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Updated October 19, 2012
I love shopping at Costco. I feel like a kid in a candy store especially with all the yummy samples! Below I share tips to save money while shopping at warehouse clubs.
1. Avoid food samples. As tasty as they are, the chance you will buy a new product goes through the roof when you put it in your mouth.
2. Consider executive. A regular annual membership is $55. An executive membership is $110. I recently calculated that my friend, who upgraded, would have to spend $2,584 a year in the warehouse, plus $780 a year in gas, and buy a $500 vacation through Costco to make his money back. Is a Costco executive membership worth it for you?
3. Get a small cart. It’s no wonder the carts are bigger at warehouses. So you can buy more stuff! Don’t even think about pushing around a flatbed cart – it entices you tack on extra purchases.
4. Take control of your shopping. One of the best ways to save money at these warehouses is to avoid spur of the moment purchases. In other words, stick to your list! If you’re not good at reining in your shopping, a warehouse membership may not be for you. I have to go with someone or I’ll bring the entire warehouse home. Bargain Babe allows herself a limited number of off-list purchases, just two.
5. Use warehouse coupons. Seems simple, but how many times have you bought an item without using a coupon from their coupon books? Purchase detergent, soap, and toilet paper only during coupon cycles for the best deals. Costco does four week coupon cycles. Sam’s Club has general coupons and coupons that are specifically for you. BJ’s mails out a monthly coupon book.
6. Use manufacturer coupons – Costco and Sam’s Club do not accept manufacture’s coupons, but BJ’s does. Whenever possible take advantage of this! Don’t forget to do a quick price check to figure out if the manufacture’s coupon can get you a better deal at your local grocery or drugstore. To browse more than 1,000 grocery coupons all in one place, check out the grocery coupons on LOZO.
7. Not everything is a bargain. Be careful not to slip into thinking EVERYTHING at a warehouse is lower priced than at another store. It’s simply not true. I’ve seen toothpaste for $3 a tube at Costco – ripoff!
8. Go for the gift cards. The selection rotates, but you can usually find a handful of A-list gift cards (like iTunes) for less than the face value. Catch is you usually have to buy $50-$100 worth of them.
9. Avoid the middle of the store. While interviewing a Costco executive years back, Bargain Babe learned that the center aisles are where most impulse buys are displayed. Think about it – that’s where the seasonal items are, plus clothes, candy, and other non-essentials.
10. Cash card. Costco, and perhaps BJ’s and Sam’s Club, allow members to buy gift cards (called “cash cards“) for non-members. Recipients get to shop at the warehouse without a membership and without any non-member surcharges.
11. Electronics deal? Costco used to have such a generous return policy on electronics that it often made sense to buy them there, even if you had to pay a few more bucks. Now, with its 90-day return policy, it’s more important than ever to compare prices at rivals Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
12. Take advantage of the pharmacy. Even if you’re not a member, warehouses with a pharmacy are required to let you fill your prescription there. Just tell the person checking membership badges that you’re going to the pharmacy.
13. Booze it up. No need to fret if you are not a member. Clubs usually allow nonmembers to purchase alcohol. Keep in mind that you will be slapped with a surcharge, so do your research and find out who has the less costly surcharge in your area.
14. Check price endings. Items that end in .97 cents at Costco mean they have excess supply and need to get rid of the item. It also means the product been marked down and the store is losing money the longer it hangs around. If an item has an asterisks on the price sheet, it means it will not be restocked and you should buy it now if you want it. At Sam’s Club, a price ending in .01, .41 or .91 is the equivalent to the Costco .97. If an item has a pound sign or a “C” on the price sheet, it means it will not be restocked.
15. Clean up on aisles 5, 6, and 7. I recently heard from Clark Howard, a consumer expert, that Costco and Sam’s Club have their best deals on the right hand side of the store. So head to aisles 5, 6, and 7, which typically contain housewares, decorations, and accessories. Remember your budget and tread carefully! They often overstock this area and then they have to discount it heavily to make room for new merchandise.
16. Buy organic. More and more warehouses are stocking organic produce. Buying organic food at a warehouse is cheaper than at Trader Joes and Whole Foods. A while back I shared tips on how to save money at Whole Foods and one of those was to use coupons.
17. Shop designer clothes and bags – Many warehouses sell high-end designer clothes and bags at bargain prices. I’ve scored Calvin Klein clothes at 50% off! Take advantage of these deals (if you can afford it and need it) as they will save you 20-50% off. Go for it when you spot the deal, or it may not be there when you come back. Warehouse merchandise is in constant rotation.
18. Buy glasses at Costco. You can’t buy glasses at Costco unless you are a member, but you can tag along with a member friend for the purchase. (You should be able to order your glasses without a membership card.) The savings are huge compared to a store like Len’s Crafters, though not nearly as cheap as many online glasses stores.
19. Renege. Your warehouse membership may be refundable if you are not satisfied. Costco, for example, has a policy that they will “refund your membership fee in full at any time if you are dissatisfied.”
What are your tips for shopping at wholesale warehouses? Leave a comment and we’ll add them to the post!
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Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Costco recently raised their membership rates. Regular membership is now $55 a year and executive membership is $110 a year.
@Joanna Did they do it for all their stores? My membership hasn’t increased.
Costco memberhips are now $55 and $110 according to the printed brochure I got in the store.
Besides their pharmacy, I think even non-members can use the optometrist and hearing aid services.
@Yamin ~ “Reigning” in costs, or “reining” in costs? Oooooops! As for sticking to a list, I’m usually able to do that. I have a regular membership, as the executive one would be a waste of money for me. I recently bought 2 new TVs at Costco because of the warranty programs they have. You can get 2-3 year warranties, plus tech support is available free of cost during that time. That’s better than either of the other 2 outfits.
For some reason, I haven’t been receiving coupon booklets recently. If there’s ever a time when there’s not a mile-long line at the service desk, I’ll have to stop by and ask.
I don’t know if this is at all Costco’s, but at mine I don’t have to cut out the coupons from their coupon book. I just have to show that I have it with me and they give me the discount.
You are right about checking the prices. For a lot of things, like paper towels and toilet paper, I can get it cheaper at the grocery store or Smart and Final with a coupon than I can there.
@EllieD I had to look over the post again to figure out where the typo was made – Julia included the tip so I couldn’t find it. Pregnancy brain, I guess. It’s been updated. You’re our new Diane!
BTW, you don’t have to go in to ask about your booklet – just give customer service a call.
Thanks so much for #14. I never knew that. Knowing what the pricing codes mean at stores is sooooo valuable.
@Bobbi B No problem. I walked around Costco checking them out after learning about them. I had to share.
@ Yazmin ~ The “old” Diane also caught your name as “Yamin” on EllieD’s post. Hey, we ALL have our typos! My issue, as a former English teacher who rues the decline of correct English usage today, is repeated errors–not typos–from people who speak and/or write in their professional capacity. Although I don’t teach anymore, I proof and edit in my current profession (legal) and cannot help being aware of misuse. I am also grateful that I didn’t have to learn English as a second language because it is sooo confusing with its exceptions to rules and exceptions to the exceptions. But I cringe at the errors I read in print and hear on radio and TV. There seems to be no pride in speaking properly. Okay, I’m getting off my soapbox now. No need to push me! 🙂
@Diane My name is misspelled all the time. It’s actually surprising when someone gets it right! Love that you’re so passionate. We’d like a copy editor on staff, but it’s not possible at this time. But we have you and Ellie!
P.S. Got so involved, forgot to comment there were some really great tips. I was especially interested in #14.
They raised the membership rates for new members late last year, but allowed their current members to renew at the old rates before the new year.
@Joanna Ahh, makes sense. We have the regular membership because it’s not worth it for us to buy the executive.
For those looking at the membership options, a little arithmetic can help them decide if it’s worth it for them with the new prices.
Re #18: I did have to use my Costco card when I got glasses there last December.
I’ve bought my glasses from Costco for years, blended lenses with tint, really pricey at Lens Crafters even with their “discounts”.
Thoroughly recommend Costco’s optical dept. Turnaround is about 10 days but you save a lot. You definitely have to be a member.
@Diana ~ My turnaround time was 7-8 days. I don’t know if it’s still the same policy, but the first time I ever had a prescription for glasses, Costco let me try different varieties, e.g., bifocals, progressives, so I could decide which I preferred. I was charged only for what I ended up buying. Do other optical places do that?
Funny, I just ordered glasses at Costco. MUCH cheaper than what I paid years ago at a chain store.
I love the Kirkland brand items too (Costco’s brand).
@Glen Craig ~ I like Kirkland, also. Virtually all our OTC drugs are Kirkland and bear the USP verification seal. A few years ago, Consumer Reports stated Kirkland Signature products contained what and how much they claimed as opposed to some other manufacturers.
re: tip # 14
At Costco, with the executive membership, you can try it on for size and if you don’t get your $$s worth of the higher fee, you can ‘reduce’ your membership back to basic and they’ll refund you the difference.
I.e. you pay the $110 now, and any time up to the day before your membership expires, you can drop back to a regular membership and they’ll give you back $55. (+tax!)
Pretty good deal–a girl told me that when we got our first membership last week. She also filled me in on the 97s. Also, she told me that specific Costcos specialize in certain things. Halifax has great china, St.John’s has fabulous jewellery and watches, etc. She said she’s a bit of a ‘Costco Tourist’ and checks out the store’s specialties because of the great quality and prices–depending what you’re looking for, obviously.
Happy bargain hunting!
We don’t have a Costco nearby, so it’s Sam’s for us. Whenever I shop there, I always try to seek out the clearance section first. One of the recent times I was in the store, I stopped a few minutes first to look at cell phones, since my daughter was looking to get a new one. When I did arrive at the clearance shelves, a couple were loading up the last couple of boxes of vinyl flooring. There were already about eight boxes in their cart. I had been eyeing this product for a while and had just not pulled the trigger on a purchase. If I had seen it at the half price it was in clearance , I would have been the one to purchase those ten boxes. Next time there will be no stops, I WILL go to clearance 1st and see what is there because all those products get loaded up in a hurry.
Happy bargain hunting to all!
Good deals