40 Shopping Tricks to Know Before You Go to Costco

Do you hear that? It's the sound of sweet, sweet chicken. Each time you hear a bell go off inside a Costco store, it means that a fresh batch of rotisserie chicken was just stocked.

Did you know there is a secret pricing language in Costco? According to Tough Nickel, different prices reflect different types of markdowns. An item priced at $0.99 is regularly priced with no deal, anything that is priced at $0.97 has been marked down and has good value and an item priced at $0.88 or an even dollar has been majorly reduced, which means the manager is eager to move the product. The more you know!

Keep an eye out for an asterisk or star symbol on the price tag. The symbol means the product isn’t going to be restocked, which means that you should probably stock up if it's a favorite.

We’re not advocating for stockpiling toilet paper, but buying in bulk simply is the cheapest way to shop at a store like Costco. If you don’t have a place to store mountains of paper goods (and really, who does?), split the cost with a friend and share the supplies.

While other stores might be peeved at you hanging around the mini-hotdog samples, Costco welcomes it. The free sample culture is all part of Costco’s customer experience, so don't be shy about trying (over and over again).

You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t intrigued by the free samples Costco is always giving out. But while they’re fine to enjoy as you shop, don’t underestimate the impact they can have on your budget. The free samples are used by the store to expose you to products you wouldn’t normally try, after all. If you aren’t careful, you could end up with a lot of unanticipated items in your cart.

Any regular Costco shopper knows that there are a ton of pre-cooked or pre-assembled foods at the discount store. From ready-to-bake at home sourdough bread to quinoa salads, the offerings are a great way to cut your dinner prep time significantly (and affordably).

If you’ve ever shopped at Costco, you’ll know that the brand doesn’t offer bags. To avoid having to pick through a bin of Costco cardboard boxes, make sure to pack plenty of reusable bags for your shopping expedition.

Consumer Reports show that Kirkland products—everything from bacon to laundry detergent—ranked as some of the highest-quality products that are sold exclusively at Costco.

While not everyone can bulk up on meat, consider stocking up if you have room in your freezer. If you follow Costco news, you’ll know that even celebrity chefs have praised the quality of the brand's cuts, especially for that low Costco price.

There’s more to our love of Costco than just buying in bulk. The warehouse store also provides premium prices on otherwise expensive brand names. It’s always smart to keep an eye out for sales that mark down prices on luxury items, like a Cuisinart ice cream maker, for example.

Just like avoiding rush hour on the highway, try to steer clear of Costco on weekends (the store's busiest days). Instead, try shopping at midday during the week if you can.

If lines and crowds aren't your thing, you can snag your favorite Costco prices online instead. Most major cities have Costco items available for online delivery.

If you know your wine, Costco is a great place to scour the bins for a deal. While the store is often known for its Kirkland brand, people have found high-value bottles as well. Since the store tends to display wines of different years together, if you pay close attention to the vintages, you could wind up with an impressive bottle.

While you must flash that shiny membership card for mostly all other Costco purposes, the wine section is one exception (in some locations). Certain states sell alcohol to non-members, while others do not.

While Costco doesn’t have any use for the crates the bottles come in, the display-worthy wooden boxes are great for your own wine storage or any other DIY projects you might have at home.

For years, people have been comparing the vodka from Costco’s in-house brand, Kirkland, with Grey Goose—the former has even surpassed the latter in blind taste tests. All in all, the warehouse store’s vodka label is a well-kept secret to its members and worth stocking up on.

If you happen to spot Costco’s famous 93-inch teddy bear and think, "Is this a reasonable purchase?" the answer is "yes." The plush toy has become a longtime love of Costco fans.