Hacks That Will Change The Way You Shop At Costco

A trip to Costco can feel like entering a theme park of discount shopping. With a trusty membership card in your pocket and a giant cart in front of you, the possibilities for savings can feel endless. But that's just it — it's a feeling, not reality. Just like any other store, Costco has some hidden pitfalls that can end up costing you more money than you expected, negating any savings you might've hoped for. 

The good news is that Costco can still be a frugal resource for the discerning shopper. It just takes some insider knowledge to help you wade through some of the best and worst deals. This article will provide you with the top tips and tricks to getting the most out of your membership, while also saving you time and energy.  

Who am I? I'm a Costco shopping fanatic, making the most of my membership both when I was single (yes, you can make your Costco membership work even in a household of one) and married. Need proof? My chosen florist for my wedding was Costco, which sent me ready-made bouquets, garlands, and flower bunches at a fraction of a price that a regular florist would quote me. If I can trust Costco for my wedding, you can trust me to find you the best deals at Costco. 

One of the biggest issues a Costco shopper runs into is extending the expiration date on bulk cold items. Even if you're getting an excellent deal on a cinderblock-sized package of cheddar, it's only cost effective if you use the whole thing. The good news is that some cheeses freeze very well, helping extend their shelf life by months. 

So what kind of cheese can you store in the freezer? A good rule of thumb is to access the moisture content and culinary use of the cheese you're looking at. The water in the cheese will inevitably freeze into ice crystals, which will make the cheese have a crumbly, less smooth texture when defrosted. Basically, the higher the moisture content, the worse the effect on the cheese texture. This rules out cottage cheese, ricotta, and queso fresco. 

Instead, you should be freezing cheeses that will be baked into a recipe, such as pre-shredded or blocks of mozzarella, Monterey Jack, cheddar, provolone, muenster, and Colby. On the flip side, cheeses that would be best used fresh on charcuterie boards, like brie or Gorgonzola, rely on a creamy, soft texture, so skip freezing them. Delicate flavored cheese, like a dill-scented Havarti, will also lose some of its nuance when frozen. Parmesan and pecorino don't need to be frozen because the have a longer fridge life anyways (around 12 months), so take advantage of the Kirkland's Parmigiano Reggiano cheese deal when you can. 

If you're looking to have an easier Costco shopping experience, the app is definitely worth a download. The best thing about the app is that it solves so many classic Costco problems. Forget your card? The app allows you to create a digital membership card so you'll never be turned away from the entrance again. Unsure of what's on sale? The app will let you have on the fly access to the Costco savings booklet, plus the ability to clip the coupons you're most interested in. Curious about your reward balance? If you're an Executive Member and have the 2% cash-back credit card, the Costco app will monitor how much money you're getting back, to see if your investment is paying off. 

In addition to problem-solving, the app can also help you streamline your shopping by helping you create a Costco shopping list within the app. You can also upload your Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi and pay using the app as well. Bonus features include looking up old receipts, comparing different warehouses gas prices, and ordering your prescriptions. 

Ever feel betrayed when something you buy immediately goes on sale after you've already paid full price? At Costco, you don't have to settle with that kind of post-purchase angst. If something you bought goes on sale later that month, you can bring back in your receipt and ask for a price adjustment on that particular item. Once verified, Costco will put the price difference back on your credit card. This is part of Costco's 30-day price protection plan, a membership perk that can help you make up for poor timing. 

This hack works for both online purchases and in-store purchases, but not in comparison of the online deals vs in-store warehouse deals. So, if you notice that the seaweed snacks are cheaper online than the ones you bought at the store, you won't get a price adjustment, because Costco is assessing shipping and handling with online purchases. Keep in mind that this program is a price adjustment, not a price match. It only applies to sales or price cuts offered at Costco — they won't match other prices from different stores like Walmart or Target. 

There's a whole wealth of knowledge hidden within the Costco price cards — as long as you know how to read it. Understand that price tags that end in .97 are on sale, while those that end with .99 or .09 are regular price. That doesn't necessarily mean that the price tags that end in 99 aren't worth it; manufacturers often sell bulk to Costco at a discounted rate, which means it may still be significantly cheaper than the typical grocery store price. You just need to double check that you're actually getting a good deal. 

Other numbers to look out for are prices that end in .88 or .00. These two prices mean that the product is on sale, but rather than being marked down by Costco, it's been marked by that Costco's manager. Why? The item may have been used as a floor model, is one of the last items left, or, as is often the case, a returned item that has never been used. Meanwhile, if you spot an asterisk by the price, it means that there is limited stock of it, and you may not see it at Costco again.

When people think of getting a good Costco deal, they often neglect to consider one of the best priced deals available: the meals you can grab at the food court. If you choose wisely, you can snag a deal that's half the price of competing fast food menu items. The best example is the $1.50 20-ounce soda and quarter pounder hot dog combo, which Costco has to lose money on considering it's a price Costco has kept steady since 1984 (inflation be darned). 

Another solid choice is the $1.99 pizza slice or $9.95 whole 18-inch pie option, a price that's cheaper than Domino's, Pizza Hut, and even Sam's Club, Costco's main competitor. The best part is there's no surcharge for selecting pepperoni over cheese. The chicken bake has a special place in customers hearts as well, as it offers plenty of cheese and chicken in jumbo hot pocket format. The only food court item you should skip? The chicken Caesar salad, which you can make bigger and cheaper by buying Costco's rotisserie chicken and Caesar salad packs. 

One of the psychological traps that shoppers fall into at Costco is a misguided belief that everything is cheaper there. While plenty is cheaper, there are several items that are in fact more expensive. Take certain canned goods. For instance, a 6-can pack of Genova Yellowfin Tuna at Costco is on offer at $17.99, while a 4-can pack of the same brand is $8.18 at Walmart — a big price discrepancy even when subtracting 2 cans. 

Sometimes, there can be marginally no difference between Costco and another grocery store. A 6-count pack of Le Lechera sweetened condensed milk at Costco for $15.99and a 4-pack of it at Walmart for $10.56.The Walmart deal ends up being three cents cheaper, and you don't have the stress of storing two extra cans in your pantry. Remember, buying in bulk is only smart if you're getting an incredible deal or you use a lot of the chosen product.

The Kirkland brand is the one notable exception, so cans with that logo are a safer bet for being both quality and cheaper. Overall, do your homework and double check that the cans you're buying are actually worth the pantry space. 

One of the smartest ways you can save money at Costco is to purchase name-brand dupes hiding under the Kirkland's Signature label. After all, a lot of consumer goods like ice cream, alcohol, and bottled water have name brand bias built into their respective price tags. One of shoppers' favorite dupes is Kirkland's French vodka for Grey Goose. Even if it's been disproven to be the direct supplier of Costco's brand, the French vodka is on sale at nearly half the price, making the choice easy. 

That's not the only excellent Costco liquor bargain. Kirkland's Canadian whiskey appears to be a rather straight forward dupe from Crown Royal. Meanwhile, Alexander Murray makes Kirkland's well-regarded Scotch. Aside from alcohol, H.K. Anderson is rumored to be the maker of the beloved Kirkland's peanut butter pretzels, Reynolds creates the Kirkland brand aluminum foil,  and Humboldt Creamery provides Kirkland with its signature vanilla ice cream. Some have even mentioned that the sparkling water smacks of like Pellegrino and the granola bars are a dead ringer for Kind Bars. The list — and the deals — go on. 

Warning: expiration dates are closer than they appear. Many Costco items should definitely have this label slapped on the packaging, but as it is, you need to walk into your local Costco with the knowledge that some foods spoil faster than you think. Some of the usual suspects include dry goods like nuts and seeds, peanut butter, almond flour, coffee, and spices, which have oils and fats that go rancid in a matter of months, not years. Sure, you could store some of your spices and peanut butter in the fridge or freezer to extend this delicate shelf life, but treating your fridge like an extension of your pantry is a disaster waiting to happen. 

The same goes for certain condiments, like mayonnaise, olive oil, and salad dressing. These goods often have fast approaching expiration dates that will limit your ability to use it all up before it spoils. Also be wary of buying products that are subject to going stale, like cereal, chips, or bread. Unless you're feeding a small army, these bulk items will lead to inevitable waste. 

To say that Costco has the best return policy around is not hyperbole. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back is taken very seriously here. First off, you don't need to keep track of your flimsy receipt. As purchases are linked up with your membership card, Costco can track your purchases that way. Second, don't worry about the time frame of the return. With the exception of some items — like Costco's tech, which requires a return within 90 days –most merchandise can be returned at any time. 

So what exactly qualifies for a return? Basically, in the grocery realm, if you're unsatisfied with it, Costco will refund you. Even if you sample or try the food item and simply find the taste off or unacceptable, Costco will accept the opened perishable food as a genuine return. A good rule of thumb is to make sure only 50% of the grocery item has been used or eaten to make it a valid return. Heck, you can even get your Costco membership fee refunded if you've found the benefits to be not worth it. 

Like the canned goods, soda can be deceptive deal at Costco. On the face of it, you may think you're getting a ton of soda for a reasonable flat rate, but if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that local grocery stores often have the better deals in this category. Why? Soda is known in the grocery store business as a "loss leader." Loss leaders are products that are frequently discounted at stores (at a financial loss to its bottom line) to get and keep customers shopping there. For instance, Costco's famously well-priced rotisserie chicken is one of its main loss leaders, drawing in even the most skeptical of shoppers. 

For smaller grocery chains, soda, particularly the liter-sized bottle, is a sure winner as a loss leader. With that in mind, always compare Costco's soda prices to other grocery stores when buying. You may save a surprising amount of cash. 

Have a birthday or celebration on the horizon with a big, hungry guest list? Consider trusting your large cake order with Costco's bakery. At any given time, the bakery will have jumbo chocolate and vanilla layer cakes waiting in the refrigerated shelves. Cheesecakes, tiramisu, and pies are also often available, in case you want to spice up your dessert spread. 

If you want something more planned out than that, you can order a $19.99 10-inch round (serves 16 people) or a $24.99 half sheet cake (serves 48 people) using the Special Cake Order Form, which needs to be submitted in the store at least 24-hours before the cake is needed. The flavors on offer are chocolate with chocolate mousse icing and vanilla filled with vanilla cheesecake mousse. And yes, you can get this cake properly decorated. Costco offers numerous designs, including roses, flags, balloons, and rainbows. 

Oh, and if you're planning a pared-down, small wedding, Costco has been known to sell elegant two-tiered wedding cakes (serves 16 to 22) online for $299, a fraction of what typical bakeries quote for a wedding cake. Even the typical sheet cake can be made wedding-worthy with a few expertly applied decorations. It's well worth the hassle considering the saved extra change. 

Found online, at the store, or in your mailbox, the Costco savings booklet is not your typical coupons rag. Indeed, Costco doesn't even take coupons. Whatever deals mentioned in the booklet are available to any member in store or online, and there's no need to show it at the check-out to get your savings. So why do you need it? 

Consider some of these staggering facts: An average Costco store is 147,000 square feet and houses around 4,000 products at a time. Admittedly, that's a low product number compared to your typical grocery store. But once you combine it with an extremely high product turnover rate, your local Costco is basically a giant, shifting hedge maze of deals. That's where the Costco savings book comes in. Think of the booklet as the handiest way for shoppers to stay on top of sales at the store, working like monthly road map. 

I've already sung the praises of the cost-effective benefits of buying Costco's cakes — but what about other delicious bakery items on hand? Unsurprisingly, Costco also offers delicious freshly-baked sandwich bread, baguettes, coffee cakes, muffins, and even loaf cakes that are worth stocking up on in bulk. Of course, the biggest problem with this plan of attack is that you'll soon be inundated with baked goods that you can't eat in time before it spoils. 

Look thee to your freezer, fellow shopper. You can and should be freezing your Costco muffins until you're ready to eat them. The same rule applies to Costco's other fresh loaves of bread, cheesecakes, quick breads, croissants, and even Danishes on offer. The only baked goods that should probably be kept out of the freezer are the chocolate chip cookies (it's always better to freeze the dough) or any baked good made with a custard or meringue component. Also, streusel-topped quick breads will maintain a good interior, but the topping may become soggy in the defrost step.