I’ve never liked crowds. When I got dragged to a packed nightclub in my early 20s, I remember pushing my way out after five minutes and spending the next two hours chatting with the friendly security guard stationed outside while I waited for my friends to get their fill of dancing. That was a long time ago, and I don’t think I’ve ever so much as walked by a nightclub again.
But I’ll also admit that my dislike of crowds is perhaps more extreme than the average person’s. Because of this, shopping at Costco can be a challenge.
Costco is the type of store that’s always crowded — at least where I live. So at times, I’ve been tempted to skip the in-person visit and do my shopping on Costco.com instead.
However, that option isn’t great for my wallet — and it may not be the best for yours, either. Here’s why you should aim to do your Costco shopping in person — albeit strategically.
1. The online prices are higher
The whole benefit of joining Costco is getting to save money on your various purchases, whether it’s groceries or cleaning supplies. But Costco.com marks up the online price of these items to make up for the expense of shipping them.
So while there’s usually no separate shipping fee, you’re paying that fee in the form of a higher per-item cost.
For example, you might pay $3 more for a case of chips or $2 more for a bottle of sauce on Costco.com compared to a Costco store. In a one-off situation, that’s not terrible. But if you repeatedly order from Costco.com, you could easily end up spending hundreds of extra dollars over a year.
2. You may not get the freshest food
Costco.com gives you several options for buying food. You can order fresh groceries for same-day delivery, non-perishables for two-day delivery (which is free if your order totals $75 or more), or regular delivery. But either way, you may not get the freshest groceries if you order online.
For same-day orders, the person hand-picking your berries may not notice that the bottom layer is moldy. Or, they might add a case of muffins to your order with a same-day sell-by date when there were other cases available whose sell-by is two days later.
The same thing can happen for non-perishables. And while you get more leeway there, would you rather have a jar of pretzels whose sell-by date is six weeks out or 12 weeks out?
Do your in-person shopping strategically
If you tend to avoid Costco stores because of the crowds, I can clearly relate. But I’ve devised a strategy for my in-person shopping that may work for you.
For one thing, I usually aim to get to Costco when it first opens. But here’s a lesser-known secret. Sometimes, Costco employees will let customers in the door a touch before then, so it pays to show up 10 or 15 minutes early and see what happens.
At my local Costco, the official opening time is 10:00 a.m. But if I park at 9:45 a.m. and head to the door at 9:50 a.m., an employee will often wave me in. Not only does this give me a few glorious minutes of a virtually empty store, but if I do my shopping quickly, I can often get to the checkout area before long lines start to form.
I suggest arriving at your local Costco a touch before it’s set to open and see if you have any luck there.
Another thing you can do to avoid crowds at Costco is ask a store employee what times of the day and week are usually the least busy. I find Costco employees to be extremely helpful. If you’d rather not do the trial-and-error thing yourself, ask the question.
Of course, if you occasionally find that you need to fall back on Costco.com, so be it. But all told, you’re just not getting the best prices online, and you may not get the freshest food delivered, either. So it pays to do what you can to make in-person Costco visits more tolerable.
Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!)
If you’re shopping with a debit card, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year. These versatile credit cards offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco, and are rated the best cards of 2024 by our experts because they offer hefty sign-up bonuses and outstanding cash rewards. Plus, you’ll save on credit card interest because all of these recommendations include a competitive 0% interest period.
Click here to read our expert recommendations for free!
We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Forget Costco.com: Here’s Why You Should Do Your Costco Shopping in Store was originally published by The Motley Fool