Costco is a staple in my house!
We’ve been members for years and shop there about once a week. I love their organic options and low prices for bulk items that we use on a daily basis. Even as an avid Costco shopper, I was surprised to learn there are some tips and tricks to Costco shopping I wish I’d known long ago!
1.You don’t actually need a membership card to shop at Costco.
This blew my mind! To skip the membership fees, all you need is a Costco Shop Card. While only members can purchase the shop card, anyone can use it! You can purchase one for as low as $10, or as high as $2,000! Just have a friend or family member pick one up for you the next time they’re there and score the same savings as a member!
2. Prices ending in “.97”, and prices ending in “.00” or “.88” are markdowns!
Be on the lookout for these price endings! Basically, if the price ends in “.97” it’s a special markdown exclusive to your specific Costco location, while a “.00” or “.88” indicates a markdown by a manager for specific items for special cases.
3. An asterisk on a price tag means the item probably won’t be re-stocked
If it’s a must-have in your house, like jumbo squishmallow plushies clearly are in mine, stock up while you can!
4. You can stack Costco coupons with rebate apps!
Save more at Costco when you stack Costco coupons with rebate apps/ browser extensions like Ibotta, Checkout 51, and Fetch Rewards
5. If the price of an item drops within 30 days of your purchase, you can get a price adjustment
Costco will give members the difference in a sales price cash back within 30 days of the price dropping (AKA price adjustment). Ask Customer Service to look up your purchase using your membership card or, to make it easy, provide them with the original receipt.
6. Kirkland batteries are just as good as Duracell batteries
No, really. They’re made by Duracell. And a 48 pack of AAs costs $15.99, while 40 Duracell AAs are $16.99.
7. Movie tickets are cheaper at Costco than at the theater
Get a few of these nifty “gift cards” for a participating theater near you and enjoy paying less than you will at the door!
8. Costco has a limited variety of gift cards but they are cheaper than the grocery store.
You can expect to save up to 25% when you shop for gift cards at Costco. Check out in-store or online to see what they have to offer and if anything fits your needs. This is a great tip for holidays and birthday shopping!
9. No need to clip coupons!
One thing I really appreciate about Costco is that their coupon book prices come off automatically.
10. Consider buying the Kirkland label
In-store brands are typically cheaper than name brand, so if you can handle buying Costco’s in-store brand label, Kirkland, you might save enough to make it worth it!
They mail out a monthly coupon book with all they have to offer discounted that month, which helps me when to catch deals. Costco rotates their sales every 3-4 months so if you see something you use a lot of at a price you love, stock up.
