4 Tricks Long‑Time Costco Members Use To Keep Annual Spending Low
Costco promises savings, particularly on bulk purchases, but it can also be an easy place to overspend. Rotating deals, big carts and impulse buys can often push spending higher than expected.
Long-time Costco members keep costs low by shopping with a strategy instead of assuming every price is automatically a good deal.
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Here are four tricks these Costco members use to keep their annual spending to a minimum.
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1. Check Out Costco First
“One of the best things I have done to minimize annual spending is to move all my recurring household purchases to Costco,” explained Dr. Olga Bachilo, a Houston-based business owner, board-certified plastic surgeon at Glamour Plastic Surgery and Med Spa and Costco member since 2001.
This includes items like paper towels, vitamins, coffee, soap and laundry detergent. According to Bachilo, prices at other stores can sometimes be between 30% and 50% higher.
“For example, a two-pack of Tide Pods at Target costs about $13 to $14 for 35 counts, while Costco offers 150 counts for about $22,” Bachilo added. “I have saved between $1,500 and $2,500 in a single year without changing anything I actually buy.”
She also saves money by checking prices at Costco first before shopping at specialty stores, including tires, mattresses, appliances and glasses.
“A set of four Michelin Defender tires at a standard tire shop would cost about $800 to $900 installed, whereas the same set of tires at Costco would cost $600 to $700 with installation included,” she said.
2. Don’t Purchase Everything in Bulk
One of the biggest scams at Costco comes down to something James Shaffer, insurance broker and founder and managing director at Insurance Panda, called “phantom savings.”
“Consumers may view a large container of spinach or a 5-pound bag of fruit as a steal because of its size. But they’re wrong; if 30% of this food rots in their refrigerators, that means their true per-unit cost has risen above regular grocery stores,” Shaffer said.
3. Read the Price Tag Endings
Fahed Bitar, project executive at S-Line Contractors, a licensed general contracting firm based in Riverside, California, said that he likes to read the price tag endings to save money. If a price tag ends in .97, it means a manager marked it down for clearance.
“That means, rather than paying the original $189 that Costco had for a KitchenAid hand mixer, I only paid $97 because the tag ended in .97,” Bitar explained. “Just remember that Costco does not promote these discounts in the app, the monthly coupon book or on signage. The only way to get them is to actually see the last two numbers of each price tag while you're on the floor.”
4. Stay on the Outer Perimeter
Another trick that Bitar uses is to shop the outer perimeter of the warehouse.
“That's because the center aisles are not for those who want to save money. Costco does this on purpose, changing the center products every few weeks, so you're always finding something new that you've never seen before,” he claimed.
Pricing in the center aisles also uses a psychological tactic that makes you think you’re getting a better deal.
“A $79 blender seems like a great deal when you're standing by a $1,500 laptop, even if you had no plans to purchase it,” Bitar pointed out. “It's the center where Costco makes its money off members who have already paid to use it.”
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This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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