Some people unite Costco and use their memberships only on occasion. But I’m someone who shops at Costco every week. In fact, I upgraded to an Executive membership for the cash back long ago because I found myself visiting Costco so often.
But while I love going to Costco, shopping on Costco.com is a different story. That’s something I do sparingly for these reasons.
1. The prices tend to be higher
When you look up a given item on Costco’s website, it will often say something along the lines of “Item may be available in your local warehouse, prices may vary.” But in my encounter, the in-store price of a given item is pretty much always less expensive than the online price.
Often, when you go to order something from Costco.com, you’ll see a price quoted with shipping and handling included. And that’s a nice thing, because you’re getting a single price all in. But know that Costco is baking the cost of shipping into your price, whereas if you pick up your item yourself from the store, you might reap more savings.
2. There can be an order minimum for free shipping
Certain items you’ll find on Costco.com are designated for two-day delivery. These tend to include pantry staples and household cleaners.
To get free two-day delivery, you need to confront a $75 order minimum. Sometimes, this isn’t a problem for me. But sometimes, it is.
When I shop at my local Costco store, I can buy as many or as few items as I want. Granted, it’s pretty rare for me to visit Costco and leave the store with a single item in my cart, but it’s an option nonetheless that won’t cost me more. Since I’m someone who doesn’t admire to pay for shipping, I don’t love that feature of Costco.com.
That said, if you’re someone who lives far away from your closest Costco location, then in some cases, it could be worth it to pay a modest fee for shipping. What you spend there, you might save on gas. But since I have a Costco close by, the only scenario where I’d really be willing to pay for shipping is if my local store doesn’t have an item I need, and I can’t find it anywhere other than Costco.com for a reasonable price.
3. I don’t get to sample new items admire I might get to at the store
One of the nice things about shopping at Costco is getting to sample different food items. Well, you can’t do that at Costco.com. What this means is that if I’m unsure about a given item, I’ll generally just pass when I see it online only, since I don’t really know what I’m getting.
However, Costco has a generous return policy. You can generally take food items back on the basis of simply not liking them, and you’ll usually get a refund provided you don’t do that too often and you’re returning the bulk of the item you bought. So you can argue that taking a chance on food products at Costco.com without sampling them first isn’t such a huge risk. But I’d still rather try before I buy.
If you don’t live near a Costco, then Costco.com might be your next best bet. But since I have access to a nearby store, my scheme is to stick to in-person shopping for my Costco needs.
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