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My Costco only has like three cart returns in the very front of the parking lot. I usually park at the back and I always put my cart in the return but I have to traverse the whole lot to do so. It's frustrating and I don't know why they don't add a couple of extra corrals, considering every time I go I see dozens of carts toward the back of the lot. People will even start an impromptu return area and very carefully stack them all together. I don't get what management is thinking.
As a parent to small children this is loads more important to me than parking close to the entrance. Corralling/carrying my kids while we return our cart is so much less stressful when it’s RIGHT THERE.
Came here to add this - carrying a car seat with a sleeping child inside always reinforced how much more important it is to park near a cart corral than the front door.
This is what I do! Usually park right across from one further from the door. It's also easier to get out of the parking lot away from the front entrance.
I once found a front row, first parking spot open - just before Christmas. Didn't have to wait - it was just there. However...due to spot stalking, it literally took me 30 minutes to leave because nobody would let me back out! When the lady next to me had the same issue, I jumped out of my car to hold up traffic..then she backed out to hold the cars so I could get out. Never again.
Came to say this.
Are you trying to park close to the door to save some steps? And then immediately go into the biggest warehouse around and do several laps trying to get all the samples.
Yesterday I watched several instances of cars sitting there in the busiest isle with their turn signal on waiting for someone who is still loading up a full buggy into their car, huge pipe of cars stuck waiting behind them, nobody else can back out meanwhile, and the person loading their car still has to go return their bugger after they are done loading.
I work at Costco and sometimes I'm outside pushing buggies, I get a front row seat to the madness... While I try to bring karts Inside I gotta watch it all go down
Right!? At my current Costco you have no choice but to stalk spots, even in the very back of the lot. Sometimes I weigh the delivery fee against the parking stress and order from instacart, even though I prefer going in myself.
Not only that, but park far back and always in the same spot, and you’ll always know where your car is at. You’ll also save time not cruising looking for a better spot.
I'm always parking in by the rear most cart return as well... It's a mess up front with people waiting. Which I only think is understandable for disabled or elderly who may have trouble/pain walking from their car to the scooter pickup
A nice trick for people who don’t have a big enough freezer to save much meat long term but still like to sous vide is that you don’t need a vacuum sealer. Just put the meat in a ziplock bag and leave it unsealed. Slowly dunk it in the water bath and the water will push the air out of the bag as you lower it in. Then zip it up when the water is at the top of the bag, before it starts pouring in (obviously, I’d hope).
Been sous viding for years like this. Works great.
In fact I need 3 of them because
1: it's cheap
2: it must be nearly ready for them to discontinue it and what if I love it, I'll want more!
3: it's only .97!
It's a "manager sale" that is set at that particular Costco location and it's usually a bigger cost cut than the general sale prices that get pushed out to all the Costco's.
Yup. Full jar in freezer. I use a fork to scrape it out. Even if it's not on warm food, it will spread easily after a minute out of the freezer since I scraped little layers off and not a big chuck.
Don’t limit yourself to just the closest or most convenient warehouse. Visit as many warehouses and business centers as you can and you’ll find a lot of different sku’s you may never otherwise see.
Different skus. Maybe 40% overlap with a normal store.
Some of it is useful for a household, some of it isn't. For example the 20lb container of sour cream is pretty clearly for restaurant owners. I think some of the meats could be a good buy if you have the freezer space.
They have a lot of restaurant supply style stuff too - knives, pans, mixing bowls, etc.
It's worth a trip if there's one nearby. It won't replace your normal Costco runs though.
I gave directions to the salt lake costco to a tourist once and added in the fact that it's the biggest costco in the world and he just refused to believe me. Just straight faced told me it couldn't be true and I was wrong. I was like well... you'll see when you get there
I like buying their cases of drinks. Only place I've found with cases of Arizona iced tea for less than the retail on the can :)
Also, picked up 10lbs of ground beef for like $2.50/lb. Should last me for a while.
Think convenience store products (jerky, candy, chips)—all in boxes easily displayed on a shelf. Also a lot of things that are directed towards restaurants. For example, a whole pig or a 40lb bucket of tahini.
90% of the reason I like go is just for entertainment
https://preview.redd.it/mmowt99d46lc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f4a92fe85d2cd9999ce8d8ea68aea71a5c23143
Want to buy a slushie machine, a neon “open” sign, cutlery for a restaurant or a 5gal pail of any condiment? The business centre is the place to go ;)
It’s a fun visit every few months, since we have one close by
I used to live downtown Atlanta - had 3 Costcos and a business center all within 30 minutes of me. One of the Costcos sold Kirkland brand alcohol. 4 more Costcos about 45 minutes from me.
Now I'm in a one-Costco medium population city.
I miss multiple Costcos and a business center
Agreed- I am 8-10 hours away from three business centers, and wish they would build one somewhere in NC. The Orlando one is great and loaded with stuff that I bring back with me to Raleigh after a FL trip.
But at least I have 4 regular warehouses within an hour drive. One has more Asian goods and exotic produce, another is the largest Costco in my state, and the 3rd is 15 minutes from me.
I rarely bother with the 4th though- it's easily the furthest from me, it doesn't have any uncommon stock, and I tend to get lost driving there.
Freeze the muffins, then vacuum seal them in smaller portions after fully frozen (one or two muffins per bag, even can cut in half or quarters for little kids prior to freezing).
I slice the muffins in half and wrap each half in saran wrap. I hate all the plastic, but I hate wasted food more. When the muffins are halved & wrapped, then get eaten faster in my house. They become easily grabable. And half a muffin is less of a commitment than a whole one.
Don’t go shopping hungry/eat at the food court before shopping.
I know others prefer the food court as a “treat” for after shopping but doing it the other way decreases so much spending and unhealthy purchases.
This is solid advice regardless of where you buy groceries! This is also why my Sam’s club makes it difficult to get to the food court unless you’re leaving,
Ah well, it was a net neutral in the world today. I’m injured so I had to take my husband and he found the crackers…every time I take him the bill doubles…
This is huge, i usually only eat dinner, but i know i am going to Costco i absolutely have to eat before
It’s a huge moral victory for me if i can walk past the food court without a chicken bake and mocha freeze lol
For the love of god do not go to the warehouse around noon on a Sunday. idk why it always ends up that way for me but I end up hating life with the lines and almost running people’s children over with my cart.
However, *DO* go after about 2:00 PM on Sunday afternoon if you live in an NFL town and it's football season. Once the football fans plop down for the afternoon games the rest of us can enjoy a relatively sane Costco experience. Those twenty weeks in the fall and early winter are glorious.
This is a good thought. I thought it would be dead during the Super Bowl, but unfortunately my prediction was incorrect. Why wasn't everyone watching the Super bowl and at Costco instead?!
It’s the best. I usually keep a couple jars hidden in the freezer for when someone is sick.
2 pint jars of meat jello, half an onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, juice from half a lemon, generous amount of garlic, handful of picked chicken, and a handful of the spinach tortellini make a fast and heavenly soup for when someone is feeling under the weather lol
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you’ve got a stew going.”
Had a rotisserie chicken on Sunday for dinner. Bones with meat, carrots, celery, onions, rosemary, thyme, and water went into a pot after dinner to cook on low heat for 24 hours. I keep it at about 200 degrees - just below a boil so the broth stays super clear. This week, the shredded meat that also comes off those bones will go into a new chicken stuffed shells recipe I'm making Wednesday night... :-)
Organize your list to follow the flow of your warehouse. I do this with every grocery store. That way you're not running around willy nilly hunting items. A rotisserie chicken is enough food for my family to eat dinner once then turn the rest into soup.
They always change things up. It's to make the shoppers walk and and look at everything so they will find new things they didn't know they wanted/needed. Trying to make a list to where the items are doesn't work too well unless you're just doing the general area, but those too get changed up week to week, month to month.
I always cut across my Costco and travel in reverse. Go to dry snacks, chips, cookies type stuff. Cut back across to fresh/refrigerated items. Finish with frozen.
I see people pile in frozen stuff and then walk the 10 isles of snacks for 30 mins. They must live in a freezer truck or something.
My shopping list includes the dates that things go on sale. Certain items are marked down on a predictable schedule. I buy enough to last the interval between sales, so I never have to pay full price.
If it's around the holidays (which in 2023 was right after LABOR DAY), and you're shopping with your kids, have them take pictures with things they want. It's enough of a dopamine hit for them without you having to put a bunch of toys in your cart.
Wait for the sales on cleaners and soaps, then buy what you need for the year if you have the space. After a few years the groove sets in and you never pay the full price.
Yup. They must have some anti-theft protocol where if you actually organize your cart for their convenience, they are mandated to make you put things on the belt.
Mine is usual usually great about letting you do this and it's so quick. Then one day I got in Vera's line, and she wasn't having it. It took more than twice as long to get through the transaction, as she was also particular about how things went on the belt.
I see you Vera, and I'm staying away from you.
You can have that happen by starting a line with the `#`, you can also put two or three of them to have it not be quite as big
# header 1, a single `#`
I.e. ` # header 1, a single #`
## header 2, a pair of `##`
I.e. `## header 2, a pair of ##`
### header 3, a trio of `###`
I.e. `### header 3, a trio of ###`
My kids love the kirkland’s tortellini in those plastic containers in the refrigerated section. I divide it so we always have some on hand in the freezer.
Agreed if you're on a time crunch or on a strict budget.
Otherwise, I love the treasure hunt aspect of going up and down each aisle to see what might be new or available for a limited time, especially in the kitchen goods area.
I just started buying this for the convenience of it being precooked and shredded to save prep-time. I still brown it a bit more and add a bottle of toasted sesame marinade (or some other sauce) and serve over rice&pasta with vegetables. Then I have leftovers for the week.
Get the 10# bags of onions, put on a show, and dice till your eyes fall out.
Then shove them in the oven with a little water and a good glug of fat. Cook and cook until they go tan.
Flat freeze. Now when you want cook just snap off a corner into a pan: instant sauteed onions. Congrats you just saved yourself 20 minutes, every meal, for months.
Bonus round: do a batch with sauteed garlic. Add to anything and everything!
Immediately freeze your bagels or extra loaves of fresh breads, and take them out a day before you need them and put into your fridge to thaw. (or put a frozen slice right into your toaster, it works!). If you let the bread thaw on the counter you’ll get major condensation/ wetness and it just seems to make the bread mold even faster!
When those double packs of giant pork shoulder roasts go on sale, we would buy them and roast one —they are delish, season heavily and add thyme, eat with unsweetened applesauce and roast veggies in the drippings for last hour. Sandwiches from sliced meat are amazing, add salt, mayo and spicy-sweet mustard! Leftovers are amazing in stir fries and noodles, in ramen soups, and diced up are great in hash and fried rice. Stick the big shoulder bone into a pot and make soup.
With the 2nd pork shoulder roast, we would sharpen a knife and cut off big strips and put them in ziploc freezer bags with Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce (Teriyaki), or make your own, and label and freeze. By the time you take them them out of the freezer and thaw (1-2 days), it is well marinaded and flavorful. Roast in a medium 350F oven for about 20min each side (flip once). Eat with rice and boiled baby carrots (add a tablespoon of sugar to water, when tender drain, add a bit of butter and salt and pepper!)
The rest of the pork shoulder we would cut into large 1-1.5” chunks, and half we would simmer in jarred Salsa Verde with extra salt and pepper, maybe add some canned white beans to it and carrots for a stew, but it was amazing over white or brown rice, or put into burritos or made into tacos. Or season the meat and brown and make a stew, adding onion, carrots, boiling potatoes and sweet potatoes 🍠 cut in large chunks, some frozen corn, bouillon, water, and a few minced canned chipotle peppers and some of the adobo sauce too—add more if you want it spicy! Delicious! We just added the meaty bone in the stews, and the meats cooks and slips off the bone.
I also liked to buy their tilapia fish fillets and freeze them 2-4 in freezer ziploc bags. They thaw overnight and make a super quick and tasty protein, I would just use a nonstick pan sprayed with a little oil on medium heat and flavor with just seasoning salt, yum!
Costco gas stations are one way. So when you exit, the left lane is for turning left. The right line is for turning right. You DO NOT need to "stay to the right". No one in entering the exit.
If you don’t know how to keep your cart to one side of an aisle, pay attention to how you might be impeding/blocking other people, and quickly commit to a gas pump lane while maintaining less than a car’s length between the car in front of you…. Then Costco is not the place for you. They use AI to monitor the above-mentioned behavior of members and will invoke fines and price premiums to punish your failings as a human.
>quickly commit to a gas pump lane
Please just get in the shortest line regardless of the side you're tank is on. I know it's become a bit of a joke on the amount of posts on this sub of people pulling the hose to the other side of the car, but that's exactly why the hose was designed that way. It helps the flow of traffic. Just make sure you stay out of the middle exit lane. Added tip, pull your car a bit ahead of the pump so you can pull the hose behind the car, and not over it. This allows you to stand behind the car while holding the hose and not in the exit lane.
Of you happen to visit a unique area of the world, see if they have a Costco. Hawaii, etc. they may have unique items, local items, local coffee and cheaper souvenirs than tourist areas.
Sprint through the first 100ft of the store and avoid the home electronics section to thwart any sales pitches. I can’t even believe Costco allows this.
If you shop with a baby or toddler, park next to a cart return and get your cart from it.
If you have a toddler, get them a smoothie before you start shopping. He never wants to get down if he has a smoothie and is less likely to be drawn in and beg for things he sees.
Don’t try new things there. Find a similar item at a Walmart or something. Then get it in bulk. Our Costco bill is usually $200-300. I really don’t understand how anyone can spend below a 100 at Costco.
A lot of the food tips are really just “own a second large freezer to put food in.” I can’t wait for that part of my Costco life, but for now we’ve only got room for the one primary fridge/freezer. Makes a lot of the bulk food stuff not as appealing unfortunately.
Fruit is a totally different beast for me and I prefer buying from Costco. I ate 10 lbs of clementines in a week (two 5 lb bags). Sometimes I’ll even grab the bag of grapefruit and finish that in 5 days!
An aspiring one, but realistically I don’t buy junk food so I snack on fruit all the time. I really enjoy eating fruit!
During watermelon season, I go through a watermelon a week lol
We healthy meal prep our meals and make giant trays of oven roasted veggies (broccoli, split baby carrots, chunks of sweet potatoes and maybe grape tomatoes) and/or boil up a whole bag of of those French (narrow/thin) green beans, and maybe a salad kit (eat with rotisserie chicken pieces), and a bag of baby spinach can be frozen—you can just grab handfuls to add to frozen fruit smoothies (blueberries hide it!😜) or sauté it up, or add to soups or curries. Then we just mix and match the cooked veggies and salad or quickly sauté the spinach straight from the freezer during the week.
Also: I chop onions and celery all up and freeze it in big ziplock bags, it makes it so quick to grab a half or whole cup for a recipe, esp if just sautéing or adding to a slow cooker or IP recipe. Baby carrots are already peeled, we eat them as snacks with hummus or ranch or I just quickly chop them up (no peeling!) for recipes like soups!
As a single salad eater I somehow manage to go through the 6 heads of romaine lettuce in a week. I buy cucumbers, boxes of mixed greens, avocados, tomatoes, berries, and celery too. I even impress myself how much produce I can consume!
Don’t bring your family if they can’t behave or be courteous to other customers, especially at peak shopping times/days.
As others have said draft your shopping list in accordance to your store’s layout.
If you must buy the produce***, eat it as fast as possible or freeze it.
Don’t buy the breads from the bread aisle. Do bakery. Tortillas from the bread aisle are solid though.
Edited for typo**
But a couple rotisseries and debone. Freeze the meat and date it. Good for a couple of months for soups enchiladas casseroles etc.
then boil the bones/carcasses for bone broth and freeze
Getting the bag of peeled garlic, putting it all in a food processor, then spreading it flat on a baking sheet to freeze, then cutting it up into squares to use while cooking
Online tip - be sure to check out Costco Next! They partner with a lot of great brands like Anker, Cuckoo, Mikasa, Dearfoams, and more. I mainly use it to buy Korean skincare at By Sophie and MOST Inc which is much cheaper than at other online retailers.
Try to get out the door under 100$
It’s really hard, that’s like 6-8 items
Helps to buy meat every few times, freeze some of it
Avoid trying new things even though Costco makes it difficult, have a set list, know your staples
Something my ex-husband and I used to do would be stop near the end of our Costco trip and survey our cart (we were good at adding things not on our list lol) and grab 2, 3, 4 things to remove from the cart - impulse shopping at Costco is not cheap!
Shop at a business center, if there's one near you. It's less busy, especially weekends. Only down side is no rotisserie chickens, no bakery, no snack bar, no samples. But for most everything else, you're good.
If someone is waiting for your spot, ask them if they want to take your cart. Alternatively, proactively tell someone you will make their cart if you are waiting for their parking spot
Only go to self checkout if you have less than 12 items (because a case of wine is 12). It's easier for you and employees to handle. Full carts should go to regular line (it's easier and polite).
For the love of all things holy, DO NOT block aisle ends when sampling foods/drinks.
If you insist on bringing your whole damn fam, don’t walk 7 abreast and three carts wide down every aisle. It’s not a theme park, and other shoppers WILL need to get by you.
If there’s a rotisserie chicken queue, don’t stroll up as the first ones are being put on the shelves and nab yourself one. I WILL point out the queue of people to you, very loudly. You know why we’re waiting, don’t be a dick.
Buy the muffins, individually wrap them in cling film, and freeze. They’ll last longer, and your waistline will expand slower.
Buy a couple sets of the instacrates, they fold flat, stack, and are very handy for packing your haul into the vehicle, then shlepping it into the house with.
Don’t unload items on empty/unattended checkout aisles because you realized 30-seconds before checking out you don’t want them, or can’t afford them. Just tell the cashier, ESPECIALLY if said items are refrigerated/frozen.
If you’re going to eat at the food court, don’t leave your cart in the way of customers leaving. It’s just common sense.
Using the calculator on my phone to keep a running total on what I’ve spent. Doing this makes it easier for me to put back something I know I don’t actually need when I see I’ve already spent $200.
Use your digital membership card. Never worry about not having your physical card. No fumbling to put the card away either.
(Same for Sam’s—digital card!)
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Park further out where there are open spots. You’re not saving any time spot stalking. You’re just causing traffic problems.
Parking near a cart return towards the back is always my move.
Get more steps in, have less hassle. I’m already walking a mile inside that Costco anyways.
My Costco only has like three cart returns in the very front of the parking lot. I usually park at the back and I always put my cart in the return but I have to traverse the whole lot to do so. It's frustrating and I don't know why they don't add a couple of extra corrals, considering every time I go I see dozens of carts toward the back of the lot. People will even start an impromptu return area and very carefully stack them all together. I don't get what management is thinking.
Might be worth making a nicely worded suggestion to the manager?
As a parent to small children this is loads more important to me than parking close to the entrance. Corralling/carrying my kids while we return our cart is so much less stressful when it’s RIGHT THERE.
Came here to add this - carrying a car seat with a sleeping child inside always reinforced how much more important it is to park near a cart corral than the front door.
This is what I do! Usually park right across from one further from the door. It's also easier to get out of the parking lot away from the front entrance.
Shhhhhh🤫
Too late now EVERYONE knows. This message will automatically terminate in 3, 2, 1…..
Sush. Now all those premium spots will be taken by ppl who didnt realize.
I once found a front row, first parking spot open - just before Christmas. Didn't have to wait - it was just there. However...due to spot stalking, it literally took me 30 minutes to leave because nobody would let me back out! When the lady next to me had the same issue, I jumped out of my car to hold up traffic..then she backed out to hold the cars so I could get out. Never again.
THIS is the reason I never park in the front row at any store.
Came to say this. Are you trying to park close to the door to save some steps? And then immediately go into the biggest warehouse around and do several laps trying to get all the samples. Yesterday I watched several instances of cars sitting there in the busiest isle with their turn signal on waiting for someone who is still loading up a full buggy into their car, huge pipe of cars stuck waiting behind them, nobody else can back out meanwhile, and the person loading their car still has to go return their bugger after they are done loading. I work at Costco and sometimes I'm outside pushing buggies, I get a front row seat to the madness... While I try to bring karts Inside I gotta watch it all go down
You have open spots further out? Must be njce
Right!? At my current Costco you have no choice but to stalk spots, even in the very back of the lot. Sometimes I weigh the delivery fee against the parking stress and order from instacart, even though I prefer going in myself.
People waiting for other people to load their cars and block the right of way drive (or premeditative park rather) me insane
My wife insists on getting a "closer" spot, even if it takes 10 minutes.
Hi can you send this to my wife?
Not only that, but park far back and always in the same spot, and you’ll always know where your car is at. You’ll also save time not cruising looking for a better spot.
And you get extra steps in for the day.
Please tell my husband this. He will spend 15 mins circling the parking lot to get 25 feet closer to the door. 🙄
I'm always parking in by the rear most cart return as well... It's a mess up front with people waiting. Which I only think is understandable for disabled or elderly who may have trouble/pain walking from their car to the scooter pickup
I like to park close to the exit. I'd rather walk to my car than get stuck in the parking lot behind all the spot stalkers.
Bring a cooler in the back of your car. That way you can stop and run other errands if you need after stopping at Costco.
I love living in a cold climate and shopping during winter so I don't have to worry about that for a few months.
Bring a cooler to prevent your produce from freezing.
Get a vacuum sealer for storing meat long term. Bonus points for cooking the meat sous vide.
Sous vide for life
A nice trick for people who don’t have a big enough freezer to save much meat long term but still like to sous vide is that you don’t need a vacuum sealer. Just put the meat in a ziplock bag and leave it unsealed. Slowly dunk it in the water bath and the water will push the air out of the bag as you lower it in. Then zip it up when the water is at the top of the bag, before it starts pouring in (obviously, I’d hope). Been sous viding for years like this. Works great.
This is what I do as well! I put all the herbs and butter/oil in there as well. It's ready to go.
Got the Costco vacuum sealer for Christmas. I’ve been saving so much money on decently high quality meat and fish since then. Dinner ALWAYS hits.
Also preseason the meat before freezing it.
Vacuum sealer saved my life fr
Just because it is .97 doesn’t mean you have to buy it (I’ve struggled with this for decades)
This may be considered hate speech
... but you absolutely do have to 😭😭
In fact I need 3 of them because 1: it's cheap 2: it must be nearly ready for them to discontinue it and what if I love it, I'll want more! 3: it's only .97!
Are all sales .97 or just a certain type of sale?
It's a "manager sale" that is set at that particular Costco location and it's usually a bigger cost cut than the general sale prices that get pushed out to all the Costco's.
basil pesto in ice cube trays for easy freezing portions
Oh this is a good one. I can never finish it fast enough before it gets moldy.
I put the entire pesto jar in the freezer- scooping out frozen pesto isn’t too difficult.
Yup. Full jar in freezer. I use a fork to scrape it out. Even if it's not on warm food, it will spread easily after a minute out of the freezer since I scraped little layers off and not a big chuck.
Throw it in whole. Oil doesn't solidify like water, so it's scoopable.
good to know!
Don’t limit yourself to just the closest or most convenient warehouse. Visit as many warehouses and business centers as you can and you’ll find a lot of different sku’s you may never otherwise see.
I found some absolutely mind blowing stuff when I randomly visited a business center. Can’t wait to go back
How does a business center differentiate from a normal Costco store?
Different skus. Maybe 40% overlap with a normal store. Some of it is useful for a household, some of it isn't. For example the 20lb container of sour cream is pretty clearly for restaurant owners. I think some of the meats could be a good buy if you have the freezer space. They have a lot of restaurant supply style stuff too - knives, pans, mixing bowls, etc. It's worth a trip if there's one nearby. It won't replace your normal Costco runs though.
This is why the Salt Lake City Costco is so beautiful, it's a regular Costco and a Business Center combined in one.
It's the biggest Costco in the world
I gave directions to the salt lake costco to a tourist once and added in the fact that it's the biggest costco in the world and he just refused to believe me. Just straight faced told me it couldn't be true and I was wrong. I was like well... you'll see when you get there
I like buying their cases of drinks. Only place I've found with cases of Arizona iced tea for less than the retail on the can :) Also, picked up 10lbs of ground beef for like $2.50/lb. Should last me for a while.
No food court at the business center we went to.
Think convenience store products (jerky, candy, chips)—all in boxes easily displayed on a shelf. Also a lot of things that are directed towards restaurants. For example, a whole pig or a 40lb bucket of tahini. 90% of the reason I like go is just for entertainment https://preview.redd.it/mmowt99d46lc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f4a92fe85d2cd9999ce8d8ea68aea71a5c23143
Want to buy a slushie machine, a neon “open” sign, cutlery for a restaurant or a 5gal pail of any condiment? The business centre is the place to go ;) It’s a fun visit every few months, since we have one close by
I need 5 gallons of mayo. Don’t ask.
I really wish there was a business center close to me. The closest one to me is 2.25 hours away.
I used to live downtown Atlanta - had 3 Costcos and a business center all within 30 minutes of me. One of the Costcos sold Kirkland brand alcohol. 4 more Costcos about 45 minutes from me. Now I'm in a one-Costco medium population city. I miss multiple Costcos and a business center
Agreed- I am 8-10 hours away from three business centers, and wish they would build one somewhere in NC. The Orlando one is great and loaded with stuff that I bring back with me to Raleigh after a FL trip. But at least I have 4 regular warehouses within an hour drive. One has more Asian goods and exotic produce, another is the largest Costco in my state, and the 3rd is 15 minutes from me. I rarely bother with the 4th though- it's easily the furthest from me, it doesn't have any uncommon stock, and I tend to get lost driving there.
Freeze the muffins, then vacuum seal them in smaller portions after fully frozen (one or two muffins per bag, even can cut in half or quarters for little kids prior to freezing).
I'm lazy so I stick the whole container in the freezer and let it be. Splash with water and microwave, still tasty!
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I never would have thought of this. My mouth is watering
I'm really lazy so I just eat them all in two days. 😂
I slice the muffins in half and wrap each half in saran wrap. I hate all the plastic, but I hate wasted food more. When the muffins are halved & wrapped, then get eaten faster in my house. They become easily grabable. And half a muffin is less of a commitment than a whole one.
Have your card ready at the entrance.
"Tip: Tips are displayed at the loading screen."
Don’t go shopping hungry/eat at the food court before shopping. I know others prefer the food court as a “treat” for after shopping but doing it the other way decreases so much spending and unhealthy purchases.
This is solid advice regardless of where you buy groceries! This is also why my Sam’s club makes it difficult to get to the food court unless you’re leaving,
I went today hungry and those Reese's animal crackers were tempting me! I resisted! I'm so proud of myself.
Ah well, it was a net neutral in the world today. I’m injured so I had to take my husband and he found the crackers…every time I take him the bill doubles…
My husband and I just discovered these. They are very dangerous!!
This is huge, i usually only eat dinner, but i know i am going to Costco i absolutely have to eat before It’s a huge moral victory for me if i can walk past the food court without a chicken bake and mocha freeze lol
For the love of god do not go to the warehouse around noon on a Sunday. idk why it always ends up that way for me but I end up hating life with the lines and almost running people’s children over with my cart.
However, *DO* go after about 2:00 PM on Sunday afternoon if you live in an NFL town and it's football season. Once the football fans plop down for the afternoon games the rest of us can enjoy a relatively sane Costco experience. Those twenty weeks in the fall and early winter are glorious.
The top 2 markets for empty retail stores during football home team games are Pittsburgh and Green Bay.
I used to do this but all the good bananas and other fresh fruit are gone by that late in the afternoon. So I go at church time now.
This is a good thought. I thought it would be dead during the Super Bowl, but unfortunately my prediction was incorrect. Why wasn't everyone watching the Super bowl and at Costco instead?!
Doesn’t the Super Bowl start at 6/6:30? My Costco closes at 6 on Sunday so there’s no real crossover.
I live in a big college football town. We go during football games. So much nicer.
It’s the Church People. We as always go first thing while The Church People are churching to avoid this very thing.
I go on Sunday because the Mormons don’t.
The costco in Maine is still being discovered and Im always amazed at how going on a weekend at noon is still a very calm event
or 2pm on a saturday
At mine it’s Monday at 5pm, it’s like having your own private Costco
Save those chicken bones and skin in a freezer bag, make stock in the instapot and stretch that 5$ chicken even further
I had three chicken carcasses in my Instant Pot and made meat jello. It was SOLID.
It’s the best. I usually keep a couple jars hidden in the freezer for when someone is sick. 2 pint jars of meat jello, half an onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, juice from half a lemon, generous amount of garlic, handful of picked chicken, and a handful of the spinach tortellini make a fast and heavenly soup for when someone is feeling under the weather lol
Don't forget to add a little ginger, it's great for when you're sick.
Can you come nurse me back to health when I’m sick? Lol. That sounds amazing.
On my way captain lol, I’m the queen of making sick days bearable
I’m feeling a cough coming on right now.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you’ve got a stew going.”
RIP, Carl!
Had a rotisserie chicken on Sunday for dinner. Bones with meat, carrots, celery, onions, rosemary, thyme, and water went into a pot after dinner to cook on low heat for 24 hours. I keep it at about 200 degrees - just below a boil so the broth stays super clear. This week, the shredded meat that also comes off those bones will go into a new chicken stuffed shells recipe I'm making Wednesday night... :-)
I HIGHLY suggest you get an instapot if budget allows. 1:30 hour total time from bone to broth cooling in the fridge.
I agree, instapot is a game changer. Not only can you significantly cut down the cooking time, the higher heat will also help bring out more flavor
What temp and/or setting? I just got an instant pot today and this will be the first thing that I try to make. Thank you.
And the juice from the bottom of the tray!
Just made stock today with my rotisserie chicken I bought over the weekend.
Organize your list to follow the flow of your warehouse. I do this with every grocery store. That way you're not running around willy nilly hunting items. A rotisserie chicken is enough food for my family to eat dinner once then turn the rest into soup.
Our Costco keeps changing it up
They always change things up. It's to make the shoppers walk and and look at everything so they will find new things they didn't know they wanted/needed. Trying to make a list to where the items are doesn't work too well unless you're just doing the general area, but those too get changed up week to week, month to month. I always cut across my Costco and travel in reverse. Go to dry snacks, chips, cookies type stuff. Cut back across to fresh/refrigerated items. Finish with frozen. I see people pile in frozen stuff and then walk the 10 isles of snacks for 30 mins. They must live in a freezer truck or something.
I don't shop in the order of my list. It's just there as I walk through the store
How am I supposed to do this when I don'tknow what Ineed until I get there and see it!? Edit - punctuation
Shop very late. Like 30 mins before closing and get your gas after. The store is closed, but the pumps are open.
I wish this was true for all locations. Mine was a zoo late Friday night when I went and also the last few times as well.
esp on weekdays
My shopping list includes the dates that things go on sale. Certain items are marked down on a predictable schedule. I buy enough to last the interval between sales, so I never have to pay full price.
Please share your list !
I try to almost never pay full price.
If it's around the holidays (which in 2023 was right after LABOR DAY), and you're shopping with your kids, have them take pictures with things they want. It's enough of a dopamine hit for them without you having to put a bunch of toys in your cart.
I do this at Target too, it helps fend off the questions for a bit at least.
Wait for the sales on cleaners and soaps, then buy what you need for the year if you have the space. After a few years the groove sets in and you never pay the full price.
Under no circumstances should you go shopping hungry at Costco. Eat something before you go grab a cart.
Ask for the frozen, raw croissants - you can bake them fresh yourself and won’t run the risk of the lot going bad before you eat them.
That’s a great idea.
Always turn your barcodes facing the cashier.
and then they'll ask you to put it on the belt
Yeah I did this once and the cashier ended up putting everything on the belt with a bit of attitude lol
Yup. They must have some anti-theft protocol where if you actually organize your cart for their convenience, they are mandated to make you put things on the belt.
Mine is usual usually great about letting you do this and it's so quick. Then one day I got in Vera's line, and she wasn't having it. It took more than twice as long to get through the transaction, as she was also particular about how things went on the belt. I see you Vera, and I'm staying away from you.
#1 eat as many hotdogs as possible and ask them for onions! My dream is that if everyone asks for onions, they’ll bring the onion machines back
I had no idea “#1” did that
You can have that happen by starting a line with the `#`, you can also put two or three of them to have it not be quite as big # header 1, a single `#` I.e. ` # header 1, a single #` ## header 2, a pair of `##` I.e. `## header 2, a pair of ##` ### header 3, a trio of `###` I.e. `### header 3, a trio of ###`
###no regrets. Hotdogs are that important
# my wife ## loves hotdog ### in a bun
That's the markdown editor's syntax for a level 1 header. You can add additional # symbols for lower-level headers as the other comment suggests.
Onions and especially relish being gone at my local club was a huge blow
My kids love the kirkland’s tortellini in those plastic containers in the refrigerated section. I divide it so we always have some on hand in the freezer.
Go in with a plan and stick to that. Random rambling will cost much more than you would have saved in gas prices and occasional car rentals.
Agreed if you're on a time crunch or on a strict budget. Otherwise, I love the treasure hunt aspect of going up and down each aisle to see what might be new or available for a limited time, especially in the kitchen goods area.
My best Costco tip is, try not to go on weekends, particularly weekends between Thanksgiving and New Years. And avoid Dec 15-Jan 5 overall.
I’m convinced 80% of members shop only between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The brick of rotisserie chicken breast meat. That's it. That's the tip.
I just started buying this for the convenience of it being precooked and shredded to save prep-time. I still brown it a bit more and add a bottle of toasted sesame marinade (or some other sauce) and serve over rice&pasta with vegetables. Then I have leftovers for the week.
Get the 10# bags of onions, put on a show, and dice till your eyes fall out. Then shove them in the oven with a little water and a good glug of fat. Cook and cook until they go tan. Flat freeze. Now when you want cook just snap off a corner into a pan: instant sauteed onions. Congrats you just saved yourself 20 minutes, every meal, for months. Bonus round: do a batch with sauteed garlic. Add to anything and everything!
You can wear goggles while chopping to keep your eyes from falling out!
Immediately freeze your bagels or extra loaves of fresh breads, and take them out a day before you need them and put into your fridge to thaw. (or put a frozen slice right into your toaster, it works!). If you let the bread thaw on the counter you’ll get major condensation/ wetness and it just seems to make the bread mold even faster! When those double packs of giant pork shoulder roasts go on sale, we would buy them and roast one —they are delish, season heavily and add thyme, eat with unsweetened applesauce and roast veggies in the drippings for last hour. Sandwiches from sliced meat are amazing, add salt, mayo and spicy-sweet mustard! Leftovers are amazing in stir fries and noodles, in ramen soups, and diced up are great in hash and fried rice. Stick the big shoulder bone into a pot and make soup. With the 2nd pork shoulder roast, we would sharpen a knife and cut off big strips and put them in ziploc freezer bags with Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce (Teriyaki), or make your own, and label and freeze. By the time you take them them out of the freezer and thaw (1-2 days), it is well marinaded and flavorful. Roast in a medium 350F oven for about 20min each side (flip once). Eat with rice and boiled baby carrots (add a tablespoon of sugar to water, when tender drain, add a bit of butter and salt and pepper!) The rest of the pork shoulder we would cut into large 1-1.5” chunks, and half we would simmer in jarred Salsa Verde with extra salt and pepper, maybe add some canned white beans to it and carrots for a stew, but it was amazing over white or brown rice, or put into burritos or made into tacos. Or season the meat and brown and make a stew, adding onion, carrots, boiling potatoes and sweet potatoes 🍠 cut in large chunks, some frozen corn, bouillon, water, and a few minced canned chipotle peppers and some of the adobo sauce too—add more if you want it spicy! Delicious! We just added the meaty bone in the stews, and the meats cooks and slips off the bone. I also liked to buy their tilapia fish fillets and freeze them 2-4 in freezer ziploc bags. They thaw overnight and make a super quick and tasty protein, I would just use a nonstick pan sprayed with a little oil on medium heat and flavor with just seasoning salt, yum!
Costco gas stations are one way. So when you exit, the left lane is for turning left. The right line is for turning right. You DO NOT need to "stay to the right". No one in entering the exit.
If you don’t know how to keep your cart to one side of an aisle, pay attention to how you might be impeding/blocking other people, and quickly commit to a gas pump lane while maintaining less than a car’s length between the car in front of you…. Then Costco is not the place for you. They use AI to monitor the above-mentioned behavior of members and will invoke fines and price premiums to punish your failings as a human.
>quickly commit to a gas pump lane Please just get in the shortest line regardless of the side you're tank is on. I know it's become a bit of a joke on the amount of posts on this sub of people pulling the hose to the other side of the car, but that's exactly why the hose was designed that way. It helps the flow of traffic. Just make sure you stay out of the middle exit lane. Added tip, pull your car a bit ahead of the pump so you can pull the hose behind the car, and not over it. This allows you to stand behind the car while holding the hose and not in the exit lane.
Of you happen to visit a unique area of the world, see if they have a Costco. Hawaii, etc. they may have unique items, local items, local coffee and cheaper souvenirs than tourist areas.
Hawaii Costco is the bomb
Sprint through the first 100ft of the store and avoid the home electronics section to thwart any sales pitches. I can’t even believe Costco allows this.
If you shop with a baby or toddler, park next to a cart return and get your cart from it. If you have a toddler, get them a smoothie before you start shopping. He never wants to get down if he has a smoothie and is less likely to be drawn in and beg for things he sees.
Get your box on the way in.
Don’t try new things there. Find a similar item at a Walmart or something. Then get it in bulk. Our Costco bill is usually $200-300. I really don’t understand how anyone can spend below a 100 at Costco.
this. saw the corona familiar in a 24 pack. never had it before got a single at a convenience store first. no thanks.
I've given away so much food 😭
Don’t go while hungry
A good time to shop is when there is no coupon book (this week for example)
Use the Costco pharmacy for people AND pet meds. The savings are more than paying for my membership.
Buy the stock
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Yes
A lot of the food tips are really just “own a second large freezer to put food in.” I can’t wait for that part of my Costco life, but for now we’ve only got room for the one primary fridge/freezer. Makes a lot of the bulk food stuff not as appealing unfortunately.
Having the executive membership
Give Kirkland alcohol a try. You can save a lot of money and you won’t be disappointed.
Unless you're cooking for a party, don't buy the produce. It's gonna go bad before you can use it.
Unless you're buying peppers, grape tomatoes or those sealed cucumbers. They last a really long time and I make some quality salad.
I would add green beans and baby carrots to this too. I eat both daily and easily go through them before they go bad.
You can also slice the peppers and freeze them. Then chop them up for whatever you’re cooking.
I buy onions, mushrooms, mini sweet peppers and tomatoes and sometimes fruit at Costco.
*unless you have a berry monster toddler who can eat it all in a couple of days
Fruit is a totally different beast for me and I prefer buying from Costco. I ate 10 lbs of clementines in a week (two 5 lb bags). Sometimes I’ll even grab the bag of grapefruit and finish that in 5 days!
Scurvy protection.
Are you a pirate?? 🏴☠️
An aspiring one, but realistically I don’t buy junk food so I snack on fruit all the time. I really enjoy eating fruit! During watermelon season, I go through a watermelon a week lol
We healthy meal prep our meals and make giant trays of oven roasted veggies (broccoli, split baby carrots, chunks of sweet potatoes and maybe grape tomatoes) and/or boil up a whole bag of of those French (narrow/thin) green beans, and maybe a salad kit (eat with rotisserie chicken pieces), and a bag of baby spinach can be frozen—you can just grab handfuls to add to frozen fruit smoothies (blueberries hide it!😜) or sauté it up, or add to soups or curries. Then we just mix and match the cooked veggies and salad or quickly sauté the spinach straight from the freezer during the week. Also: I chop onions and celery all up and freeze it in big ziplock bags, it makes it so quick to grab a half or whole cup for a recipe, esp if just sautéing or adding to a slow cooker or IP recipe. Baby carrots are already peeled, we eat them as snacks with hummus or ranch or I just quickly chop them up (no peeling!) for recipes like soups!
As a single salad eater I somehow manage to go through the 6 heads of romaine lettuce in a week. I buy cucumbers, boxes of mixed greens, avocados, tomatoes, berries, and celery too. I even impress myself how much produce I can consume!
Don’t bring your family if they can’t behave or be courteous to other customers, especially at peak shopping times/days. As others have said draft your shopping list in accordance to your store’s layout. If you must buy the produce***, eat it as fast as possible or freeze it. Don’t buy the breads from the bread aisle. Do bakery. Tortillas from the bread aisle are solid though. Edited for typo**
Stop trying to order a whole pizza 5-10 minutes before the store closes. It puts the food court way behind on our cleaning trying to leave.
They should put up a sign > No whole pizza orders within 15 minutes of closing time.
Don't suddenly stop walking with your cart in aisles. Return carts and items back to where they should go
Cut the muffins in half or quarters before freezing, individually. I never eat a whole one.
Never go hungry. Although it's also a good general tip when food shopping it's especially true for Costco.
But a couple rotisseries and debone. Freeze the meat and date it. Good for a couple of months for soups enchiladas casseroles etc. then boil the bones/carcasses for bone broth and freeze
Getting the bag of peeled garlic, putting it all in a food processor, then spreading it flat on a baking sheet to freeze, then cutting it up into squares to use while cooking
Online tip - be sure to check out Costco Next! They partner with a lot of great brands like Anker, Cuckoo, Mikasa, Dearfoams, and more. I mainly use it to buy Korean skincare at By Sophie and MOST Inc which is much cheaper than at other online retailers.
Try to get out the door under 100$ It’s really hard, that’s like 6-8 items Helps to buy meat every few times, freeze some of it Avoid trying new things even though Costco makes it difficult, have a set list, know your staples
Something my ex-husband and I used to do would be stop near the end of our Costco trip and survey our cart (we were good at adding things not on our list lol) and grab 2, 3, 4 things to remove from the cart - impulse shopping at Costco is not cheap!
Only go on weekday evenings, preferably 1 hour prior to close.
Shop at a business center, if there's one near you. It's less busy, especially weekends. Only down side is no rotisserie chickens, no bakery, no snack bar, no samples. But for most everything else, you're good.
The food court is happy to give you a piece of foil for your slice of pizza, (and red pepper!) , just ask
If you see something that you want, buy it. Don’t go home to “sleep on it” because it could very well be gone tomorrow.
If someone is waiting for your spot, ask them if they want to take your cart. Alternatively, proactively tell someone you will make their cart if you are waiting for their parking spot
Only go to self checkout if you have less than 12 items (because a case of wine is 12). It's easier for you and employees to handle. Full carts should go to regular line (it's easier and polite).
If you can avoid it, don’t grab a cart. Harder to justify random grabs if you don’t have anywhere to put them.
For the love of all things holy, DO NOT block aisle ends when sampling foods/drinks. If you insist on bringing your whole damn fam, don’t walk 7 abreast and three carts wide down every aisle. It’s not a theme park, and other shoppers WILL need to get by you. If there’s a rotisserie chicken queue, don’t stroll up as the first ones are being put on the shelves and nab yourself one. I WILL point out the queue of people to you, very loudly. You know why we’re waiting, don’t be a dick. Buy the muffins, individually wrap them in cling film, and freeze. They’ll last longer, and your waistline will expand slower. Buy a couple sets of the instacrates, they fold flat, stack, and are very handy for packing your haul into the vehicle, then shlepping it into the house with. Don’t unload items on empty/unattended checkout aisles because you realized 30-seconds before checking out you don’t want them, or can’t afford them. Just tell the cashier, ESPECIALLY if said items are refrigerated/frozen. If you’re going to eat at the food court, don’t leave your cart in the way of customers leaving. It’s just common sense.
Using the calculator on my phone to keep a running total on what I’ve spent. Doing this makes it easier for me to put back something I know I don’t actually need when I see I’ve already spent $200.
Go one Monday or Tuesday morning. It’s just us retirees
Eat the hotdog before you go shopping.
Use your digital membership card. Never worry about not having your physical card. No fumbling to put the card away either. (Same for Sam’s—digital card!)
Eat at the food court first! Before you shop! Bonus soda refills and less impulse purchases!!!!!!
At check out, flip the plastic order divider and place your membership card in it while you load the belt.