14.99 for a set of 50 and can be ready in as little as one business day. Choose from 9 different designs & layouts or customize your own. They are printed on archival luster photographic paper and envelopes are included. Get 4 free calendar cards with your first 50 set order and 1 calendar card with each additional set of 25 cards ordered.
The 5″ x 7″ premium stationary cards start at $17.25 for a set of 25 and take 5-7 business days. Choose from 8 different designs & layouts and square or rounded corners. Cards are made of 120 lb. smooth premium card stock and each set of 25 cards includes 26 white envelopes (they give you one extra). There is even an option to have your return address printed on the envelope flap too!
Graduation Photo Album
Make a custom cover 11 1/4 ” by 8 3/4″ hardback graduation photo book to remember all the events and accomplishments leading up to their graduation. Choose your own theme or use the graduation yearbook theme. Prices start at just $17.99 for the first 30 pages (each additional 2 pages are only $0.78). Free warehouse pick up is available within 5-7 business days of your order or have your photo book mailed directly to you within 5-10 business days. For more information or to dive right into making your own photo book, check out:
Order any graduation announcements, party invitations or a photo book between now and Sunday May 1st and save $5 off your total order!
Everything You Need to Throw a Graduation Party
Skip the crowded restaurants and expensive banquet halls and host your own graduation party right at home. Let Costco handle all the cooking and order party platters from the deli. Choose the shrimp cocktail platter, the croissant sandwich platter, the deli meats & cheeses platter or the roasted chicken & swiss roll up platter. Platters start at just $26.99 and feed about 16-24 people. Place your order in the deli area at least 24 hours in advance.
No party would be complete with out the legendary Costco sheet cake! You can customize your cake with your grads name and school colors on the order form in the bakery. During this busy season it’s best to place your cake order at least 48 hours in advance but some warehouses may be able to accommodate your order with just 24 hours notice. Some Costcos have even set up graduation information listing locals high school and university school colors and graduation dates!
If your grad is a pizza lover stop by or call your Costco Food Court to order pepperoni, combo or cheese pizzas to feed a crowd. At just $9.95 each the huge 18″ Costco pizzas will save you a lot of dough compared to ordering from traditional pizza joints. (Food court phone numbers vary by location – below is the number for the Fairfax warehouse.)
Round out the food spread by adding a fruit bowl, vegetable platter and an assortment of chips and dips. A 3 lb. fruit bowl is only $9.99. (I usually pick up a thing of blueberries to add a little more color when I serve a fruit bowl.) The 4 lb. vegetable platter has 5 different kinds of pre-washed & pre-cut vegetables and a low fat ranch dressing for dipping. Pick up the Hannah hummus trio to add more dipping options.
You can’t beat the Costco price on potato chips and Costco has favorites like Lays and Doritos, but Costco also Pirates Booty, Pita chips and these delicious Kirkland Signature Organic Tortilla Chips.
Rojo’s 6 layer dip, Wholly guacamole and KS organic salsa are fantastic with the Kirkland Signature organic tortilla chips.
If you want to offer more variety by way of desserts other than just the cake, grab some delicious Costco cookies. Cookies come in packs of 24 and trays of 60. If you feel like baking grab a box of my all time favorite Ghirradelli brownie mix (it’s better than homemade!).
And you can’t serve cake without ice cream so don’t forget to swing by the freezer section for some Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream.
At Costco you can pick up an assortment of beverages for your guests of all ages: water bottles, sodas, juice & juice boxes, and in most Costco warehouses you can even get beer, wine & spirits too.
Enjoy playing host knowing that clean up will be a snap by purchasing some disposable or recyclable paper plates & bowls, plastic cutlery and cups, and napkins.
Graduation Gift Ideas
Whether they are graduating from high school or from university, Costco has dozens of awesome gift ideas for recent grads. Here are some gift ideas for every budget that any grad will appreciate:
- Gift Cards:
- Most Costcos have an assortment of discounted gift cards for local and chain restaurants and coffee shops, and some Costco warehouses offer discounted passes to theme parks and amusement parks
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- Pick up a SpaFinder gift card pack to pamper your grad
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- Most Costcos offer discounts on packs of iTunes gift cards
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- Browse the gift card selection at your local warehouse or search by region on costco.com
- Movie Tickets:
- Pick up discounted movie tickets in Costco warehouses or purchase and print movie tickets right at home from costco.com
- All Costco movie tickets are unrestricted* and can be used to see the latest blockbusters even on opening day
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- *Some theaters do add a small upcharges for 3D or IMAX screenings or for ultra plush seating
- Costco membership:
- Whether your grad will be living on their own or with a bunch of roommates everyone should have a Costco membership for the hotdogs and pizza alone!
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- Luggage
- If your grad will be moving away for college or for a new job, a nice set of luggage is something they can use for years* to come
- Check the selection of luggage at your Costco warehouse or browse luggage online at costco.com
- *I still have the Ricardo Beverly Hills luggage set my parents gave me for my high school graduation!
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- Jewelry & Watches
- If your grad loves bling check out the incredible selection of silver, gold, white gold, pearl and gemstone necklaces, earrings, rings and designer watches on Costco.com
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- New mobile phone
- Whether you are keeping your high school grad on your family plan or booting your college grad off to their own plan, you can save yourself or them a bundle by purchasing a new mobile phone from the wireless kiosk inside your Costco warehouse or from costco.com
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Do you already know what your grads summer plans are? Create a custom gift pack just for them:
- For the grad planning to hit the beach or hang by the pool for the summer:
- Beach towel
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- Beach chair
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- Sunscreen
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- Flip Flops
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- Latest Books & Magazines
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- For the outdoor adventurer grad who plans to hike & camp their way through the summer:
- Hiking pack
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- Sleeping bag or Trekking Poles
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- Tent
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- Reusable water bottles
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- Bug spray
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- For the artsy or crafty grad planning to paint, create and draw their way through summer:
- Art kit
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- Coloring Books
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- Markers & Pens
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- Construction paper
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- Craft Kit
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- For the working grad planning to start a summer internship or a new job:
- iHome alarm clock
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- Keurig coffee machine
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- New computer or tablet
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- KS no iron dress shirts
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- KS no iron slacks
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- For the traveling grad planning to backpack and site see their way through summer:
- Camera
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- Selfie stick
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- City Go Passes
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- GPS watch
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- Extended battery packs
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- For the athletic grad who wants to golf and play sports all summer long:
- Golf gear: gloves, balls, GPS range finder, stand bag
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- Tennis racket & tennis ball
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- Basketball
- FitBit
- Batminton set
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- For the media maven grad planning to spend their summer playing the latest video games or watching their favorite TV shows & movies:
- Xbox One
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- Apple TV
- Roku 3
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- DVDs
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Splurge Grad Gifts:
If you’re feeling really generous check out the many vacation packages available on https://www.costcotravel.com. Take or send your grad on the trip of a lifetime with special Costco member only pricing on Trafalgar guided tours across the USA or around the world. Plan a fun filled theme park trip to Disneyland, Disney World or Universal Studios Orlando, or a cruise vacation to over 15 different destinations worldwide!
If you want to send your grad off into the world with a new set of wheels check out the Costco Auto Program and save a bundle on a new or pre-owned vehicle for the ultimate graduation gift.
Congratulations to all 2016 Graduates!
Until next time,
the Costco Connoisseur
#GoingToAllTheCostcos
P.S. – Selections and prices listed above will vary from different Costco locations.
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So sweet! I think graduation party is most enjoyable event in one’s college life. Isn’t that? We had hosted a grand graduation party for our seniors at an outdoor venue Houston TX. All memories are still fresh in my heart.