Costco is a popular place to shop, with about 128 million people worldwide paying for a membership. And since it has low prices, saving money at Costco is easy enough for most shoppers.
Even with all its benefits, Costco membership isn’t right for everyone. If you’ve noticed any of the following issues, you could be better off shopping elsewhere.
1. You’re throwing out food
Everything’s bigger at Costco, including the warehouses, the shopping carts, and the products. It’s one of the best stores for stocking up on food by buying in bulk. You can save money this way since bulk items are usually more affordably priced.
But this only works if you use everything you buy. If some of your food is going bad because you’re buying so much of it at once, then you’re not coming out ahead. In this case, you may want to shop at a different store or see if Costco has smaller sizes of what you need.
2. You’re spending more and more there
People often assume they’re saving money at Costco because of its reputation for low prices. But it’s also easy to buy more than you normally would at Costco.
The free sample stations and limited-time items could tempt you into impulsive purchases. Since there’s such a variety of products available, shoppers often find themselves grabbing items that weren’t on their lists. And when you’re done shopping, there’s the food court, where you can reward yourself with a hot dog, pizza, or frozen yogurt.
If you can stick to your shopping list, then you’ll probably save by shopping at Costco. But if you’ve noticed that you’ve been spending more overall, check your Costco receipts (or pull up the transactions on your Costco credit cards).
Some people love going to Costco, and to be fair, it’s a unique shopping experience. I have fond memories of going there as a kid, sitting on those flat carts, and being in awe of how enormous it was. It felt more like going to an amusement park than grocery shopping.
When you’re an adult who has been there dozens of times, it’s not quite as magical. You might find that it’s actually frustrating to navigate around so many other people, walk through the entire warehouse to get to the groceries you want, wait in a long checkout line, and then wait in another line so an employee can check your receipt before you leave.
If you’re not a fan of the Costco experience, it may be time to shop at a more traditional grocery store. That’s one of the main reasons I stopped shopping at Costco.
4. It’s taking up too much of your time
Shopping at Costco can be a time suck. Because of its size and the layout of its warehouses, you tend to do more walking there than you would at a typical grocery store. Great for burning calories, not so great when you want to get in and get out quickly.
The fact that it’s often crowded doesn’t help either. And if you don’t live that close to a Costco warehouse, it’s also important to factor in how long it will take you to drive there compared to shopping at a local grocery store.
If your Costco trips are taking longer than you’d like, you could try visiting during off hours or shopping more efficiently. But your best option could be to shop at a different store.
Costco has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, including on its memberships. Most members are happy shopping there, but if you decide that it isn’t for you, you can cancel at any time and get a refund of your membership fee.
