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Costco puts an upcharge on online orders. But so does Instacart. Here’s how it breaks down. [[{“value”:”
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Sure, we all love spending an hour-plus hiking through the ever-changing aisles of Costco just to restock the pantry every month. But for those folks who aren’t such big fans of the endless Costco journey, there are two options: Purchase what you can online through Costco.com, or place an Instacart order and let someone else brave the aisles for you.
Both options are going to cost you more than going yourself. Not only are there markups, but you may pay a delivery fee either way. (And don’t forget to tip your Instacart shopper.)
Taking all that into consideration, which option is actually the best for your budget? As it turns out, it’s not that clear cut.
Instacart prices are an average of 8% cheaper
I took a look at 20 popular Kirkland Signature items on Costco.com and Instacart.com. I was logged into my Costco account, and my Costco account is linked to my Instacart account. I ignored any temporary sales and used only regular prices.
Overall, Instacart items averaged 8% cheaper than Costco.com items. In fact, Costco’s website was only cheaper for 3 out of the 20 items, meaning Instacart was cheaper 85% of the time.
If you purchased everything on the list, you’d save a total of $28.23 buying it though Instacart. Even including delivery and tip, you’d probably still come out ahead, or at last break even.
And Instacart will get it to your door same-day in many cases. Costco.com will take at least two days.
Savings get smaller as carts do
While the numbers above may be convincing, you have to consider the context. Personally, I’m not replacing every single bulk item at the same time once or twice a year. Instead, I tend to stock up in smaller waves, shopping once a month or so to get what we’re going to run out of soon.
On this smaller scale, the savings become less distinct. Take the example below, with a subset of seven items that may more accurately represent a typical purchase.
Here, you’re only paying $5.77 less through Instacart than Costco.com. Once you add in delivery fees and a tip, you’re likely paying a bit more for your Instacart order. But the point about timing stands: You’re getting your order the same day, instead of waiting days or longer.
Delivery costs vary
Some items on Costco.com have delivery costs built into the price. Other items — the “2-Day Delivery” items — require you to order at least $75 in qualifying items or you’ll be charged a $3 delivery fee. However, you don’t have to tip anyone.
Instacart, on the other hand, charges a delivery fee on all orders unless you have an Instacart+ membership. This can cost up to $99 a year, though there are a lot of ways to get it for less. Some credit cards offer it as a perk. Instacart also does lots of promos (at time of writing, I have an offer for $19 for my first year of membership).
Regardless of the delivery fee, though, you need to tip your Instacart shopper. They have to physically shop for and then deliver your order. They earned it.
In the end, shopping in person is always the best value. But if you’re getting Costco items delivered, you can choose whichever method best suits your needs and the cost difference will likely be negligible.
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We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers.
The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Brittney Myers has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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