7 Costco Holiday Shopping Hacks That Could Save You Big Money This Year
Written by
John Csiszar
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Even with the well-known everyday value that Costco offers, there are a number of hacks you can use to save even more. While some of these strategies work year-round, others are particularly valuable during the holidays.
Here are some top tips that could save you big money this year.
Don’t Settle for Online — Go Into the Actual Store
Retailers have made it easier than ever to shop online. Without getting off your couch, you can pick and choose what you want and have your gifts delivered right to your doorstep, often with free shipping. While Costco has been playing catch-up with other retailers in terms of its online presence, it still offers its club members the option to buy certain items online.
One thing that most Costco insiders know, however, is that prices inside Costco warehouses are often cheaper than those it posts online. If you’re looking to score the best deals and can trade off a bit of convenience, actually visiting a physical Costco location is likely to save you some money.
This is particularly true during the holidays, when individual warehouses are likely to have their own holiday specials and product offerings that you may not even be able to find on Costco.com.
Watch for Rotating Promotions
Both in-store and online, Costco rotates its promotions frequently. For example, in early December 2023, Costco was running “The Twelve Days of Holiday Deals” promotion online, offering numerous products at significant discounts. But each individual warehouse often has its own in-store promotions as well.
One thing to note while in a store is that Costco will helpfully post the date ranges that any item will be on sale, so you can plan your shopping accordingly (with an exception noted below). If an item you want doesn’t happen to be on sale during your next store visit, it’s worthwhile to keep checking, as Costco often marks down items on a regular basis.
Keep Watching After You Buy
Costco commands a loyal following for a number of reasons, and its 30-day price adjustment policy is one of them. Even if you don’t have a receipt, if you bought an item at Costco and its price falls anytime in the subsequent 30 days, you can have the difference credited back to you.
This can be particularly helpful during the holidays, as you can still buy early in the season and not have to risk missing out on any sales and promotions for the next 30 days.
Buy Gift Cards
One of the areas in which Costco stands out in terms of discounts is with its gift cards. As gift cards are essentially the same as cash, many retailers don’t offer discounts on them. Costco is different, though.
Although the available cards can vary from warehouse to warehouse, Costco often offers $100 gift cards for $79.99. As of early Dec. 2023, for example, members could buy $100 in gift cards from Nutrisystem, Fogo de Chao and Domino’s, among others, for $79.99. A $500 Southwest e-gift card was listed for $449.99. These make for great holiday gift items and they’re hard to find anywhere else but Costco.
Don’t Miss Out — Buy It When You See It
Costco is able to offer low prices in part due to the relatively limited amount of merchandise that it offers. The company is also famous for selling products just until they run out, only restocking them if there is tremendous and consistent demand. This is part of the “treasure hunt” feeling its customers crave and that keeps them coming back to the store.
The lesson of this strategy as a consumer, however, is that if you see something at Costco you like, you should generally buy it right away. This is particularly true for items that have an asterisk at the top right of their price card, as that’s an indication from store management that the item won’t be restocked once it’s sold out.
Share With Friends
The downside of shopping at Costco if you’re an individual is that most of the items sold there come in bulk. While the per-unit price on dishwashing detergent may be 30% less than you’d pay at your local grocery store, for example, you might have to buy six packages at Costco to get that price.
One extremely helpful hack, particularly during the holidays, is to go in with friends on your bulk purchases. Then you can all share in the discounted prices without having any storage or food waste problems.
Check for Prices Ending in .97 and .00
While this isn’t a special holiday hack, savvy Costco shoppers know that they can save big money on items ending in prices of .97 or .00.
Merchandise priced at $9.97, for example, has been marked down, often in an effort to get rid of slow-selling or holiday merchandise. Items ending in .00 are at final clearance, usually as a result of returns or because an individual store manager is trying to blow out the last few items of a certain product. When you see these price notations, you’re likely getting a good deal.
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