Costco Has A Closet Storage Solution, But Is It Worth The High Price?

Organizing a closet can be a struggle, especially if you're working with limited square footage or a lack of drawers and shelving to neatly store your items. One option is to purchase a ready-to-assemble closet storage system to make the most of your space. We recently stumbled upon the Bestar Audrea Organize It Storage Unit at Costco. It features three drawers, plus upper shelving for organizing items like pants, sweaters, and accessories. But it also comes with a high price tag: $599 for the 36-inch-wide version and $529 for the 25-inch-wide version. While some customers rave about this storage unit, others complain that the instructions are confusing, the quality isn't up to par, and that it's extremely hard to assemble. That makes it tough to justify the high price tag, especially when comparable, less expensive options are available.

Ready-to-assemble furniture comes with its own set of headaches and can make you question if it's worth it to build your own furniture. Sometimes, when prices are low, choosing a ready-to-assemble option is a no-brainer, but when you're shelling out hundreds of dollars, considerations need to be made. We took a deep dive into customer reviews for the Bestar Audrea organizer and also price-checked it against another popular ready-to-assemble option.

The Bestar Audrea Organize It Storage Unit has a 3.8-star rating for the 25-inch unit and a 3.6-star rating for the 36-inch unit. Among the positive reviews, there's a common theme: Many agree that the unit does take some time to assemble, but once put together, it is durable and aesthetically pleasing. One reviewer described, "This is heavy, and it has a lot of parts that need to be assembled. But once you put it together, it's a solid, nice-looking piece of furniture. The drawers line up perfectly and have a soft-close mechanism."

Negative reviews shared a different sentiment: The quality control isn't up to par, and the assembly is tedious. "I have purchased this furniture a month ago," one reviewer commented, "and when it was delivered, the package was not so well done, and there was a damage on one of the pieces (the top trim). Called for exchange, and the same issue again on the product. The package arrived ok, but the damaged piece is the same as last shipment."

Given the mixed bag of reviews, if you're considering the Bestar organizing system, it's smart to compare it with other closet systems that will help keep your space organized. One option we found was the Ikea Pax system paired with the brand's Komplement drawers and shelves. Since it's customizable, costs will vary. We priced out the 39-inch wall-mounted frame with three standard white drawers and three white shelves, which would be comparable to the larger Bestar Audrea unit. The total price was $400. Keep in mind that there are several upgrades you can make, ranging from the style of the drawers to the type of shelves, which can increase this price. One benefit to this system, though, is that there are genius IKEA Pax DIYs that will change the way you design your space, with tutorials and ideas widely available online, which is nice if you plan to expand the system down the line.

As for customer ratings, the drawers we priced have a 4.3-star rating, and the shelves have a 4.5-star rating. The Pax system's wall-mounted frame didn't score as highly and ranks similarly to the Bestar unit, with a 3.7-star rating from 92 customers. "Typically, it's difficult to put together any of IKEA's furniture because of the fact that their instructions don't have words, but this takes the cake," said one reviewer. Both units may be time-consuming to assemble, but if you're looking to save money, IKEA seems to be the better buy.